IDK about you, but I am 100000% my happiest when I have a chill night in. When the weekend rolls around, I am fully content in the comfort of my home, loungewear on, takeout ordered, wine in hand, jazz music faintly playing in the background—you get the idea. My general life mantra rn is basically the cozier, the better, because minimal effort is in, my friends.
And as any #ComfyLife connoisseur will tell you, your preferred method of entertainment is key to nailing the optimal chill night in. Are you a bookworm who enjoys cuddling up with a best-selling novel? Maybe making headway on your Netflix queue is more the vibe. If you happen to be the classic board game type (or you aspire to be!), let me tell you, what a time to be alive. There are SO many cozy games to stock up on that your future chill nights in are gonna be the place to be on a Friday night.
New games are released all the time, so you might be surprised at the number of options you have today compared to when you were younger. While timeless board games like Monopoly and Clue are trusty standbys that usually get the party started, sometimes it’s nice to venture out of your comfort zone, no? To get you started on your search, I’ve curated this collection of games that are practically begging to be played during your next chill night in. There’s a little something for everyone, from a card game for couples that promises to make you and your partner laugh to a clever guessing game of colors and clues.
Whether you’re a longtime game aficionado or you’re looking to build your game collection from scratch, this list is gonna be a super helpful guide, IMO. And while these games are probably best played among a group, you can totally play ‘em solo if you want! After all, who’s better company than yourself? Exactly. Keep reading for the best 18 cozy games that you should have on standby for all your entertaining needs.
OK, so in this (literally) vibrant AF game, the point is to make connections to colors with words. Using minimal cues, players have to get others to guess a specific hue from the 480 (!!!) colors on the game board. After a few rounds, you’re bound to become a total color expert.
This straightforward game can be played between you and your S.O. or between you and other couples. No matter the vibe, be prepared to get into serious hilarity. The interactive game includes a bunch of fun questions (think: “Which emoji defines our relationship?” and “Who hogs the bed covers?”) that are guaranteed to make all involved LOL.
For those with a flair for the dramatic
OFF TOPIC Salsa: The Adult Party Game of Hilarious Accusations
For those with a flair for the dramatic
OFF TOPIC Salsa: The Adult Party Game of Hilarious Accusations
If your chill night in could use just a little energy, break out this bb. The entire premise of this game is to literally accuse your friends of truly wild things. The 580 cards all contain outrageous accusations that may or may not reveal some previously unknown factoids about folks. Fair warning: Mixing this game with alcohol miiiiight lead to several instances of uncontrollable laughter.
I mean, the name says it all, right? If peak coziness is what you’re searching for, you gotta have this game on hand. “Hygge,” as you may know, is a Danish term that loosely means enjoying the good things in life. So it doesn’t really get more hygge than great conversation—this game has more than 300 ~thought-provoking~ questions that will initiate all sorts of super profound discussion.
For the baker
Masters of Mystery Bake Off Themed Murder Mystery Game Kit
For the baker
Masters of Mystery Bake Off Themed Murder Mystery Game Kit
A murder mystery will bring a bit of intrigue and suspense to your chill night in. This one can be played IRL or virtually, giving you plenty of flexibility when it comes to figuring out hosting duties. You also have the option to customize the game depending on the number of players. Très fancy, isn’t it?
Need something truly mindless? It doesn’t get more simple than this card game, where the entire point is to get your crew to guess the name on the card. Obvi, you can’t actually say the name, so predictably, confusion and general chaos ensues. There are 440 cards in a deck, meaning a game may go on for a loooong time.
When you’ve got the whole family over, round everyone up to play this game, which is ideal for a group of up to 12. It’s mostly a guessing game, but on a scale system, making it a tad bit more challenging. Still, many reviewers swear it’s easy to learn and has plenty of replay value. That’s a win-win in my book!
Get ready to make any National Parks lover swoon. When you can’t make it to the parks IRL, you’ll get a decent consolation prize with this game. Players score points by visiting as many parks as possible and snapping photos along the way. This one’s good to play solo or with a group of up to five.
On occasions when you’re not feeling a card game sitch, reach for this versatile (and incredibly chic) chess and checkers set. With the two classic games in one, you’ll stay entertained for hours on end. Plus, the board doubles as a storage box, so you can easily pack it away when it’s not in use. Brilliant!
Raise your hand if you still feel personally victimized by Uno. For people of a certain age, this was the game growing up and usually involved some type of contentious outcome. This time around, upgrade to the giant version of the classic card game. Same rules apply—it just adds a new element of fun to play with the extra large cards.
NGL, my understanding of the rules of backgammon are, um, limited at best. But look at this gorgeous set! Even if you have no idea how to play, it’s worth learning to have this beaut chillin’ on your coffee table, just sayin’. The board morphs into the storage box, which has the cutest top handle for easy transport.
Want to expand your vocabulary? Then have I got just the game for you. This popular card game is all about guessing “absurd words” and doing “ridiculous challenges.” A helpful bonus: NSFW cards are marked, giving you the option to rotate those in or out—depending on who’s in the party crowd, of course.
Confession: I haven’t played Chinese checkers since middle school but I swear I used to be pretty good at it! This stylish set is a solid size and features the most gorgeous lacquered pieces. Not only does this look the part, I firmly believe that having it around is def gonna make me get back into it.
Behold, the most beautiful Scrabble board I’ve, um, ever seen?! As a self-proclaimed word nerd (hi, I’m an editor), I find this set almost too stunning to play with. This has got future family heirloom written all over it.
For a blast from the past
WS Game Company Candy Land Vintage Bookshelf Edition
For a blast from the past
WS Game Company Candy Land Vintage Bookshelf Edition
Speaking of beautiful, this unexpected twist on the classic Candy Land game is soooo sweet (pun intended). It folds into a faux book that you can place on the shelf; the linen wrapping on the “book” looks really high-end. This brand gives several other board games the same treatment, which means you can have a whole shelf filled with these clever faux book games.
If geometry was a favorite subject of yours, you’ll be into this brain-teaser game. Using 12 polygon pieces, the premise is to fill up the space on the board, which changes based on where the “slider” piece is located. This one’s ideal if you’re solo or for playing with kiddos.
This isn’t your mom’s Connect 4, that’s for sure. Those clear acrylic and marbleized pieces are impossibly elegant; the whole set would look fab on a bookshelf or nightstand. Plus, the clear acrylic stopper keeps pieces in play and removes easily to clear the board before each round.
Jenga, but make it ~aesthetic~. With colorful painted wood tiles and a vibrant wood die, this game looks good and makes people bond over the imminent collapse of a giant tower. Not to mention, this is a quintessential solo game.
Mekita Rivas is an editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. She writes about everything from the best leather totes and books she can't put down to plants, podcasts, and politics. Prior to joining Cosmopolitan, she was a senior contributing fashion editor at PopSugar and Bustle. Her writing has been published in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Vogue, Harper's BAZAAR, Women's Health, Refinery29, and others. She currently splits her time between New York City and Washington, D.C. Follow Mekita on Instagram, where you'll typically find a mix of her snapshots from fashion week and various editor travels.