9 games night essential to avoid lockdown boredom

From new and old favourite board games to shuffling a deck of cards, here are nine games that you can play and adapt for a home or virtual games night for a few extra hours of fun.

Dice, cards and board games are all good ways of spending time together during lockdown. (Image: Brian McEntire)

1. Linkee

If you are a fan of Only Connect but sometimes wish there were a few easier questions you could shout out the link to, then this is the best board game for the evening.

To win a letter, work out the link from the answers to the questions. You can shout Linkee at any time, but get it wrong and you're out of the round. Play until a team has enough letters to spell the word Linkee and then see how long it takes before the most competitive person will probably want a rematch.

2. Ticket to Ride

A game to play with the family in lockdown, Ticket to Ride. (Image: Archant)

With travel still off in the distance, this board game is a good way of appealing to the sense of wanderlust or learning your way around a map. The aim is to build train routes across the board through as many cities as possible. Points are scored for completing journeys and the longer the route the more points you achieve at the end.

3. Perudo

All you need for this game is a cup and five dice per player. A game of bluff and chance, it is a quick game to pull together last minute and a good game to play with a virtual crowd.

As the turns go on, players make successively higher declarations regarding the results of all the dice that have been rolled. The next player can contest the bid leading to a count up. Once the results are revealed either the bidder or the caller loses a dice, depending on who was correct.

4. Timeline

Timeline puts people's historical knowledge to the test. (Image: Archant)

Fancy yourself a historian? There are many packs of this game which tests your knowledge of the most important and obscure dates in history. Players will take it in turns to guess where on the timeline their cards need to be placed until they run out.

5. A good old deck of cards

Bring the household together with a card game, with so many games to pick from, it could easily make for hours of entertainment during lockdown. (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Owning a pack of cards is a useful way to pass time. From rummy, solitaire, cheat, go fish, bridge, to the more aggressive spoons, the list is endless and one for all ages.

6. Obama Llama

Obama Llama is a rhyming game which may appeal to those who enjoy a competitive team game. (Image: Archant)

If you feel in the mood for more of a party game, this test of your rhyming skills is certain to be perfect with the household.

Best played in two teams, take it in turns to roll the dice and take on one of the three challenge cards, solve it, describe it and act it with rhymes to do with famous names. The act it challenges go by quickly to avoid the awkwardness of just playing Charades.

7. Jenga

Time to get Jenga out for a games night? (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A test of dexterity and a game that brings out the risk takers. This classic game does not take much time to set up and can be played by all ages and appeals to a tournament set up.

8. Cluedo

This classic murder mystery is often a staple of the games cupboard and one that can be played with the family over the course of the evening.

9. Monopoly

Will Monopoly be making an appearance at game nights during lockdown? (Image: Archant)

Saving the best (or possibly worst) lockdown game to last. Once the discussion have passed the agreed rules and who is the banker, it is time to get buying those properties. Possibly the one game on this list that comes with a warning about playing with your household.

What are your go to games?