Some of my favourite board games are perfect for kids and adults with short attention spans.
These board games are easy to learn, relatively quick to play, and consist of dynamic gameplay, which makes them far more engaging than other board games.
So, check out these 7 board games perfect for kids, adults and millennials with a short attention span.
Article Contents:
- Monopoly Deal · 15 – 20 mins · 2 to 5 player
- Sushi Go · 15 – 20 mins · 2 to 5 player
- Kingdomino · 15 – 20 mins · 2 to 4 player
- Sequence · 15 – 20 mins · 2 to 12 player
- Carcassonne · 30 – 45 mins · 2 to 5 players
- Ticket to Ride · 25 – 60 mins · 2 to 5 players
- Deception: Murder in Hong Kong · 20 – 25 mins · 4 to 12 player
Gameplay: 15 to 20 minutes
Players: 2 to 5
Transportability: High
Difficulty to Learn: Low
Setup Time: 1 minute
Expansions: No
Price: $10 – $15
Monopoly deal is a card game that is just as competitive as its older brother but at a fraction of the time (and cost!). It’s loads of fun with virtually zero setup and takedown time.
And, because of its relatively short game play time, averaging 15 minutes, Monopoly Deal is a fantastic game for kids and adults with short attention spans.
Quick Rules
The goal of the game is to collect 3 complete sets of properties of different colors. Each player starts with 5 cards. On your turn, you draw two cards and play up to three cards.
Cards played can be either added as money to your bank, properties, enhancements to your properties (increased rent) or actions (collect rent, birthday money or steal/swap property cards). It’s just that simple.
Why it’s Great
The low setup time, simple rules and high re-playability makes Monopoly Deal great for players with low attention spans.
And, you don’t have to wait 3 hours, or ruin friendships, to see who wins!
Looking for the complete rules to play Monopoly Deal? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 15 to 20 minutes
Players: 2 to 5
Transportability: High
Difficulty to Learn: Low
Setup Time: 2 minute
Expansions: Yes
Price: $15 – $20
Sushi Go is a fast-paced card game that’ll have you snatching up sashimi and wanting more wasabi.
It’s a great board game for players with low attention span because each round is fairly quick, with little time to overthink or get bored.
And, just like your favorite all you can eat sushi bar, you’ll be craving it, over and over again.
Quick Rules
Over a series of three rounds, players add sushi cards to their “plate”. The player with the highest scoring plate wins!
Depending on the number of players, up to 10 cards are dealt to each player. Each player then picks one card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. Simultaneously, card it revealed.
The cards in hand are then passed to the left, simulating a conveyor belt. Once again, players chose a card and reveal it.
These two steps are repeated until only a single card is left to pass, which is added to each player’s plate. This signifies the end of a round.
Scoring of your plate depends the type of sushi cards, each representing a slightly different scoring method. Pudding cards are scored at the end. Once the scores a tallied for the round, the used sushi cards (except pudding cards) are discarded, and each player is dealt a new hand of cards.
The same process is repeated for all three rounds, the scores are added up and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Why it’s Great
Even if you don’t like eating sushi, you’ll definitely love playing Sushi Go. Kids can learn how to play very quickly, and the constant rotation of cards makes it very dynamic.
If you’re looking for a less involved board game to play with kids or adults who have a low attention span, look no further!
Looking for the complete rules to play Sushi Go? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 15 to 20 minutes
Players: 2 to 4
Transportability: High
Difficulty to Learn: Low
Setup Time: 2 minute
Expansions: Yes
Price: $25 – $35
At its root, Kingdomino is a tile building board game that is based on aspects of dominoes (the game, not the pizza chain).
The goal is to build a 5 x 5 kingdom around your castle and earn the most points based on the number of connected terrain territories.
Quick Rules
Similar to dominoes, the objective of the game is to collect and connect similar tiles, which consist of different types of terrain. The more terrain that is connected, the more points you are awarded.
Each round of play consists of drawing 4 tiles, followed by placing meeples on the ones you want. But, selection of tiles happens in a particular order.
The player on the lowest ranked tile moves his meeple onto a newly drawn tile to select their next tile. The tile the meeple was originally on is then placed next to the player’s castle tile. The meeple on the next lowest ranked tile is moved onto the new tiles and the old tile placed in front of whomever meeple color it was. Once all four meeples are moved to the new pile, four new tiles are drawn and the process is repeated.
The tiles are place around your castle tile and can only span a maximum of a 5 x 5 grid. At least one of the terrains need to match where it is placed. If the terrain does not or can not match, or there is no room to add a tile without going beyond the 5 x 5 limit, the tile is discarded.
Some terrain tiles contain a crown symbol(s), which is extra important for scoring. When the last tile is played, the game is over and the points are scored based on horizontally and/or vertically connected terrain territories. Each crown on a connected territory counts as a multiplier. But, territories only count for points if at least one crown is present.
Why it’s Great
Constantly struggling between selecting the highest earning tiles and being able to pick new tiles first makes Kingdomino a legitimate grudge match.
Now include the added constraint of matching terrain squares and being limited to a 5 x 5 square plot, you’re in for a highly engaging board game to say the least.
The low set-up time, simple rules and high re-playability makes Kingdomino a great board game to play with people a low attention span. And, if you’re like me, you’ll be playing this board game more often than not.
Looking for the complete rules to play Kingdomino? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 15 to 20 minutes
Players: 2 to 12
Transportability: Medium
Difficulty to Learn: Low
Setup Time: 5 minutes
Expansions: No
Price: $35 – $45
If you grew up playing Connect 4, you’ll love playing Sequence. The concept is essentially the same however, it relies on cooperation and playing the right cards to win.
And since table talk is strictly enforced, any sort of strategy discussions is penalized. It makes for a fun board game for anyone who has a low attention span, especially young children.
Quick Rules
The objective of the game is to connect 5 cards in a row, represented on the board, to create a “sequence”. Two sequences of the same color win the game.
At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt a specific number of cards depending on the number of players. Team mates sit across from one another around the board and work together to create sequences.
During a players turn, they remove a card from their hand and play it face-up on the discard pile. A marker chip is then placed on the corresponding card on the game board.
Once a card is played, you must take a card from the draw deck. But, if you forget to take a card before the next player finishes their turn, you forfeit your opportunity to gain a card. Now you must play with one less card in your hand.
Why it’s Great
Play a card, place a chip. Sequence is a super simple game for kids and adults. The competitive dynamics of the game make it super engaging.
Every time young kids come over and need some down time we break out Sequence – It’s always a hit!
Looking for the complete rules to play Sequence? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 25 to 45 minutes
Players: 2 to 5
Transportability: Medium
Difficulty to Learn: Medium
Setup Time: 2 minutes
Expansions: Yes
Price: $35 – $45
When you’re itching to play a board game that’s both competitive and quick, Carcassonne is the game to play.
Set up consists of taking out the scoring board, choosing a color of “followers” and mixing up the game tiles face-down in the box. That’s it!
And, because of its relatively fast pace, Carcassonne is a superb choice for individuals with short attention spans.
Quick Rules
A starter tile is placed face-up in the center of the playing table. Players then take turns choosing tiles randomly and placing them face up on the table, connecting new tiles to the existing tile(s). Tiles must fit together such that the “border” of the tiles work together.
This means that a new tile, when connected to an existing tile, completes the map without producing a fallacy, such as a road ending abruptly, a field-edged tile connected to a city-edge tile, etc.
After placing a tile, the player can take one follower from his/her supply and place it on the tile that he/she just placed. The follower can be placed in a city (knight), on a road (thief), on a monastery (monk) or on a section of field (farmer).
By completing a road, city or monastery, points are awarded immediately and followers on the scored/completed structures are then placed back into the player’s supply. Farmers are scored at the end of the game, along with followers on unfinished structures.
The game ends when there are no more tiles to play and the player with the most points wins!
Why it’s Great
Since it’s so easy to learn, and gameplay is relatively simple, players with short attention spans tend to gravitate toward Carcassonne, like me!
The randomness of the tiles, the additional challenges and opportunities presented from the expansions, and the ability to wreak havoc on your opponent’s gameplay are essential to why Carcassonne is perfect for kids and adults!
Looking for the complete rules to play Carcassonne? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 25 to 60 minutes
Players: 2 to 5
Transportability: Low
Difficulty to Learn: Medium
Setup Time: 10 minutes
Expansions: No
Price: $55 – $65
Who knew a game based on trains and railroads could be so fun?!
Well it’s true, Ticket to Ride is a fantastic, competitive and very engaging board game for kids and adults.
And although it takes a bit longer to play, typically lasting up to an hour, someone with a short attention span will have no issues playing through to the end.
Quick Rules
The name of the game is to be awarded the most points by the end. Players can score points two ways. By purchasing and placing rail cars between cities, and by completing destination cards.
At the start of the game, each player is dealt three destination cards and must keep at least two. Destination cards outline the number of points a player receives once they connect the two cities on the card.
The game board itself consists of a map of different cities connected by crisscrossing railroad tracks.
To connect two cities, a player must play rail cards matching the color of the track and quantity of spaces connecting the cities.
During each round a player can take one of three actions:
- Pick up two rail cards
- Play a set of rail cards, all of a single color
- Select two additional destination cards
Each player has a total of 50 train cars which can be used to connect and span the tracks between cities.
Some cities only have one railroad between them, so it’s a mad rush to place your rail cars before anyone else. Otherwise, players might have to take a longer route around to fulfill their destination cards.
At the end of the game, any destination cards that are not completed result in negative points being awards.
Why it’s Great
The game dynamics and rules for Ticket to Ride are incredibly easy to master, very young kids will have no problems playing.
Couple that with a slight hint of competition and you’ve got a recipe for a great board game.
It’ll surely keep kids and adults with a short attention span entertained, again and again.
Looking for the complete rules to play Ticket to Ride? Check them out here.
Gameplay: 20 to 25 minutes
Players: 4 to 12
Transportability: Low
Difficulty to Learn: Medium
Setup Time: 5 minutes
Expansions: No
Price: $45 – $50
The scene is set. The roles are assigned. And the only thing that’s left is determining who did the crime!
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is a role playing game where players must solve a murder. But you have to be extra careful since… the killer is someone among you!
So, can you deduce who is the murderer?
Quick Rules
To start, each player is assigned a role at random. The roles are as follows:
- Murderer
- Investigators
- Forensic Scientist
- Accomplice (for 6+ players)
- Witness (for 6+ players)
The investigators need to solve the crime by identifying the “means of murder” and the “key evidence”. But, each investigator only has one attempt to solve the crime, so they better be sure they’re right!
The murderer, who is pretending to be an investigator, secretly sabotages the investigation by leading them away from the clues.
The forensic scientist is revealed at the start of the game and is considered the game master. They know the solution to the crime, and assist the investigators identify the means of murder and the key evidence. Without words, gestures or additional hints, and only using the included clue tiles, the Forensic Scientist aids the investigators.
Why it’s Great
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is a battle of wits to see who will ultimately win. Young and old will love the fast-paced and social deduction aspects of this board game.
And, since some of the game play is timed, individuals with low attention spans will breeze through the game.
So, channel your inner Pink Panther, Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew to flush out the murderer and win!
Looking for the complete rules to play Deception: Murder in Hong Kong? Check them out here.
With so many distractions these days, it can seem hard to sit down and play a board game.
Thankfully, there are at least a few out there that are perfect for short attention spans.
Which board games keep you and your fellow players engaged? Let us know in the comments section below!
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