The 13 Best Trivia Board Games

Whatever the topic, trivia games have a way of bringing a little competitive spirit out of anyone. Whether you’re battling over song lyrics, world geography, or sports stats, trivia board games promise a fun game night for groups of all ages and sizes. The best trivia board games are age-appropriate, ideal for the number of players who will be competing, and can be played in as little or as much time as you would like. Whether you're a trivia buff or you slept through history class in high school, there’s a trivia game here for you.

I’ve included options that are family-friendly as well as raunchy adult favorites. The age restrictions listed refer to both the difficulty of the questions and the appropriateness of the topics. More traditional trivia games often focus on a handful of topics and award points to the person richest with knowledge. However, I've also included games that buck tradition and require you to place bets, use your phone, or search for links among questions. If you like a challenge, there’s plenty here for you.

Play time is a consideration, especially if you're gathering a small group of friends or family for a game night that you don't want to drag on. Most of the games I included can be played in less than an hour, and even as little time as 25 minutes. These quicker games keep everyone involved and interested.

The best trivia board games below vary in price, difficulty, and topics, but they're all highly rated and many boast thousands of reviews on Amazon.

1. A Betting Trivia Game That’s Sold Over 1 Million Copies

Wits and Wagers is an easy-to-learn game that is less about what you know and more about how you bet. This trivia game offers up questions to all the players and the answers are all numbers. Players write down their guesses on whiteboards and reveal them to the group. Players then bet, using casino wagering chips, on an answer and receive points for being the closest or betting on the right answer. This game has more than 1,400 reviews and a 4.7-star rating on Amazon, plus it’s sold over 1 million games. Since you don’t have to know the exact answer, it’s fun for kids and adults alike. You'll need at least three players for this game, but the more, the merrier — it's a great pick for teams.

Helpful review: "A fast paced and fun board game for the whole family. This is a trivia game where you don’t have to know anything!”

• Number of Players: 3+
• Play Time: 25 minutes
• Ages: 6+

2. An Uncensored & Affordable Adult Game

This version of 5-Second Rule: Uncensored is for the adults. Players are given a category and must name three things that fit that category within five seconds' time. This adult version of the popular original family game (5-Second Rule) leaves room for the imagination and is a quick game for players over 17. There is also a Jr. version for younger kids. This pick has more than 8,000 reviews and a 4.6-star rating.

Helpful review: “Great Fun. It is much more difficult than you would think. 7-10 seconds would be easy, but 5-seconds is so difficult and that [is] what makes it so much fun. Trying to remember what someone else has stated also makes it much harder if the question is passed on. Brings out the racy side of people on quite a few occasions.”

• Number of Players: 3+
• Play Time: 30 minutes
• Ages: 17+

3. A Loud Guessing Game That’s All About Speed

In Smart Ass, everyone plays at once, and the louder, the better. Players listen to descriptive statements and compete to name the person, place, or thing in question. Each card lists statements that range from obscure to obvious — be the first to guess it correctly to get points. The game can be played in 30 minutes with up to six players at a time.

Helpful review: “We have played with several groups of adults and like it. Nice that they are quick (about 15-20 min) games that you can play as many or little time as you like. Also great that with the clues everyone has a chance. I am not good at normal trivia, but with this format, I am as good as the next player.”

• Number of Players: 2 — 6
• Play Time: 30 minutes
• Ages: 12+

4. The Trivia Game You Can Play For Hours

If you’ve worn out the cards on your usual trivia game, … I Should Have Known That is for you. There is a wide variety of categories and more than 400 questions. What makes this trivia game special is how you keep score: it’s not about earning points, but instead, trying to keep your points. Every wrong answer means you lose points. The questions may be too difficult for younger kids, but teenagers and adults will love battling over random questions about Twitter or sailing.

Helpful review: “Oh my gosh...I can't even properly express how much we enjoyed this game!! LOTS of cards to play the game for a long time!! We played it with friends as we celebrated New Year's. We had other games planned to play, but none of us wanted to play the other ones!! We played for about 4 hours (with food and bathroom breaks, of course...lol) and only stopped because it was about midnight and time to ring in the new year!! LOL We had soooo many laughs and so many discussions about various topics. We only have a small handful of cards left before we finish all the cards!! Love this game!!”

• Number of Players: 2+
• Play Time: Information not available
• Ages: 14+

5. Editor’s Pick: A Nostalgic Trivia Game For Movie Buffs

Calling all '90s kids who remember walking the aisles of Blockbuster for your favorite movie: This Blockbuster game is a walk down memory lane and a movie trivia game all in one. This game has more than 60 category cards and features 200 classic movies. Answer charade-like questions, while being timed, to earn points. “We played this at a party with several movie buffs and had the best time,” says Cristina Sanza, BDG Associate Commerce Editor. “It’s a fun way to test your film knowledge — and it gets bonus points for the ‘90s nostalgia.” Kids over 12 should have no problem knowing most of these classic movies, according to the manufacturer.

Helpful review: “I am a huge fan of a game that is a great ice breaker yet also allows people to come out of their shell and be a bit silly and this game is definitely one of those! Best part is you don’t need to be the biggest movie buff ever to play which means there’s no arguments at family or friend game nights. Plus, the blockbuster car park design? Incredible and so nostalgic, not gonna lie — that sold me on buying it in the first place but the game itself has already become a family favorite!”

• Number of Players: 4 — 12
• Play Time: 30 — 45 minutes
• Ages: 12+

6. A Throwback Music Trivia Game

If you’re a fan of music from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s, the MTV Game is for you. During the game, players face off in a head-to-head battle to name song titles and then describe songs, recite lyrics, and perform tunes during a fast-paced, charades-like round. It’s an easy-to-learn game that teens and adults will enjoy, and it’s great for groups. You’ll need two AAA batteries (not included) to play.

Helpful review: “Great for nostalgic MTV fans - learned various trivia and also gained plenty of points from random knowledge. Fun and worth the buy!”

• Number of Players: 4+
• Play Time: Information not available
• Ages: 14+

7. A Trivia Board Game Created By Jeopardy! Champ Ken Jennings

Show your friends how much you know with this trivia game that covers a ton of topics. Half Truth was co-created by Ken Jennings, who holds the longest winning streak on Jeopardy!, so you know the questions will be good. Here’s how it works: each question card has six possible answers and players must guess which are true and which are false. You learn as you go — stockpiling knowledge for later games. This style of questioning is ideal for a variety of ages and the game can be played with up to six players.

Helpful review: “I love that a key aspect of this game is that everybody guesses answers at every turn. There is nothing more infuriating than when you are playing a trivia game and you are the only one who knows the answer to a very obscure trivia question and it's just not your turn. We all want to flex.”

• Number of Players: 2 — 6
• Play Time: 30 — 45 minutes
• Ages: 12+

8. The Original Trivia Board Game

No trivia board game list would be complete without the original, classic game of Trivial Pursuit. This edition has updated questions in the classic style and look of the original game. Answer questions about geography, entertainment, history, art and literature, nature, and sports to collect color wedges. The first to earn every color wins. This box has more than 2,400 questions that the manufacturer suggests are best for players 16 and up.

Helpful review: “I have always loved this game and am so glad they have released another in its original format! Classic gameplay with new, relevant questions, which was a long time coming. Also, the game box design with its organized compartments for game pieces is a perk. This version, like more recent versions, gives some additional nuggets of knowledge on some answers, but unlike previous versions, it also incorporates cute, witty, or punny quips in some answers. [Definitely] recommend for other trivia nerds like myself.”

• Number of Players: 2 — 6
• Play Time: 80 minutes
• Ages: 16+

9. A Fun Trivia Game That Requires Your Phone

You can keep your phone out for this one. You'll be expected to know some of the trivia questions in Phone Phever without help, but others give you the chance to use a lifeline: your phone. So how fast can you Google the answer? The game has 1,200 questions that cover categories like music, movies, and history. You need at least three players, and teenagers and parents alike will get excited about this tech-centric game. Make your way around the board faster than the other players and you'll be crowned the winner.

Helpful review: “Fun game! We had 12 people playing at one point - 6 teams of 2. Players were aged 17 to 75 and all were able to play and enjoy the game. Questions were really good. It didn't seem to matter whether you had a newer phone, it was how you looked up the question. Everyone had an equal chance to answer the question. We will definitely play this game again!”

• Number of Players: 3+
• Play Time: 30 — 60 minutes
• Ages: 13+

10. A Quick Trivia Game To Play With Big Groups

When it comes to playing Linkee — the more players, the merrier. Up to 60 players can get in on the fun of Linkee and it only takes a few minutes to learn to play. The premise is simple: find what all the questions on one card have in common. Each card features four trivia questions, but to win you needn't get the answers correct — you have to instead find the link among them. When you know the answer, shout it out. There are more than 1,400 questions so the fun can continue time and time again.

Helpful review: “My family and I really enjoyed this game! We’ve played three nights in a row and shared lots of laughs. It’s a fun challenge and we loved laughing over our wrong answers on the cards we couldn’t guess. Older generations might struggle on a few of the cards but overall it’s been really fun!”

• Number of Players: 2 — 60
• Play Time: Information not available
• Ages: 12+

11. This Popular Game With 4 Challenging Categories

The brain-teasing Wit’s End board game is a popular pick on Amazon with over 1,500 reviews and a 4.5-star overall rating. Players have to work their way to the center of the game board by answering questions in four categories that cover a variety of topics, including history, pop culture, science, and more. The game is challenging, so it’s fun for ages 16 and up.

Helpful review: “Our family loves trivia and this is by far our favorite trivia game! We have an engineer, a chemistry professor, a paleontologist and an art history grad student and all four of us enjoy playing. The questions range in difficulty and provide a challenge without being frustrating and obscure. I can't count how many game nights we've had with Wit's End and we still haven't run into the same questions.”

• Number of Players: 2 — 6
• Play Time: Over an hour, according to reviewers
• Ages: 16+

12. A Harry Potter Picture Trivia Game

Think you know everything about Harry Potter? Test your knowledge with this Harry Potter picture trivia game, which is backed by a 4.7-star overall rating after more than 1,800 reviews. The game includes 1,000 trivia questions covering Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, and players make wagers based on how much they know about the image on each card. There are even guess-my-answer questions that test how well you know the other players, making it fun to play with friends and family.

Helpful review: “We are a Harry Potter loving family and have been since the first book was released. Now, my daughters are adults and we love playing this for family game night! The questions are challenging enough for HP fans, but engaging enough for those of limited HP knowledge.”

• Number of Players: 2 — 6
• Play Time: About 30 minutes, according to reviewers
• Ages: 7+

13. The Multigenerational Trivia Game

The All of Us trivia game comes from the makers of the popular What Do You Meme? game, and it’s a fun one for multiple generations to play together. The game comes with over 500 trivia cards geared towards Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, so knowing a lot of trivia about your generation can help your team claim victory.

Helpful review: “I bought this for family game time on Thanksgiving! We had a blast with this. Our ages ranged from 4 to 64. The 4 year old was the timekeeper, and he thrilled in telling us TIMES UP! It was hit with everyone!”

• Number of Players: 4+
• Play Time: 30 — 90 minutes
• Ages: 12+