Top 8 Family Games Android

When it comes to the family night in or family gathering, nothing quite beats pulling out your tablet and throwing it into the mix with a bunch of engaging games for the whole family. Trivia games seem to be a bit hit, with the likes of QuizUp impressing among family audiences recently. There are also the famous board games that Electronic Arts have pushed out in recent years like Monopoly and Scrabble, which are ones that all members of the family can identify with – even though the younger generation might have no experience with them! Either way, there are a bunch of great apps out there for your Android device that turn family dinners into endless hours of fun, and bring people together in a way that they have never done so before!

8. The Game of Life ($0.99)

Let’s kid off out list of family games with this one from EA: The Game of Life, which is a quintessential board game for the whole family and one that I’m sure most older readers will have heard of and  even played at some point. I was reluctant to include this kind of board game on the list since I believe that there are so many regular games out there that families can have fun with and without resorting to the board games we’ve been using as a means of family bonding and entertainment for decades, but there’s really no getting away from it: these games are priceless! That said, I feel that EA could have done a better job porting it to the platform more cohesively. – Download on Google Play

7. Worms 3 ($0.99)

Worms is a classic video game franchise from Team 17 and another one that will live forever in its ability to successfully engage a generation of kids over and over again. While the more obvious options like Monopoly and Scrabble are to be found on this countdown list, I think there’s a lot to be said for games like Worms 3 and in my experience it’s these games that bring the most fun and laughs. The best thing about Worms and indeed this updated version for Android is that you pass  control of the game on once you’ve played your turn, just like with a regular board game. You can then stream the game on your TV using Chromecast so that the whole room can see who is winning! – Download on Google Play

6. Monopoly ($1.99)

Monopoly is another family classic loved the world over, and it’s easy to see why EA snapped up the rights to it quickly. It’s still a lot of fun on mobile devices, but seems much more suited to the bigger tablets that run Android OS in that they can be seen and accessed by all in the middle of the table, for example. I guess the idea situation would be for someone to invent a digital board game that reflected something closer to the size of regular board games, but with a bunch of different games to download on it. But then, that amount of glass would probably be asking for trouble! – Download on Google Play

5. Draw Something (Free)

Draw Something is another one that has gone down really well in my experience of family get-togethers where mobile games were involved. The idea is simple and can be related to the old board game Pictionary, so old and young alike should have no problem picking this one up to play. You can also challenge random people online if you wish, so everyone around the living room can be guessing at once if no one feels like drawing. This is one of the best things to do with the game: to challenge someone on the other side of the world and then work together as a family in order to solve it, taking it in turns to do the drawing and keeping score to see which family member got the most points at the end of the day! – Download on Google Play

4. Uno ($4.99)

Uno is a other board game that people are obviously aware of and it was always going to make it to mobile devices at some point. What I’ve found is that while the best Uno game has been developed by Gameloft and is available for $4.99 from the Play Store, there are a bunch of others worth checking out as well. There’s even an Uno and Friends version developed again by Gameloft but aimed at kids. – Download on Google Play

3. QuizUp (Free)

We love QuizUp! Finally, the Play Store has come up with a trivia or quiz game that is really worth its salt – one that has an interface that is easy to navigate and looks great, but also with the substance that can back it up. QuizUp has hundreds of categories that range from the most cliche of trivia questions to more difficult and thought-provoking challenges. Either way, whether you are a student or an academic or simply someone that loves some trivia based fun, this app has what you’re looking for. It’s great for family gatherings in that everyone can get in on the action – and also has a great online play mode where you can challenge friends. One of the best experiences I’ve had with the family was playing this app before a family dinner and challenging members of the family that couldn’t make it to the dinner because they live in Australia. This app really has it all, though the always connected thing can become an issue if you typically lose 3G signal – Wi Fi really helps! – Download on Google Play

2. Fruit Ninja (Free)

Again, nothing quite beats the split screen action of Fruit Ninja when it comes to challenging friends and particularly family. It’s the easiest game in the world to pick up, which explains why I’ve had so much success getting family members to play it when it comes to those quiet nights in front of the TV or those quiet moments after a big family dinner. The slashing of fruit is intuitive and the only real learning curve is to develop your actions, so it is perfect for the whole family. The best thing to do with the split screen, I’ve found, is to play it on a tablet so that everyone can play and see without it being confined to a small screen. And then, especially if there are a bunch of kids involved, implement a winner stays on approach where you give up your place only when you lose a game! – Download on Google Play

1. Scrabble (Free)

This is by far the best of the board games that EA has bought to Android, combining all the fun of the traditional Scrabble game but throwing in powerful online capabilities to ensure that you will always have a game going no matter where you are in the world and what language you speak. As far as family elements go, Scrabble is probably best suited to a larger tablet device if you’re going to play it with family members, perhaps in a living room or on a dining table. I’ve found that it really engages the younger kids of the family to get involved and start suggesting words, which is great if you’re looking for interactive fun that all of the family can get in on! – Download on Google Play