Birthday gifts for a female friend who plays board games
Mattel
Games UNO Show 'em No Mercy Card Game (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by Country Living, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Monopoly
Deal Card Game (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by Good Housekeeping, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Rubik's
Rubik’s Cube Coach Cube (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by TODAY, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Rubik's
Pulse Cube (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by Good Housekeeping, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Scrabble
Deluxe Edition (paid link)
$100 to $250 at Amazon
Named by Town and Country, 2026.
Checked 5 Sep 2026
Pokemon
TCG Trainer's Toolkit (paid link)
$25 to $50 at Amazon
Booster packs and deck building cards to start a trading card collection, suited to kids ages 7 to 13.
Seen at Amazon, 3 Sep 2026
Hasbro
Gaming Mouse Trap (paid link)
$25 to $50 at Amazon
Named by The Strategist, 2026.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Chess House
The Barcelona Grandmaster Chess Set
$369 at Chess House
A full chess set pairing Grandmaster pieces with a decorative wooden board.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Mattel
UNO Retro Editon (paid link)
Under $25 at Amazon
Named by The Strategist, 2025.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Jonathan Adler
Le Backgammon Set
$425 at Jonathan Adler
A Le Backgammon set that doubles as a colourful design object.
Seen at Jonathan Adler, 8 Sep 2026
Pottery Barn
Monopoly Luxury Edition
$319 at Pottery Barn
Named by House Beautiful, 2024.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Exploding Kittens
Poetry for Neanderthals
$19.99 at Exploding Kittens
Players may only speak in one syllable words, and anyone who slips gets hit with the inflatable club that comes in the box.
Seen at Exploding Kittens, 30 Aug 2026
Monopoly
: Dungeons and Dragons Edition (paid link)
$25 to $50 at Amazon
Named by TODAY, 2025.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Scrabble
Vintage Bookshelf Edition (paid link)
$25 to $50 at Amazon
Named by The Verge, 2025.
Checked 31 Aug 2026
Assouline
Pebble Backgammon Set
$2,250 at Assouline
A walnut case, inlaid leather board and brass accents turn backgammon into a piece worth leaving on display.
Seen at Assouline, 8 Sep 2026
Michael Aram
Palace Chess Set
$2,900 at Michael Aram
A sculptural Palace chess set that can stay on display between games.
Seen at Michael Aram, 8 Sep 2026
Thames and Kosmos
EXIT: The Cursed Labyrinth
$17.95 at Thames and Kosmos
An escape room in a box, played once by a group who are allowed to cut up and write on the components.
Seen at Thames and Kosmos, 30 Aug 2026
Chess House
25" Large Royal Deluxe Chess Set
$399 at Chess House
A complete 25-inch chess set with large pieces weighted by decorative brass rings.
Seen at Chess House, 8 Sep 2026
Blue Note
Meshell Ndegeocello Playing Cards
$25 at Blue Note Store
Album-art playing cards from Meshell Ndegeocello and Blue Note turn a familiar deck into a jazz-specific gift.
Seen at Blue Note Store, 6 Sep 2026
Exploding Kittens
Really Loud Librarians
$19.99 at Exploding Kittens
Shout an answer starting with the right letter before the timer runs out, which is about as noisy as a board game gets.
Seen at Exploding Kittens, 30 Aug 2026
Jonathan Adler
Playa Tic Tac Toe Set
$295 at Jonathan Adler
A Playa tic-tac-toe set designed to stay out on the coffee table.
Seen at Jonathan Adler, 8 Sep 2026