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The Ultimate Guide to Great Gifts for Men: Traditional Games

December 11, 2024

Games are an all-time classic and amazing gift, especially if the gift happens to be a Christmas present when family and friends tend to get together more often. Games provide a great opportunity to bring everyone together, particularly group games.


Board Games

Chess

The ultimate demonstration of mental strength and cunning, chess is a game every man should own and strive to master. A nice wooden set is an excellent gift. For those who love Harry Potter, a Wizards Chess set would be perfect!

Risk

Loved by countless men, Risk is an exceptionally fun game and a great way to develop mental prowess and fortitude. It teaches strategic thinking, risk-taking, and the importance of timely alliances.

The classic version is a fantastic gift but you can also opt for themed editions based on popular TV shows or video series.

Monopoly

A true classic, Monopoly makes a wonderful gift. It can be spiced up by gifting one of these themed set. They add a fun new element to the game.

Fair warning however, it has been known to cause family feuds, develop archenemies, and temporarily destroy friendships.

Settlers of Catan

Catan is a go-to game for many and is widely known, though not by everyone. It’s perfect for either a gathering of friends or family. You work to establish yourself amongst other players by trading commodities with them to advance your civilization. It can get down right ruthless and nasty as you try to work with others to progress yourself while still maintaining your edge and advantage. Catan: The Original Game

Additional expansion packs or different themed games can make it even a better gift if they are already a fan of the game.

Stratego

A one-on-one strategy game, Stratego is excellent for those who love the thrill of pitting their wits and plan against an opponent. Check it out here


Card Games

UNO

Probably the most well-known card game, UNO brings countless hours of fun, laughter, and even tears to family and friend groups. There is a high probability of backstabbing and despair. While it’s a popular game, not everyone owns it, which makes it a great gift. Or they might enjoy variations of it.

Monopoly Deal

Much less known but an equally fun game, Monopoly Deal is an absolutely fantastic game! Much much faster than a traditional Monopoly board game, it is a great substitute for those who still want the fun concept of the board game, along with all the backstabbing and creating of enemies, without the multiple hour time commitment. Each round is very fast, easy to understand, and absolutely thrilling.

You can get it here

Dominion

This card game is far less known but is hands down the best game I have ever played. It’s a very fun strategy card game in which you build your personal deck as the game progresses and try to score more points throughout the game than your opponents. There are a variety of strategies that you can employ in the game which will be affected by what others do, and the cards you draw. It is definitely a thinking game but it is incredibly fun. There are probably 10+ expansion packs that you can get, Seaside being the best in my opinion. Expansions do require the base game however.

Phase 10

Phase 10 seems to be particularly well known in larger families. It is a ton of fun and takes little time to learn. It is a game that is played in rounds, each round having a different objective for the individual players to achieve by building out their own hand.

Cards Against Humanity

A truly spectacularly funny group game, it needs no introduction. Cards Against Humanity has been played by untold millions. The group size does not really matter nor does the make up of the group either. While it can be a little awkward if playing with certain family members, as not all cards are PG, it can add to the humor though to see grandma put down an absolutely wild or savage answer that you never would have thought possible of her. But for those that are wanting to stay more family friendly, Apples to Apples is a really good alternative. 

Skip-Bo

This game is good because it is a lot of fun for either a group or just two players. While there are a lot of games that can be played with either or, many I have noticed tend to be better with a group. Skip-Bo is not that way in my opinion, it is just as much fun with just two. Which makes it great for couples. It is easy enough for children, but also fun for adults.


Other Types of Games

Here is a quick list of games that don’t fall in the board or card game category but that would be good as gifts still for men.

An absolutely awesome gift for men as it is unique, looks great, and naturally grabs a guys attention. The peg can be replaced with a shot glass to turn it into a fun drinking game as well.

Shot Glass Ring Toss

Another really unique and fun gift would be this shot glass putting green. Can be fun just on the desk or for when the guys come over to hangout and grill.

Mini Golf Putting Green

One last drinking game that would make a really cool gift is this shots roulette wheel. Guaranteed to be a fun time and one of a kind gift.

Shots Roulette Wheel

Another winning gift along the casino theme, a quality set of poker chips for the right guy is a great option.

Poker Chip Set

A tried and true classic: Jenga Set

This is by no means an exhaustive list but hopefully these give you some ideas you can go off of. As a disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon affiliate link on this site and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I genuinely believe in and think will truly be good gifts. Many I have personally bought or been gifted and use myself. Thank you for supporting me through your purchases!