The Best Board Games with Hippos 2026

Animals on Board is an accessible and clever game featuring a two-tier cardboard tray that holds each player's animal tiles. Players draw three animal tiles at the start, choose one to place face down on their ark, and form a collective of remaining tiles in the center.

Players answer questions, perform charades, or sculpt objects from clay in this party game. The first hippo to cross the finish line wins, encountering funny tasks and crazy events along the way. A standard game lasts about an hour, but rules for a 30-minute version are also included.

Players answer questions, act them out, or draw objects with a "floppy" pen in this party game. They move one of two hippo figures along a figure-eight track, with task cards determining their challenges. Players earn points by completing activities like drawing, gargling words, or reacting quickly in group games, while the first to reach 100 points wins.

Hungry Hungry Hippos is a vibrant and engaging children's game that doubles as an entertaining toy, offering fast-paced, marble-chomping action that captivates players of all ages. The game is centered around a colorful plastic arena, with each player controlling a hungry hippo positioned at the edge of the play area.

Schwarzer Peter is a traditional children's game played with a deck of cards. Players discard all but one queen and then deal the remaining cards. During the game, players take turns drawing cards from others, aiming to form pairs; the player holding the last queen, known as the "Old Maid," loses, while everyone else wins. The game's humor often comes from the reactions of players, especially children, when the Old Maid is drawn from their hand.

A battery-operated motor is placed in the center of the table, spinning an arm with four hippos. Radial arms extend to each player's stalls. When the hippo of your color passes and opens its mouth, you must use a small lever to toss the melon into its mouth. The first player to chomp down on 5 melons wins.