The Best "Parents' Choice Awards๐บ๐ธ" winners and nominees 2026
Looking for a good game that won or was nominated for the Parents' Choice Awards? Then we have just the thing for you: A list of the best Parents' Choice Awards winners and games that were on the nomination list.
What is the Parents' Choice Awards?
The "Parents' Choice Awards" is an award for dice, card & board games. The award originates from ๐บ๐ธUSA, was created in 2012 and is voted by a jury.
The Parents' Choice Awards are the oldest non-profit program in the USA. However, the Parents' Choice Awards program recognizes not only games for children, but also: books, toys, music and stories, magazines, software, video games, television, and websites. Parents' Choice Foundation panels of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents and, yes, the children themselves, identify the best products for children of different ages, backgrounds, abilities and interests.
Parents' Choice Awards Categories
The Parents' Choice Awards honor the following categories each year:
- Parents' Choice Awards
- Fun Stuff Award
For more info, visit the official Parents' Choice Awards homepage or the Wikipedia contribution of Parents' Choice Awards.
Other game awards from around the world.
There are many more game awards from around the world, you can find a list at the bottom of this page.
List of best Parents' Choice Awards winners & nominees 2026:
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Telestrations
All details & ratingTelestrations is a light-hearted and entertaining party game that blends drawing and word-guessing in a hilarious and often unpredictable way. The game is based on the classic concept of "telephone" but adds a visual twist.
4โ8 30 min 12+ Immediately playable -
Dixit
All details & ratingDixit is a beautifully imaginative and simple card game that emphasizes creativity and interpretation. Each turn, a player becomes the storyteller, selecting a card from their hand and giving a sentence or phrase inspired by the cardโs image. The other players then choose cards from their hands that they feel best match the storyteller's sentence.
3โ6 30 min 8+ Immediately playable+ 1 โฌ above the best price28 โฌ at Amazon* -
Sushi Go!
All details & ratingSushi Go! is a dynamic, fast-paced card game set in a sushi restaurant. Players aim to grab the best sushi combinations as they come around. It's all about strategy, from picking the perfect sushi rolls to collecting sashimi sets. Boost your scores with wasabi-flavored nigiri, and don't forget to load up on pudding by the end!
2โ5 15 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Lost Cities
All details & ratingLost Cities is a two-player card game focused on building profitable archaeological expeditions. Part of the Kosmos two-player series, it features a deck with cards ranked 2โ10 in various colors, including a new sixth color added in 2019. The game also employs "handshake" cards as multipliers for scoring.
2 30 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Cahoots card game
All details & ratingCahoots is a cooperative card game where players work together to meet a series of challenging goals. Each player must strategically contribute to four communal piles by matching either the color or the number of the cards. Communication about the contents of one's hand is not allowed, adding a layer of challenge as players must intuitively cooperate to meet the objectives.
1โ4 20 min 10+ Immediately playableVideo reviews 1 -
Qwixx
All details & ratingQwixx is a fast-paced and engaging dice game that involves all players actively, regardless of whose turn it is. It combines simple mechanics with a need for strategic decision-making, making it a fun and interactive game for all involved.
2โ5 15 min 8+ Immediately playable -
ICECOOL
All details & ratingICECOOL is an energetic and playful flicking game set in a penguin school, where players assume the roles of rascally penguins trying to snatch fish and the vigilant Hall Monitor trying to maintain order.
2โ4 30 min 6+ Immediately playable -
Imagine
All details & ratingImagine is a creative and engaging party game that challenges players to guess over a thousand different items from various categories using 61 unique transparent cards. These cards can be combined by placing them next to each other or by layering them on top of one another to create representations of the items to be guessed. The key rule is that players must convey these concepts silently, relying solely on their ability to manipulate and combine the cards to express their ideas.
3โ8 20 min 12+ Immediately playable -
Drop It
All details & ratingDrop It is a dynamic and visually engaging board game that challenges players to strategically drop geometric shapes into a vertical game board. The objective is to score points by positioning these shapes to touch higher levels and special locations on the board. However, players must be careful as the pieces can bounce unpredictably, and scoring is nullified if a piece touches another of the same shape or color.
2โ4 30 min 8+ Immediately playable+ 6 โฌ above the best price18 โฌ at Amazon* -
Sushi Roll
All details & ratingSushi Roll is a delightful dice game that transforms the beloved card game Sushi Go! into a dynamic, dice-rolling feast. Players dive into the world of sushi-making with this engaging, family-friendly game that uses dice to represent various sushi ingredients, combining strategy with luck.
2โ5 20 min 8+ Immediately playableVideo reviews 1 -
Wits & Wagers Party
All details & ratingA simplified version of the award-winning party game features 250 of the best questions from the out-of-print expansion pack. These questions are chosen for their ease and entertainment, making it an ideal choice for non-gamers and family play. Players write down their guesses, arrange them on the table, and place bets on which guess they believe is closest to the correct answer.
4โ18 25 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Happy Salmon
All details & ratingHappy Salmon is a delightfully simple and frenetic card game that promises loads of laughter and fast-paced fun. With no turns and rapid-fire gameplay, it's perfect for parties and family gatherings.
3โ8 2 min 6+ Immediately playable -
Spot it!
All details & ratingSpot it!, also known as Dobble, is a fast-paced, fun-filled pattern recognition game. It's a simple yet engaging game where players race to find matching symbols between two cards.
2โ8 15 min 6+ Immediately playable -
Word Slam
All details & ratingPlayers split into two teams and compete simultaneously in a communication game. In each round, one player from each team attempts to get their teammates to guess a hidden word or phrase using only the 105 explanation cards provided. Speaking and acting is strictly prohibited; players must rely solely on the cards, each featuring a single word. The team with the most points at the end wins.
3โ99 45 min 12+ Immediately playableVideo reviews 1 -
Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge
All details & ratingPlayers stack animals in this exciting game for 2-4 participants aged 5 to 99. Flamingos, giraffes, panthers, bats, and iguanas embark on an adventurous journey across a shaky hanging bridge. Each player has three secret stacking tasks involving specific animals, and the first to complete these tasks skillfully wins the game.
2โ4 15 min 5+ Immediately playable -
Jungle Speed
All details & ratingJungle Speed is a lively and fast-paced game that tests players' observation skills and quick reflexes. It's a game filled with excitement and often leads to bursts of laughter due to its frantic and fun nature.
2โ10 10 min 7+ Immediately playable -
Abandon All Artichokes
All details & ratingAbandon All Artichokes is a delightful and quirky card game that brings a fresh twist to the typical deck-building genre. With its unique theme centered around gardening and specifically getting rid of artichokes, this game offers a light-hearted and engaging experience suitable for a wide range of players.
2โ4 20 min 10+ Immediately playable+ 6 โฌ above the best price10 โฌ at Amazon* -
Bring Your Own Book
All details & ratingYour favorite old book is now your new favorite game! Players take turns drawing prompts from a deck and then race to find the best phrase in their own book that fits the prompt. Each player searches for matching text, and when one finds it, they announce it and the round continues until a winner is chosen based on the submissions. The game continues until a player collects the required number of cards to win.
3โ8 20 min 12+ Immediately playable -
Ingenious
All details & ratingIngenious, also known as Einfach Genial, is a strategic tile-placement game that challenges players to think tactically about color scoring. It's a game that balances individual progress with the need to perform well across different areas.
1โ4 30โ45 min 8+ Easy to learn -
Doodle Quest
All details & ratingDive into the deep blue sea, where players find fish to eat, treasures to discover, and divers to rescue! In the line-drawing game, players study challenging quest cards and then attempt to replicate the depicted paths on their separate transparent doodle sheets. After completing their drawings, they overlay them on the quest card to check for matches, with bonus points available for visiting starfish.
1โ4 15 min 6+ Immediately playable -
Butterfly Garden
All details & ratingIndigo is a captivating tile-laying game that combines strategy with a touch of competition, as players maneuver to guide precious gemstones to their goals. This game, reminiscent of classics like Metro, Tsuro, and Linie 1, challenges players to construct pathways on a shared board, where the twist lies in moving gems towards objectives for points, rather than simply building the longest route.
2โ4 30 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Dimension
All details & ratingPlayers lay out six task cards each round, which specify how the colored balls should be stacked both on top of and beside each other. Quick puzzle-solving is essential, but the winner will be the one who completes the most challenging tasks.
1โ4 30 min 8+ Immediately playable+ 61 โฌ above the best price73 โฌ at Amazon* -
Beasts of Balance
All details & ratingPlayers build a tower of beautifully crafted animal artifacts on their tabletop and help them evolve in a connected digital world. The goal is to create a fabulous world by strategically nurturing and developing creatures while performing skill-based wonders, all before the tower collapses. The game incorporates unique technology that recognizes the pieces and connects to devices via Bluetooth for an interactive experience.
1โ5 15โ30 min 7+ Immediately playableVideo reviews 1 -
Go Nuts for Donuts
All details & ratingGo Nuts for Donuts is an engaging and fast-paced card game that combines elements of strategy and luck, making it an excellent choice for family game nights. The game's premise is simple yet captivating, as players vie to collect the most delicious array of donuts for points, all while trying to outwit their opponents to secure their chosen treats.
2โ6 20 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Imhotep
All details & ratingImhotep invites players into the ancient world of Egypt, where they compete as builders trying to leave their mark on history by constructing notable monuments.
2โ4 40 min 10+ Easy to learn -
BraveRats
All details & ratingBraveRats is a simple and quick simultaneous action selection game for two players, played with cards. Each player has a hand of eight cards numbered from 0 to 7, with each card possessing a unique power. Players reveal their selected card simultaneously, with the highest card winning the round; the game continues until one player has won four rounds.
2 15 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Punto
All details & ratingPlayers strive to form a row of four or five cards while facing placement restrictions. The game features four decks, each containing 18 cards with values from 1 to 9. Players create a 6x6 grid, placing cards either next to existing ones or on top of them, as long as the top card has a higher point value. The first to achieve a row of four or five cards in their color wins the round and removes the highest card to start a new round. The player who wins two rounds first takes the game. In a two-player game, players combine their stacks but can only form rows of one color. In a three-player game, each player randomly receives six cards of an unused color to use as blockers.
2โ4 20 min 7+ Immediately playableAt its lowest price in a month5 โฌ at Amazon* -
Ubongo
All details & ratingUbongo is a fast-paced, puzzle-solving board game where players race against time and each other to complete individual puzzles and collect precious gems.
1โ4 25 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Okiya
All details & ratingPlayers arrange game pieces to gain the favor of the emperor in Okiya, also known as Niya. They can also block opponents from placing their tokens in the imperial garden to show more control.
2 10 min 7+ Immediately playable -
Bananagrams
All details & ratingBananagrams is a lively, quick-paced word game that stands out for its simplicity and portability. It comes in a unique, banana-shaped fabric pouch, making it an excellent choice for on-the-go fun without the need for pencils, paper, or a board.
1โ8 15 min 7+ Immediately playable+ 4 โฌ above the best price16 โฌ at Amazon*
Frequently asked questions
Which game ranks first on this list?
Telestrations currently tops our list. The ranking is derived from player community ratings and is recalculated continuously.
How many players do the games on this list support?
Most games on this list support 2 to 4 players. The exact player count is listed with each game.
What age are these games suitable for?
Publisher age recommendations on this list start at 5 years. Each game carries its own age rating.
How long does a game take?
A typical game takes about 20 minutes. Each game's playing time is listed individually.
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