Top 10 Games of the Year
Wow! Can you believe it? We have barely had time to shuffle the deck on 2026 and it is already stacked with chances to boost our kids’ academic skills and deal them a winning hand in social-emotional growth. Before we close the box on 2025, let’s celebrate your choices that added fun to your kids’ educational foundations.
In 2025, you traded in tears of homework frustration for the thrills of learning through educational table-top games. Remember the laughter bubbling up as little hands move colorful pieces across game boards, spelling out success at every turn? Or the look of concentration as young strategists navigated through spatial-reasoning challenges, each small win a new piece earned for their own personal puzzle of knowledge.
But here’s the bonus; those weren’t just passing rounds of fun. Not even close! They were pathways to growth, creativity, and teamwork that you unlocked together. Your living rooms and classrooms? They were transformed into vibrant game worlds of exploration, where every child could roll their own unique learning adventure at their own pace, and stand victoriously on a solid foundation.
Ready to shuffle through the highlights? Join us as we delve into the games that educators, parents, and young learners alike embraced along their educational path . We’re about to reveal the top 10 SimplyFun games that entertained and enriched developing young minds in 2025. Drumroll on the table please...
Without further ado, here are our top 10 games of 2025!
10. Quartile
Making it's debut on our top 10 list, the math-packed twist on dominos! With 49 solid wood tiles, it’s a spatial reasoning adventure and a math lover’s choice for family fun.
In Quartile, players take turns playing tiles that have pips that add up to the number on the tile being played. Score points by multiplying the number on the tile played by the number of sides in play. The highest score wins! The heart of Quartile involves solving addition problems totaling as high as 14. Deeper math concepts at play; solving an equality in two or more ways is an introductory algebra concept. As players search for a move that earns them the most points, they are also honing their decision making and strategy skills. This addition and spatial reasoning game is designed for 2-6 players, ages 8 and up in 30 minutes per round.
In at number 9 is Whirly the Snail on a number-filled adventure! Roll the dice, add up your scores, and collect tokens as you explore even and odd numbers along the trail. Race to the garden center and glide into fun!
Players roll the dice to move their snail along the garden path, and draw cards for chances to get ahead. Be the first snail to join Whirly in the garden to win! Building math foundations; understanding odds and evens is an important concept to help us learn the patterns of numbers and objects. The exact pairing of numbers is an important math concept and is used in a variety of ways from skip sequencing to understanding prime numbers and division. Play with 2-6 players, ages 6 and up in 15-30 minutes per round.
This break out star transforms kids into mathletes! In at number 8, is double the fun with two math games in one! Level up your math skills and become a Math Medalist! Master addition by scoring to 100 in 10s, then flip the board to tackle multiplication and conquer new challenges. Two games in one box for double the fun and learning!
Game one: Use your spatial reasoning to place tiles in denominations of 10 to make 100 on all touching sides. Let your score rise into the 1000's as you race around the board to make the highest total.
Game two: Use planning and multiplication skills to control defined territory on the multiplication table board! Play with 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, in 30 minutes.
7. Math Room
Step up your quick thinking for adding and subtracting numbers 1 to 10 while filling up your inn to capacity! If a room is full, then ring the bell to place that customer elsewhere. Think fast and be the first to fill all the rooms in your inn.
Roll the die, solve the equation, and cover the answer on your math board with a window token. Ring the bell before the other players to flip your key board over to solve a new equation. Be the first player to cover all the numbers on your math board to win the game! Math Room is for 2-4 players ages 5 and up and can be played in 15-20 minutes.
6. Is or Isn't
In our number 6 spot, a game where players expand their vocabulary by identifying synonyms and antonyms on their bingo board. Play along with the adorable creatures that live in this game’s thesaurus as you master synonyms and antonyms! Move your pawn, land on word cards, and tackle challenges. Cover your bingo board with tokens for each match and be the first to get 4 tokens in a row!
Players strengthen and expand their vocabulary by learning alternative words they can use when expressing themselves verbally or in writing. Is or Isn't introduces the relationships between Synonyms and Antonyms as players learn words that have the same meaning and words that have the opposite meaning by matching words on the cards to the words on their boards. Play with 2-5 players ages 6 and up in as little as 15 minutes.
5. BankIt!
BankIt! is the dynamic game where savvy money management wins the game! Save, shop for bargains, and learn about interest and giving back. Master your finances to ride off with the coolest bike!
Players race around the board earning money, and learn to save or invest in order to earn more. Save the most to be the first player to buy a shiny new bike. Deeper learning at play; develop Money Management Skills, as players exchange money and make change, and Decision Making as players choose when to spend wisely or save. This financial literacy game can be played by 1-4 players ages 8 and up in 30 minutes or less.
4. Kilter
Kilter - where fun meets physics! Stacking blocks on seesawing levers? Use your fine motor skills, and plan your moves to predict outcomes. This clever game is a blast for the whole family while learning cool physical science concepts.
Place as many blocks as you can before the seesaw tips, and collect any blocks that fell off during your turn. Successfully place all of your blocks before the other players to win! Introduction to physics along with fine-motor skill practice. This block-stacking and balancing game is perfect for 2-4 players ages 8 and up. It’s a big hit with adult tabletop gamers, too!
Shhhh! Don’t wake the Dreaming Dragon as you assist sneaky lizards in their escape from the dragon’s nest! Use your fine motor skills, focus, and spatial reasoning to lift them out without letting an egg fall or waking the dragon. Steady hands and sharp wits gives you the biggest pile of lizards!
Dreaming Dragon is good for developing Fine Motor Skills as players use their pincher tool with a steady hand to grab a lizard and lift it from the dragon’s back. Play with 2-4 players ages 6 and up in as little as 30 minutes. We can't get enough of this top-seller and family-favorite game, and neither can you! This one makes it into our Top 10 year after year!
2. Sumology
Sliding into the number two spot this year is none other than Sumology. Get ready for a math showdown. Build equations using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Connect them to the playing field and show off your math skills in this equation-building challenge!
In Sumology, players artfully arrange tiles to create valid equations that connect with other tiles on the table, earning points based on the numbers played. Beyond the basic math foundations, you'll be honing Operations skills, as players practice using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to build equations with their tiles. Sumology also helps with Problem Solving as players think of creative ways to utilize as many tiles as possible with the existing equation in the play area. 2 or more players ages 8 and up will hone addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills in about 30 minutes of gameplay.
And now for our top-selling game of 2025. The top spot on our list is going to the dogs!
It's no surprise this game is our 'top dog' game in 2025, playing it is a pawsitively fun counting adventure! With 63 adorable dogs, this game helps sharpen your math skills—but watch out for the sneaky dog catcher! Predict your moves and see who can collect the most furry friends!
Create a line of dogs that has as many of the same breed together as possible. You can only add to the front or back of your line, so choose wisely. Players earn points for each set of dogs, or can gather five of the same breed in a row to win instantly! This family-fun counting, multiplication, and predicting game is great for 2-5 players ages 8 and up. Want to include younger players? Walk the Dogs is flexible! Remove three strategy cards, and kids under 8 can join the fun.
Did your favorite make our top 10 games list this year?
That's our 2025 list of the top 10 games that have been livening up living rooms and classrooms, inspiring curiosity, and creating hours of wholesome, screen-free fun. Heading into 2026 we look forward to bringing more educational fun to your game table, and supporting your commitment to make learning fun and play a little everyday.
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This blog was originally published on January 3, 2025. It was updated on January 27, 2026.
