Macmillan Coffee Morning is a wonderful way to connect with friends, family and colleagues, all while raising vital funds to help Macmillan Cancer Support on its mission to ensure everyone living with cancer, no matter who they are or where they live, receives the right care for them.
The event is celebrating 35 years of fundraising in 2025. While it officially lands on Friday 26 September, you can host your event whenever it works for you. Just sign up and Macmillan Cancer Support will send you a free fundraising kit to help make your Coffee Morning a success.
While cakes and coffee are synonymous with Macmillan Coffee Morning, there is more than one way to make fundraising fun. If you fancy a different flavour for your event this year, why not try some board games?
Before you roll your eyes, we’re not talking about dusting off the old Monopoly box – modern board games are way more interesting, offering thoughtful cooperative play and entertaining challenges. Invite your friends and loved ones over, encourage donations for participation, and you’ll all be helping make sure that more people with cancer get the best care the UK has to offer, whoever and wherever they are.
Want to be a Coffee Morning Host?
Your guests don’t need to be seasoned board game strategists either; many of the best board games are easy to learn, quick to play and perfect for breaking the ice. To help you deal a winning hand for your fundraiser, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite board games below.
How we tested
Our pick of the best board games is based on years of playing each of the games in this list with our friends and family.
We selected engaging games that are accessible to new players, are easy to learn and don’t take too long to set up or play – so there’s sure to be something in our round-up that will work for your Macmillan Coffee Morning.
Why you can trust us
Steve Hogarty is a tech journalist with more than ten years’ experience reviewing the latest gadgets and games. For this round-up, Steve focused on board games that are ideal for novice players and a range of ages and skill levels.
The best board games for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Codenames: £14.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best cooperative board game – Pandemic: £25.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best creative board game – Dixit: £28.45, Amazon.co.uk
- Best strategy board game – Ticket to Ride: £38.45, Amazon.co.uk
- Best dice-based battler – King of Tokyo: £21.99, Amazon.co.uk
Signing up to host your Coffee Morning this year couldn’t be easier! Find out more today on the Macmillan website
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.
Codenames
Best: Board game overall
Setup: 5 minutes
Playtime: 15 minutes
Players: 4-8
Age range: 12+
Why we love it
- Clever wordplay
- Quick setup
A brilliantly simple yet deceptively clever party game, Codenames is great for getting brains whirring and conversations flowing. Two rival spymasters give one-word clues to help their team identify which of the codenamed cards on the board belong to them, all while avoiding the opponent’s words. It’s a tightrope walk of trying to link multiple words on the board with a single, cunning clue – get it right and everybody feels like a genius.
Easy to pick up in minutes and quick to play, Codenames scales wonderfully from small groups to larger gatherings. It's a modern classic for a reason and a fantastic icebreaker when meeting new friends.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon.co.uk
Pandemic
Best: Cooperative board game
Setup: 10 minutes
Playtime: 45 minutes
Players: 2-4
Age range: 8+
Why we love it
- Highly strategic
- Genuinely exciting
- Rewards teamwork
Take note
- Expensive
In this cooperative board game, players take on specialist roles – like scientist, medic or researcher – and must work together against the game itself to eradicate a deadly disease that’s sweeping across the world. It’s a tense and thrilling race against time, where every decision matters and communication between players is vital to succeed.
Easy to learn but difficult to master, Pandemic is deeply satisfying to play and – as the game approaches its dramatic conclusion – an often nail-biting experience. If you want a game that fosters teamwork and strategic thinking, this classic delivers.
Buy now £25.99, Amazon.co.uk
Dixit
Best: Creative board game
Setup: Less than 5 minutes
Playtime: 30 minutes
Players: 3-6
Age range: 8+
Why we love it
- Beautiful artwork
Take note
- Works best with friends you know well
Dixit is a whimsical game that’s less about strategy and more about imagination and understanding your fellow players. Each round, one player (the storyteller) gives a cryptic clue – a word, phrase, or even a sound – related to one of their dreamlike, artfully illustrated cards. Everyone else secretly chooses a card from their own hand that best matches the clue. Once the cards are shuffled and revealed, players vote for which card they believe was the storyteller’s.
It’s a game of subtle hints and shared interpretations, and while it perhaps works best with players who already know each other well, it’s perfect for sparking creativity and laughter with friends old and new.
Buy now £28.45, Amazon.co.uk
Ticket to Ride
Best: Strategy board game
Setup: 5 minutes
Playtime: 30-60 minutes
Players: 2-5
Age range: 8+
Why we love it
- Addictive
- Challenging
Take note
- Games can take a while
Ticket to Ride is a charming, cross-country railway adventure that’s strategic without being overwhelming for new players. The goal is simple: collect sets of coloured train cars to claim railway routes connecting iconic cities across a map, all while trying to complete secret destination tickets for bonus points.
Wonderfully accessible and easy to teach, Ticket to Ride is the perfect gateway game for families and new board gamers, and a reliable go-to for seasoned players.
Buy now £38.45, Amazon.co.uk
King of Tokyo
Best: Dice-based board game
Setup: 5 minutes
Playtime: 30 minutes
Players: 2-6
Age range: 8+
Why we love it
- Fun and frantic dice-battler
- Lots of variation
Take note
- Losing players have to wait around for the next game
King of Tokyo is a light-hearted but hilariously competitive game in which players take on the role of Godzilla and King Kong-style monsters battling for supremacy over Tokyo. It's dice-chucking with a Yahtzee-like ability to reroll any numbers you don’t like for attacks, energy, healing or victory points. Occupy the city to score points and lay the smackdown on rival monsters, but pull too far ahead, and other players will put aside their differences to gang up on you.
Power-up cards add fun new abilities and can quickly change the fortunes of losing players. A fast and frantic brawler with loads of colourful character, King of Tokyo is perfect for players who enjoy a bit of luck alongside their strategy.
Buy now £21.99, Amazon.co.uk
The verdict: Board games
Any of these board games will add an extra layer of fun to your fundraising efforts, so it’s really down to your personal taste. If you’re looking for a game that’s incredibly easy to teach, gets everyone talking and offers a smart, engaging challenge for various group sizes, Codenames is our top recommendation. Its blend of wordplay and teamwork is a proven crowd-pleaser.
For something a little more whimsical and creative, Dixit is a great choice. Its dreamlike art and focus on subtle interpretation rather than hard and fast rules make for a truly unique and relaxed social experience.
