These Oprah-Loved Vintage-Style Board Games Are Also Affordable Holiday Gifts

Whether you’re looking to spruce up your living room, need a housewarming gift or want some all-ages activities that don’t look like toys, we’ve got the winning ticket.

The WS Game Company has re-issued beloved board games from classics like Monopoly and Clue to childhood favs like Candy Land, each in a very aesthetic box.

They’re beloved by board game lovers and home design fans alike, as shown by their nearly perfect 5-star ratings on every listing we found. Reviewers can’t stop singing their praises: They say these make great gifts for people who are hard to shop for and that they’re so good-looking, you may forget they’re even games. People also appreciate that they’re easy to store, especially in small spaces or on bookshelves, given their compact size and book-like design.”

“It was easy to transport, and an immediate conversation piece because of the quality and uniqueness,” said reviewer Small town girl of the Scrabble set. “We were all immediately impressed with the cream/linen cover. It displays like a beautiful old bound library book. Thick cardboard, with a cloth linen finish, and that is just the box! I liked the S1 at the bottom of the ‘binding’, it reminds me of something old world, like the periodic table in Chemistry. Very simple and elegant.”

Impress your guests with a colorful bookshelf, elevate your game room and save space with these compact but well-designed games. The old-school-inspired bindings look far more expensive than they are and instantly add some visual interest to your space.

“As a board game family we would like to have every board game packed this way,” reviewer Erica said. “We put it away every time, and it has its spot on the bookshelf. We will be ordering more of this product type in the future. The quality is just as good as any other board game.”

Yet, even those who don’t really play games enjoy them just as home decor. “I did not purchase them to play with them, although it would be perfectly acceptable to do so,” reviewer Tspgmt said. “I love how they look on my bookshelf and the sweet reminder of decades gone by! They are really good quality games.”

Grab one and enjoy some G-rated fun for the whole family… or for anyone ages 6 and up. (We don’t make the rules.)

Find some select choices below, but be sure to peep the whole selection.

HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.

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Amazon
Do not pass go, do not collect $200 — without this Monopoly set

Promising review: “Complete set. I was pleasantly surprised that there were 8 tokens, when I was expecting only 4. Every item in this set has a vintage look and feel (faded effect, weighty tokens).The board and money are smaller than the classic version but of good quality. I love the compartments for money, etc. Delivery was timely too. Definitely giftable, with excellent craftmanship and good for traveling.” — Linenvendor

2
Amazon
I don’t have a Clue why you’d skip game

Promising review: “I bought a Clue game from another manufacturer and had to return it because the board was dark and hard to read, and it was hard to distinguish the different colors of the plastic pieces. In contrast, I am very pleased with the Clue Linen Book Vintage Edition Board Game. The board is very easy to read. The game pieces are made of wood with a heavy metal base and are painted bright colors that are easy to distinguish from each other. I like the detail on the weapons, and I like that the rope is made of string. This edition of Clue is just as I remember it from my childhood, with the added feature of a linen cover in a box made to look like a book, suitable to put on a bookshelf and easily transportable.” — nmlollipop

3
Amazon
Scrabble walked so Wordle could run

HuffPost editor Marquaysa Battle also owns this vintage Scrabble game and loves the way it fits in with the titles on her bookshelf (shown in the picture here) until she’s ready to pull it down to play again.

Promising review: “Durable, cute, and space efficient! It’s everything you’d expect from Scrabble but it fits in a compact “book” case that looks great too. Definitely love the aesthetic and ease of choosing a board game with these types of packages.” — GoldnX

4
Amazon
Snag this triple set of classics: Scrabble, Monopoly and Clue

Promising review: “This is a beautiful set! It has good quality pieces and is packaged nicely! The colors are nice and looks great on my bookshelf. These would make great gifts. Totally worth it! I love them!” — Teresa Fernandez

5
Amazon
The original version of The Game of Life

Promising review: “Loved the game of life as a kid. But they have changed it so much over the years I quit playing it. I was hyped when I saw this. Cool box looks like a book. The original format and rules. It was awesome.” — Tina Louise Holguin

6
Amazon
A Chess set fit for a king or queen

Promising review: “I absolutely love this aesthetically, pleasing, vintage bookshelf, a chess game.
Not only does it fit beautifully on my bookshelf, but I can also take it on trips because of his contact size. You don’t need to [compromise] on the size of the pieces just because it is in a bookcase. The size of the board in the size of the pieces are normal and excellent quality.” — Rheese

7
Amazon
Don’t trip, pick up this set of Chutes and Ladders

Promising review:“Slowly but surely, I am collecting these bookcase games. I love them because you can put them on the shelf so they are always neatly hidden in plain sight.Chutes and Ladders is a great game for young children. It is true to the original and now my two year old grandson can fold it up and put it away himself. Of course, Grandma follows discreetly behind. Kudos to the person who thought up the concept of Bookshelf games.” — Spirit

8
Amazon
Sink into a two-player game of Battleship

Promising review: “The quality of the game is wonderful, just like the rest in the collection. We are collecting them one by one.” — Vanessa H.

9
Amazon
The sweetest Candy Land set

Promising review: “LOVE this! Candyland has been my favorite ever since I was a kid. This was packaged tightly between a few pieces of cardboard. It is brightly colored just like the photos. Fits in my bookshelf perfectly. Can’t wait to get the rest of the collection!” — nicole

10
Amazon
Get on a roll with Yahtzee

Promising review: “This was a great gift! My friend loves Yahtzee and she went crazy over this!!! It’s very nice!” — Stacia Sheelar

11
Amazon
You’ll be Sorry! if you don’t grab this game

Promising review: “Loved this game as a child, I really didn’t care for the new boards. So excited to have one that looks like the original, and looks good on the shelf” — Shari

12
Amazon
Put down your phone and write some texts with Boggle

Promising review: “We love this game. It’s helped my son further develop his spelling abilities all while playing a fun family game. I like the bookshelf look. It’s a classic game with classy vintage style that goods good with my living room decor.” — KP

13
Amazon
A multiplayer game that’ll become your new Catch Phrase!

Promising review: “Best game in the world! A all time classic, everybody loves playing when we bring it over. So many different cards” — Kendra

14
Amazon
Or if you can’t decide, grab a set of all 15

This 15-piece set includes the following games: Scrabble, Monopoly, Clue, Boggle, Yahtzee, Catch Phrase, The Game of Life, Connect Four, Scattergories, Chess, Sorry!, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Mystery Date and Taboo.

Promising review: “Have you ever been looking at your collection of games and thought, why are all these games in different sized boxes? I have, and I was looking for a solution to my irritation ever since. This company has the answer. All your favorite games all in the same shaped box, all looking amazing no matter what shelf you have it on.
Conformity at its best. I love the way my gaming area looks so much better now that everything is nice and neat on the shelf.” — Minerva

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Senko Nelly via Getty Images
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