Board games for travel come in handy on vacation when you need to pass the time.
But cooperative board games take it one step further as the ideal game for travel because, there’s also minimal fighting.
In cooperative board games, you’re working together, you loose as a team, AND win as a team – there’s zero fights, just good times!
These 10 board games are both cooperative, and small enough to bring with you on any travel adventure.
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
Why We Love Cooperative Games For Travelling
There’s no denying that certain board games can lead to unnecessary fights that you’d probably rather avoid, especially when you’re travelling.
My partner and I LOVE cooperative board games, whether we’re at home or on the go. Instead of fighting each other to be the ultimate winner, we’re working together to both win the game.
You’re also learning how to work together, and ultimately problem solve together… which might come in handy later, when stressful travel situations arise!
All of these cooperative board games are travel friendly! Either they come in a small box, travel safe tin, or the contents are small enough to transfer to a travel pouch (like these on Amazon).
You might also be interested in reading…
31 Best Travel Games To Play On Your Next Vacation (not cooperative!)
The Best Cooperative Board Games For Travel
1. Mint Cooperative
Players: 1-4
Age: 13+
Average Game Time: 15-30 minutes
Mint Cooperative is the smallest, most travel friendly cooperative game for travel you can find (see it on Amazon here). It’s conveniently all packaged into a small, protective tin.
Plus, the contents and theme are just adorable!
But why I really love Mint Cooperative for travel is because they give you variations to play: you can swap out the villains, change characters, and even your special abilities.
Shop Mint Cooperative Portable Board Games!
- 44 Mint Tokens
- 6 Hero Meeples
- 61 Total Cards
- 4 Six-Sided Die
- 1 Rulesheet
2. The Crew
Players: 3-5 (with a two player variant)
Age: 10+
Average Game Time: 20 minutes
The Crew is cooperative trick taking game where you’re trying to win missions as a team (see it on Amazon here).
Specific cards have to be won, either in a particular order, by a certain player, or with certain restraints – like no talking allowed!
But remember, you’re all trying to work together to succeed!
The rounds are quick, they can be anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. So you can make the game as long or as short as you want!
They have two version of The Crew now; The Quest for Planet Nine (the original), and Deep Sea Mission which is the newest release.
The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine
New!: Deep Sea Mission
3. Hanabi – Best Cooperative Card Games
Players: 2-5 players
Age: 8+
Average Game Time: 20 minutes
Hanabi is one of the best cooperative card games, making it easy to take on the go! See it on Amazon here!
In Hanabi, you’re working together to build fireworks: matching coloured cards in numerical order.
The catch? You can’t look at your own cards.
So you’re relying on your teammates to tell you pivotal information about what you should do with your cards!
I still don’t think I’ve fully mastered this game. It’s hard to not have subconscious reactions as someone starts discarding a pivotal card from their hand.
Shop Hanabi
- For 2-5 Players
- 2013 Spiele Des Jahres Game Of The Year
- Takes About 20-30 Minutes To Play
- 60 Hanabi Cards, 8 Blue Clock Tokens, 4 Black Fuse Tokens
- For 2-5 players
Going on a road trip?
Check out my digital and printable road trip I Spy game on Etsy.
4. Code Names Duet
Players: 2-8 players
Age: 11+
Average Game Time: 15 minutes (although I think it’s always longer!)
This is the classic game of Code Names but the cooperative version.
In the cooperative version, you’re paired up to try and win together instead of working against each other (see it on Amazon here).
It’s a mind game where you have to get your partner to guess specific cards based on one word clues that you give them.
We actually have the Harry Potter version which happens to be co op!
5. The Grizzled
Players: 2-5 players
Age: 14+
Average Game Time: 30 minutes
If you’re looking for more challenging cooperative board games, The Grizzled might be for you.
It has a bit of a darker theme, which is better suited for adults.
In the game, you’re a group of friends that are trying to make it out alive (see it on Amazon here) during World War II.
It’s another limited communication game – which means no talking allowed!
Shop The Grizzled
Shop The Grizzled Expansion
6. Pandemic The Cure – Co op Board Games
Players: 2-5 players
Age: 8+
Average Game Time: 30 minutes
Pandemic is one of my all time favourite co op board games.
Pandemic The Cure is a standalone version of the game, that’s more suited for travel.
The game has been simplified with dice rolls and no board (which makes it one of the better board games for travel – see it on Amazon here).
But just because the game has been simplified doesn’t make winning any easier!
If you like pandemic, this is the cooperative travel game for you!
Going on a road trip?
Check out my digital and printable road trip I Spy game on Etsy.
7. One Deck Dungeon
Players: 1-2 players (but expandable to 4 with a second game)
Age: 14+
Average Game Time: 30 minutes
I also haven’t been able to try this one yet but it’s on my list!
If you like dungeon crawlers then One Deck Dungeon is a cooperative dungeon crawler that’s also travel friendly (see it on Amazon here). No huge board, only cards!
You and your team are walking through a dungeon fighting bad guys. As you’re doing this, you’re also levelling up your character and getting more abilities to fight.
They also sell different stand alone expansions for a different game play experience.
Shop One Deck Dungeon Original
Shop One Deck Dungeon Expansion
8. So Clover!
Players: 3-6 players (I’ve played with 2 players and think it works just as well)
Age: 10+
Average Game Time: 30 minutes
So Clover is my new all around favourite game to play, even when I’m home!
There are only three components to pack: cards, clover boards, and markers.
So Clover is a cooperative word game that is bound to get everyone laughing and wanting to play again.
There are two parts to So Clover! First, you’ll have to come up with a word to connect two randomly chosen words.
Then, everyone will work together to figure out which words you were trying to connect.
Shop So Clover! on Amazon
- WORD ASSOCIATION GAME: In this interactive guessing game, players are given keywords and secretly write their common features on their Clover board to form clues. Then, they must work together to try to figure out each player’s Keywords.
- COOPERATIVE GAME: Work together to try to figure out each player’s keywords. At the end of the game, add up your score according to how many keywords you found and write it in the Record of Legends. Try to beat your high score each game!
9. Mists Over Carcassonne
Players: 1-5 players
Age: 8+
Average Game Time: 35 minutes
Carcassonne is one of the most classic board games, but in 2023, they released a fully cooperative version.
There aren’t too many components to pack, and it’s all cardboard so you don’t have to worry about bending any cards.
Mists Over Carcassonne plays like the original, but there are a few additional components.
You’re placing tiles to gain points as a team, while at the same time working together to stop the ghosts from taking over.
Shop Mists Over Carcassonne on Amazon
- A COOPERATIVE VERSION OF CARCASSONNE: Mists Over Carcassonne is a co-operative version of the well-known tile-laying game Carcassonne. Place tiles with care in Carcassonne to keep the ghosts in check.
10. Tiny Epic Games – Games For Travelling
I have now just recently discovered the world of Tiny Epic Games. It’s a whole world of full board games in a tiny box. Over the years, they’ve made several different themed board games – some of which are actually co-op!
These have now gone to the top of my list, but I’ve heard Tiny Epic Zombies (on Amazon here) and Tiny Epic Dungeons (on Amazon here) are the two best co-op games in the series.
There’s also Tiny Epic Defenders and Tiny Epic Tactics that have cooperative game modes.
Shop Tiny Epic Games on Amazon
Accessories To Travel With Games
Related Posts
- 31 Best Travel Games To Play On Your Next Vacation
- My Top 11 Travel Essentials I Never Leave Home Without
- 10 Travel Gadgets To Help You Pack Less & Lighter
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Last update on 2024-05-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
John
Monday 30th of January 2023
As far as "Mint Cooperative" being the smallest, there are other games you may be unaware of. For example, "Adventure Tin" is a 1-4 player cooperative quest game that comes in a mint tin and plays around 20 mins .
Meghan
Wednesday 1st of February 2023
Hi John!
Thanks so much for the recommendation, I hadn't heard of that game before so I will be on the lookout for it now :D