I don’t have any data to support this, but I can imagine that Cards Against Humanity is a huge chunk of the board game industry. In the early 2010s, I feel that if you went to a social gathering, there was a good chance that Cards Against Humanity, Rock Band, or a social media challenge (ALS Ice Bucket, Harlem Shake, Cinnamon Challenge, Chubby Bunny) were part of it.
Something about the surprising vulgarity, the simple gameplay, and the forced pathway to comedy made Cards Against Humanity a hit. I feel like it may have run its course, however, and there are some great games that improve on aspects of CAH while feeling fresh.
If you like the socially acceptable vulgarity, try:
Monikers
Based on a Taboo/Charades-like folk game (I grew up calling it “Fishbowl”), Monikers tasks players with giving hints to their team to get them to guess as many cards as they can during their turn. Played over several rounds, the players use different hint methods (like describing without saying the answer, saying one-word only, performing charades, making a sound, etc.). While the premise is simple and can be played relatively family-friendly, the game seemingly always devolves into hilarious depravity, especially if your group is ready to resort to stereotypes, is unafraid of some of the more spicy keywords, or has imbibed several beverages during before play.
If you like the guessing what your friends find funny, try:
Say Anything
The success of Cards Against Humanity suggests that the comedic timing of filling in the blanks or answering questions based on a loaded premise card is a winning one. Say Anything puts the joke-making responsibility on the players, however. Each player, armed with mini whiteboard and marker, must come up with funny answers from their own brain instead of from a deck of cards.
An extra board-gamey element is added in after all answers are revealed, as players bet on the answer that the active player will choose. Points are awarded for being the correct answer and for betting on the correct answer.
If you like matching cards to make jokes, try:
Charty Party
Unlike Say Anything, Charty Party has the exact same play-a-card, draw-a-card gameplay as Cards Against Humanity. What makes it unique? The fact that the question cards are charts (as in, x and y axes line graphs), and players have to match their answers with the chart.
For example, if the chart showcases a positive slope line where the axis are times of the day, you could play a card like “Ideal Thickness Of A Burrito” or “Time Spent Staring Into The Abyss”. Coming up with clever answers leads to many “funny-because-it’s-true” moments of laughter.
If you think it’s time to grow up, try:
Brass: Birmingham
When you’re ready to play a real gamerz game, play Brass.
Just kidding.