From Walmart, Target, and Amazon, the best Mexican Train game sets reviewed

Mexican Train Dominoes is a fun game to play free online, but it's a lot of fun on family game nights or with friends. We've picked up some of the most popular Mexican Train sets available at Walmart, Target, and Amazon and looked to see which domino set is best.

The best Mexican Train set for a big family game night

Amazon's top pick for a Mexican Train kit is this $37 option with holders. The holders are handy and work well for those who like to keep all their dominoes neatly organized. This works well enough for a family or a group of friends — so long as you have fewer than 8 people.

It is possible to play Mexican Train with more than 8 players, but because this set comes with 8 of everything, from the domino holders to the markers, it's going to make anyone else feel like an outsider. There is a similar set that comes with holders and a double-15 (as opposed to the traditional double-12 typically used). But it's pricey at $60.

Be mindful of your table space, too, since all those holders — which are longer and much deeper than a similarly-angled Scrabble piece holder — take up a lot of space.

Some kits come with a hardshell black case and only four domino holders. This is one of the few to offer different options for racks, dominoes, and size.

Still, it's a solid choice at just under $40. But for a relatively expensive set, the box is just cardboard with a plastic handle that's likely to come off in short order. We suspect it's unlikely to support traveling around for much if you often move it between family game night and a friend's house.

You should also check out this set if only to see the poorly Photoshopped photo of elderly players using it.

The best Mexican Train kit for seniors or little kids

Little kids and seniors both benefit from large, easy-to-handle dominoes. And both age groups can benefit from having numerals printed on the sides instead of pips. This Regal Games kit is $20 and includes some slightly oversized dominoes with numerals. All are varied but consistent colors based on the numbers.

This also comes with the same tiny little markers that are common in all these kits, which will likely get lost. If you lose all the markers, you can buy some more to match for about $6.

The best budget Mexican Train Dominoes kit

This Traditions Cardinal's set is available at most major retailers, including Walmart and Amazon. If it looks familiar, it's because it appears almost identically under other brand names like Classic Games and Queensell, which also sells a version with holders. Target has a model for $26 under the brand "Game Gallery". All come in nearly the same case, packaging, and pieces. The case is likely to make you feel like you're in an Oceans 11 heist, given its almost comically cliche faux-metal briefcase look. The lids on these all latch poorly, and you’re likely to spill the dominoes if you grab it by the top half of the box.

Still, it's a good deal at about $25 on Amazon, which routinely has a slightly lower price than Walmart and is well-reviewed.

It has a nice enough case for being plastic and weighs in at 2 pounds. Consider there's a whole separate Mexican Train Dominoes-branded box available on Amazon for $38 by itself (admittedly, it does look like a nice box). But the value here is in the dominoes themselves. The pips are large, colorful, and easy to read.

It comes with small plastic train markers to mark any open trains. However, they're too small for adults with large hands and feel cheap. Fortunately, they're easy to replace with coins or even candy.

It also lacks the holders commonly found in some sets, but you can buy some separately for about $8. Just be aware that this item's reviews don't match the URL of the original product. Given that the URL lists "automatic Bluetooth," we suspect this was originally some kind of electronic game.

For the super budget-conscious, we have paper dominoes you can print and cut (PDF). It’s the closest thing to a free dominoes set you’ll find.

The best generic double-12 domino set you can use for Mexican Train Dominoes

If all you want are the dominoes, either because you like the tradition of it all or just don't want to mess with chintzy little game pieces, this Double-12 domino set is the way to go. But as of this writing, it shows low stock, so it may only be available for a limited time.

This one is arguably a good gift idea, too. And at this price, it even makes for a nice office party gift or idea for a distant relative you don't want to splurge on.

At $25, it's a good price and costs as much as some of the other, fuller domino sets. But these dominoes feel good in the hand, and they're solid, heavy, and easy to see. It also comes with a much nicer case you won't necessarily want to hide in a drawer.

The best Mexican Train set overall for a simple, fun game

For $27, we're fans of this straightforward Mexican Train set with easy-to-read instructions, incredibly vivid colors unmistakable on the pips, and nice dominoes. The box is a sturdy case for this and also looks like what you might expect from simple tabletop or board games.

It comes with the same teeny, colorful Mexican Train markers, but unlike the other kits, you won't feel bad if you ignore or never use the hub or markers since they’re small and simple. The hub here is more of a gentle guide for the trains rather than a holder. Still, the purchase here is about the dominoes, which look genuinely lovely.

If you buy it from Amazon, you'll likely get free shipping, which also helps.