Board games have seen something of a revolution. They’re more popular now than they have ever been, and with the flurry of new games hitting our living room tables over the past few years, it is not hard to see why. There is a whole world beyond Monopoly – board games are back, and there has never been a better time to explore what is on offer.
Here we’ve taken our pick of the finest board games you can buy, so grab your family, friends, co-workers – or even just a bunch of complete strangers down the local pub – and prepare to spend a few hours dabbling with some social gaming fun! Build empires, flex your investigative muscles, employ brain-teasing strategy or just have silly laughs, there’s something for everybody.
Indeed, whether you’re a seasoned board gaming fanatic looking for something new, a parent looking for some family-friendly fun, or you’ve never played a board game before, there will be a recommendation on this list for you. Scroll down and you’ll find our pick of the best board games in any genre, but if you're not sure what type of board game to go for then check out our quick guide below.
How to choose the right board game for you
I’ve never played a board game before, are these accessible?
Absolutely! Some games can seem daunting when you unpack them, but don’t be deterred. Pretty much all games these days provide rules that are designed to be as simple as possible, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy they are to pick up. If you are finding it difficult to wrap your head around a particular game, then you’ll find plenty of help online – such as instructional videos from other players – which will help you work through the rules of gameplay.
What types of board games are there?
Board games can fall into many broad categories, often a game will comfortably fit into more than one but there are a few common categories that games are divided into. There are Eurogames, also known as German-style games, which have nearly no direct player conflict and focus instead on industry, resource acquisition and building – strategy is the focus here. Worker Placement Games see you place limited tokens or pieces around the board in order to take actions or acquire resources. Player Elimination Games, on the other hand, are filled with conflict and competition, with the aim being to win or eliminate other players from the game. And then there are Cooperative Games, where you work together to accomplish goals, succeed missions or perform tasks in order to satisfy the winning conditions of the game as a group.
How do I know which game is right for me?
There is no real way to predict whether you like a game or not until you play it. However the recommendations below will have a player number, estimated game time and a brief description of what the game is like. So if you have a particular audience in mind of who you would like to play with, or buy as a present for, then you can judge what game best suits your needs or interests. Still not sure? Have a look on Youtube and you’ll find plenty of video walkthroughs and tips for the various titles which may give you a better idea about whether the game appeals to you.
What age range are these suitable for?
Our recommendations cover a wide range. Some of the recommendations here might not be entirely suitable for younger players as the rules are a little more complex, but we'll be adding some of our favourite family friendly games in an upcoming update to this article. One thing worth bearing in mind is that the age recommendations are set by the creators as a guideline, but it’s entirely up to you to decide its suitability – community opinions sometimes differ on whether games’ suggested age ranges are in the right ballpark or not.
Where can I buy these games?
We’ve included quick links to the main resellers such as Amazon UK below, but if you’re having trouble tracking down a particular title – or Amazon’s prices have skyrocketed due to unscrupulous marketplace sellers making the most of sold-out titles – then make sure to check out Board Game Prices at www.boardgameprices.co.uk. Simply type in the name of the game you’re looking for, and you’ll be able to find the best prices across all the main boardgame retailers in the UK.
The best board games
1. The Resistance: Avalon (2012)
Price when reviewed:£18
| Players | 5–10 |
| Age Range | 13+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 40 mins |
Suspicion and paranoia are set to become your new best friends in The Resistance: Avalon. This is a game of cunning and deception: players are dealt character cards which identify them as Loyal Servants of Arthur or Minions of Mordred, and after a secret roll call where some characters true identities are revealed, everyone will then loudly proclaim to be Loyal Servants (regardless of whether they truly are or not). As true Loyal Servants it’s your job to successfully carry out missions or prevent Merlin from being assassinated, and as Minions of Mordred you seek to either fail in your missions or put an end to Merlin. The result is a thrilling crescendo of lies and deception, and whether you’re hurling accusations around the table or trying to subtly hint at the identity of the evil minions, The Resistance: Avalon is an exhilarating experience for bigger groups of players.
2. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (1981)
Price when reviewed:£35
| Players | 1–8 |
| Age Range | 12+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 2–4 hours |
Have you ever wanted to see if your mental prowess could compare with the great Sherlock Holmes? Gather your friends, don your deerstalkers, stock up on sticky notes, paper and pens and settle in. In this game you are given a case to solve and together you will interview witnesses, consult newspapers, trace routes on the map of Victorian London and argue endlessly on motive until you deduce the solution. Once you’ve made your deduction, you are scored on your ability to answer questions at the end of each case. Although the game suggests individual playing and scoring, we’d recommend playing the entire game cooperatively as it adds infinitely to the fun. Currently, actually finding the game is the first case you’ll need to solve as most stores are out of stock – but with a brand new 2017 edition arriving in May, it should be widely available again soon.
3. Blood Rage (2015)
Price when reviewed:£60
Players: 2-4 (There is an expansion that allows for a fifth player)
Age Range: 14+
Estimated Game Time: 1 – 2 hours
| Players | 2-4 (Optional expansion allows for a fifth player) |
| Age Range | 14+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 1–2 hours |
Ragnarök is coming! The end of the world is nigh and it is your job to steer your Viking clan through battle to secure your place in eternal Valhalla. As you’d expect there’s more than a smattering of pillaging, warfare, and cunning tactics as you upgrade and develop your clan, and as the game moves through its three phases you’ll receive help from mythical Norse creatures and fight other players for precious tokens. You can even paint the miniatures in the game to give your set a unique look and feel. At its core, the game is all about gaining points for victories, losing warriors in glorious battles and completing quests – it’s all good, clean, violent fun. Blood Rage, as you’d probably guess from the title, is all about conflict between the rival players, and it’s immensely entertaining leading your clan to honour and acclaim in the name of Odin.
4. Captain Sonar (2016)
Price when reviewed: £50
| Players | 2-8 (Best with 8) |
| Age Range | 14+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 30 mins |
NORTH. EAST. EAST. STOP. FIRE TORPEDO AT L12. DIRECT HIT! If Das Boot was transformed from a cinematic masterpiece into an equally masterful eight-player boardgame, Captain Sonar would be the result. Indeed, you can think of Captain Sonar as real time, high stakes Battleships. Eight players assume the roles of Captain, First Mate, Engineer and Radio Operative on two opposing teams, and under the steady leadership of your Captain you will attempt to sink the opposing team’s submarine before they scupper yours, while navigating your way around the grid, surfacing to repair and deploying drones and sonar to locate the enemy sub. Fast paced and intense, it is a brilliant game that’s as entertaining to watch as it is to play.
5. Lords of Waterdeep (2012)
Price when reviewed:£35
| Players | 2-5 |
| Age Range | 12+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 2–3 hours |
Lords of Waterdeep is a strategy game that encourages you to use trickery, politics or might to wrest control from your rivals. Each player takes on the role of a secretive Lord in the city of Waterdeep, and the aim is to complete quests, gain resources, buy buildings and sabotage other players. Immensely enjoyable from start to finish, this is a game in the classic worker placement mould with a heavy focus on resource management, planning and questing. Best of all, however, Lords of Waterdeep is both very easy to learn and play, and as each player’s agenda remains secret there’s plenty of scope for developing long term strategies and plans. Looking for a further challenge? The Scoundrels of Skullport expansion adds a whole host of ingenious extra elements.
6. Scythe (2016)
Price when reviewed:£65
| Players | 1–5 |
| Age Range | 14+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 2–4 hours |
Set in an alternative 1920s reality where giant war robots roam the fields alongside humble farming folk, Scythe pits five fallen leaders in a battle to conquer Eastern Europa. In this resource allocation game you will assume one of five factions, each with their own abilities and specific goal – despite the relative complexity, the streamlined mechanics keep the game moving at a rapid tempo throughout. Though there is opportunity for player conflict in the game, it is not entirely necessary, and while the fantastic upgrade mechanisms enable you to build a force to conquer other players, not much is left to luck – this is a game where long-term strategy and cunning can make all the difference. Released back in 2016, Scythe is one of the more recent releases on this list, but it has already earned an enthusiastic following, and rightly so.
7. Quartermaster General (2014)
Price when reviewed:£40
| Players | 2-6 |
| Age Range | 12+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 1–2 hours |
Quartermaster General allows you to take command of the major powers of the Second World War and fight your way to victory. Fighting as either the Axis or the Allies, you will go through twenty rounds, playing from your own unique set of cards but working together to occupy specific territories. Each one your alliance controls at the end of each round scores you victory points – score the most and you can guarantee overall victory. The rules are easy to pick up and you will strategize and work together in order to win. Our top tip: be careful not to burn through your cards too quickly.
8. Pandemic (2008), Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (2015), Pandemic: Reign of Cthulu (2016)
Price when reviewed: Around £30
Players: 2-4
Age Range: 8+, 13+, 14+
Estimated Playing Time: 1 hour (Multiple sessions with Legacy)
| Players | 2-4 |
| Age Range | 8+, 13+, 14+ |
| Estimated Game Time | 1 hour |
Virulent diseases have broken out across the globe and it’s your job now to research and eradicate them before they decimate the world populations. In this phenomenal co-op game you will work together using your character abilities and limited moves to travel, trade cards, build research stations, prevent outbreaks and ultimately cure the four infections before you run out of moves – or the diseases become unstoppable.
The Pandemic universe has had a highly enjoyable chain of releases, and each one is fantastic in its own unique way. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 is a long term campaign version of this game which will take multiple sessions to complete, in every month of the campaign you will receive team objectives which add new dynamics and challenges to the game. The rules change, as does the story, and you will end up destroying cards and permanently altering the board as the game progresses which makes incredibly varied and engaging gameplay. With Season 2 just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start your own co-op campaign and help prevent a major catastrophe.
Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu is a wonderful Lovecraftian variant of the game. The old gods are stirring and if they all awaken, Cthulhu will rise and rain destruction down upon mankind. It falls to you to close the four hell portals, prevent the occultists from awakening the gods through summonings, fight the demonic Shoggoths together and save the world while maintaining your sanity. This is by far our favourite of the several Pandemic variants, as it uses most of the same mechanics as the original Pandemic (2008) but finesses the rules and gameplay to make for a markedly different experience – the Lovecraft inspired world it inhabits only adds to the charm.