Once the entertainment of last resort on rainy days and during power outages, board games have evolved into varied works of interactive art with options for many styles of play. To find some of the best, we spent 74 hours researching 128 games, played 23 top contenders with 28 people, and interviewed board game experts, including a Columbia University ludology professor, the owner of board game café The Brooklyn Strategist, and the team behind the video series The Rules Girl.
Board games are for everyone, so we have picks for new gamers and more-advanced players; for those seeking party games, two-player games, or games to play when you’re out with friends; and for those who prefer cooperative play over competition. This guide is a starting point for discovering games that are fun, interactive, and challenging, and our picks are a great introduction for anyone looking to get more into games.
For this guide, we didn’t include old-school classics (like Monopoly) or challenging enthusiast fare (like Scythe, which we love). But the competition section lists many other notable games, and we are building out more specific coverage of other types of games, such as card games and games specifically for two players.
For more ideas, we encourage you to explore board game forums and to visit your local board game café, store, or bar for personalized recommendations based on your skill level and interests. (Board game publishers print games in limited runs, so if you can’t find one of our picks at a major retailer, a local shop may have it to buy or to play.)
Although our picks are geared toward adults, most are family-friendly. If you’re looking for board games designed with preschool and elementary-school kids in mind, take a look at our guide to board games we love for kids.
