The Best Board Games Of 2023

Today I will reveal what I think are the best board games for adults, families, and kids. I have also split the first section up for new and existing people to the hobby. A list like this is very subjective, but these are games that I have had good experiences with. I will also list a few that I know people love from a local board gaming group I am a part of.

Board games are a splendid way to bring people together. Now I know there is a pandemic going on, so I have also written another blog post about how to play board games online. Some of us are in isolation with our families and might even be in a house share with other adults. Board games are a great way to spend some time together instead of watching another Netflix or YouTube video.

I have a few other lists aimed at solo games and games for children which I have linked.

Best board games for adults

New to the hobby

01. Catan

Age rating: 10+ | Number of players: 3-4 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 15 minutes | Playing time: 60-120 minutes

Catan is the game that started it all for me. I was consumed by magic the gathering in my teenage years and well into my young adult life. One day I decided to see what else is out there. I came across a site called board game geek (as all of us in the hobby will at one stage or another). High up on their list at that point was a game called settlers of Catan. 100+ owned board games later and the rest is history.

Catan has dice rolling, negotiation, trading, resource management, and some take that. It really is a great game to introduce people to the hobby and one I will still play today. I know it gets some hate from those “in the hobby”, but I wouldn’t listen to them. I promise you this game still has it today and deserves every copy it has sold, over 32 million units at this point.

02. Risk 2210 AD

Age rating: 10+ | Number of players: 2-5 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 10-15 minutes | Playing time: 120-240 minutes

So I read a lot of these lists on the interwebs and often vanilla risk is on there. Granted it is a great game for those new to the hobby, but there are better games out there. I put this game on the list because often at family events someone will talk about risk and their childhood memories of playing it. I will pipe up when that does happen, and just add that I have a game called Risk 2210 AD. It is like risk as you know it, but it is played over 5 years with sea and moon bases thrown in the mix, and with leaders that have special powers. Interests are generally piqued at this point. We get it to the table and fun is always had by all.

03. Pandemic Legacy

Age rating: 13+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 60 minutes

The premise is simple in the vanilla pandemic. You play as a bunch of people who are specialists in their fields, cooperatively against the board game itself. Great for people that don’t like conflict amongst eachother. You each have special abilities and move around a map of the world trying to cure and eradicate each of the diseases. Either the world gets overrun with disease or you are victorious and bring the world back from the brink.

Pandemic legacy takes vanilla pandemic and makes it a game you can play over a few in-game months. I prefer this version of it as you can actually use the base game to play a few games of the vanilla pandemic before jumping into its legacy mode. You tear up cards, write things on the board. It is great to see your board and characters change over time and a game I highly recommend.

04. Carcassonne

Age rating: 7+ | Number of players: 2-5 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 30-45 minutes

Carcassonne is a simple yet entrancing tile-laying game. It is simple to teach and play. You will be up and running in no time flat. You take a tile from the bag, place it on the table, and decide if you want to place a meeple on it. Points are scored and the play proceeds clockwise. Final game scoring occurs when the tiles run out and the victor is the one with the most victory points. It is so much fun seeing the city of Carcassonne be constructed before your very own eyes.

Already in the hobby

05. Twilight Struggle

Age rating: 13+ | Number of players: 2 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 15 minutes | Playing time: 120-180 minutes

“Now the trumpet summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are – but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle…”

– John F. Kennedy

This is a card-driven political wargame that takes place between the historic years of 1945 through 1989. You might scroll past this immediately and think “well that theme is definitely not for me”. I would hesitate to think you might be wrong. I thought the same thing. Recently I have been playing this on steam and in real life against my girlfriend. We really enjoy this game despite not being history buffs. There is so much to-and-fro one turn to the next. You have to be super careful when to time the playing of cards. Why? If the card has the other team’s event on it, that event still happens regardless of who played it. At the very least give this one a look, you might be surprised.

06. Scythe

Age rating: 14+ | Number of players: 1-5 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 90-115 minutes

Scythe probably needs no introduction if you are in the hobby. However, if for some reason you have not heard of it, stop what you are doing and give it a look. Scythe has five factions vying for dominance, all while set in a war-torn mech-filled steampunk universe of 1920’s Europe. It uses action selection mechanisms that keep gameplay moving at all times. You want to get your engine built up in the faction you are playing as quickly and efficiently as possible. There is even a solo mode!

07. Brass: Birmingham

Age rating: 14+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 60-120 minutes

A full article on this game can be found here.

Brass: Birmingham is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace’s 2007 masterpiece. Brass: Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years 1770-1870.

As with its predecessor (Brass / Brass: Lancashire), you must develop, build, and establish your industries and network to exploit low or high market demands.

Each round, players take turns according to the turn order track, which is determined by how much money you spent in the previous round and then you take two of the six available actions.

08. Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization

Age rating: 14+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Medium-heavy | Setup time: 15 minutes | Playing time: 120 minutes

A civilization-building game in which each player attempts to build the best civilization. You will need to manage your resources, research new technology, put the right leaders into power, build wonders, and establish a strong military presence. You will play through the ages from antiquity to the modern age. The player with the nation that has the most culture at the end of the modern age will be the victor.

09. Gloomhaven

Age rating: 14+ | Number of players: 1-4 players | Weight: Medium-heavy | Setup time: 15 minutes | Playing time: 60-120 minutes

Just buy it and don’t look back! 🙂

Best board games for families

10. Bohnanza

Age rating: 8+ | Number of players: 2-7players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 45-60 minutes

The bean game! I have had so much fun playing this game, and I really have no idea why it does not get more attention. Pick this one up now! You plant beans, sell beans, trade beans, make money, and then you win. It is a blast to see everyone trying to negotiate at the table and it really gets the bargainer in you going. For a family event of 5 people or more…look no further than Bohnanza.

11. Wingspan

Age rating: 10+ | Number of players: 1-5 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 40-70 minutes

We have written a blog post about wingspan over here. I would suggest checking that out. Just know that this game is great and an easy addition to any game library.

12. Azul

Age rating: 8+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 30-45 minutes

A game about laying tiles you say? That sounds bloody boring. Well, guess again. This game is great and has you staring at your board in bewilderment at times. But then the game clicks and you slowly start eyeing your opponents’ boards as well, thinking how you can better your mosaic while at the same time forcing them to take their least optimal path. You want to try to get all those colors, columns, and rows filled so you can score big in the end game scoring. The game plays fast and it will leave you asking for “one more game?” when you are done.

13. The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Age rating: 10+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 45 minutes

This game has you rolling dice, pulling ingredients from a bag, and adding them to your pot. All while using push your luck mechanisms to edge ever closer to making your pot explode, which is not a good thing. The game looks beautiful on the table. You gain victory points and coins at the end of each round that can be spent on new ingredients to add to your bags. The player with the most victory points after nine rounds is victorious.

14. Stone Age

Age rating: 10+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Medium | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 60-90 minutes

Check out my full review of this game here.

This game is such a good beginner worker placement and family game. I have played it in real life and on board game arena. It is a blast every time. You send your workers out to collect food and resources, make babies, and various other actions. You use the resources to buy buildings and cards all while adding to your victory points as you go. Be careful though, as you want to be able to feed your people at the end of every round or risk losing victory points. This is a must-have in any collection!

15. Ticket To Ride

Age rating: 8+ | Number of players: 2-5 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 30-60 minutes

I have written a review about ticket to ride over here. This game really needs no introduction and should also be on everyone’s list.

Five old friends meet in a private club. All of them well-traveled and from different corners of the world. Inspired by Phileas Fogg, the group decided to commemorate his navigation around the world by betting on their own excursions. Each excursion getting more difficult every year. Finally, they reach their most challenging excursion yet. In 7 days they compete for $1 Million. The winner decided by the person that travels to the most cities across North America by rail.

16. Jaipur

Age rating: 8+ | Number of players: 2 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 30 minutes

Jaipur was introduced to me by a friend of mine and it instantly blew my mind. So much so that I kept his copy for years before finally having to give it back and purchase my own copy.

You play as two traders in the city of Jaipur. You are trying to obtain two seals of excellence to be invited to the Maharaja’s court. On your turn, you either interact with the market by gaining new goods(cards) or sell goods(cards). You receive more gold if you are the first person to sell a particular type of good, and will also reap bonus gold for selling three or more of particular good. The person with the most gold wins a seal of excellence. The first person to two seals of excellence wins the game.

17. Codenames: Duet

Age rating: 11+ | Number of players: 2-99 players | Weight: Medium light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 15-30 minutes

This game might have “duet” in the name, but I have “sold” this game to people playing it as groups at Christmas and New Years’ parties. The great thing about this game is you are playing together against the game. You split your group into two, lay out the cards, and look for connections between the card’s words. You double-check your grid card to see what clues you need the group across from you to guess. Between the members of your side of the team, come up with a one-word clue and number “animal 3” – double-check it won’t make the team guess the black assassin card, and say it out loud. If you guess all the green spies you win the game together.

Best board games for kids

18. Animal Upon Animal

Age rating: 4+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 15 minutes

I bought this game for my nephew and niece a few years back for Christmas. Since then it has consistently been their number one played game. It teaches stacking, balancing, and dexterity skills. It is my number one go-to kid’s game to give as a present to children about 4 to 8 years of age. There are also loads of different variations, some using dinosaurs or even unicorns. This one is def worth a look if you have any kids.

19. Loopin’ Louie

Age rating: 4+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 10 minutes

I have to admit that I bought this game as a 20+ something adult and did not play it with any of my nephews or nieces until much later. It works well in all situations, whether with your kids or to end off a big board gaming night. Louie flies around trying to knock the chickens of the top of the barn. Your job is to protect the chickens by knocking Louie away. The last person standing with a chicken or more left is the winner. Silly fun.

20. Zombie Kidz Evolution

Age rating: 7+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 5-15 minutes

This is a legacy style game designed for kids. You find yourself in a school as zombies start attacking. You move through the rooms trying to eliminate the zombies as you go. If more zombies try to enter the school but there are no more to place, the players lose. To win you need to lock all four entryways. As you progress in further games you can open envelopes that will introduce new material to the game. There is even a trophy-sticker system that tracks their development. This one is definitely worth a look.

21. Icecool

Age rating: 6+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 30 minutes

Icecool has you flicking penguins through an obstacle course you set up using the actual box it comes in as part of the setup. It is a lot of silly fun as you try to do trick shots and collect the fish that are above the doorways. What’s even cooler is that you can purchase the sequel and make an even bigger board! Your kids and adult friends will love this one.

22. Ticket to Ride: First Journey

Age rating: 6+ | Number of players: 2-4 players | Weight: Light | Setup time: 5 minutes | Playing time: 15-30 minutes

This one scales down the gameplay of the classic ticket to ride for a younger audience. Collect train cards or claim a route between two cities on your turn. Claim the ticket if the cities on your ticket card are now connected by your trains. The point system is ditched. Whoever gets to 6 completed tickets first wins the game. If someone happens to place all twenty of their trains on the board before that, then the person with the most completed tickets wins.

Roundup of all the best board games mentioned today

22 Best Board Games of 2023

1. Catan
2. Risk 2210 AD
3. Pandemic Legacy
4. Carcassonne
5. Twilight Struggle
6. Scythe
7. Brass: Birmingham
8. Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization
9. Gloomhaven
10. Bohnanza
11. Wingspan
12. Azul
13. The Quacks of Quedlinburg
14. Stone Age
15. Ticket To Ride
16. Jaipur
17. Codenames: Duet
18. Animal Upon Animal
19. Loopin’ Louie
20. Zombie Kidz Evolution
21. Icecool
22. Ticket to Ride: First Journey

FAQ

What are the Top 10 board games of all time?

This list is always changing, and my preferred list would be the one over here.

What are the best new board games?

Check out the hotness on the side menu of board game geek.

Which pandemic board game is the best?

Pandemic legacy season 1 or season 0.

What is the most popular board game now?

Besides games like monopoly, scrabble, and clue, etc. I would have to say right now, Gloomhaven is the most popular game.

What is the best selling board games of all time?

Monopoly, Chess, Scrabble, Checkers, Clue/Cluedo, Uno, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Battleship, Connect Four.

What is the most boring board game?

Any board game that goes on forever with no clearly defined end. I like having goals that I am trying to meet and knowing what the game end triggers are.

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