The 22 best board games

The must-have contemporary tabletop games for your collection

We are living in the midst of a board game renaissance. What was previously confined to the dusty shelves in the back of friendly neighborhood game stores has gone mainstream. Even the large box stores have taken the leap, devoting more shelf space than ever before to scores of titles that didn’t exist even five years ago. However, the same churn that has brought so many exceptional games to market has also made it difficult to know where to begin.

You can’t afford to purchase every hot new book that appears on Kickstarter, and even if you could, there’s only so much shelf space. This is where Polygon’s Essentials List comes in.

We’ve compiled a thorough list of the finest current board games, just like we did for PC and console gaming. This is not an aspirational list of out-of-print classics or difficult-to-find novels. Everything on this page is still in print and reasonably priced. We’ve also tried to include all of the major genres, from intense strategy games to lighter family fun. So dig in and share your observations — and ideas — in the comments section below.

AZUL

Azul is a nice game to have on hand for casual game nights. This tile-laying game recreates the history of decor. The magnificence of the Alhambra Castle in southern Spain is claimed to have influenced King Manuel I of Portugal, who carried the tile design back to his own palace. You’ll be equally encouraged as a player to sketch and design patterns of colorful tiles to show throughout your castle (aka your game board). Points are awarded for certain patterns and entire sets, however squandering tiles might cost you points. When all of the tiles have been used, the player with the most points wins.

Azul is a popular favorite due of its simple rules, uncomplicated turns, and limitless strategy. Players of all ages love the pattern construction, and it’s simple to carry on a conversation while playing. Sarah Johnson’s

BLOOD RAGE

The end of the world has arrived. Strategies abound, but disaster is unavoidable. Can you find a balance and adjust to your opponents before the third age ends? Lead your Viking clan to victory by falling down in flames!

The variety of strategies and unpredictability of closed drafting — which serves to level the playing field at the beginning of the game — genuinely distinguishes Blood Rage. Area influence fans might opt to attack and pillage other regions to achieve control. Combat-loving gamers can crush their opponents in combat. Pacifists can even accomplish quests or lose battles in order to obtain prizes. Drafting happens at other moments throughout the game as well, allowing players to adapt and respond to opposing strategies. In conclusion, this game has something for everyone and deserves a spot on your collection. —SJ

CASCADIA

Cascadia is not just popular among Pacific Northwest residents. This tile-drafting game’s beautiful game graphics and natural themes are suitable for all ages. You must make judgments on how to balance your ecosystem from the first draft. Match terrain and species to win the most points and additional prizes at the end of the game.

Cascadia’s allure extends beyond the magnificent art and popular ecological theme. There are countless strategies. There are several ways for creating corridors, focusing on area control, and cornering endgame bonuses. Furthermore, the hexagonal grid and random starting board creation assist to keep games interesting. Keep it on hand for a relaxed night in or to amaze your Portland friends when they come to visit. —SJ

CROKINOLE

Crokinole has a certain allure. It’s a dexterity game in which players flick discs from the outside of a huge circle into a recessed hole in the center of the board. If you don’t sink your shot, you should leave your disc as near to the center as possible. However, there is a catch: if an opponent’s disc is in play, you must strike it with your own. It’s an exciting game full of strategy and deliberate execution.

Crokinole has a far wider presence than the actual space it occupies, which adds to its allure. It has the sense of a full-fledged parlor game, similar to billiards. All of this is attributable to the core magnificent piece of hardware, which may be displayed on the wall as folk art.

There are several varieties of boards, which can make evaluating possibilities difficult. Hilinski are often regarded as the greatest, however they are typically made-to-order and come at a high price.Crokinole Boards Canada, whose parts start about $130, is a good option for a more mid-range solution. While the expenditure might be significant, some of these solid wood structures are heirloom-quality creations that will withstand numerous generations of misuse. Charles Theel

DECRYPTO

Nothing gets the party started like a little spying. What is your mission? To communicate with your team. You’ll receive four cards with random words on them; they will form the code. Make a term out of them to assist your team guess the code. The opposite side will be listening in order to decipher your code and intercept the information. Think quickly and don’t give anything away, since two interceptions is game over.

Not only are team games fantastic for gatherings, but seeing word association in action is always entertaining. The variety of ways my colleagues can describe a pig always makes me laugh. Decrypto is my go-to game for making parties and family gatherings more fun. —SJ

GLOOMHAVEN

Good Dungeon Masters are hard to come by, which is one of the reasons Gloomhaven has become so famous among board game enthusiasts. Gloomhaven’s approximately 20-pound package contains an intricate, branching story campaign set in a distinct fantasy realm. The mechanics, though, are what actually make this game outstanding.

Gloomhaven, like Blood Rage, does not rely on random dice rolls for battle. Instead, on a tactical grid, players utilize cards to handle both assaults and mobility. Gloomhaven also employs Rob Daviau’s Legacy-style mechanisms, which include the addition of new characters and locales from sealed containers inside the box to permanently modify the game environment over time.

After completing even a fourth of the game’s almost 100 scenarios, your version of Gloomhaven will be unlike anybody else’s. At retail, a lighter version of the game is offered. Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion also serves as an addition to the original game for those who have already completed the campaign. Charles Hall

MARVEL CHAMPIONS: THE CARD GAME

Marvel Champions: The Card Game is an exciting cooperative experience that embodies the Marvel franchise’s immense impact and grandeur. It lets you and up to three pals to take on the roles of legendary characters like Iron Man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel. You each take your character’s unique cards and choose a villain to stop.

Marvel Champions is the most polished in Fantasy Flight Games’ Living Card Game range. Expansion packs in this format are non-randomized, eliminating the agony and excessive expenses associated with classic collecting card games such as Magic: The Gathering or the Pokemon Trading Card Game.The extra material is also substantial, including individual characters like Scarlet Witch and Captain America as well as full-featured campaign scenarios like The Mad Titan’s Shadow, which enables you to relive the Infinity War. To top it all off, the game is a fantastic solo experience. —CT

MONIKERS

Monikers is a lot of fun. It combines aspects of Charades, Taboo, and Catch Phrase. But it is so much more than that. The stakes climb steadily over three rounds of team play. In the first, say whatever you want to entice your colleagues into guessing the correct name. As your hint in the second round, you can only utter one word. You can only pantomime in the last round.

The important feature that holds everything together is that you use the same set of names each time. Even if you struggled to predict Count Chocula in the first act, you will have a leg up on the competition if you merely recollect what happened in the prior round. Strong clue-givers will begin acting out particular gestures early in the game so that they may reincorporate those exact tells in the third round. It’s a brilliant design that never fails to make people chuckle. —CT

NEMESIS

A spine-chilling game should be on every necessities list. Nemesis is our choice. The gameplay focuses less on killing and more on escaping, avoiding, or outwitting danger. It truly is a survival-horror experience brought to life on your gaming table.

Your crewmates and you each have your own set of strengths and limitations. Working together is the only way to survive. This dynamic encourages collaboration while simultaneously leaving you vulnerable to the traitor’s trickery. Time is of the essence, and as you go, the hostile creatures chasing you get increasingly difficult to vanquish. With a wide range of scenarios and a compelling story arc, Nemesis will never be forgotten. —SJ

OATH: CHRONICLES OF EMPIRE AND EXILE

On the surface, Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile appears to be a more polished version of Risk. However, Oath is not a strategy game at all. It’s a complicated narrative engine, as I indicated in my review. When played on a regular basis with the same group of individuals, it becomes more than just a battle of wills. It’s a role-playing game disguised as a board game. It’s something genuinely spectacular when combined with Kyle Ferrin’s wonderful paintings.

It also has excellent production values. The gaming board is a woven, neoprene-backed mat that folds up to store. The pack-in allows for rapid setup and breakdown, while the optional metal coins and card sleeves are a must-have in my opinion.

A word of caution, however: the rules are a tad intimidating and will need some research from everyone at the table. —CH

PANDEMIC LEGACY: SEASON 1

Matt Leacock’s original Pandemic, launched in 2008, is one of the greatest introductions to modern board gaming. Players must collaborate to eradicate illnesses throughout the world, carefully limiting their restricted set of actions to save as many lives as possible. Meanwhile, they must investigate a series of treatments in the shape of suits of cards that, when combined, provide the answers to putting these plagues to rest.

The Pandemic Legacy series, on the other hand, converts that deliciously tough cooperative game into a white-knuckled action movie with the aid of Rob Daviau. The 12-game storyline that comes with Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 continues into a post-apocalyptic extravaganza in Season 2 before going back in time for a prequel in Season 0. Any of the three will be well worth the time of your gaming group. — CH

QUACKS OF QUEDLINBURG

Players in The Quacks of Quedlinburg portray the roles of fraudulent doctors. As a group of unethical people, you will acquire a broad variety of materials to pour into your pot and contribute to a secret concoction. If your recipe is incorrect, the entire concoction may deteriorate.

This translates rather well to a creative bag-building game. You buy ingredient tokens and put them in your bag, then pluck one at a time to activate special effects. You risk toppling the entire potion and losing out as you push your pot deeper and increase its worth. The push-your-luck mechanism provides spectacular highs and persistent temptation, resulting in a robust family-sized game that will appeal to a broad range of interests. —CT

RHINO HERO SUPER BATTLE

Sometimes you marvel at a massive cardboard structure, and other times you curse in despair as it all collapses. This is the range of emotions displayed by Rhino Hero Super Battle. Players alternate laying enormous rectangular floor sections atop cardboard supports in the ultimate stacking game for family game night. The aim is to raise the tower higher and higher while also climbing it with your caped animal meeple.

It’s silly fun, based on the main premise of Jenga but done in reverse. The higher you go in Rhino Hero Super Battle, the more twisted and unsteady everything becomes. You lose if you fumble and trigger the collapse, and the player who has climbed to the greatest level wins. It’s a fun game of chicken as you each push the limit and extend the structure to the sky. —CT

SCYTHE

Scythe is a strategy game set in an alternate post-World War I chronology, based on the remarkable world-building of Jacub Rozalski. The game is filled with bizarre technology, as if Nikola Tesla had focused his attention to creating military weaponry. Players will stroll over the continent of Scythe, accompanied by huge, steam-powered mechs, yet the landscape they will pass through is absolutely pastoral. It’s a contrast that will linger in your memory long after you’ve left the table.

While the visuals and world-building are fantastic, the gameplay is practically faultless. Players will gradually improve their empire in subtle, asymmetrical ways to differentiate themselves from the competitors. Scythe’s finely crafted gears may be rotated from almost any direction, thus force is rarely necessary to win the game. If your gaming group becomes hooked early on, try moving to the Scythe: The Rise of Fenris campaign included in the expansion. Scythe: The Wind Gambit will also serve you well because it is compatible with both the original game and the campaign expansion. —CH

SECRET HITLER

Are you ready to wreak havoc? Get Secret Hitler for your next gathering. With the backdrop of 1930s Germany, this fan favorite blends deduction, bluffing, and treachery. Will the liberal side be able to enact enough legislation to bring the hidden Hitler down? Or will the hardliners sow enough discord that he is elected? The world’s fate is in your hands!

Any game that incorporates deduction, group voting, and secret roles is bound to be a success. What distinguishes Secret Hitler is the theme’s total ridiculousness. I’ve had some of the most amusing and, strangely, therapeutic evenings of my life with everyone in character playing this game. Grab a copy for sheer hijinks you’ll want to repeat. —SJ

SPACE BASE

What happens when you combine strategy, basic mechanics, and science fiction? Space Station! This simple-to-learn and quick-to-play dice roller elevates you to the position of fleet commodore. Build your base efficiently to become the ultimate resource production engine. If you succeed, you may even be elevated to the rank of admiral.

The appeal of this amusing random manufacturing game is a combination of chance and strategic decision. Players can take big chances, play it cautiously, or go for gigantic final combinations. Whatever method you choose, the ultimate equalizer is the throw of the dice. Space Base is an excellent game for introducing people to tabletop gaming. Teach it in a few rounds, then relax and enjoy the game. —SJ

SPLENDOR

Splendor is the ultimate modern family game. Players assume the roles of Renaissance gem traders attempting to amass various precious stones. But that’s beside the point. What you’re actually doing is purchasing cards that allow you to purchase even more cards, eventually acquiring those worth a significant amount of points. It’s a simple game of either buying the card you want or reserving one that you can’t afford quite yet to block someone else from getting it. All of this is excellently reinforced by the actual manufacturing of hefty plastic chips and well-illustrated cards, which is basic yet warm.

This game works so well because it removes all of the fluff and opacity seen in more sophisticated games, getting to the essence of what makes set gathering work. Splendor can be taught in a few minutes and played skillfully in a few more. The appeal is broad in age, and the approach behind the surface will become clear over time. It’s a lovely and straightforward design that demonstrates the fundamental concepts underlying modern board games. —CT

STAR WARS X-WING

Sometimes you just want to punch a spacecraft in the face. However, if you’re searching for a more civilized tabletop space combat game, go no further than Star Wars X-Wing.

X-Wing, now in its second edition, is unique for the fact that all of the miniatures arrive already painted and ready to place on the table. Players navigate their ships across a two-dimensional battlefield using specially constructed rulers, rolling bespoke dice once in range to take a shot.

To keep things fair, games can be played as competitive, matched-play events with points. However, I love to play more themed asymmetrical scenarios. With just the base game and a few more models, you can easily recreate the iconic clashes from the Star Wars films and books.

TERRAFORMING MARS

Terraforming Mars combines a fantastic science fiction backdrop with deft tactics. It places players at the helm of numerous enterprises bent on terraforming Mars, increasing oxygen and temperature to support development and, eventually, creating a second home for humanity. It’s a visually appealing place as the desolate planet gradually adapts to your will before capitulating completely in the conclusion. The end effect is a surface teeming with life that isn’t entirely alien to Earth’s environment.

A fascinating card system has sealed Terraforming Mars’ legacy. Participants alternate playing cards to their own region of the table, known as a tableau, collecting ongoing benefits and establishing future synergies. It’s a time-consuming undertaking that rewards long-term planning and delicate strategic considerations. It certainly pays the effort with a satisfying arc and a magnificent ending. —CT

THE CREW: MISSION DEEP SEA

The sequel to 2019’s award-winning The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is Mission Deep Sea. Both are cooperative trick-taking card games in which players gain points by collecting cards of the same suit. One of the most intriguing features of these two publications is how they teach the fundamental ideas and strategy found in traditional games like Hearts, Spades, and Euchre. Furthermore, they widen the genre’s appeal by embracing a cooperative style that allows players to solve randomized obstacles as a group with little communication.

The Mission of the Crew Deep Sea is the most powerful of the two games, with a newly redesigned and extended collection of task cards. The group’s aims are dictated by this massive deck of cards, such as needing a certain player to win the trick with the blue nine or one player to win all of the tricks having cards with a red suit. The sequel’s inventiveness is great, and the range of challenge is really enjoyable. —CT

WELCOME TO…

In this game, you may become the ideal suburbia architect. Hello and welcome to… The possibilities are boundless, but the aim is straightforward: Create the ideal neighborhood. Will you concentrate on creating public areas, replicating residences, or upgrading to estates? Choose your favorite approach and compete with other architects to the finish line.

Why should you maintain a roll-and-write (or, in this example, a flip-and-write) on hand? They’re simple to use and can accommodate dozens of gamers at once. Welcome To… also has concurrent action to keep games going. This classic game’s replay value is enhanced by the random card draw and the range of methods. Add it to your table for a light and enjoyable strategy choice. —SJ

WINGSPAN

Wingspan by Elizabeth Hargrave is one of the most rewarding ways to introduce friends and family to the world of modern board games. An passionate bird watcher designed the peaceful experience, which is brimming with Audubon-grade art by Ana Mara Martnez and Natalia Rojas. Stonemaier Games’ components include attractive small wooden eggs and convenient trays to keep all your parts organized.

While it may require some assistance to get newcomers up to speed, this is one of those games that will remain on the table long after you’ve completed your first playtime. It’s also available digitally on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. —CH