Prime Day board game deals are nearly here, so we've roused our bargain-hunters from hibernation and are putting them through a Rocky-style training montage to get in shape for 2023's sales-geddon. Along with rounding up all the best offers during the event itself, they've listed their top tips below to make sure you're able to capitalize on the most tempting discounts.
OK, so it may feel as if Amazon Prime Day is just about Kindles, TVs, or laptops. But in actual fact, tabletop games aren't left out in the cold. You can take advantage of reductions on everything from beloved classics to the best board games, so it's worth keeping an eye out when the sale begins. Last year's Prime Day board game deals knocked Gloomhaven prequel Jaws of the Lion down to its lowest ever price, for example.
To make sure you know what you're looking out for, we've listed some advice on how to make the most of 2023's Prime Day board game deals below. GamesRadar+ has been covering Prime Day gaming deals for quite some time, so these suggestions should help you save as much as possible along the way.
Today's best US board game deals ahead of Prime Day
- Warhammer 40K Leviathan: The new launch-box enjoys a $10 price cut
- Star Wars Pandemic: Over $10 slashed off this excellent strategy game
- Mysterium: Co-op favorite drops in price by 22%
- Cascadia: Award-winning game falls to just a few cents off lowest price
- Wavelength: Party classic hits its lowest price in months
- Star Wars Villainous: Get $15 off the popular strategy game
- Funkoverse Marvel: A kid-friendly hit one dollar off its cheapest price
- D&D Essentials Kit: This starter set is the cheapest it's been in 2023
- Dominion: The classic strategy is 27% off right now
- Mork Borg: Top-tier dark fantasy RPG with a 21% reduction
- Marvel Villainous: Save an impressive $18 on this superhero game
- ET: Relive the movie for a ridiculous 70% less
- D&D Player's Handboox: Get 48% off this essential book
Today's best UK board game deals ahead of Prime Day
- What Next: This unique party game gets an aggressively good saving
- Witcher Old World: Dungeon-crawler discounted at Magic Madhouse
- Scythe: Epic strategy for the cheapest it's been this year
- Star Wars Villainous: Be sure not to miss the 15% discount
- Disney Villainous: This modern classic is now 38% less
- Heroquest: The classic dungeon-crawler tumbles by 26%
- D&D: Get up to 32% off a range of essential books
- Magic Madhouse: Summer sale on board games, TTRPGs, and more
- Pokemon TCG Lost Origin: Elite Trainer Box has fallen by £15
- MTG: Up to 32% off in the latest offers
- Fallout Shelter: Get 27% off this cute Fallout tie-in
Prime Day board game deals - FAQ
When will Prime Day board game deals 2023 begin?
After weeks of waiting, we finally know when 2023's Prime Day board game deals are going to take place - and it's very soon. To be precise, you'll be able to take advantage of the sales between July 11 - 12 (that's a Tuesday and Wednesday, if you were curious).
However, this isn't to say you'll only get discounts on those specific days. It's not uncommon for reductions to appear a few days beforehand and a few days after, so it's worth keeping an eye out if you want to get the drop on good board game deals.
Similarly, rival retailers will kick off sales of their own around that time... but they aren't limited to those two days either.
Do I need a Prime membership for Prime Day board game deals?
Unfortunately, you will need to be Prime member to take advantage of the best Prime Day board game deals. As you may be able to tell from its name, Prime Day is all about giving members the cheapest prices. That puts many offers behind a paywall.
The competition (like Best Buy and Walmart) get in on the action with price cuts of their own
However, that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of reductions here and there. Some savings do go live for all Amazon users during the event, and they're not half bad. Plus, it's worth noting that the competition (like Best Buy and Walmart) get in on the action with price cuts of their own. Keep an eye on them if you're reluctant to sign up for Prime.
Should you wait until Black Friday instead?
Even though the November sale is arguably one of the year's best when it comes to tabletop, the Amazon Prime Day board game deals aren't an opportunity to ignore. While certain games do drop to all-time low prices during Black Friday, the same is true of Amazon's event - just to a lesser extent. As such, we'd recommend keeping an eye on it and consulting price-matching software such as CamelCamelCamel to check whether you're actually getting a good deal or not (it'll tell you about previous discounts and how the current price stacks up in comparison to them).
What to expect from Prime Day board game deals 2023
Much like Prime Day video game sales, tabletop doesn't always make the biggest wave during this sales event; many of the offers won't stray far from discounts we get all year round. However, that isn't to say you can't save a very respectable chunk of money if you keep your eyes peeled. A saving is still a saving, after all.
As an example, you're practically guaranteed a win with classic board games such as Catan, Pandemic, and Ticket to Ride. Even though they enjoy a reduction on the regular, we usually find their Prime Day prices to be better than usual.
Similarly, good parent-present candidates like Wingspan or Azul tend to be more affordable during sales like Prime Day as well. Because these can clock in at $50+ normally, it's a good time to invest. For instance, Azul hits its lowest ever price in 2022, so we're hoping it'll repeat that trick this year.
It's a great opportunity to pick up cheaper party titles
All the same, we'd recommend keeping the closest eye on premium hobby games such as Terraforming Mars, Disney Villainous, Gloomhaven (not to mention its smaller prequel, Jaws of the Lion), or Scythe. These also have their prices cut during sales events, and while most record lows are saved for Black Friday, you can still get phenomenal savings if you're lucky. Jaws of the Lion tumbled to an all-time low price last year, and so did OG Gloomhaven in the UK. RPG rival Descent: Legends of the Dark also hit a tremendously reduced price across the pond in Britain, so here's hoping we get a repeat this time around.
It's a great opportunity to pick up cheaper party titles by studios like Big Potato Games, too. Examples such as Blockbuster: The Game can come crashing down to a mere handful of dollars during events like this, reducing them to impulse-purchase territory.
What about new games like Frosthaven, then? Well, seeing as that big-box adventure has only just hit shelves, we wouldn't anticipate a saving on it just yet (that'll probably wait until Black Friday). However, other newcomers like Catan: Dawn of Humankind and The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game will almost certainly see a reduction of some kind because they've been out for a little while now.
Prime Day D&D deals
If there's one thing you can guarantee during sales like this, it's Prime Day D&D deals. Dungeons & Dragons always gets a discount during sales events like this, and most importantly, those savings are actually good. You'll regularly see cuts of up to 50% on many of the books, and 'three-for-the-price-of-two' offers aren't uncommon either. In short, it's a good time to add to your collection.
While it's possible to get decent reductions on dice and accessories, those sourcebooks, rules, and adventures are where the action is. They get the vast majority of Prime Day D&D deals, and the savings tend to extend across the entire range.
Just be aware that a new set of core rulebooks is on the way at some point next year
Don't expect new or unreleased books to be left out either. It's common for them to be swept up in the savings as well, so check in with them during Prime Day - you're unlikely to be disappointed, as many get at least $5 /£5 off the sticker price.
Just be aware that a new set of core rulebooks is on the way at some point next year. Although we don't know for sure when they're arriving, they'll supersede the current core rules (the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide) so we wouldn't recommend spending loads on the current editions. If you can get them for around $20 / £20 each, that's perfect.
Prime Day Warhammer deals
Can we expect Prime Day Warhammer deals alongside board game discounts? Absolutely - well, sort of. While these savings are a little more erratic (Games Workshop doesn't run sales via its own store, leaving it to third-party retailers like Amazon that don't always stock everything and won't shout about their Warhammer offers), we've seen quite a few kits take reductions during sales events like this. The key is knowing where to look. Indeed, Amazon recently knocked a decent amount off the new Leviathan set. While that isn't officially part of the company's Prime Day board game deals, it's a good example of what's out there if you take the time to investigate. We'll drop anything we find onto this page to save you the hassle of searching for it yourself.
However, the best discounts almost always come from smaller hobby sites - if you're based in the UK, we'd recommend looking at Zatu, Wayland Games, and Magic Madhouse. These consistently offer the best prices on the latest releases, and we suspect there will be a few savings available to capitalize on everyone being in shopping mode due to Amazon's sale. Basically, keep 'em bookmarked.
The best discounts almost always come from smaller hobby sites
In terms of what to expect, we'd anticipate the current 40K starter sets going on offer during the Prime Day Warhammer deals... but wouldn't recommend buying them unless you particularly want to start a Necron army or are hunting down cheap Space Marines. That's because three new Warhammer 40K starter sets are inbound to introduce 10th edition, so you're better off holding fire until those arrive in the coming weeks / months because they contain the new rules and scenarios (though you can technically download the new rules for free online via Games Workshop if you want to get started before then).
Otherwise, we expect boxed sets like Kill Team, Underworlds, and Warcry to get most of the attention in terms of savings. That's certainly what happened last year during Black Friday!
Prime Day MTG and Pokemon deals
Unlike Warhammer, Prime Day MTG deals and Prime Day Pokemon card deals are easier to find on Amazon itself. These popular games often come up in the retailer's featured collection of board game deals, and it's no different when Prime Day rolls around.
While booster packs can get discounts across the board, the most common savings are had with Elite Trainer Boxes or tins for Pokemon and Commander decks for Magic: The Gathering. These are surprisingly decent on Amazon, but they can sometimes be better on the likes of Walmart or Best Buy. In short? Shop around. Even though we're talking Prime Day MTG deals and Prime Day Pokemon card deals, other retailers tend to run their own sales at the same time as direct competition. That's a win-win for us shoppers.
Naturally, Prime Day board game deals aren't the only things worth looking into. The sales event also has a lot of other tech at massively reduced prices, including Prime Day laptop deals and Prime Day TV deals. If you want to keep your focus on tabletop though, don't miss the top board games for adults.
