Best board games 2023 - must-have favorites to play with friends and family

It can be tough to know what the best board games are because there's so much choice - Monopoly is far from the most interesting thing on the menu nowadays, after all. That's why our tabletop experts created this list. It's full of favorites across a range of budgets, genres, and skill-levels, so no matter whether you're tracking something down for a party or your next games night with friends, there should be a recommendation to suit you below.

Wondering why we think these options are the best board games around? We only suggest entries that we've had extensive hands-on time with and genuinely love, so you won't find anything here that we wouldn't buy ourselves. Our team's also been covering the industry with news, reviews, and features for years, so that's given us a fairly solid idea of what we're looking out for when it comes to good board games.

There's no need to break the bank when shopping for the best board games either, so our bargain-hunting software will list the most tempting offers alongside each entry. If there's a saving to be had, you should find it here. Especially over the next few days; this year's Prime Day board game deals are here, so plenty of titles should be on sale right now.

Written by

Written by

Benjamin Abbott

Benjamin's covered board games professionally for over four years, but has been playing them ever since he was old enough to roll dice (an early favorite was the pirate-themed Buccaneer). That means he knows what makes the best board games tick - while testing, he's on the lookout for replay value, complexity, and how easy they are to understand. In addition, he has experience with all of the entries listed below.

Best board games - the quick list

Keen to get going? Don't worry, you'll find a quick rundown of all the best board games here. If you want to find out more about these recommendations, just click on the relevant links below each suggestion.

Best board games - for adults

Ever wonder how long you'd last in a horror movie? Betrayal at House on the Hill lets you find out. Setting players loose in a mansion that's quite literally out to get you, it's drenched with tension and is wild enough that you're never sure what's going to happen next.

That's because this isn't set up like traditional board games for adults. Your character has been drawn here for mysterious reasons (they received a strange invitation or are looking for a friend who's gone missing, for example), and the house is revealed turn by turn as you try to solve that case. But because each room is drawn at random when you enter it, there's no way to tell what's lurking behind those doors. The only thing you do know for certain is that one of 50 missions will eventually begin depending on what you find, turning your allies - or the mansion itself - against you. (There's a reason our review called the game "innovative, memorable, and unsettling.")

This deadly twist on guess-who keeps you coming back for more, and we've still not seen everything these dusty halls have to offer after months of exploring them. It also puts Betrayal one step ahead of rivals like Arkham Horror or Mansions of Madness, leaving us with one of the best board games overall (and a must-have if you're searching for good Halloween board games).

• Read more: Betrayal at House on the Hill review

Best board games - 2-player

Never has a game been more on-brand than Villainous. It delights in letting you be as mean as possible, and you're encouraged to scupper a foe's plans in search of your character's happy ending. You see, this isn't a cash-in for kids; it's ruthless, surprisingly tactical, and deliciously wicked.

To be precise, there's complexity hidden beneath that gorgeous artwork. Because each character has their own unique objective and play-style, it's surprisingly deep. (As our review points out, "there's so much to get your teeth into.") Genuine skill is rewarded here too; coming out on top isn't due to luck, and you'll need to be flexible when taking on different villains. Particularly if you throw Disney Villainous expansions into the mix. These add-ons encourage you to adopt all-new strategies, and they're a good way of injecting life back into the game if you think you've mastered it.

If you ask us, that intricacy makes Villainous better when played head-to-head. While duking it out with lots of other people is fun, reducing the head-count makes things less chaotic and gives you more time to strategize. It's the perfect choice if you're hunting down great board games for 2 players.

• Read more: Disney Villainous review

Best board games - co-op

The odds are against you from the start in Pandemic, but that's the beauty of it. This co-op epic is never less than thrilling, and it doesn't feel hopeless either. Despite being tasked with curing a clutch of super-diseases, good communication (not to mention the ability to think on your feet) will see you through. Want satisfying cooperative board games for your collection? It doesn't get much better than this.

That injection of risk and reward keeps Pandemic at the top spot as one of the best board games overall. In fact, the emphasis on teamwork makes it much more engaging than you might expect. Is it better to keep disease levels down so that they don't spread from city to city in the short term, or should you play the long game and go all-in on developing cures? There's no right answer, and we've rarely seen our group more invested at the table. As we mentioned in our full review, such white-knuckle decision-making "shows off everything tabletop gaming is capable of." 

Sure, its theme hits closer to home nowadays. But there's something cathartic about giving a pandemic the boot… even if it's only in this tabletop world of tokens and cards.

• Read more: Pandemic board game review

Best card game

Unusual, accessible, and delightfully compelling, Jaipur deserves to be in everyone's collection. Actually, we'd argue that it's one of the best card games ever made. After encountering it years ago at the suggestion of a board game cafe barista, we've been recommending it to anyone who'll listen ever since.

Casting you as one of two traders in the eponymous city of Jaipur, your challenge is to earn an invite to the maharaja's court by being the best businessperson in all the land. How you do that is up to you, though, and there's plenty of room to experiment. Is it better to buy and trade cheap items as fast as possible? Or should you collect expensive goods for a bigger payday? There isn't a 'correct' way to go about things, and that flexibility helps the game stand out.

It also provides an engaging tug of war between both players. Wares decrease in value as more are sold, so your opponent could beat you to the punch if you don't cash your cards in quickly enough. This delicate balancing act will keep you coming back time and again, eager to play 'just one more time.'

Best board games - RPG

If you have a soft spot for fantasy and love nothing more than poring over ye-olde maps while dreaming of adventure, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion should be on your radar. This dungeon-crawling epic taps into all that with branching storylines more commonly seen in the best tabletop RPGs, and thanks to a setting reminiscent of The Witcher, it ticks all the right boxes.   

More importantly, it makes skilful use of 'Legacy' mechanics (elements that carry over from one game to the next, like character progression) to empower you. New missions and characters will become unlocked depending on what you choose to do, so tread carefully - decisions can, and will, have consequences.

Thanks to skill-based combat with no dice to be seen, that sense of agency extends to gameplay as well. However, it's easier to get your head around than in the original (and much more expensive) Gloomhaven. Jaws of the Lion, so it's a great place to start regardless of whether you intend to tackle other entries in the series or you just want to get a taste of adventure with one of the best RPG board games.

Best board games - classic

Cosmic Encounter was first published in 1977 and has been through numerous editions since then, but all of them have something in common - they're brilliant. Few classic board games have aged as well as this one.

Each player takes the reins of an alien race, and their aim is to establish colonies on planets owned by other players. They can do this through force (by playing a larger number from the cards in their hand) or negotiation, but the process isn't as simple as it sounds. To begin with, each 'encounter' allows players to make alliances that can tip the balance in their favor. What's more, every species has a special power that breaks the rules in some novel way. Examples include winning by losing or reversing attack card numbers so 17 becomes 71. Seeing as 51 aliens are included in the base set, there's almost always something new to see.

Like many of the best board games, Cosmic Encounter creaks beneath the weight of expansion packs as well. More than half a dozen add-ons are available if you want to shake things up, so there's plenty to keep you busy here.

Best board games - strategy

Looks can be deceiving, and Root is the perfect example. Despite an inviting art-style, this is about as hardcore a strategy game as it gets. Sure, the action takes place in a quiet woodland realm, but all is not well beneath those trees. The animals living there want to kick the stuffing out of each other, and you'll need to hatch schemes that'll put your faction on top.

Much like the Redwall novels, each player commands a tribe of anthropomorphic creatures that must fight for their place in the forest's clearings. The base game gives you control of four factions: the 'Marquise de Cat' that must cement their rule by putting down rebellion, feudal birds who operate via espionage, an insurgency of 'peasant' animals (mice and hedgehogs) called the Woodland Alliance, and an adventuring racoon who sneaks around the board. Each one has its own unique playstyle, and although it's a lot to take in, they encourage you to think creatively and dream up wild strategies.

Just be aware that there is a learning curve. While our review called it "the most accessible complex wargame," Root is still a complicated beast that needs a little investment to make the most of. That effort is worthwhile, though. Persevere and you'll discover one of the best strategy board games out there; it's a poster-child for everything this hobby is capable of.

• Read more: Root review

Best board games - for families

Ticket to Ride is one of the most laid-back entries on this list, and that makes it the perfect choice if you want board games for families that aren't going to start a civil war around the table. Thoughtful and relaxing, it's a delight for all ages.

OK, so the railway theme may not light your world on fire. But there's an undercurrent of strategy holding everything together here, allowing it to hit the perfect balance of being family-friendly without losing any tactical depth. That makes Ticket to Ride one of the best board games even if its players haven't ventured beyond Scrabble.

It's not overly competitive, either. Unlike so many entries on this list, there's less emphasis on screwing each other over. Although it's frustrating when a rival claims a route you were going for, there's usually an alternative to salvage all that time and effort. As such, this is an option we're more than happy to break out if things can get heated on game night. As our review mentions, it's "the perfect option for newcomers and tabletop veterans alike."

• Read more: Ticket to Ride review

Best board games - for kids

This light-hearted game is perfect if you want something quick but fun; it's got the secret sauce of being fast-paced with easy-to-understand rules. More specifically, you can learn and complete it in under 15 minutes. That means you won't mind playing round after round (which is always handy when it comes to board games for kids), especially because Sushi Go's gameplay is so moreish.

It's different every time you pick it up, too. It works in a very similar way to Exploding Kittens, with players taking a card and passing the rest on, except here you need to build a selection of dishes that earn points. Some are worth more while others require you to collect a large set for bigger payouts, so even younger players will be able to experiment with strategies. Don't think those tactics are shallow as a result, though; smart cookies can sabotage their rivals by taking the cards someone else needs, for instance.

Basically? Sushi Go is a quickfire gem that won't get boring any time soon. It's light, breezy, and charming enough to turn you into an instant fan. Plus, the fact that it doesn't have a board makes it a great travel option for gamers on the go.

Best board games - FAQ

Ratings are a different matter, though. According to industry giant BoardGameGeek (a popular forum that holds a lot of weight when it comes to tabletop), Brass: Birmingham is the top-rated board game. This is followed closely by Pandemic Legacy and Gloomhaven. Until fairly recently, Gloomhaven actually sat in the number-one spot.

In terms of #1 board games that everyone's talking about, BoardGameGeek indicates that upcoming dungeon-crawler Witcher: The Old World is high on many people's wishlist, followed by Star Wars Unlimited. If you want to find out more about the latter, we wrote up our thoughts on why Star Wars: Unlimited may be the next big thing for trading card game fans.

What about us, then? If you ask the GamesRadar+ team, we think the best board games can be found on this very page - Betrayal at House on the Hill, Disney Villainous, Pandemic, Jaipur, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, Cosmic Encounter, Root, Ticket to Ride, and Sushi Go.

However, if by 'popular' you mean "something we think is really awesome", our vote goes to Frosthaven. This Gloomhaven follow-up takes everything that was great about the RPG and improves it, leaving us with a strong game of the year contender that the community has been very excited about. You can read more in our Frosthaven first impressions guide.

How does GamesRadar+ test board games?

Our dedicated writers and freelancers have tried every game on this list, so the team only features recommendations that it really believes in. This is the result of multiple playtests with a variety of players, not to mention extensive hands-on time with the product in general - if we haven't played it half to death and don't love it, it's not getting in. 

You can find out more in our guide on how we test board games and tabletop RPGs.

Eager for more recommendations? If you want something to play at your next game night, definitely check out the very best party board games - they'll go down a storm with newcomers and tabletop veterans alike. And if you'd prefer something more adventurous, don't forget about the best Dungeons and Dragons books.