Best Board Games of 2023

In the extensive universe of board games, choosing the right board game for your party could become very difficult. Here, we’ve curated a selection of must-have board games recommended by GeeksforGeeks. Spanning various preferences, these games cater to strategic thinkers, fans of cooperative storytelling, and those who appreciate visually appealing gameplay. These are the go-to games that consistently enhance the experience of game nights.

List of the Popular Board Games 2023

1. Descent: Legends Of The Dark

• Age Group: 14+
• Play Time: 2-3 Hours
• Genre: Fantasy
• Number of Players: 1 to 4

Descent: Legends Of The Dark Board Game

This is a full fantasy-style game in which you are a hero who can play with your 3 other hero friends and fight with evil till the end of the game. The activities of the monster are controlled by the app only and it will tell you how the monster is going to respond to the players. The game has 14 tasks and it can be played in about 60 maximum hours. Players can also change the narrative of the story according to the choices they will be going to make.

Note: This game is best suitable for people who like adventures and who are 14 years and above.

2. Wavelength

• Age Group: 14+
• Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
• Genre: Party
• Number of Players: 2 to 12

Wavelength Board Game

Everyone loves to read others’ minds and what better than reading your opponent’s mind. Wavelength is a guessing game that contains two teams, they try to read each other’s minds. It is a party game which has lights which make the party even more fun.

In this game, there are two teams, in which one player of each team is known as “Psychic” who knows the exact location of the target and gives clues between opposite concepts to both the other team members. The team members then decide where to place the dial and afterward the psychic reveals the screen. The more it is to the target, the more likely they are given high points.

3. T.I.M.E Stories

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 90 Minutes
• Genre: Puzzle
• Number of Players: 2 to 4

TIME Stories Board Game

T.I.M.E Stories is an adventurous game in which the player has to travel to different worlds and in those places they have to search, fight, and also have to be clever while talking to other characters.

At the starting of the game, the player will be at their home and once they get their task, they should be ready to move to another place. Players need to finish their mission in a limited amount of time and “run” which is the number of attempts. Once the player can complete the mission in a minimum number of attempts they will call back to their “base” or home.

4. Queen By Midnight

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 60-90 Minutes
• Genre: Fantasy
• Number of Players: 3 to 6

Queen By Midnight Board Game

Queen of Midnight is a battle game that can be played among a maximum six players. This game starts with the dead queen whose last order was to find a new queen by midnight. After the order was given by the queen, all the people either fought with each other or showed their skills to prove themselves for the role of queen. Each princess shows their unique tactics to become a queen. There are 200 themed cards that can be customized using 75 bazaar cards.

5. Frosthaven

• Age Group: 14+
• Play Time: 30-120 Minutes
• Genre: Fantasy
• Number of Players: 1 to 4

Frosthaven Board Game

This is an adventurous game that has plenty of mysteries to solve, a seasonal event system to experience, and player shape over how this poor group develops, with each new building offering fresh possibilities to progress. The mercenary team has to face all of these dangers, and possibly make peace with these new people so that they can fight together against even more terrible forces.

6. Sushi Go

• Age Group: 8+
• Play Time: 15 Minutes
• Genre: Family
• Number of Players: 2 to 5

Sushi Go Board Game

Sushi Go is a strategic and simple game that can be played by anyone with a period of 20 minutes. In simple language, the game is like you will Score points for completing a full set of sashimi or collecting the most sushi rolls. If you dip your favourite nigiri into wasabi it will triple its value. And once you’ve finished it all, complete your dinner with all of the pudding. But be cautious about which Sushi you let your other players consume, as it can help them win the game.

7. Ticket To Ride

• Age Group: 8+
• Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
• Genre: Family
• Number of Players: 2 to 5

Ticket To Ride Board Game

Ticket to Ride is a game about trains. It is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and match train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities across North America; the longer they keep the routes the they will earn more points. The instructions are simple and you can write that on your train ticket. with each turn, you can choose to draw more cards, claim a route, or get more Destination cards.

8. Root

• Age Group: 10+
• Play Time: 60-90 Minutes
• Genre: Fantasy
• Number of Players: 2 to 4

Root Board Game

Root is an adventurous war game which can be played between 2-4 players. In this board game, 4 groups of people with different capabilities are there: the Eyrie Dynasties, Marquise de Cat, Woodland Alliance, and the Vagabond. Marquise de Cat group is allowed to make buildings in a society, Vagabond players can simply purchase goods from other players or attack them, Woodland Alliance gains supporter cards and at last, eyrie decide their actions according to government order.

9. Betrayal At Baldur’s Gate

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 60 Minutes
• Genre: Exploration
• Number of Players: 3 to 6

Betrayal At Baldur’s Gate Board Game

In this game, players must explore the streets of Baldur’s Gate while tiles are placed together to build the area. Players will pick up items, find messages, and confront events that will help shape their story as they travel. The “haunt” will activate at some time, and the gameplay will change. One of the player’s party members is revealed to be a traitor plotting evil, and it is up to the rest of the party to stop them. This game is divided into two parts one is the street level which is made of buildings, and tiles and the other is catacomb tiles, made up of catacomb tiles.

10. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective

• Age Group: 13+
• Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
• Genre: Exploration
• Number of Players: 1 to 8

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Board Game

Some people love to solve mysteries, they keep an eye on everyone and if you are also someone who loves to solve mysteries full of surprises then this game is for you to boost your mental ability.

In Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, you are given a mystery to solve and must follow the path of evidence through the streets and mansions of nineteenth-century London. You’ll interview suspects, look through newspapers for clues, and piece together the facts to come up with a solution.

11. Dead Of Winter

• Age Group: 13+
• Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
• Genre: Horror
• Number of Players: 2 to 5

Dead Of Winter Board Game

Dead of Winter is a story-driven board game that places you and up to four other players in the horrific following of the zombie pandemic. There the dead will approach you from all sides, yet just surviving is not enough. You’ll have to leave the colony to obtain important supplies, resolve problems, maintain happiness, and complete your own secret goal. Players work jointly toward a single common success condition, but for each player to win, they must also complete their secret objective.

12. Cosmic Encounter

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
• Genre: Negotiation
• Number of Players: 3 to 5

Cosmic Encounter Board Game

Cosmic Encounter is a strategic game in which each player plays the role of a different alien race, each with a unique ability to modify or destroy one of the game’s rules to gain control of the universe. The goal of the game is to develop colonies in the planetary systems of other players and the winner will be the first player who will establish five colonies on planets other than their home system.

These colonies could be all in one system or distributed across multiple systems. To win, the players require power, intelligence, and negotiation. In addition, because alliances are an important component of the game, lots of people can win together.

13. Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion

• Age Group: 14+
• Play Time: 30-120 Minutes
• Genre: Adventure
• Number of Players: 1 to 4

Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion Board Game

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a highly rated tough 1 to 4-player game for ages 14 and above that continues for about 2 hours. It is considered to be one of the best thematic and strategic games. The game adds four new characters to the original Gloomhaven game: Valrath Red Guard (tank, crowd management), Inox Hatchet (ranged damage), Human Voidwarden (support, mind-control), and Quatryl Demolitionist (melee damage, obstacle manipulation).

14. Jaipur

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 30 Minutes
• Genre: Strategy
• Number of Players: 2

Jaipur Board Game

Jaipur is a two-player card game. The objective of the game is to earn two “seals of excellence” and receive a visit to the Maharaja’s court. This game is about purchasing, changing, and selling at higher prices while keeping an eye on both of your camel farms. Each turn, a player must choose between buying new items from the market with “tokens representing money” or selling goods for tokens. Selling a higher quantity of items results in a bonus.

15. Pandemic

• Age Group: 8+
• Play Time: 45 Minutes
• Genre: Strategy
• Number of Players: 2 to 4

Pandemic Board Game

The pandemic is based on the idea that four diseases have spread over the world, each trying to wipe out a region. The game can be played by two to four people, each of whom takes on one of seven different roles: dispatcher, doctor, scientist, researcher, operations expert, contingency planner, or quarantine specialist. The goal is for all players to work together to find all four treatments before any of many game-ending situations occur.

Players can win if they discover a cure for the four diseases and they will lose the game if they outbreak more diseases.

16. Star Wars Villainous: Scum and Villainy

• Age Group: 10+
• Play Time: 50 Minutes
• Genre: Strategy
• Number of Players: 2 to 3

Star Wars Villainous: Scum and Villainy Board Game

Players take on the role of a Star Wars Villain and work towards a distinct goal, fighting off famous Star Wars Heroes while dealing fate twists to their opponents. The Villain who completes their objective first wins. Players can use It to power their Villain’s particular skills, whether you’re playing as a Force user, leader, or manipulator.

Buyers will get three Villain guides, three Villain Sectors, ninety Villain cards, 45 Fate cards, seventy-five tokens, three reference cards, and instructions to understand the gameplay.

17. Disney Villainous

• Age Group: 10+
• Play Time: 45-120 Minutes
• Genre: Strategy
• Number of Players: 2 to 6

Disney Villainous Board Game

This is a fictional board game in which players will play the part of a Disney Villain, trying to achieve their own evil goal. Players have to discover their character’s unique powers and winning looks while dealing with unexpected events that destroy their opponents’ plans. While playing with the cards Each player must have their villain deck, fate deck, player board, and 3D character. Players need to use their cards wisely to tackle the villain and fulfill their win condition.

18. Betrayal At The House Of The Hill

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 60 Minutes
• Genre: Horror
• Number of Players: 3 to 6

Betrayal At The House Of The Hill Board Game

This is a suspense game in which the player enters a haunted house and explores spirits, and tragedies. There can be three or six characters from which you can choose any character. It is a game that allows players to build their haunted house part by part. In this game one of all the three people is a betrayal who betrays other members and others have to defeat the traitor before the game ends otherwise the traitor will win the game. It is a perfect game for night parties to make everyone feel involved and make the party fun.

19. Monopoly

• Age Group: 8+
• Play Time: 60-180 Minutes
• Genre: Economy
• Number of Players: 2 to 8

Monopoly Board Game

Monopoly is a multi-player board game about business. In the game, the player will throw two dice to move around the board, purchasing, trading, and constructing properties with houses and hotels. Players collect rent from their opponents to bankrupt them. Players even get paid every time they press the “Go” button and can end up in jail, where they cannot leave unless one of three requirements according to the rule book is fulfilled.

Note: Each player will get only $1,500 in their bank in order to start the game, they need to move in a clockwise direction.

20. Santorini

• Age Group: 8+
• Play Time: 20 Minutes
• Genre: Abstract Strategy
• Number of Players: 2 to 3

Santorini Board Game

Santorini is a 2–3 person strategy board game. The game is primarily designed for two players and is played on a grid where players develop a town by placing building pieces up to three levels high each turn. To win the game, players must move one of their two characters to the town’s third level.

It has two sets of rules:

1. Relocate one of your builders to a nearby spot. You can move your Builder Pawn on the same level, one level up, or any number of levels down.
2. Next, create a building level next to the builder you moved. Place a dome instead of a building on top of the third level to remove that location from play.

21. Azul

• Age Group: 8+
• Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
• Genre: Abstract Strategy
• Number of Players: 2 to 4

Azul Board Game

Azul is a board game in which players collect sets of tiles that are similar in color and place them on their board. When a row is completed, one of the tiles is moved to a square pattern on the right side of the player board, where it earns points based on where it is situated among the other tiles on the board. At the end of the game, extra points are rewarded for each complete row or column, as well as for collecting all five tiles of the same color. The player with the most points wins the game.

22. Axis and Allies

• Age Group: 12+
• Play Time: 180 Minutes
• Genre: World War II Strategy
• Number of Players: 2 to 5

Axis and Allies Board Game

Axis & Allies is a World War II strategic board game series. Axis & Allies is a board game that allows players to experience a shocking sweep of World War II, from Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor to the European invasion of Normandy and ultimately the demise of the Axis nations of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Because the players control the nations involved, the battle can take unplanned turns and play out in a variety of ways.

The game is separated into turns, with each turn consisting of seven parts. Before the next nation moves, each nation completes all seven phases. Nations cannot act during the turns of other nations, which means that even ally nations cannot launch combined attacks.

Conclusion

Board games are a fun way to enjoy our time with families and friends. With different genres of games present in 2023, people can learn strategic ideas and sharpen their minds in the corners of their houses. We have a lot of options available to play on whether you like cards or dice, you can play whatever you want it will help you stay connected. Every game teaches children one skill whether it is about handling money through Monopoly or trying to solve problems with Sherlock Holmes.

FAQs

What is the most popular board games in 2023?

A good party game, in my opinion, is one in which by the conclusion, players have lost sight of the score and are only interested in continuing to play. Wavelength has a strong effect on this. Wavelength requires players to communicate using their opinions.

Which board game is the easiest to pick up?

Monopoly is the easiest to pick up game as it allows people to show their business mindset and also includes luck. It includes a strategic mindset on how to bankrupt other players.

Which Board Game takes the longest to play?

If you have ever sat with lots of players then monopoly is the game ever, a normal game can normally take upto 3-4 hours but for most of the people monopoly takes more than usual time for the game to end. One of its game stretched for 70 days with maximum people.