Best board games: must-play tabletop titles

Best board games: must-play tabletop titles

Looking for the best board games? There are plenty to choose from. The tabletop gaming space has exploded over the past several years, growing to a size and scope previously thought unimaginable. Droves of fantastic board games have been released, adding to the already impressive pile of extraordinary older titles.

You certainly won’t be left wanting. Whether you’re looking for a quick family game to play with kids, a fantastic social game to open at parties, or a dense strategy title to play well into the night, there’s bound to be something that takes your fancy. We’ve selected titles across all the major genres, giving you an expansive overview of what’s on offer.

As much as we enjoy salivating over upcoming games of the video game world, or checking out all the best PS5 games, we can’t deny that there’s something special about tabletop gaming. Opening a box, pouring out its pieces, and quizzically studying a game’s rulebook can’t be beaten. Of course, if you’re looking for games to play with a mate or special someone, make sure to check out our pick of the best board games for two players, as well.

So, read on for our selection of the best board games you can play today. We’re sure you won’t be disappointed.

Best board games

(Image credit: Days of Wonder)

It’s time to go on a great rail adventure! But don’t worry, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home for this trip. Ticket to Ride is easy to pick up and fun for the whole family. The aim of the game is to collect various types of train cars in order to claim railway routes across the country - or continent. The original edition is set in North America, but there’s other versions set in different world regions to choose from.

The game's tension comes when you have to decide whether to expand your rail empire or add more train cars to your collection - while you’re building your collection, your competitor may be claiming all the most valuable routes. Ticket to Ride may be simple but it packs in hours of fun.

(Image credit: Big Potato Games)

Hands down the best party game ever created, Herd Mentality is guaranteed to have you in stitches. It’s straightforward and can be learned in minutes, making it a fabulous game to play with families, or any time you don’t fancy wasting time scrutinizing a rulebook.

Herd Mentality is essentially a quiz game, but with a major twist. Instead of trying to guess the correct answer to a series of opinionated questions, you’re challenged to write down what the majority of people around you think the correct answer is. It’s no use swatting up on your general knowledge beforehand, or diving into a pocket encyclopedia for an advantage. The game tests your understanding of your fellow players as you try to fit in with the herd.

What really makes it is the game’s ludicrously wacky questions: what’s your favorite finger? Which of Jesus’s miracles do you wish you could perform? Name a vegetable beginning with the letter C. Things can get out of hand pretty quickly as you desperately try to predict the other players’ answers. Very light-hearted and quick to play, Herd Mentality is a game that just keeps on giving.

(Image credit: Gamewright)

If you can’t find the time to dine out at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Sushi Go Party is the next best thing. Take your seat at the allegorical table, study the menu, and pick up a pair of chopsticks, as you try to nab the most valuable dishes before your opponents.

Sushi Go Party is a super speedy card-drafting game. Rounds are simple and games can be completed in as little as 15 minutes. Each player starts with a set of cards hidden in their hand, with each one showing some form of sushi. Nigiri, sashimi, maki rolls – you’ll find it all here. But you don’t want it all; you want the most valuable, and must try to combine sushi to form score-boosting sets.

Unfortunately, the sushi doesn’t stay put. Mimicking a conveyor belt, each hand of cards rotates around the table, as players pass around their cards while choosing which they want to keep for themselves. The trick is to try and remember what cards are coming your way, so you can stack big point-scoring sets. Or, if you’re feeling particularly devilish, steal the card that your neighbor desperately needs for yourself, leaving them hungry.

Sushi Go Party plays brilliantly among families. Its fast pace means there’s no boring downtime, and the card-switching system makes sure everyone’s involved. A treat as fun as its sushi looks tasty. Be sure to get the expanded Sushi Go Party for extra cards that add tons of replay value. 

(Image credit: Oliver Foerstner / Shutterstock.com)

Carcassonne is a great entry-level game for people who are bored of endless Monopoly games, and want something a little more thoughtful without being too complex. There’s a reason it’s considered a classic, after all.

In Carcassonne you take turns drawing tiles to expand an ever-growing map, while earning as many points from the locations as possible. It’s really easy to learn but every time you play you work out new strategies and ways to win - or, more realistically, ways to screw over your competition.

(Image credit: Osprey)

World War II board games are ten a penny, but none are quite as effortlessly captivating as Undaunted: Normandy. Combining light deck-building with squad-focused tactics, it’s a simple but effective take on what is usually a dry, complex genre – and one of the best two-player board games to boot.

You and your belligerent partner will take the role of the US and German forces, skirmishing for control of gallic fields and villages. You’ll use an action deck to issue commands to your troops, moving them into enemy lines to capture objectives across modular maps, and fend off opposing forces. Scenario objectives are varied and units diverse, but the game really shines through its sleek, on-the-go deck optimization, as you reinforce your squad with more units while avoiding the troublesome fog of war.

Better yet, Undaunted: Normandy is not a complex game. Its slim rulebook and pre-generated scenarios will have you playing in minutes. Between its tactical scope, soft visual palette, and precise dollop of luck, this board game will have even the most historical- and strategy-averse tabletoppers coming back for more.

Once you’re done skirmishing across the fields of northern France, check out Undaunted: North Africa to add vehicles into the mix. Or, pick up the Undaunted: Reinforcements expansion for a four-player and solo mode.

(Image credit: Amazon/Articulate)

Easily one of the best board games you can buy for families, Articulate is a true trivia classic that is pretty accessible for all ages since it covers a broad range of subjects. These include Word, Action and Nature, although you don't need to know loads about those topics to win. Instead, the game is all about communicating with your teammates to guide them to choose the correct words.

The premise is pretty simple. Players get a card with words on it. Then they must describe one (or all) of the words without saying the word itself or what it sounds like or rhymes with. 

What we like about Articulate is it can be played with as few as four players but then works with 20 or more as well. That means it's a great idea for big gatherings or if you're hosting a Zoom party with lots of family members and colleagues. 

(Image credit: Leder Games)

If you’re after a crunchy strategy board game, look no further than Root. What might appear to be a cutesy game of woodland critters is actually a vicious wargame of territorial conquest and conniving betrayals. You’ll be fighting tooth and claw for control of the forest floor.

Root isn’t your standard strategy fare, but an asymmetric board game. A very, very asymmetric board game at that. Each of its four factions – the Woodland Alliance, the Eyrie, Marquise de Cat, and the Vagabond – are controlled through unique turn actions and face distinct win conditions. 

The game’s rulebook is long and dense, demanding a lot of first-time players. But if you can spare the time to learn Root’s strategic depth, you’ll find a game that offers endless replayability as one of the best board games around. Between its distinct faction playstyles and open-ended strategy system, you’ll find something new each time you play.

(Image credit: Catan Studio)

Can I trade wood for sheep, please? Catan (officially called Settlers of Catan) is one of the very best board games of all time, and it adorns millions of tabletop collections across the world. It’s simple to get your head around - you want as many resources as possible to build as much as you can, and therefore score points - plus it’s somehow highly tactical at the same time as you rush to claim resources before the other players. 

If you’re looking for a stepping stone game between a more traditional board game like Monopoly or Cluedo to something a bit more specialist, Catan is that perfect transition.

(Image credit: IELLO)

You might think you’re the biggest, baddest giant monster around, but so do all your friends. King of Tokyo puts you in the shoes/feet/tentacles of a colossal beast rampaging around a metropolis, growing stronger as you fend off both your monster friends and pesky humans fighting back with tanks and planes. 

It’s a delightfully silly game with bright colors, easy-to-learn gameplay, and a cast of inventive monsters straight from the 1950s Sci-Fi B-movie backlog. Live out your favorite Godzilla/King Kong/alien invader fantasies with King of Tokyo!

(Image credit: Z-Man Games)

We know this one is a bit tongue-in-cheek given the global health climate, but Pandemic has always been considered one of the best board games when it comes to applying strategy to an imagined scenario.

In Pandemic, you play as a disease-fighting specialist on a mission to stop the spread of several virulent diseases which have broken out simultaneously all over the globe. You need to band together to fight the diseases in global hotspots while also researching the cure, lest governments fall to the increased pressure on healthcsre systems.

There are lots of versions available, as well as expansion packs, including one where you must engineer a virus to wipe out humanity. What better thing to do on the heels of an actual pandemic than to play a game about a pandemic? Ironic humor at its finest.

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