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1. Pandemic
Players : 2-4 | Difficulty : Difficult | Setup time : 5 minutes | Game time : 30-60 minutes | Age : 10 years and over
Easy to understand but difficult to combat, the pandemic confronts you with a worldwide epidemic of coughing and sneezing (and by that I mean “a horrible, deadly disease”). Victory depends on your team's ability to communicate, prioritize threats, plan ahead, and maintain composure under pressure. Your goal is simple. In addition to controlling epidemics, you must develop a cure for each disease by collecting five cards of a certain color. Easy, right? Guess again. New infections drop onto the board at the end of each round, and if more than three gather in one location, they will begin to spread to neighboring towns. Worse still, the number of infections that unfold increases with each outbreak. This can result in a domino effect of disastrous proportions. Are you focused on developing a cure or do you need to keep these disease levels low? This is just one of many crises you will have to overcome, and it is in this light-hearted decision-making that the pandemic shines. It's not only one of the best cooperative board games, but arguably the best board game period.
Want to take on a bigger challenge? Take the Pandemic Legacy Edition. The consequences of your actions carry over from game to game here, giving you a truly personalized take on Pandemic.
2. Rail adventurers Europe
Players : 2-5 | Difficulty : Easy | Setup time : 5 mins | Game time : 60 minutes | Age : 8 years and over
Ticket to Ride is one of the most accessible board games you can buy. There is no need to be interested in trains either. Thoughtful and well thought out, it is a delight for all ages. It's also a great choice as a board game for two players. You score points by creating train routes across the country, and the winner is the person who ends up with the most points. However, this doesn't make the game easy or repetitive. Although Ticket to Ride is a family board game, there is a deep strategy underlying it all. Are you trying to claim a route for yourself or block an opponent's? How to make the best use of your trains? Do you try to complete your longest routes first and risk not finishing them, or do you try to get rid of a bunch of shorter routes to score points quickly? There is something to think about. So, those looking for a game that's simple enough to play as a family but doesn't skimp on tactical depth will be well served here.
If the train pieces are fairly simple pawns, the rest of the game is deliciously well done. The game board itself is a highlight, imbued with an old-school mentality that carries over to the cards. You can also choose from a large number of Ticket to Ride variations depending on the country you want to play in; While the main edition represents North America, there is also a very popular European version.
3. Betrayal at House on The Hill
Players : 3-6 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 5 minutes | Game time : 60 minutes | Age : 12 years and over
There's nothing better than being part of your own horror film. Betrayal at House on the Hill introduces you as one of six tropes (creepy little girl with a doll? fail) before setting everyone loose in a mansion that reveals itself room by room. Unfortunately, something awaits you inside. And as you probably guessed, it's not very pleasant. That's why Betrayal's game is dripping with tension. Each player places randomly drawn room tiles as they explore the house, resulting in a unique setting each time. You also never know what you'll find next door – your journey triggers frightening events, calamities and “Omens” as you go. If you find enough Omens, a full-fledged horror scenario will unfold. This is where things get tricky: one of 50 missions is chosen and the house turns on its inhabitants with rapid and often bizarre savagery. Maybe a serial killer walks through the door, eager to hunt you down one by one. Perhaps a monstrous creature awakens in the cellar, or the house begins to sink into a swamp. Either way, you'll have to work as a team if you want to come out alive. Most of you will have to work in a team. You see, a player can turn out to be a traitor at this point. They have special rules of their own, and the majority of them boil down to killing everyone else. Which is enough to get them off the Christmas card list, to be honest.
At any rate. Once you've got your head around the base game, you can shake things up with a special Legacy Edition. This adds lingering consequences to each session, building a long-term story that is entirely unique. It's the perfect board game for adults.
4. Drumond Articulate!
The players : 4-20+ | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 2 minutes | Game time : 30-60 minutes | Age : 12 years and over
If you have a lot of family or friends passing through, Articulate! is the board game you want to break out. On store shelves since 1992, it's a classic board game that almost anyone can play (as long as they're an adult). Unlike many table games, it can also be played by a group of more than 20 people. As long as you are divided into teams of at least two people per team, there is no real limit. This makes this game a real winner for parties. The long lifespan of the board game is no mystery; the rules are simple and easy to understand. Taking turns, one member of each team must describe as many words from a category as they can in 30 seconds…but they can't say what that word looks like or what it rhymes with. With a wide range of topics, including nature, the world, and action, you don't have to be a font of obscure knowledge to win, either. This game relies more on your ability to verbalize something (not to mention your synchronization with your teammates). This is a must-have that should be put on everyone's shelf.
5. Big Potato The Blockbuster Game
The players : 4-8 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : Two minutes | Game time : 20 minutes | Age : 14 years and over
Its namesake may have been growing daisies since 2013, but it's a blockbuster: The game is the life of the party. This all-new movie quiz is fast-paced and surprisingly brutal, which obviously makes it a lot of fun when the drinks and jokes are flowing. Its awesome VHS theme is also very cool. Your goal is to team up and collect a deck of eight “genre” cards, but each round starts with a head-to-head. After being given a category (e.g. “spy movies”), both sides take turns shouting out a movie as fast as possible before resetting the 15-second timer to zero. He who can't think of something loses. The winner then chooses 6 movie cards for the next stage of the game, “Triple Charades Jeopardy”. Their work ? Play, quote and describe 3 of these cards for their team (don't worry if you don't remember a real quote, by the way – you're allowed to make something up). The problem is, you only have 30 seconds to do it. This is why winning the first round becomes so crucial; you can keep the easy cards for yourself and saddle your opponents with the harder ones. It's deliciously evil, and I love it.
You don't have to be a movie buff to play, either. As it says on the box, Blockbuster is a “movie game for anyone who's ever seen a movie.” It doesn't require any depth, which makes it much more accessible, which is what every good board game list needs.
6. Ravensburger – Disney Villainous
Players : 2-6 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 2-5 minutes | Game time : 50-60 minutes | Age : 10+
Never has a board game been as marked as Villainous; he takes pleasure in making you as naughty as possible. It's also surprisingly tactical. There's a lot of unexpected depth here, and it takes skill to emerge victorious from this battle of sordid backstabbing. Stunning artwork and beautiful game pieces are the icing on this very, very attractive cake. It's a pain to explain for the first time, but trust us: you'll be hooked once you get it.Based on classic Disney films old and new(ish), Villainous casts you as a villain famous looking to make his own way. Maleficent must place a curse on each area of the board, Jafar must get his hands on the lamp, Ursula wants Triton's trident, etc. But that's not the coolest part. In an inspired twist, each villain has unique abilities inspired by their personalities from the films. For example, King John has devious methods to squeeze even more money from his enemies. These skills come in handy when trying to undermine other players – to add spice, you also try to derail your opponents' plans while working to achieve your own. For example, you can make annoying heroes like Ariel fall on them to block some of their movements. This makes the game much sneakier; you need a good strategy to achieve this while pursuing your own objectives.
Luckily, there's a lot more where that came from – a handful of Disney Villainous expansions add beloved characters to the game, ranging from Scar to Hades. We hope this game will be on many best board game lists for years to come.
7. Carcassonne
Players : 2-5 | Difficulty : Average | Setup time : 2 minutes | Game time : 40 minutes | Age : 8 years and over
Carcassonne is rightly considered one of the best classic board games. Even though it's now available on a ton of digital platforms, there's something special about playing the game in its original physical format. Seriously, you can't beat the feeling of dropping a tile in exactly the right place to complete a city and earn points. Created in 2000 and named after a medieval walled city on the continent, the board is created as you go that you play. While everyone fills in a section of the South of France using randomly drawn tiles, by cleverly placing “meeples” – small wooden figures – you earn points for each city, road and connected field completed ( as long as your part controls this section, anyway). The challenge ? Have a strategy in mind while placing your pieces. While we admit that luck is involved in the tiles you choose, placing a piece to steal control of a colony from under an opponent's nose requires long-term tactical thinking. This is why Carcassonne is one of those rare games that is easy to pick up but really hard to master. If you haven't tried it yet, we suggest you fix it as soon as possible.
1500s France not your bag? You can also get versions of the Carcassonne game around the world. There are alternatives focused on the Amazon, the Wild West gold rush, and even a safari – not to mention the game's nine expansions.
8. Jaws: The Game
Players : 2 – 4 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 2 – 5 minutes | Game time : 40 – 60 minutes | Age : 10 years and over
The Jaws board game turns you into a cold-blooded monster – a “perfect engine and eating machine”, in fact. But you know what ? When it's this fun, you don't complain. Based on the 1975 film, this adaptation puts you in the shoes of the film's heroes or its great white. And as you'll soon discover, teamwork is essential if you want to come out alive. The tabletop version of Jaws has two phases that can be played together or separately. The first takes place on Amity Island, and it's a game of cat and mouse. The shark wants to devour as many swimmers as possible, while the heroes must stop it. To increase the tension, event cards will help or hinder the team and the shark's movements are kept secret from everyone except the person controlling it. The result is an intense but fun chase. However, there is a twist: whoever wins has an advantage in the second round, a battle to the death aboard the good ship Orca.
In addition to these nerve-racking mechanics and design themes that give it a 70s feel, Jaws stands out for its flexibility. You can play in a group or in pairs, and the game doesn't lose any of its bite, either way. This is undoubtedly one of the best movie-based board games to date.
9. Cephalofair Games – Gloomhaven
Players : 1-4 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 10 minutes | Game time : 60-120+ minutes | Age : 12 years and
Gloomhaven is the perfect place if you want to lose yourself in a deep and engaging RPG. With a huge box full of figurines and over 1,700 cards (!), the consequences of one game carry over into the next. The adventure spans multiple sessions, making it an introduction to games like Dungeon and Dragon and the best tabletop RPGs. Each character is also enclosed in a beautiful monochrome box, so unless you peek inside, the adventurer you end up with should be a surprise. Once you've chosen a wandering mercenary, your team will brave the dark depths in search of loot while battling monsters in turn-based combat. But if you leave it there, you'll be doing the game a disservice. The box is filled with content, models, and wonderfully ingenious features, like a foldout map onto which you can stick stickers of completed missions and achievements. Plus, every choice you make along the way builds on your group's history. Just like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, the experience will be different for everyone. There are also over 50 missions to play through, making Gloomhaven a great choice if you value replayability.
The only downside is the price – it's very attractive. However, Gloomhaven will keep you going for months. As such, we believe it is a worthwhile investment. If you're still undecided, a half-price, stripped-down version will be available in Q3 2020 and promises to lower the barrier to entry as much as possible. It is magic.
10. Matagot Root – French Version
Players : 2 – 4 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 5 minutes | Game time : 60 – 90 minutes | Age : 10 years and over
Looks can be deceiving, and nowhere is this clearer than in Root. Despite its cute and inviting art style, it's a hardcore asymmetric strategy game that was one of the most talked about releases of 2018. Despite its high price, it's still worth looking into. Just like in The Redwall novels, each player commands a tribe of animals and must fight for their place in the clearings of a forest. The base game puts you in control of four factions, including the “Marquise of Cat” who must consolidate her power by suppressing rebellion, the feudal birds who operate through espionage, and the Forest Alliance, an “animal insurgency” peasants” (mice and hedgehogs) who try to gain their freedom. There's even an adventurous raccoon who sneaks around the board in an attempt to achieve his own goal. It's serious and completely adorable.
There might be a learning curve with this one, yes. But Root encourages you to think creatively, dream up wacky strategies, and master one of its unique races. It gives you value for your money.
11. Fallout
Players : 1-4 | Complexity : Moderate | Setup time: 10 minutes | Playing time: 120 minutes | Age: 14 years and over
War never changes, but Fallout: The Board Game does. With a variety of quests, multiple factions to join, and four wastelands you can explore alone or with friends, few sessions of this RPG are the same. Based on the post-apocalyptic video game franchise, it distills everything that makes the series special into tabletop game form – and it does it with great style. At the heart of this game, it's about going on a journey ‘adventure. Players set out across scorched America (including areas like the Commonwealth from Fallout 4), beat the snot out of monsters they find along the way, and complete quests to get even more loot while they are there. It's a satisfying loop, even if the game itself is initially overwhelming thanks to its over-the-top rulebook. Equally clear is the fact that your actions have consequences: the fate of the wasteland will be decided by the group you associate with, raising the stakes even further.
If you are a Fallout fan, you will also love the graphics of this game. The theming presented here looks great, as if it was pulled straight from the screen to your table. For example, your abilities are represented by the iconic “S.P.E.C.I.A.L” stats on a cardboard Pip Boy computer, and money comes in the form of thick Nuka Cola capsules. His models are equally high quality, and that only adds to the immersion.
12. One Night Ultimate Werewolf
The players : 3 – 10 | Difficulty : Average | Setup time : 2 minutes | Game time : 10 minutes | Age : 8 years and over
This little game practically makes wink murder a competitive sport. Things start off innocently enough; each player is presented as one member of a motley collection of villagers. However, all is not as it seems. Bloodthirsty werewolves may lurk within their ranks, eager to consume these unsuspecting denizens any chance they get. During a game night (where everyone secretly plays their moves), players will have to determine who the bad guy is, or risk becoming their next snack. Which is not as easy as it seems, by the way. Many roles allow for subterfuge, so you can never be sure who is telling the truth. As with all games of this genre, the fun lies in making accurate deductions from facts or hunches. Well, that and managing to throw others under the bus (naughty). This kind of backstabbing is sometimes the only way to survive; Over the course of each ten-minute game, suspicion builds. Since there's always the chance that there won't be any werewolves in a given match, innocent players will also have to speak up to avoid the death penalty.
Best of all, the free app that comes with this game makes it easy to set up, especially for sessions with larger numbers of players. This is the best way to experience One Night Ultimate Werewolf, as it should be.
13. King of Tokyo (French Version)
Players : 2-6 | Setup time : Five minutes | Game time : 30 minutes | Complexity : Easy | Age : 8 years and over
If you've ever dreamed of rampaging like a giant monster, King of Tokyo is not a board game to miss. It lets you control one of the many tongue-lashing super-beasts crashing around the city. There are analogues for Godzilla and King Kong, of course, but let's not forget the Space Penguin who can freeze enemies with his ice ray. Or the giant robot “Cyber Kitty”, which is basically a giant pink Power Ranger mecha. By the way, I'm not making any of this up; Knowing that silliness is charming is just one of the reasons why this game is so funny, making it one of the best board games for kids. Another reason is how easy it is to understand, which suitable for all ages. In fact, you compete with other monsters to be the one who does the most damage each turn. This allows you to earn points, as does purchasing cards that represent mass destruction. Do you want to face players? Other cards strengthen your monster with powers like extra heads, poison spit, and a spiked tail that you can use to fight.
There's also a social element to King of Tokyo: you can conspire with your rivals to overthrow whoever's stomping the city, allowing you to indulge in some gleeful backstabbing. Whichever you choose, this is all solved with a Yahtzee-like mechanic that you can explain to everyone in seconds.
14. Codenames
Players : 2-8 | Setup time : 2 minutes | Game time : 15 minutes | Complexity : Easy | Age : 10 years and over
Most board games rely on silliness or trivia to work. Codenames is a smart alternative that throws strategy into the mix like a grenade. A player invents single-word clues that guide teammates to particular cards arranged in a grid, and that clue can be anything (it can rhyme with the target, make a compound word, or be a synonym). However, no clues can be given beyond that. In fact, prepare to go crazy watching your team deviate from the correct answers. It's both hilarious and infuriating. It's also harder to find clues than it looks, leading to some quiet moments as players desperately think of connections. It might be too delicate for a real knee-down, but it's perfect for later in the evening when things calm down. It's also a great icebreaker; finding out the reasoning behind someone else's clue can tell you a lot about them (for example, they might associate the word “blue” with the word “milk” because they're a Star Wars fan ).
Finally, if the spy theme doesn't suit you, there are plenty of alternatives: you can choose versions based on Marvel, Disney, etc.
15. Arkham Horror: Final Hour
Players : 1 – 4 | Difficulty : Difficult | Setup time : 5 – 10 minutes | Game time : 30 – 60 minutes | Age : 14 years and over
If you've played many board games, you've probably come across the Arkham Horror series at one point or another – there are many. Based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, they generally have you trying to fend off cultists who want to bring about the end of the world through the transdimensional horrors of Cthulu and company. But this time, they succeeded. With the apocalypse looming, you only have eight turns to reverse the summoning ritual. Arkham Horror: Final Hour is therefore a much faster entry than its predecessors. However, it's just as enjoyable as a co-op experience. Although it can be overwhelming due to the complexity of its mechanics, they are clever and unique enough to give this game great longevity.
Plus, the tension it induces during its 30-60 minute runtime is palpable. The odds are always against you, which makes victory all the sweeter.
16. Mysterium
Players : 2-7 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 5 minutes | Game time : 30-45 minutes
Clue fans, gather around – it's a cool alternative to cut your teeth. Mysterium is a classic thriller set in an old-fashioned mansion, but don't think that makes it predictable. You see, one of the players is dead… and they're trying to solve their own murder. The plot, as they say, thickens. There are two roles to be grasped here; you can either be the ghost or one of the six psychics trying to solve the case. Unfortunately, the dearly departed can only communicate through “visions.” These take the form of cards with surreal and sinister illustrations, deliberately vague and out of context. As you may have guessed, the psychics must then interpret these messages to find the murderer. And they have a time limit. If it takes too long, the ghost will fall back into nothingness. It's a “killer” set-up (I'm sorry) that captures your attention and refuses to let go. If the game's paintings don't distract you first – they're downright stunning.
Mysterium isn't alone either. There are a few expansions floating around the ether if the base game loses its luster, and their prices are pretty reasonable.
17. Bananagrams Classic
Players : 1-8 | Setup time : Less than 2 minutes | Game time : 10-20 minutes | Complexity : Difficult | Age : 7+
Bananagrams may seem silly, but they're pure gold if you like puns. The daughter of Scrabble, Upwords and your average pen puzzle, this game challenges its players to make crosswords out of letter tiles. Since each word has to connect to another and make sense (which is a good pig if you have a handful of “z's” and “q's”), it gives your gray matter a workout. You will also need to be quick. Once someone has exhausted their stack of letters, you all take another tile…even those who haven't finished their crossword yet. This increases the pressure considerably; If you're not careful, you could end up with a mountain of letters to go through. But don't worry about being left behind. As the game continues until there are no more tiles, the underdogs can still score a last-minute victory. It's an incredible feeling, and managing to create a long word full of awkward letters (it's time to get out of anti-destabilitarianism) is just as stimulating. Thanks to its small game pieces and its small case, Bananagram is also ideal for games of chance. It can easily fit in a pocket or bag, meaning you can take it with you when you're on the go.
There are plenty of other versions, too: you can get a Party Edition that adds fun new rules, double bananagrams for larger groups, and more.
18. SCYTHE
Players : 1 – 5 | Difficulty : Moderate | Setup time : 10 minutes | Game time : 120 minutes | Age : 14 years and over
The blend of mechanics and agriculture in Jakub Roszalski's art ignites the imagination in a big way, and it's now spread across the table. Set in an alternate Earth of the 1920s, Scythe is a place where farm animals and peasants coexist with dieselpunk mechs. We say coexist; everyone in this world is jostling for power, so you'll need to keep an open mind.Scythe takes inspiration from the book of Civilization; he's just as interested in building and growing your economy as he is in robot battles. In fact, you can win the game without ever firing a shot. At the other end of the scale, you can blow your enemies to smithereens, bluff, or take over uninhabited lands without anyone watching. This kind of sandbox game makes the game all the more engaging.
As we already mentioned, the graphics of the game are also amazing. The illustrations depicting the juxtaposition of rural life and oily, smoking war robots are breathtaking, and the models are equally impressive. It's clear that Scythe put a lot of love into its design.
19. Cosmic Encounter
The players : 3 – 5 | Difficulty : Difficult | Time to play : 60 – 120 minutes | Age : 12 years and over
Cosmic Encounter was first published in 1977 and has gone through numerous editions since, but they all have something in common: they're brilliant. Each player takes the reins of a unique alien race, and the goal is to establish colonies on rival planets. Of course, it's that simple. For each encounter, the players concerned negotiate temporary alliances with all the others. The fallout from these alliances means that no two games are ever the same. Although it's fairly simple, Cosmic Encounter has a strange setup that may seem peculiar to those familiar with traditional attack and defense games. . But once you get used to it, the ever-changing “powers” make every game a blast. For example, you can win encounters while losing, reverse card numbers so that 17 becomes 71, or even resurrect lost ships.
If the options offered in the box aren't enough for you, you can also add a large selection of extensions.