The 20 Best Board Games For Adults

We are living in the golden age of board games. From million-dollar Kickstarters to luxury big-box titles, board games have become the gaming industry's solution for analog fun. And while there are now hundreds — maybe thousands — of games worth your time and attention, we've done our best to cut through the noise and single out just a few of the games you might want to explore.

While this list should offer a wide variety of themes and mechanics, we have tried to err on the side of accessible titles. Most people searching for board game recommendations outside of established board game communities such as BoardGameGeek and Reddit are probably not quite ready to tackle a game of "Twilight Imperium" or "Brass: Birmingham." Therefore, with the rare exception, we have focused on a game with a "Medium" BoardGameGeek difficulty rating or lower.

Oh, and one last warning before we begin: Treat this list as a personal starting point for your own collection. As you play new games and explore new mechanics, you will respond to some systems better than others. Half the fun of playing board games is learning which types of games are best suited to your game nights, inevitably leading you to add more games with those mechanics to your personal collection.

And on that note, it's time to run down the 20 best board games available at a friendly local game shop near you.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 41

• Reddit Community Ranking: 22

• Difficulty: Medium Light

Despite their popularity within the board game community, it takes a lot for me to fall in love with a trick-taking game. Too often, these games offer an unwieldy combination of theme and mechanics, resulting in a Hearts-like experience at 10 times the cost. What makes "The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine" so special, then, is not just the simple mechanics or the progressively complex missions. It's also how theme and design add to the experience of playing the game.

In "The Crew," you and a group of fellow astronauts take turns drawing task cards. Each card represents a card you need to collect throughout the round. From there, your team will play cards and collect tricks, using its limited communication options to convey to the other players when to be aggressive and when to let you make your move. Be warned, though: If even one player cannot complete a task, the mission is failed, and you begin again.

As the missions evolved and our pleading eyes went unheeded, my group quickly learned that "The Crew" packs a surprisingly complex punch for such a familiar concept. We also grew to love the bright, simple artwork of Marco Armbruster, which added a layer of retrofuturism to our space disasters. Sometimes, you have to credit a game for being the best possible version of what it is.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 132

• Reddit Community Ranking: 96

• Difficulty: Medium Light

Few games can match "Twilight Struggle" for pure two-player conflict. That game, which allows players to replay the Cold War between the United States and Russia, builds a diverse set of rules around historical events and evolves over several stages throughout the game. But while "Twilight Struggle" might be universally beloved, it also requires a tremendous amount of effort on the part of each player. Like most games, whichever player understands the rules best has a natural advantage over their opponent.

Thankfully, "Watergate" offers players a similar experience at a considerably lower barrier to entry. In "Watergate," players take either side of the famous presidential scandal — reporters on one, the Nixon administration on the other — and compete to unveil or cover up a scandal of presidential proportions. Unapologetically asymmetrical, the game is also steeped in theme, providing the same kind of history-as-theater elements that worked so well for "Twilight Struggle," too.

Will the editorial team fail to connect the Nixon administration back to the Watergate scandal? Will Nixon's attempts to cover up his own misconduct be thwarted by the power of journalism? "Watergate" gives you every chance to bend history to your will, nestling America's most infamous scandal in a kind of uncanny valley of historical politics. But at half the difficulty and a third the playtime, "Watergate" is not so much a "Twilight Struggle" replacement as it is a welcome alternative to the industry's reigning wargame champion.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 35

• Reddit Community Ranking: 79

• Difficulty: Medium

From movie theaters to video games, our media is awash in superhero stories. But for those raised on a healthy diet of comic books, the ability to create your own tales, to wage wars in your head, and to argue power rankings with friends and family was always part of the fun. And that's what makes "Marvel Champions: The Card Game" so appealing: We get to retake control of our friendly neighborhood crime-fighters.

In "Marvel Champions," players will take on the roles of their favorite superheroes and use a combination of powers and allies to defeat their enemies. The cards you select and the order they are shuffled into your hand will determine your success in advancing through the game. But unlike "Arkham Horror: The Card Game" and other deck-building games, the complexity has been pared down for less experienced audiences. The result is a game that offers variable gameplay without unnecessary confusion.

Like other Living Cards Games (LCGs), "Marvel Champions" does away with the randomness of booster packs and introduces new heroes and villains through a series of scheduled expansions. The core game lets you choose between Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and She-Hulk, but new add-ons will let you play as everyone from Doctor Strange to Drax the Destroyer. This makes "Marvel Champions" a strong choice for the blossoming board gamer or Marvel fan in your household.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 39

• Reddit Community Rating: N/A

• Difficulty: Medium

When it comes to serial board game content, nobody holds a candle to Fantasy Flight Games. The publishing giant owns the rights to several major film and book properties, including an embarrassment of riches in both the Marvel and Star Wars universes. But even with its murders' row of intellectual properties, H.P. Lovecraft-inspired games remain the company's creative bread and butter.

If you have played any version of the Arkham Horror Files — a collection of Lovecraft-themed board games that includes titles like "Arkham Horror" and "Elder Sign" — then you are already familiar with the basics. Players take on the role of private investigators, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and potential for madness. As you and your allies work to solve the mystery, you will find yourself confronted by all kinds of horrible creations from beyond the void.

One of the most significant updates to this game is the addition of app-assisted gameplay. Fantasy Flight is no stranger to app-based content — "Descent: Legends of the Dark" recently ditched its DM-like overlord role in favor of a virtual moderator — and this change allows players to focus on the fun stuff, aka investigating rooms and fleeing from monsters. Even if you are unfamiliar with the Arkham Horror universe and just want to get your elder gods on, this remains one of the best introductions to the property.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 22

• Reddit Community Ranking: 57

• Difficulty: Medium Light

Over the past two decades, gamers have lumped most titles into one of two broad categories. On the one hand, you have American-style board games that heavily favor the theme and often introduce an element of luck to much of their decision-making. On the other hand, there are Eurogames, board games that abstract out their subject matter in favor of precise, predictable mechanics. Each has its place, and the best games — in my opinion, anyways — find a fascinating balance between the two sides.

Given that most Eurogames are inherently a bit more complex than their American counterparts, it's rare for one of those titles to become a board game superstar. But Elizabeth Hargrave's "Wingspan," a light Eurogame that pays homage to the designer's love of birdwatching, is the exception that may have just shattered the rule. "Wingspan" is everywhere, selling over a million copies and appearing on even the most casual best board games lists online.

In "Wingspan," players take turns building their aviary by balancing the birds, food, and eggs on their player boards. Managing resources is critical — each type of bird requires a slightly different diet, and balancing your resources ensures that you can keep one foot (bird?) ahead of your neighbors. With dynamic artwork and a little real-world knowledge on each card, you may find that "Wingspan" is a gateway game into birdwatching proper, too.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 57

• Reddit Community Ranking: 43

• Difficulty: Medium Light

Since 1978, the most significant honor for board game designers has been the Spiel des Jahres. This annual award, handed out by a panel of German board game critics, is the industry's equivalent of an Academy Award. A win can often boost sales of a game from tens of thousands to millions of copies worldwide. But unlike the Academy Awards, where success and relevance rarely go hand-in-hand, games that win the Spiel des Jahres often remain an essential part of the gaming lexicon for years to come.

In "Azul," you and other artists have been summoned to the Royal Palace of Evora to add decorative tiles to the home of the king. Players will take turns selecting tiles from the Factory displays — the shared pool of tiles in the middle of the table — and place those tiles on their individual player boards. The goal is to fill up your pattern lines with similar sets of colors, allowing you to move them over to the wall and score permanent points for your evolving decorations.

If the mechanics feel something like an 8-bit puzzle game, well, that's all part of the appeal. There may come a day when a game designer creates a better version of "Azul" — like many games, its transformation of a single mechanic leaves it open to evolution somewhere down the line — but for now, "Azul" remains one of the gold standards of gateway games.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 93

• Reddit Community Ranking: 59

• Difficulty: Medium Light

Part of what makes board games so much fun is the variety of themes available to players. Want to be the ruler of an intergalactic empire and spend hours bringing your enemies to their knees through a lethal combination of violence and diplomacy? You can do that. Want to ... collect buttons and make a quilt? You can do that too — and when journalists and designers list their favorite games, no one will be surprised to see the quilt game and the space game ranked equally high.

So, whether you need a gateway game or a simple change of pace, "Patchwork" is a game that deserves your attention. In this two-player game, you and your opponent will take turns pulling fabric swatches to complete your quilt. To succeed, you must balance the game's two currencies — time and buttons — and be ready to block your opponent from getting the perfect piece, even if it means your quilt will be a little threadbare for the next few turns.

And if you read the above description and wanted even more coziness from "Patchwork," you're in luck. With special Christmas- and Halloween-themed editions of the game, "Patchwork" offers a mixture of seasonal aesthetics that make it the perfect cold-weather play for you and a friend. Plus, the new "Americana Edition" released in 2020 can be found for under $20 from most online retailers, making it a no-risk addition to any board game collection.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 101

• Reddit Community Ranking: 79

• Difficulty: Medium Heavy

While this list focuses on titles with more accessible gameplay, I'd be foolish not to make space for some version of "Gloomhaven." My group has already put about 40 hours into the primary campaign, and each session leaves me ready for countless more. But with a 20-pound box and a campaign that runs for upwards of 200 hours, it is a challenging game to recommend to anyone, let alone less-experienced players.

So, let's compromise. "Gloomahven: Jaws of the Lion" is a streamlined, standalone version of "Gloomhaven" that captures many of the game's best mechanics without the hours of set-up. In "Jaws of the Lion," you and your party will explore the streets of the title city, delving deep into dungeons and fighting monsters through the game's signature card-based combat system. The inventive dual use of the campaign guide — each page of the booklet doubles as the scenario map — takes the sting out of the scenario set-up.

If "Gloomhaven" is an RPG in a box, then "Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion" is an RPG-in-a-box in a box. This game evokes the sensation of sandbox dungeon crawling with reasonable bumpers in place. And while the original "Gloomhaven" may cost you upwards of $120 to bring to the table, "Jaws of the Lion" can be found for $40 at any Target near you. It might still be the most complicated game on this list, but at that price point, it's absolutely worth the risk.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 154

• Reddit Community Ranking: 98

• Difficulty: Medium

Bluffing in board games will never get old. Whether you're manipulating a hidden player board or just lying about the cards you have in your hand, the opportunity to look your loved one in the eye and lie with all your heart is part of what makes the tabletop experience great. And few games have managed to tap into the rush of betrayal quite as well as "Cosmic Encounter," a multiplayer scrum of space domination.

In "Cosmic Encounter," each player assumes the role of an alien civilization. Each turn, a player will identify an opposing colony and expand their presence aggressively throughout the galaxy using a combination of cards and unique player powers. With players drawing from the same deck of resource cards, battle outcomes are often just the right balance of posturing and chance.

While "Cosmic Encounter" may not have the sharpest mechanics or the most satisfying minis, it has endless opportunities for interpersonal conflict. This is the perfect zero-sum outcome game; every move you make against an opponent means more space for you and less room for them. Therefore, when (and where) you choose to partner with your opponents makes a massive difference in the game's outcome. Plus, with an endgame that allows for multiple winners, the grievances you carry from a game of "Cosmic Encounter" are sure to last a very, very long time.

• BoardGameGeek Ranking: 146

• Reddit Community Ranking: 99

• Difficulty: Medium Light

Raise your hand if you learned the power of bluffing from "The Resistance." Like many other board game players, the original "Resistance" — a hidden-role game set in a dystopian future — was my introduction to the mechanic of productive lies. But it is that game's Arthurian cousin that offers the most longevity in terms of social deduction and outright hostility among large groups of friends.

Much like the original "Resistance," "The Resistance: Avalon" operates through deception and democracy. Arthur and his knights need to complete quests to win the game, but the minions of Mordred are working to infiltrate the ranks of our heroes. While players will have the opportunity to vote on those who participate in these quests, even one failed quest vote can cause calamity. Plus, with the advanced character roles and their extraordinary powers, games of "Avalon" take on an extra degree of strategy.

Is "The Resistance: Avalon" still the best use of hidden roles in a social deduction game? Maybe not. But is it still the gold standard of light, teachable games that encourage people to engage with board games beyond their standard misconceptions of the industry? You better believe it. If werewolves or Hitlers is not your jam, or if you want a degree of character customization that those other games do not provide, then "The Resistance: Avalon" is the game for you.