New to the world of tabletop gaming or looking for something fresh and not too complex? We’ve compiled a definitive list of the best board games for beginners that are easy to learn, fun to play, and perfect for introducing your friends and family to the hobby.
Often dubbed “gateway games”, these games for new players serve as a gentle introduction to the large, complex world of gaming. Our goal of the list below is to make your introduction to tabletop gaming as smooth as possible by choosing games that offer a great experience without a steep learning curve.
Here are our top 10 best board games for beginners, to get you started in board gaming.
| Game | Players | Play Time |
| Ticket To Ride | 2-5 | 30-60 |
| Catan | 3-4* | 60-120 |
| Pandemic | 2-4 | 45-60 |
| Azul | 2-4 | 30-45 |
| Carcassonne | 2-5 | 30-45 |
| Splendor | 2-4 | 30 |
| King of Tokyo | 2-6 | 30 |
| Wavelength | 2-12+ | 30-45 |
| Bohnanza | 2-7 | 45 |
| Kingdomino | 2-4 | 12-20 |
* Up to 6 with the expansions.
Each of these games is a fantastic entry point to the hobby. They represent a wide range of mechanics and themes, ensuring there’s something for everyone. With this list, you can confidently choose a game that will be a surefire hit and get you hooked on the world of tabletop gaming.
Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride is a “set collection” and “route building” game. Players compete to build the most valuable train routes across a map of North America (or other locations, depending on the version).
On your turn, you simply choose one of three actions: draw more train cards, claim a route by playing matching cards, or draw new destination tickets. This tops our best starting out board game for its simple mechanics and subtle strategy of blocking opponents and planning your routes.
It’s the perfect blend of easy-to-learn rules and competitive strategy. Check out our in-depth review.
Catan
In Catan, you are a settler on the newly discovered island of Catan. The goal is to build your civilization, but to do so, you need resources. Players collect wood, brick, wool, grain, and ore by rolling dice, then utilising those resources to build roads, settlements, and cities.
With the ability to trade and negotiate for resources with other players, even the most cunning of strategists or silver-tongued trader needs to find a way to survive as each player has their own interest at heart.
The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of victory points, rewarding clever building and skilful trading. Check out our in-depth review.
Pandemic
If you’re looking for a co-operative board game experience, Pandemic is a fantastic choice. All players work together as an elite team of disease-fighting specialists, your mission; to find cures for four deadly diseases before they wipe out humanity.
What makes Pandemic so exciting is that you’re all in it together. You win or lose as a team, making every strategic choice and every nail-biting moment a shared experience. With adjustable difficulty levels, you can tailor the challenge to your group, ensuring a tense, rewarding, and unforgettable game night.
Do you focus on treating the infected in one city, or do you travel across the globe to find a cure? Be careful, your turn could be the last! Check out our in-depth review.
Azul
Step into the shoes of a master artisan in Azul, a game of dazzling beauty and cunning strategy. Your skills are required to decorate the royal palace with stunning mosaic tiles. Be warned, this isn’t just about beauty, it’s a high stakes competition with fellow artisans.
You’ll select tiles from a shared market, carefully choosing what you need while simultaneously stopping your opponents from getting their own perfect pieces. The rules are simple enough for anyone to learn, however, the tactical challenge lying beneath makes each game unique.
Every move matters, a single wrong choice can cost you the game. Careful planning and forward-thinking, anticipating your opponent’s moves will ultimately lend you the win! Check out our in-depth review.
Carcassonne
Welcome to the medieval landscape of Carcassonne, a living world that you and your opponents will build together, tile by tile. Each turn you’ll draw a tile and place it to extend roads, cities and monasteries. But who will claim these features?
By placing your meeple, you stake your claim in a battle for control. Will you dominate a massive city for a huge score, or will you seize a small feature to block an opponent?
The board is unique every time you play, making each game a fresh and exciting contest of wits. The simple act of drawing and placing a tile has surprising strategic depth, making it a timeless classic that offers endless re-plays. Check out our in-depth review.
Splendor
Stepping into the role of a powerful renaissance merchant, building an economic empire from the ground up, the goal of Splendor is to amass wealth and prestige by acquiring gems and purchasing valuable development cards.
These cards are the lifeblood of your engine, granting you bonuses that make future purchases cheaper and more efficient. The race is on to build the most powerful economic machine, outpacing your rivals with every smart move.
It’s a thrilling, fast-paced challenge of efficiency and ruthless business acumen that is easy to learn but offers plenty of strategic depth for those who want to master it. Check out our in-depth review.
King of Tokyo
This game is a fantastic entry point for players who love the unpredictable thrill of dice games. Ever wanted to be a giant monster destroying a city? King of Tokyo lets you do just that.
Players take on the roles of a variety of Kaiju-inspired monsters fighting for control of Tokyo. On your turn, you roll to attack opponents, heal yourself, gain victory points, or earn energy to buy special power cards.
Push your luck in this fast-paced, high-energy game with a fun, chaotic theme. Check out our in-depth review.
Wavelength
Get ready to tap into your psychic abilities in Wavelength, a game that’s as hilarious as it is mind-bending. A “psychic” on a team is given a target location on a spectrum between two opposing concepts, like “hot” and “cold” or “sandwich” and “burrito.”
Giving a clue to help your team guess where on the spectrum your target is, is a fireplace closer to “hot” or “cold”, where between sandwich and burrito does a kebab sit?
It’s a hilarious and often surprising game that reveals how differently people think, and it’s perfect for a large group looking for a social and engaging experience. Check out our in-depth review.
Bohnanza
If you’re not keen on reading rule books, then Bohnanza has you covered. A card game about planting and trading beans, there is a single rule, you can not reorder the cards in your hand!
You’re going to need you best negotiation skills here, as the game forces a constant stream of high-stakes negotiation with your opponents. You need a kidney bean, but all you have to trade is a coffee bean. Who will you make a deal with?
It’s a quirky, engaging, and unforgettable experience that will have everyone at the table bargaining for their beans. Check out our in-depth review.
Kingdomino
This game takes the simple fun of dominoes and elevates it into a brilliant strategic challenge. Building your own Kingdom, your turn has you selecting a domino tile, however, your choice will have an effect on your next turn!
Should you choose a valuable tile, your next turn may see you picking last, alternatively, select a not so valuable tile and end up in a good position for the next round. It’s a quick, addictive game that proves big strategy can come in a small package.
It’s a quick, easy-to-learn game that offers satisfying strategic decisions. Check out our in-depth review.