View source for Board game

{{Short description|Genre of seated tabletop social play}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
[[File:US Navy 110713-N-NT881-124 Personnel Specialist 2nd Class James Vail, left, and Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Nathaniel Eaton play board games with ch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The board game ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]'' is licensed in 103 countries and printed in 37 languages.<ref>{{cite web|date=20 February 2008|title=You can choose cities for new Monopoly game |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23238096|work=[[NBC News]]|access-date=16 September 2023}}</ref>]]
[[File:Pelipäivä Iisalmen kaupunginkirjastossa.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Young girls playing a board game in the [[Iisalmi]] library in [[Finland]], 2016]]

A '''board game''' is a type of [[tabletop game]]<ref name="game-categories_woods_2024_p5">{{Cite book|last=Woods|first=Stewart|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xgmjCHxSxvoC&q=history+of+board+games&pg=PP1|title=Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games|date=16 August 2012|isbn=978-0-7864-9065-3|page=5|publisher=McFarland}} [https://ia801801.us.archive.org/5/items/woods-2012-eurogames-p-5/Woods%20%282012%29%20Eurogames%20-%20p5.pdf Alt URL]</ref><ref name="engelstein_2020"/> that involves small objects ({{boardgloss|pieces|game pieces}}) that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned [[game board]],<ref name="definition_merrium-webster_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Merriam Webster (www.merriam-webster.com)|language=en|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/board%20game|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009142052/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/board%20game|archive-date=9 October 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="board-game_cambridge_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Cambridge (www.dictionary.cambridge.org)|language=en|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/board-game|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213204013/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/board-game|archive-date=13 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="definition_oxford-learner_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Oxford Learners Dictionary (www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)|language=en|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/board-game|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808181909/http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/board-game|archive-date=8 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="definition_oed_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Oxford English Dictionary (www.oed.com)|language=en|url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/board-game_n?tab=factsheet&tl=true#1410500690|access-date=18 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118074145/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/board-game_n?tab=factsheet&tl=true#1410500690|archive-date=18 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="definition_collins_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Collins Dictionary (www.collinsdictionary.com)|language=en|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/board-game|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250103131400/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/board-game|archive-date=3 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="definition_dictionary-com_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board Game|website=Dictionary.com (www.dictionary.com)|language=en|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/board%20game|access-date=7 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250107093506/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/board%20game|archive-date=7 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="definition_britanica_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Britannica Dictionary|language=en|url=https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/board-game|access-date=18 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208030134/https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/board-game|archive-date=8 December 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> potentially including other components, e.g. dice.<ref name="definition_oxford-learner_current(2025)"/> The earliest known uses of the term "board game" are between the 1840s and 1850s.<ref name="definition_oed_current(2025)"/><ref name="definition_merrium-webster_current(2025)"/><ref name="definition_dictionary-com_current(2025)"/><!--The Oxford Enlgish dictionary states 1840s (1844 - translation by F. Metcalfe), while the Merrium Dictionary states 1850s (it own definition). The Dictionary.com states 1930–1935; however, there is little indication of why it has estimated a date 100 years after the other dictionaries, and therefore this source has not be relied upon.-->

While game boards are a [[necessary and sufficient condition]] of this [[genre]], [[card games]] that do not use a standard deck of cards, as well as games that use neither cards nor a game board, are often colloquially included, with some referring to this genre generally as "table and board games" or simply "tabletop games".<ref name="game-categories_woods_2024_p5"/><ref name="engelstein_2020">{{Cite book|last=Engelstein|first=Geoffrey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OpEIEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22tabletop+games%22+%22game+board%22&pg=PP10|title=Game Production: Prototyping and Producing Your Board Game|page=1|date=21 December 2020|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-000-29098-1|language=en}} [https://ia600707.us.archive.org/32/items/engelstein-2020-game-production-p-1/Engelstein_2021_game-production_p1.pdf Alt URL]</ref>

==Eras==
{{Further|History of games}}
[[File:Board Game Timeline.png|thumb|This timeline was made with information from the Wikipedia articles on Board Game, Hasbro, Board Game Cafe, Tabletop Simulator, and Monopoly. All information on this timeline was from those Wikipedia pages as they were on November 24th, 2024]]

===Ancient era===
Board games have been played, traveled, and evolved in most cultures and societies throughout history<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Livingstone|first1=Ian|title=Board games in 100 moves|last2=Wallis|first2=James|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|year=2019|isbn=978-0-241-36378-2|location=London|oclc=1078419452}}</ref> Board games have been discovered in a number of archaeological sites. The oldest discovered gaming pieces were discovered in southwest Turkey, a set of elaborate sculptured stones in sets of four designed for a chess-like game, which were created during the [[Bronze Age]] around 5,000 years ago.<ref name="oldest-board-game_smithsonian-magazine_2021">{{Cite web|last=Solly|first=Meilan|title=The Best Board Games of the Ancient World|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/best-board-games-ancient-world-180974094|access-date=6 February 2020|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001091826/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/best-board-games-ancient-world-180974094|archive-date=1 October 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="oldest_discovery-news_2013">{{cite web|title=Oldest Gaming Tokens Found in Turkey|website=Discovery News (www.news.discovery.com)|date=14 August 2013|first=Rossella|last=Lorenzi|language=en|url=http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/oldest-gaming-tokens-found-130814.htm|access-date=13 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214203403/http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/oldest-gaming-tokens-found-130814.htm|archive-date=14 February 2014}}</ref> Numerous archaeological finds of game boards exist that date from as early as the [[Neolithic]] period including, as of 2024, a total of 14 Neolithic sites reporting 51 game boards, ranging from mid-[[7th millennium]] to early [[8th millennium]].<ref name="discoveies_rollefson_2024">{{cite journal|title=What are the odds? Neolithic "game boards" from the Levant|journal=Journal of Arid Environments|volume=225|number=105257|date=December 2024|first=Gary|last=Rollefson|article-number=105257 |doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105257 |bibcode=2024JArEn.22505257R |language=en|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014019632400137X|access-date=18 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="finkel_2007"/><ref name="mancala_simpson_2007"/><ref name="discoveries_rollefson_2012">{{cite journal|title=La Prehistoire des jeux|trans-title=The Prehistory of Games|number=33|date=December 2012|first=Gary|last=Rollefson|pages=18–21|journal=Histoire Antique & Médiévale|language=fr|url=https://www.faton.fr/dossiers-dhistoire/numero-33/art-jeu-jeu-l-art/prehistoire-jeux.32646.php#article_32646|access-date=18 April 2025}}</ref>

====Oldest game====
The [[Royal Game of Ur]], estimated to have originated from around 4,600 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, an example of which was found in the royal tombs of ancient [[Mesopotamia]] ({{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|2400&nbsp;BC}}),<ref name="ur_british-museum_current(2020)">{{cite web|title=''game-board'': Museum number 120834|website=British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org)|language=en|pages=11–15|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1928-1009-378|access-date=15 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250415000000/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1928-1009-378|archive-date=15 April 2025|url-status=live}} [https://ia600704.us.archive.org/16/items/the-royal-game-of-ur-british-museum/The%20Royal%20Game%20of%20Ur%2C%20British%20Museum.pdf Alt URL]</ref><ref name="finkel_british-museum_2007">{{cite book|title=Ancient board games in perspective {{!}} Papers from the 1990 British Museum colloquium, with additional contributions|editor=I.L. Finkel|publisher=British Museum Press|publication-place=London|date=2007|first=Irving L.|last=Finkel|language=en|url=https://annas-archive.org/md5/189bf3233143e3aa74a521089bae39dc|access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="mancala_board-game-studies-lournal_2020_p127">{{Cite journal|last=Depaulis|first=Thierry|date=1 October 2020|title=Board Games Before Ur?|journal=Board Game Studies Journal|language=en|volume=14|issue=1|pages=127–144|doi=10.2478/bgs-2020-0007|issn=2183-3311|doi-access=free|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350710812|access-date=17 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417000000/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350710812_Board_Games_Before_Ur|archive-date=17 April 2025|url-status=live}} [https://ia601508.us.archive.org/14/items/depaulis-2020-board-games-before-ur/Depaulis%20%282020%29%20Board%20Games%20Before%20Ur.pdf Alt URL]</ref> is considered the oldest playable boardgame in the world, with well-defined game rules discovered written on a cuneiform tablet by a Babylonian astronomer in {{Circa|177 BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|176 BC}}.<ref name="ur_british-museum_2021">{{cite web|title=Top 10 historical board games|website=British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org)|date=26 February 2021|language=en|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/top-10-historical-board-games|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027133607/https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/top-10-historical-board-games|archive-date=27 October 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="finkel_2007">{{cite book|title=Ancient Board Games in Perspective {{!}} Papers from the 1990 British Museum colloquium, with additional contributions|chapter=3. On the Rules for the Royal Game of Ur|page=16|year=2007|first=Irving L.|last=Finkel|language=en|publisher=British Museum Press|publication-place=London|url=https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~pbarfuss/On_the_Rules_for_the_Royal_Game_of_Ur.pdf|access-date=17 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417000000/https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~pbarfuss/On_the_Rules_for_the_Royal_Game_of_Ur.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2025|url-status=live}} [https://ia600704.us.archive.org/32/items/finkel-2007-on-the-rules-for-the-royal-game-of-ur-p-16/Finkel%20%282007%29%20On%20the%20rules%20for%20the%20Royal%20Game%20of%20Ur%20-%20p16.pdf Alt URL]</ref>

Another game similar to the Royal Game of Ur was discovered in 1977 by the Italian Archaeological Mission in grave no. 731, a pseudo-catacomb grave at [[Shahr-e Sukhteh|Shahr-i Sokhta]], a [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO]] World Heritage archaeological site in Iran. This board game set, comprising 27 pieces and 4 different dice, dates to 2600–2400 BCE. For the first time, the entire set has been scientifically analyzed and reconstructed by researchers,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://osf.io/kctnj/download|title=Analysis of the Shahr-i Sokhta Board Game and Suggested Rules Based on the Royal Game of Ur|date=4 December 2024|website=SocArXiv.com|doi=10.31235/osf.io/kctnj |access-date=26 July 2025 |last1=Jelveh |first1=Sam |last2=Moradi |first2=Hossein |doi-access=free }}</ref> and it is considered the oldest complete and playable board game ever discovered.<ref name="Games of old">{{cite journal |last1=Hsu |first1=Jeremy |title=Games of old |journal=New Scientist |date=14 December 2024 |volume=264 |issue=3521 |pages=48–49 |doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(24)02191-2 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0262407924021912 |issn=0262-4079}}</ref>

Currently, [[Senet]] is argued to be the oldest known board game in the world, with possible game board fragments ({{circa|3100&nbsp;BC}})<ref name="senet_piccone_1980"/> and undisputed pictorial representations ({{circa|2686;BC}} &ndash; {{circa|2613 BC}})<ref name="Sebbane">{{cite journal|last=Sebbane|first=Michael|year=2001|title=Board Games from Canaan in the early and intermediate Bronze Ages and the origin of the Egyptian Senet game|journal=Tel Aviv|volume=28|issue=2|pages=213–230|doi=10.1179/tav.2001.2001.2.213|s2cid=162219908}}</ref> having been found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials dating as far back as 3500 BC.<ref name="oldest-games_oldest_current(2025)"/> However, while Senet was played for thousands of years, it fell out of fashion sometime after 400 A.D. during the [[Roman Egypt|Roman period]];<ref name="Sebbane"/> the rules were never written down, therefore they are not decisively known.<ref name="oldest_how-stuff_works_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=How Senet Works|website=How Stuff Works (www.entertainment.howstuffworks.com)|first=Laurie L.|last=Dove|date=4 April 2012 |language=en|url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/leisure/brain-games/senet.htm#pt1|access-date=13 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207171850/https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/leisure/brain-games/senet.htm#pt1|archive-date=7 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, [[Mehen (game)|Mehen]] is one of the oldest games dated with reasonable confidence, i.e., {{circa|3000&nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{circa|2300&nbsp;BC}},<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ancient Egyptians at Play: Board Games Across Borders|last=Crist|first=Walter|display-authors=etal|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2016|isbn=978-1-4742-2117-7|location=London|pages=15–38}}</ref><ref name="ur_british-museum_2021"/> with some estimating it dates back to {{circa|3500&nbsp;BC}}.<ref name="oldest_good-games_current(2024)"/> The rules, scoring system, and game pieces, however, are unknown or speculative.<ref name="oldest_good-games_current(2024)"/><ref name="ur_british-museum_2021"/>

The title of the oldest known board game has been difficult to establish.<ref name="oldest_good-games_current(2024)">{{cite web|title=The Oldest Games in the World|website=Good Games (www.goodgames.com.au)|date=31 July 2023|language=en|url=https://www.goodgames.com.au/articles/the-oldest-board-games-in-the-world|access-date=7 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250106224937/https://www.goodgames.com.au/articles/the-oldest-board-games-in-the-world|archive-date=6 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> An example of this is [[mancala]], which includes a broad family of board games with a core design of two rows of small circular divots or bowls carved into a surface, which has had numerous estimations of its generic age due to the many variants that have been discovered in different locations across Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia.<ref name="oldest_good-games_current(2024)"/> These are dated across many different historical periods, from archaeological sites dating the game at {{Circa|800&nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|200&nbsp;BC}} (Roman Settlements); {{Circa|2500&nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|1500&nbsp;BC}} (Egypt); and even {{Circa|7000 &nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|5000 &nbsp;BC}} (Jordan). The later based on divots carved out of [[limestone]] in a Neolithic dwelling from {{Circa|5870 &nbsp;BC}} ± 240 BC,<ref name="mancala_simpson_2007">{{cite book|title=Ancient Board Games in perspective: Papers from the 1990 British Museum colloquium, with additional contributions|publisher=British Museum Press|publication-place=London|editor=I.L. Finkel|year=2007|first=St John|last=Simpson|chapter=1. Homo Ludens: The Earliest Board Games in the Near East|pages=5–10|language=en|url=https://www.academia.edu/3584121|access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="oldest_good-games_current(2024)"/><ref name="mancala_south-african-art-mmuseum_2020">{{cite web|title=Mancala|url=https://www.savannahafricanartmuseum.org/2020-workshops/05-2#:~:text=There%20is%20archeological%20and%20historical,floor%20of%20a%20Neolithic%20dwelling|website=Savannah African Art Museum|access-date=10 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210045650/https://www.savannahafricanartmuseum.org/2020-workshops/05-2|archive-date=10 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> although this later dating has been disputed.<ref name="mancala_board-game-studies-lournal_2020_pp.127-144">{{Cite journal|last=Depaulis|first=Thierry|date=1 October 2020|title=Board Games Before Ur?|journal=Board Game Studies Journal|language=en|volume=14|issue=1|pages=127–144|doi=10.2478/bgs-2020-0007|issn=2183-3311|doi-access=free}}</ref> Furthermore, when considering the Neolithic period game boards discoveries, caution has been given against considering these finds as representing earliest human game playing, as the absence of evidence of such games does not equate to evidence that no games were played during earlier periods.<ref name="discoveries_rollefson_1992">{{cite journal|title=A Neolithic Game Board from CAin Ghazal, Jordan|journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research|date=May 1992|number=286|first=Gary O.|page=3|last=Rollefson|language=en|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1357113.pdf|access-date=18 April 2025|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|doi=10.2307/1357113 |jstor=1357113 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250419000000/https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1357113.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2025|url-status=live}} [https://ia601504.us.archive.org/20/items/rollefson-1992-a-neolithic-game-board-from-ain-ghazal-jordan-p.-3/Rollefson%20%281992%29%20A%20Neolithic%20Game%20Board%20from%20%CA%BFAin%20Ghazal%2C%20Jordan%2C%20p.3.pdf Alt URL]</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Men Playing Board Games.jpg|'' Men Playing Board Games'', from The Sougandhika Parinaya Manuscript
File:-3000 Abydos Spiel der Schlange Mehen anagoria.JPG|Mehen game with game stones, from [[Abydos, Egypt]], 3000 BC, [[Neues Museum]]
File:Maler der Grabkammer der Nefertari 003.jpg|Painting in tomb of Egyptian queen [[Nefertari]] (1295–1255 BC) playing senet
</gallery>

===Golden era===

The 1880s–1920s was a board game epoch known as the "Golden Age", a term coined by American art historian Margaret Hofer<ref name="golden-era_hofer_2003"/> where the popularity of board games was boosted through [[mass production]] making them cheaper and more readily available.<ref name="Hofer">{{Cite book|last=Hofer|first=Margaret|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icYtGRUZrZUC|title=The Games we Played: The Golden Age of Board and Table Games|date=1 March 2003|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|isbn=978-1-56898-397-4|language=en}}</ref>{{rp|11}} The most popular of the board games sold during this period was ''Monopoly'' (1935), with 500 million games played as of 1999.<ref name="monopoly_guiness-world-records_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Most popular board game|website=Guinness World Records (www.guinnessworldrecords.com)|language=en|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/72473-most-popular-board-game|access-date=6 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181116/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/72473-most-popular-board-game|archive-date=26 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Renaissance era===

[[File:Board_games_with_expansions_1944-2017.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|The number of board games published by year (1944–2017), as listed on [[BoardGameGeek]]. Expansion sets for existing games are marked in orange.]]
In the late 1990s, companies began producing more new games to serve a growing worldwide market.<ref name="board game resurgence">{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Quintin|date=October 2012|title=The Board Game Golden Age|url=http://www.shutupshow.com/post/34426556753/su-sd-present-the-board-game-golden-age|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601124655/http://www.shutupshow.com/post/34426556753/su-sd-present-the-board-game-golden-age|archive-date=1 June 2013|access-date=10 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=A look into the golden age of boardgames {{!}} BGG|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1943195/look-golden-age-boardgames|access-date=11 December 2024|website=BoardGameGeek|language=en|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241211111105/https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1943195/a-look-into-the-golden-age-of-boardgames|archive-date=11 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>'' [[Catan|The Settlers of Catan]]'' (1995) is often credited with popularising [[Eurogame|German-style board games]] outside of Europe and growing the hobbyist game market to a wider audience.<ref name="influence of catan">{{Cite web|last=Jarvis|first=Matt|date=April 2023|title=Without Catan, board gaming as we know it today wouldn’t exist|url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/catan-1/opinion/catan-board-gaming-lasting-legacy|access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref> The early 21st century saw the emergence of a new "Golden Age" for board games called the "Board Game Renaissance".<ref name="board game resurgence"/><ref name="guardian_2014(oct)">{{Cite news |date=25 November 2014 |title=Board games' golden age: sociable, brilliant and driven by the internet |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/25/board-games-internet-playstation-xbox |author-last=Duffy |author-first=Owen}}</ref><ref name="golden-age_konieczny_2019">{{Cite journal|last=Konieczny|first=Piotr|date=2019|title=Golden age of tabletop gaming: Creation of the social capital and rise of third spaces for tabletop gaming in the 21st century|url=http://bazekon.icm.edu.pl/bazekon/element/bwmeta1.element.ekon-element-000171561541|journal=Polish Sociological Review|language=en|issue=2|pages=199–215|issn=1231-1413|doi=10.26412/psr206.05|doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 }}</ref><!-- This field ("|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024") is throwing up an error, so I have removed it to this comment; however, the doi is actually broken.--> This period of board games industry development, of which board games such as ''[[Carcassonne (board game)|Carcassonne]]'' (2000) and ''[[Ticket to Ride (board game)|Ticket to Ride]]'' (2004) were a major part, saw a shift away from the 20th-century domination by well-established standby Golden Era board games like ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]'' (1935) and ''[[The Game of Life|Game of Life]]'' (1960).<ref name="15-anniversary-review_ign_2024">{{cite web|title=Ticket to Ride: Europe 15th Anniversary Edition Review|website=IGN (www.ign.com)|date=12 July 2024|first=Chris|last=Reed|language=en|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/ticket-to-ride-europe-15th-anniversary-edition-review|access-date=19 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716192906/https://www.ign.com/articles/ticket-to-ride-europe-15th-anniversary-edition-review|archive-date=16 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Regional history==
{{Further|History of games}}

===Europe===
{{further|Eurogame#History}}
Board games have a long tradition in Europe. The oldest records of board gaming in Europe date back to [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]'' (written in the 8th century BC), in which he mentions the Ancient Greek game of ''[[petteia]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Brouwers|first=Josho|title=Ancient Greek heroes at play|url=https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/ancient-greek-heroes-play|access-date=6 March 2020|website=Ancient World Magazine|date=29 November 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111205115/https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/ancient-greek-heroes-play|archive-date=11 November 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> This game of ''petteia'' would later evolve into the Roman game of ''[[ludus latrunculorum]]''.<ref name=":0" />
{{ublist
|'''Germany'''
:{{lang|de|[[Kriegsspiel]]}} is a genre of wargaming developed in 19th century [[Prussia]], to teach battle tactics to officers.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Asbury|first=Susan|date=Winter 2018|title=It's All a Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan|url=https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/10-2-Book-review2.pdf|department=Book Reviews|journal=American Journal of Play|volume=10|issue=2|page=230|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711112435/https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/10-2-Book-review2.pdf|archive-date=11 July 2020|access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
|'''Ireland'''
:''[[Fidchell]]'' boards dating from the 10th century has been uncovered in Ireland,<ref>{{Cite book|first=Kenneth Hurlstone|last=Jackson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pkTUotRW8_AC&q=the+oldest+irish+tradition|title=The Oldest Irish Tradition: A Window on the Iron Age|date=28 February 2011|isbn=978-0-521-13493-4|page=23|publisher=Cambridge University Press|access-date=28 December 2024}} [https://ia600105.us.archive.org/1/items/hurlstone-2011-the-oldest-irish-tradition/Hurlstone%20%282011%29%20The%20Oldest%20Irish%20Tradition.pdf Alt URL]</ref> with the game said to date back to at least 144 AD.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Harding|first=Timothy|date=2010|title='A Fenian pastime'? Early Irish board games and their identification with chess|journal=Irish Historical Studies|volume=37|issue=145|page=5|doi=10.1017/S0021121400000031|issn=0021-1214|jstor=20750042|hdl-access=free|hdl=2262/38847|s2cid=163144950}}</ref> 
|'''Scandinavia'''
:The ancient Norse game of [[Tafl games|hnefatafl]] was developed sometime before 400 [[Anno Domini|AD]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schulte|first=Michael|title=Board games of the Vikings – From hnefatafl to chess|url=http://ojs.novus.no/index.php/MOM/article/download/1426/1411|page=5}}</ref> 
|'''United Kingdom'''
:In the United Kingdom, the association of dice and cards with gambling led to all dice games except backgammon being treated as "lotteries by dice" in the Gaming Acts of [[Gaming Act 1710|1710]] and [[Gaming Act 1845|1845]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Neilson|first=W Bryce|title=Gaming history and Law|website=Gamesboard.org|url=https://www.gamesboard.org.uk/articles/gaming-law-bryce-neilson-aug-2020.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001082026/https://www.gamesboard.org.uk/articles/gaming-law-bryce-neilson-aug-2020.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2020|access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref> One of the most prolific publishers of board games of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the English board game publisher [[John Wallis (publisher)|John Wallis]] and his sons (John Wallis Jr. and Edward Wallis).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Adam|first=Gottfried|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lb6ZEAAAQBAJ&dq=John+Wallis++publishers+of+board+games&pg=PA177|title=Thumb Bibles: The History of a Literary Genre|date=31 October 2022|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-52588-7|language=en}}</ref> The global popularisation of board games, with special themes and branding, coincided with the formation of the global dominance of the [[British Empire]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kentel|first=Koca|date=Fall 2018|title=Empire on a Board: Navigating the British Empire through Geographical Board Games in the Nineteenth Century|journal=The Portolan|volume=102|pages=27–42|doi=10.17613/M6JW86M71}}</ref>  Examples of british empire games included:
}}  
{| class="wikitable"
|+ British Empire Games
|-
! Game title
! Release date
! Creator
! Description
! Ref
|-

| ''A Tour Through the British Colonies and Foreign Possessions''
| 1850
| John Betts
| This board game was a [[race game]] that consisted of a board with 37 numbered pictures, each correlating to a British colony, arranged in four circular levels, numbered 1 ([[Heligoland]], Germany) to 37 ([[London]], England), three concentric ones and an inner fourth level of London ("Metropolis of the British Empire"). A [[teetotum]] was spun with a player's piece correspondingly moving ahead through the spaces of the game board, upon which a corresponding description to the space the player lands was read out aloud from an accompanying rule booklet by the presiding player (a player abstaining from directly playing the game), except when directed in the book. The descriptions included commentary about the various colonies and occasional game board movement directions to the player. There winner would be the player to reach London first. 
| <ref>{{Cite web|title=A Tour Through the British Colonies and Foreign Possessions │ Board Game │ 1850-60 (published)|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26285/a-tour-through-the-british-board-game-betts-john|website=Victoria and Albert Museum (www.vam.ac.uk)|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102100727/https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26352/a-voyage-of-discovery-or-board-game-spooner-william|archive-date=2 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="colony-tour_betts_1850">{{cite book|title=A Tour Through the British Colonies and Foreign Possessions|via=National Library of Australia (www.library.gov.au)|date=1850|first=John|last=Betts|language=en|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-360189129/view?partId=nla.obj-360192281#page/n0/mode/1up|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228000000/https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-360189129/view?partId=nla.obj-360192281#page/n0/mode/1up|archive-date=28 December 2024|url-status=live}} [https://ia802208.us.archive.org/33/items/betts-1850-a-tour-of-the-british-colonies-and-foreign-possessions/Betts%20%281850%29%20A%20Tour%20of%20the%20British%20Colonies%20and%20Foreign%20Possessions.pdf Alt URL]</ref><ref name="colony-tour_yale-centre_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=A tour through the British colonies and foreign possessions, [1850s?]|website=Yale Centre for British Art|language=en|url=https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/orbis:14039395|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731062554/https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/orbis:14039395|archive-date=31 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

|style="white-space: nowrap;"| ''A Voyage of Discovery'', or<br />''The Five Navigators''
| 1836
| William Spooner
| A [[race game]] where five players ('sailors') follow distinctly colored tracks, on a board decorated with islands; seas; and ships, with each player restricted to the path of their own color. The player's followed the instructions printed in circles along the tracks, which contained sailor-themed dangers and advantages. 
| <ref name="voyage-of-discovery_vam_current(2025)">{{Cite web|title=A Voyage of Discovery or The Five Navigators │ Board Game │ 1863 (published)|date=4 March 2000|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26352/a-voyage-of-discovery-or-board-game-spooner-william|website=Victoria and Albert Museum (www.collections.vam.ac.uk)|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102100727/https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26352/a-voyage-of-discovery-or-board-game-spooner-william|archive-date=2 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora - Achilles and Ajax playing a board game overseen by Athena.jpg|Achilles and Ajax playing a board game overseen by Athena, Attic black-figure neck amphora, {{circa|510&nbsp;BC}}
File:German - Box for Board Games - Walters 7193 - Bottom.jpg|''Box for Board Games'', {{Circa}} 15th century, Walters Art Museum
File:Clevelandart 1953.284.jpg|An early [[games table desk]] (Germany, 1735) featuring [[chess]]/[[draughts]] ({{em|right}}) and [[nine men's morris]] ({{em|left}})
</gallery>

===Americas===
The board game [[patolli]] originated in [[Mesoamerica]] and was played by a wide range of [[pre-Columbian]] cultures such as the [[Toltec]]s and the [[Aztecs]]. 
{{ublist
|'''United States'''
:Due to a number of factors, such as the decrease of industrial working hours and the implementation of a Saturday half-day holiday, United States shifted from agrarian to urban living in the nineteenth century, which provided greater leisure time and a rise in middle class income.<ref name="us-leisure_library-of-congress_current(2024)">{{cite web|title=America at Leisure|website=Library of Congress (www.loc.gov)|language=en|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/america-at-work-and-leisure-1894-to-1915/articles-and-essays/america-at-leisure/|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710085054/https://www.loc.gov/collections/america-at-work-and-leisure-1894-to-1915/articles-and-essays/america-at-leisure|archive-date=10 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="us-leisure_gambiter_2025">{{cite web|title=Board game|website=Gambiter (www.gambiter.com)|language=en|url=https://gambiter.com/tabletop/Board_game.html|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520082329/https://gambiter.com/tabletop/Board_game.html|archive-date=20 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> The American home, once an economic production focus, started to become one for entertainment, enlightenment, and education under maternal supervision, where children were encouraged to play board games that developed literacy skills and provided moral instruction.<ref name="us-leisure_gambiter_2025"/>{{pb}}The first board games published in the United States were ''[[Travellers' Tour Through the United States]]'' and its sister game ''Traveller's Tour Through Europe'', published in 1822 by New York City bookseller F. & R. Lockwood.<ref name=fv/><ref name="first-american_smithsonian_2024">{{cite web|title=What America's First Board Game Tells Us About the Aspirations of a Young Nation|website=Smithsonian Magazine (www.smithsonianmag.com)|date=21 May 2024|first=Matthew Wynn|last=Sivils|language=en|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-americas-first-board-game-tells-us-about-the-aspirations-of-a-young-nation-180984338|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250103225012/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-americas-first-board-game-tells-us-about-the-aspirations-of-a-young-nation-180984338|archive-date=3 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Margaret Hofer described this period, from 1880s–1920s, as "The Golden Age" of board gaming in America.<ref name="Hofer">{{Cite book|last=Hofer|first=Margaret|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icYtGRUZrZUC|title=The Games we Played: The Golden Age of Board and Table Games|date=1 March 2003|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|isbn=978-1-56898-397-4|language=en}}</ref> Board game popularity was boosted, like that of many items, through [[mass production]], which made them cheaper and more easily available. In the 19th century, the industry itself was still developing, albeit significantly more rapidly; however, the games manufactured in America were still primarily for children.<ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/> Beginning in the late 20th century, during the period known as board game renaissance, games started to evolve considerably, from a strategic play standpoint and also in terms of increased advertising and marketing.<ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/> In modern day United States, board game venues have recently grown in popularity. In 2016 alone, more than 5,000 [[board game café]]s opened in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Board Game Biz is Booming, and Chicago's Ready to Play|url=https://news.wttw.com/2020/02/11/board-game-biz-booming-and-chicago-s-ready-play|access-date=1 March 2020|website=WTTW News|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111205114/https://news.wttw.com/2020/02/11/board-game-biz-booming-and-chicago-s-ready-play|archive-date=11 November 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Macuilxochitl Patolli.png|Patolli game being watched by [[Xochipilli|Macuilxochitl]] as depicted on page 048 of the [[Codex Magliabechiano]]
File:FirstAmericanPrintrunOfThe MansionOfHappiness.jpg|''The Mansion of Happiness'' (1843)
</gallery>

===Asia===
{{ublist
|'''Mesopotamia'''
: A version of the 4,600-year-old board game of the [[Royal Game of Ur]], was found in the ancient Mesopotamian royal tombs of Ur ({{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} – {{Circa|2400&nbsp;BC}}),<ref name="oldest-games_oldest_current(2025)"/> is the oldest discovered playable board game.<ref name="fv">{{Cite web|last=Edwards|first=Jason R.|title=Saving Families, One Game at a Time|url=http://visionandvalues.org/docs/familymatters/Edwards_Jason.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205071220/http://visionandvalues.org/docs/familymatters/Edwards_Jason.pdf|archive-date=5 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="oman_simsonium-magazine_2021"/> The game's rules of this version were written on a cuneiform tablet by a Babylonian astronomer in 177 BC, and involved two players racing their pieces from one end of a 20-square board to the other in a similar way to backgammon, with the central squares being used for fortune telling.<ref name="oman_simsonium-magazine_2021">{{cite web|title=Archaeologists Unearth 4,000-Year-Old Stone Board Game in Oman|website=Smith Sonianmag (www.smithsonianmag.com)|date=11 January 2022|first=David|last=Kindy|language=en|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-4000-year-old-stone-board-game-in-oman-180979340|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216131112/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-4000-year-old-stone-board-game-in-oman-180979340|archive-date=16 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ur_british-museum_2021"/><ref name="oldest-board-game_smithsonian-magazine_2021"/> [[Backgammon]] also originated in ancient Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Backgammon History|url=https://bkgm.com/articles/Bray/BackgammonHistory|access-date=12 December 2024|website=bkgm.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405115545/https://www.bkgm.com/articles/Bray/BackgammonHistory|archive-date=5 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:British Museum Royal Game of Ur.jpg|The [[Royal Game of Ur]], southern Iraq, about {{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|2400&nbsp;BC}}
</gallery>

|'''China'''
:Though speculative, [[Go (board game)|Go]] has been thought to have originated in China somewhere in the 10th and 4th century BC.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Potter|first=Donald L.|year=1985|title=Go in the Classics (ii): the Tso-chuan|journal=[[Go World]]|issue=42|publisher=Ishi Press|location=Tokyo|pages=19–21|url=http://www.kiseido.com/classics.htm|access-date=2 November 2007|archive-date=18 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218113923/http://kiseido.com/classics.htm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pandanet.co.jp/English/essay/goancientchina.html|title=Go in Ancient China|last=Fairbairn|first=John|year=1995|access-date=2 November 2007}}</ref> While no archeological or reliable documentary evidence exists of the exact origins of the game, according to legend, [[Liubo]] was invented in around 1728–1675 BC in China by Wu Cao, a minister of [[Jie of Xia|King Jie]] the last [[Xia dynasty]] king. China developed a number of chess variants, including [[xiangqi]] (Chinese chess), [[Jungle (board game)|dou shou qi]] (Chinese animal chess), and [[luzhanqi]] (Chinese army chess), each with their own variants.<ref name="chess-variants)ancient-chess_current(2025)">{{Cite news|title=How to Play Chess from Around the World|language=en|website=Ancient Chess (www.ancientchess.com)|url=https://ancientchess.com/page/play-all.htm|access-date=12 December 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241212025110/https://ancientchess.com/page/play-all.htm|archive-date=12 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Games like [[mahjong]], and [[Dou dizhu|Fighting the Landlords (Dou DiZhu)]] also originated in China.{{pb}}In modern-day China, board game cafes have become popular, with cities like Shanghai having more game cafés than Starbucks.<ref name="china-cafes_flamingogroup_current(2025)">{{Cite web|title=Six Reasons China Loves Board Game Cafés|url=http://flamingogroup.com/six-reasons-china-loves-board-game-cafes#|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520043014/http://flamingogroup.com/six-reasons-china-loves-board-game-cafes|archive-date=20 May 2016|access-date=22 April 2016|website=Flamingo}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Han Pottery Figures Playing Liubo, a Lost Game (10352729936).jpg|[[Han dynasty]] glazed pottery tomb figurines playing liubo, with six sticks laid out to the side of the game board
</gallery>

|'''India'''
:[[Ashtapada]], [[chess]], [[pachisi]] and [[chaupar]] originated in India.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} In modern day India, a community game called [[Carrom]] is popular.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 September 2020|title=The most popular board games in non-Western cultures|url=https://boardgametheories.com/most-popular-board-games-in-other-cultures|access-date=1 October 2020|website=BoardGameTheories|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127003628/https://boardgametheories.com/most-popular-board-games-in-other-cultures|archive-date=27 November 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

|'''Iran'''
: The [[Shahr-e Sukhteh|Shahr-i Sokhta]] board game set, comprising 27 pieces and 4 different dice, dates to 2600–2400 BCE. The entire set has been scientifically analyzed and reconstructed by researchers, and it is considered the oldest complete and playable board game ever discovered.<ref name="Games of old">{{cite journal |last1=Hsu |first1=Jeremy |title=Games of old |journal=New Scientist |date=14 December 2024 |volume=264 |issue=3521 |pages=48–49 |doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(24)02191-2 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0262407924021912 |issn=0262-4079}}</ref> [[Jiroft culture|Jiroft civilization]] game boards<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maǧīdzāda|first=Yūsuf|title=Jiroft: the earliest oriental civilization|date=2003|publisher=Organization of the Ministry of Culture ans Islamic Guidance|isbn=964-422-478-7|oclc=249152908}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=May 2024}} in Iran, is one of several important historical sites, artifacts, and documents shed light on early board games.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Shahr-i-sokhta-board-game.jpg|The complete set of the [[Shahr-e Sukhteh|Shahr-i Sokhta]] board game, Iran, with 27 pieces and 4 dice in its current condition, about {{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} &ndash; {{Circa|2400&nbsp;BC}} [[National Museum of Iran]]
File:The scholarly reconstruction of the Shahr-i Sokhta board game.jpg|The first-ever scholarly reconstruction of the Shahr-i Sokhta board game
File:Jiroft scorpion.png|Game board made of [[Chlorite group|chlorite stone]] relief in the form of [[Scorpion man]], characteristic of the gaming tradition in West Asia from the 3rd to 1st millennium B.C.
 [[Chloritgruppe|Chlorit]]-Stein-Relief in Form von Skorpion-Mann

</gallery>
|'''South Korea'''
:A board game of flicking stones ([[Alkkagi]]) became popular among people in [[South Korea]] after various [[Korean variety show]]s demonstrated its gameplay on television.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2016|title=Alkkagi: A Korean Game.|url=https://kpopjacketlady.com/2016/07/08/alkkagi-a-korean-game/|website=KPopJacketLady|access-date=20 March 2025 }}</ref>
|'''Oman'''
:A stone slab carved with a grid and cup holes to hold game pieces constituting a large 4,000-year-old stone board game was located in a prehistoric settlement dated back to the [[Umm an-Nar period]] ({{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} to {{Circa|2000&nbsp;BC}}) near the village of [[Ayn Bani Saidahat]] in the [[Qumayrah Valley]], [[Oman]].<ref name="oman_simsonium-magazine_2021"/>
}}

===Africa===

In Africa and the Middle East, [[mancala]] is a popular board game archetype with many regional variations.
{{ublist
|'''Egypt'''
:The first complete set of this game was discovered from a [[Thebes, Egypt|Theban tomb]] that dates to the [[13th dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Metcalfe|first=Tom|date=10 December 2018|title=16 of the Most Interesting Ancient Board and Dice Games|url=https://www.livescience.com/64266-ancient-board-games.html|access-date=23 December 2018|website=Live Science|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203052218/https://www.livescience.com/64266-ancient-board-games.html|archive-date=3 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hounds and jackals]], another ancient Egyptian board game, appeared around 2000 BC.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hirst|first=K. Kris|title=What? Snakes and Ladders is 4,000 Years Old?|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/50-holes-game-169581|access-date=23 December 2018|website=ThoughtCo.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220052844/https://www.thoughtco.com/50-holes-game-169581|archive-date=20 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=18 November 2018|title=A 4,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Game Called 58 Holes Has Been Discovered in Azerbaijan Rock Shelter|url=http://wsbuzz.com/science/a-4000-year-old-bronze-age-game-called-58-holes-has-been-discovered-in-azerbaijan-rock-shelter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826203339/https://wsbuzz.com/science/a-4000-year-old-bronze-age-game-called-58-holes-has-been-discovered-in-azerbaijan-rock-shelter|archive-date=26 August 2019|access-date=23 December 2018|website=WSBuzz.com|language=en-US}}</ref> This game, originating {{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} – {{Circa|2400&nbsp;BC}} was also popular in [[Mesopotamia]] and the [[Caucasus]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bower|first=Bruce|date=17 December 2018|title=A Bronze Age game called 58 holes was found chiseled into stone in Azerbaijan|url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bronze-age-game-found-chiseled-stone-azerbaijan|access-date=23 December 2018|website=Science News|language=en}}</ref> Senet, originating from {{Circa|2600&nbsp;BC}} – {{Circa|2400&nbsp;BC}}, was found in [[Predynastic Egypt|Predynastic]] {{Circa|3500&nbsp;BC}} and [[First dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]] {{Circa|3100&nbsp;BC}} burials of Egypt,<ref name="senet_piccone_1980">{{Cite journal|first=Peter A.|last=Piccione|date=July–August 1980|title=In Search of the Meaning of Senet|url=http://www.piccionep.people.cofc.edu/piccione_senet.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Archaeology|pages=55–58|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125005541/http://piccionep.people.cofc.edu/piccione_senet.pdf|archive-date=25 November 2011|access-date=14 July 2018}}</ref> and pictured in [[fresco]] wall paintings and papyrus in Egyptian tombs, including the tombs of Merknera ({{Circa|3300&nbsp;BC}}–{{Circa|2700&nbsp;BC}} BC)<ref name="senet2">{{Cite web|date=27 April 1998|title=Okno do svita deskovych her|url=http://www.hrejsi.cz/clanky/dama1.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208220158/http://www.hrejsi.cz/clanky/dama1.html|archive-date=8 December 2012|access-date=12 February 2010|publisher=Hrejsi.cz}}</ref><ref name="Pivotto">{{Cite web|last=Pivotto|first=Carlos|display-authors=etal|title=Detection of Negotiation Profile and Guidance to more Collaborative Approaches through Negotiation Games|url=http://worldcomp-proceedings.com/proc/p2011/EEE3388.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://worldcomp-proceedings.com/proc/p2011/EEE3388.pdf|archive-date=9 October 2022|access-date=2 October 2014}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2023}}{{dubious|date=February 2023}} and Nikauhor and Sekhemhathor ({{Circa|2465&nbsp;BC}}–{{Circa|2389&nbsp;BC}}).<ref name="oldest_met_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=West wall of the chapel of Nikauhor and Sekhemhathor|website=The Metropoletean Museum of Art (www.metmuseum.org)|language=en|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/08.201.2a-g|access-date=7 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250106232519/https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/08.201.2a-g|archive-date=6 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> An ancient games from the African region included the predynastic Egyptian board game of [[Mehen (game)|mehen]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Games in ancient Egypt|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt//furniture/games.html|access-date=13 June 2020|website=Digital Egypt for Universities|publisher=University College, London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202104428/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt//furniture/games.html|archive-date=2 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="oldest-games_oldest_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=8 Oldest Board Games in the World|website=Oldest (www.oldest.org)|language=en|url=https://www.oldest.org/entertainment/board-games|access-date=6 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008185958/https://www.oldest.org/entertainment/board-games|archive-date=8 October 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Game of Hounds and Jackals MET DP264105.jpg|Hounds and jackals ([[Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Egypt, 13th Dynasty]])
File:Tropenmuseum Royal Tropical Institute Objectnumber 699-2 Speelbord voor mancala spel.jpg|Mancala board and clay playing pieces
File:Gaming Board Inscribed for Amenhotep III with Separate Sliding Drawer, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.,49.56a-b.jpg|Senet set inscribed with the [[Horus name]] of [[Amenhotep III]] ({{r.}} 1391–1353 BC)
</gallery>

==Luck, strategy, and diplomacy==
Some games, such as chess, depend completely on player skill, while many children's games such as ''[[Candy Land]]'' (1949) and [[snakes and ladders]] require no decisions by the players and are decided purely by luck.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 January 2009|title=The case against Candy Land|url=http://boingboing.net/2009/01/26/the-case-against-can.html|website=BoingBoing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241120044837/https://boingboing.net/2009/01/26/the-case-against-can.html|archive-date=20 November 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Board game damah at Souq Waqif.jpg|thumb|Two Qataris playing the traditional board game of ''[[Turkish draughts|damah]]'']]
Many games require some level of both skill and luck. A player may be hampered by bad luck in [[backgammon]], ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]'', or ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''; but over many games, a skilled player will win more often.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Luck vs. Skill in Backgammon|url=https://bkgm.com/articles/Simborg/LuckVsSkill/index.html |access-date=19 May 2020 |website=bkgm.com}}</ref> The elements of luck can also make for more excitement at times, and allow for more diverse and multifaceted strategies, as concepts such as [[expected value]] and [[risk management]] must be considered.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sfetcu|first=Nicolae|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J1aAAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22board+game%22+%22expected+value%22+and+%22risk+management%22&pg=PA78|title=Game Preview|date=4 May 2014|publisher=Nicolae Sfetcu|language=en}}</ref>

Luck may be introduced into a game by several methods. The use of [[dice]] of various sorts goes back to one of the earliest board games, the [[Royal Game of Ur]]. These can decide everything from how many steps a player moves their token, as in ''Monopoly'', to how their forces fare in battle, as in ''Risk'', or which resources a player gains, as in ''[[Catan]]'' (1995). Other games such as ''[[Sorry! (game)|Sorry!]]'' (1934) use a deck of special [[Playing card|cards]] that, when shuffled, create randomness. ''[[Scrabble]]'' (1948) creates a similar effect using randomly picked letters. Other games use spinners, timers of random length, or other sources of randomness. [[German-style board game]]s are notable for often having fewer elements of luck than many North American board games.<ref name="How stuff works">{{Cite web|last=Kirkpatrick|first=Karen|date=27 April 2015|title=What's a German-style board game?|url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/german-style-board-game.htm|access-date=20 July 2021|website=HowStuffWorks.com|quote="They feature little or no luck, and economic, not military, themes. In addition, all players stay in the game until it's over."}}</ref> Luck may be reduced in favor of skill by introducing symmetry between players. For example, in a dice game such as ''[[Ludo (game)|Ludo]]'' ({{circa|1896}}), by giving each player the choice of rolling the dice or using the previous player's roll.

Another important aspect of some games is diplomacy, that is, players, making deals with one another. Negotiation generally features only in games with three or more players, [[Cooperative board game|cooperative games]] being the exception. An important facet of ''Catan'', for example, is convincing players to trade with you rather than with opponents. In ''Risk'', two or more players may team up against others. ''Easy'' diplomacy involves convincing other players that someone else is winning and should therefore be teamed up against. ''Advanced'' diplomacy (e.g., in the aptly named game ''[[Diplomacy (game)|Diplomacy]]'' from 1954) consists of making elaborate plans together, with the possibility of betrayal.<ref name="cooperative-games_washington-post_1986">{{Cite web|last=McLellan|first=Joseph|date=2 June 1986|title=Lying and Cheating by the Rules|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/06/02/lying-and-cheating-by-the-rules/78ab5e73-b64d-4448-875e-aae12ab43476|issn=0190-8286|access-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250102092517/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/06/02/lying-and-cheating-by-the-rules/78ab5e73-b64d-4448-875e-aae12ab43476|archive-date=2 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Annie|last=Kearns Kearns|title=16 Easy Pen and Paper Games Your Family Will Love|url=https://www.thelondonmother.net/easy-pen-and-paper-games|website=The London Mother (www.thelondonmother.net)|date=16 March 2020|access-date=31 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430124253/https://www.thelondonmother.net/easy-pen-and-paper-games|archive-date=30 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[perfect information]] games, such as chess, each player has complete information on the state of the game, but in other games, such as ''[[Tigris and Euphrates]]'' (1997) or ''[[Stratego]]'' (1946), some information is hidden from players.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Glassner|first=Andrew|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ksj1EAAAQBAJ&dq=%22board+game%22+hidden+information+estimating+probabilities+by+the+opponents+stratego&pg=PT74|title=Interactive Storytelling: Techniques for 21st Century Fiction|date=2 August 2017|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-040-08312-3|language=en}}</ref> This makes finding the best move more difficult and may involve estimating probabilities by the opponents.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Levine|first=Timothy R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iRJzAwAAQBAJ&dq=finding+the+best+move+more+difficult+and+may+involve+estimating+probabilities+by+the+opponents&pg=PA403|title=Encyclopedia of Deception|date=20 February 2014|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4833-0689-6|language=en}}</ref>

==Software==
{{main|Digital tabletop game}}
Many board games are now available as video games. These are aptly termed digital board games, and their distinguishing characteristic compared to traditional board games is they can now be played [[Internet|online]] against a computer or other players. Some websites (such as boardgamearena.com, yucata.de, etc.)<ref name="onlineboard">{{Cite web |date=25 February 2019 |title=6 Best Sites to Play Board Games Online for Free |url=https://mykindofmeeple.com/play-modern-board-games-online/ |access-date=23 January 2021 |website=Mykindofmeeple.com}}</ref> allow play in [[real time (media)|real time]] and immediately show the opponents' moves, while others use email to notify the players after each move.<ref name="chessbyemail">{{Cite web |title=U3a International Chess by Email |url=http://www.u3abroadbeach.com/chess-by-email.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015070203/http://www.u3abroadbeach.com/chess-by-email.html |archive-date=15 October 2014 |access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref> The Internet and cheaper home printing has also influenced board games via print-and-play games that may be purchased and printed.<ref name="printplay">{{Cite web |title=Print & Play |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1120/print-play |access-date=8 October 2014 |website=Boardgamegeek.com}}</ref> Some games use external media such as audio cassettes or DVDs in accompaniment to the game.<ref name="dvdgames">{{Cite web |title=DVD Board Games |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/7348/dvd-board-games |access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="cassettegames">{{Cite web |title=Audio Cassette Board Games |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamefamily/7477/audio-cassette-board-games |access-date=8 October 2014 |website=Boardgamegeek.com}}</ref>

{{anchor|Virtual tabletop}}There are also [[virtual tabletop]] programs that allow online players to play a variety of existing and new board games through tools needed to manipulate the game board but do not necessarily enforce the game's rules, leaving this up to the players. There are generalized programs such as ''[[Vassal Engine|Vassal]]'', ''[[Tabletop Simulator]]'' and ''[[Tabletopia]]'' that can be used to play any board or card game, while programs like ''[[Roll20]]'' and ''[[Fantasy Grounds]]'' are more specialized for role-playing games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=22 April 2015 |title=D&D now on Steam, complete with dice and a Dungeon Master |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/22/8470473/dungeons-dragons-virtual-tabletop-fantasy-grounds |access-date=10 April 2017 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=1 December 2016 |title=Tabletopia is slick as hell, and it's free on Steam |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/1/13806190/tabletopia-steam-board-games-free-to-play |access-date=7 September 2017 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref> Some of these virtual tabletops have worked with the license holders to allow for use of their game's assets within the program; for example, ''Fantasy Grounds'' has licenses for both ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and ''[[Pathfinder (periodicals)|Pathfinder]]'' materials, while ''Tabletop Simulator'' allows game publishers to provide [[microtransaction|paid downloadable content]] for their games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmiteWorks USA, LLC |url=http://www.fantasygrounds.com/press/ |access-date=21 July 2017 |website=Fantasy Grounds |publisher=SmiteWorks}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Conner |first=Alice |date=1 October 2015 |title=Cosmic Encounter Officially Invades Tabletop Simulator |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10/01/cosmic-encounter-tabletop-simulator/ |access-date=1 August 2016 |website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]}}</ref> However, as these games offer the ability to add in the content through [[mod (video gaming)|user modifications]], there are also unlicensed uses of board game assets available through these programs.<ref name="gamasutra interview">{{Cite web |last=Wawro |first=Alex |date=3 July 2015 |title=Mod Mentality: How Tabletop Simulator was made to be broken |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/mod-mentality-how-i-tabletop-simulator-i-was-made-to-be-broken |access-date=8 July 2015 |website=[[Gamasutra]]}}</ref>

==Market==
[[File:Nepomuk 280 - Osadníci z Katanu.jpg|thumb|left|The modern German board game ''[[Catan]]'' is printed in 30 languages and sold 15 million by 2009.]]
While the board gaming market is estimated to be smaller than that for [[video games]], it has also experienced significant growth from the late 1990s.<ref name="guardian_2014(oct)"/> A 2012 article in ''[[The Guardian]]'' described board games as "making a comeback".<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2012 |title=Why board games are making a comeback |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/09/board-games-comeback-freeman |author-last=Freeman |author-first=Will}}</ref> Other expert sources suggest that board games never went away, and that board games have remained a popular leisure activity which has only grown over time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 August 2018 |title=Not Bored Of Board Games |url=https://www.toyindustryjournal.com/not-bored-of-board-games/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302164229/https://www.toyindustryjournal.com/not-bored-of-board-games/ |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=5 January 2021 |website=Toyindustryjournal.com}}</ref> Another from 2014 gave an estimate that put the growth of the board game market at "between 25% and 40% annually" since 2010, and described the current time as the "golden era for board games".<ref name="guardian_2014(oct)"/> The rise in board game popularity has been attributed to quality improvement (more elegant [[Game mechanic|mechanics]], {{boardgloss|components}}, artwork, and graphics) as well as increased availability thanks to sales through the Internet.<ref name="guardian_2014(oct)"/> [[Crowdsourcing|Crowd-sourcing]] for board games is a large facet of the market, with $233&nbsp;million raised on [[Kickstarter]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=22 December 2020 |title=Games broke funding records on Kickstarter in 2020, despite the pandemic |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/22/22195749/kickstarter-top-10-highest-funded-campaigns-2020-video-games-board-games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222221453/https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/22/22195749/kickstarter-top-10-highest-funded-campaigns-2020-video-games-board-games |archive-date=22 December 2020 |access-date=8 August 2021 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref>

A 1991 estimate for the global board game market was over $1.2&nbsp;billion.<ref name="BrowneBrowne2001">{{Cite book |last=Scanlon |first=Jennifer |title=The Guide to United States Popular Culture |publisher=Popular Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-87972-821-2 |editor-last=Browne |editor-first=Ray Broadus |page=103 |chapter=Board games |editor-last2=Browne |editor-first2=Pat |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3rJxPYT32MC&pg=PA103}}</ref> A 2001 estimate for the United States "board games and puzzle" market gave a value of under $400&nbsp;million, and for United Kingdom, of about £50&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=So you've invented a board game. Now what? |url=http://www.amherstlodge.com/games/reference/gameinvented.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115210052/http://www.amherstlodge.com/games/reference/gameinvented.htm |archive-date=15 November 2014 |access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref> A 2009 estimate for the Korean market was put at 800&nbsp;million won,<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 July 2009 |title=Educational Games Getting Popular |work=The Korea Times |url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/07/113_48931.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105035853/https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/07/113_48931.html |archive-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> and another estimate for the American board game market for the same year was at about $800&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monopoly, Candy Land May Offer Refuge to Families in Recession |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a2HEzwndjrVQ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141126045211/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a2HEzwndjrVQ |archive-date=26 November 2014 |website=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref> A 2011 estimate for the Chinese board game market was at over 10&nbsp;billion [[yuan (currency)|yuan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Board Game Market Overview |url=http://www.lpboardgame.com/board-games-simple-chinese-board-game-market-overview/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221075513/http://www.lpboardgame.com/board-games-simple-chinese-board-game-market-overview/ |archive-date=21 February 2016 |website=LP Board Game}}</ref> A 2013 estimate put the size of the German toy market at 2.7&nbsp;billion euros (out of which the board games and puzzle market is worth about 375&nbsp;million euros), and Polish markets at 2&nbsp;billion and 280&nbsp;million [[Polish zloty|zlotys]], respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 April 2013 |title=Pamiętacie Eurobiznes? Oto wielki powrót gier planszowych, dla których oni zarywają noce |url=http://menstream.pl/wiadomosci-reportaze-i-wywiady/pamietacie-eurobiznes-oto-wielki-powrot-gier-planszowych-dla-ktorych-oni-zarywaja-noce,0,1288179.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105041205/http://menstream.pl/wiadomosci-reportaze-i-wywiady/pamietacie-eurobiznes-oto-wielki-powrot-gier-planszowych-dla-ktorych-oni-zarywaja-noce%2C0%2C1288179.html |archive-date=5 January 2016 |website=Menstream.pl}}</ref> In 2009, Germany was considered to be the best market per capita, with the highest number of games sold per individual.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=23 March 2009 |title=Monopoly Killer: Perfect German Board Game Redefines Genre |url=http://archive.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/17-04/mf_settlers?currentPage=all |magazine=WIRED |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510075137/http://archive.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/17-04/mf_settlers?currentPage=all |archive-date=10 May 2015 |access-date=23 April 2015}}</ref>

=== Hobby board games ===
Some academics, such as Erica Price and Marco Arnaudo, have differentiated "hobby" board games and gamers from other board games and gamers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Price |first=Erica |date=2020-10-01 |title=The Sellers of Catan: The Impact of on the United States Leisure and Business Landscape, 1995-2019 |journal=Board Game Studies Journal |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=61–82 |doi=10.2478/bgs-2020-0004|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arnaudo |first=Marco |date=2017-11-29 |title=The Experience of Flow in Hobby Board Games |url=https://analoggamestudies.org/2017/11/the-experience-of-flow-in-hobby-board-games/ |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=Analog Game Studies |language=en-US}}</ref> A 2014 estimate placed the U.S. and Canada market for hobby board games (games produced for a "gamer" market) at only $75&nbsp;million, with the total size of what it defined as the "hobby game market" ("the market for those games regardless of whether they're sold in the hobby channel or other channels") at over $700&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hobby Games Market Hits $700M |url=https://icv2.com/articles/games/view/29326/hobby-games-market-hits-700m |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=icv2.com |language=en}}</ref> A similar 2015 estimate suggested a hobby game market value of almost $900&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hobby Games Market Climbs to $880 Million |url=https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/32102/hobby-games-market-climbs-880-million |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=icv2.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Research==
{{multiple image|align=right|total_width=400
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|footer=Board games serve diverse interests. {{em|Left:}} [[kōnane]] for studious competition. {{em|Right:}} kōnane for lighthearted fun.}}
A dedicated field of research into gaming exists, known as [[game studies]] or ludology.<ref>{{Citation |last=Fernández-Vara |first=Clara |title=Adventure |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203114261-33/adventure-clara-fern%C3%A1ndez-vara |journal=The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies |date=3 January 2014 |pages=232–240 |doi=10.4324/9780203114261-33 |access-date=2022-08-21 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821035254/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203114261-33/adventure-clara-fern%C3%A1ndez-vara |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

While there has been a fair amount of scientific research on the psychology of older board games (e.g., [[chess]], [[Go (board game)|Go]], [[mancala]]), less has been done on contemporary board games such as ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]'', ''[[Scrabble]]'', and ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]'',<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gobet, Fernand |title=Moves in mind: The psychology of board games |last2=de Voogt, Alex |last3=Retschitzki, Jean |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84169-336-1 |author-link=Fernand Gobet}}</ref> and especially modern board games such as ''[[Catan]]'', ''[[Agricola (board game)|Agricola]]'', and ''[[Pandemic (board game)|Pandemic]]''. Much research has been carried out on chess, partly because many tournament players are publicly ranked in national and international lists, which makes it possible to compare their levels of expertise. The works of [[Adriaan de Groot]], William Chase, [[Herbert A. Simon]], and [[Fernand Gobet]] have established that knowledge, more than the ability to anticipate moves, plays an essential role in chess-playing ability.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simons |first=Daniel |date=15 February 2012 |title=How experts recall chess positions |url=http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2012/02/15/how-experts-recall-chess-positions/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041450/http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2012/02/15/how-experts-recall-chess-positions/ |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=21 November 2017 |website=The Invisible Gorilla}}</ref>

Linearly arranged board games have improved children's spatial numerical understanding. This is because the game is similar to a [[number line]] in that they promote a linear understanding of numbers rather than the innate logarithmic one.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Playing Linear Number Board Games—But Not Circular Ones—Improves Low-Income Preschoolers' Numerical Understanding |url=http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/sieg-ram09.pdf |access-date=30 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524170555/http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/sieg-ram09.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2011}}</ref>

Research studies show that board games such as ''Snakes and Ladders'' result in children showing significant improvements in aspects of basic number skills such as counting, recognizing numbers, numerical estimation, and number comprehension. They also practice fine motor skills each time they grasp a game piece.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LeFebvre |first=J.E. |title=Parenting the preschooler |url=http://parenting.uwex.edu/parenting-the-preschooler/documents/board_games.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521002940/http://parenting.uwex.edu/parenting-the-preschooler/documents/board_games.pdf |archive-date=21 May 2014 |access-date=10 March 2015 |website=UW Extension}}</ref> Playing board games has also been tied to improving children's [[executive functions]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lahey |first=Jessica |date=16 July 2014 |title=How Family Game Night Makes Kids into Better Students |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/07/how-family-game-night-makes-kids-into-better-students/374525/ |access-date=13 May 2019 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref> and help reduce risks of dementia for the elderly.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dartigues |first1=Jean François |last2=Foubert-Samier |first2=Alexandra |last3=Le Goff |first3=Mélanie |last4=Viltard |first4=Mélanie |last5=Amieva |first5=Hélène |last6=Orgogozo |first6=Jean Marc |last7=Barberger-Gateau |first7=Pascale |last8=Helmer |first8=Catherine |date=2013 |title=Playing board games, cognitive decline and dementia: a French population-based cohort study |journal=BMJ Open |language=en |volume=3 |issue=8 |article-number=e002998 |doi=10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002998 |issn=2044-6055 |pmc=3758967 |pmid=23988362}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Altschul |first1=Drew M |last2=Deary |first2=Ian J |year=2020 |editor-last=Taler |editor-first=Vanessa |title=Playing Analog Games Is Associated With Reduced Declines in Cognitive Function: A 68-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study |journal=The Journals of Gerontology: Series B |language=en |volume=75 |issue=3 |pages=474–482 |doi=10.1093/geronb/gbz149 |issn=1079-5014 |pmc=7021446 |pmid=31738418}}</ref> Related to this is a growing academic interest in the topic of game accessibility, culminating in the development of guidelines for assessing the accessibility of modern tabletop games<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Heron |first1=Michael James |last2=Belford |first2=Pauline Helen |last3=Reid |first3=Hayley |last4=Crabb |first4=Michael |date=27 April 2018 |title=Meeple Centred Design: A Heuristic Toolkit for Evaluating the Accessibility of Tabletop Games |journal=The Computer Games Journal |language=en |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=97–114 |doi=10.1007/s40869-018-0057-8 |issn=2052-773X |doi-access=free|hdl=10059/2886 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> and the extent to which they are playable for people with disabilities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Heron |first1=Michael James |last2=Belford |first2=Pauline Helen |last3=Reid |first3=Hayley |last4=Crabb |first4=Michael |date=21 April 2018 |title=Eighteen Months of Meeple Like Us: An Exploration into the State of Board Game Accessibility |url=http://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/files/27828635/Heron2018_Article_EighteenMonthsOfMeepleLikeUsAn.pdf |url-status=live |journal=The Computer Games Journal |language=en |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=75–95 |doi=10.1007/s40869-018-0056-9 |issn=2052-773X |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/files/27828635/Heron2018_Article_EighteenMonthsOfMeepleLikeUsAn.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |s2cid=5011817}}</ref>

Additionally, board games can be therapeutic. [[Bruce Barrymore Halpenny|Bruce Halpenny]], a [[games inventor]] said when interviewed about his game, [[The Great Train Robbery (board game)|''The Great Train Robbery'']]:<blockquote>With crime you deal with every basic human emotion and also have enough elements to combine action with melodrama. The player's imagination is fired as they plan to rob the train. Because of the gamble, they take in the early stage of the game there is a build-up of tension, which is immediately released once the train is robbed. Release of tension is therapeutic and useful in our society because most jobs are boring and repetitive.<ref name="TRN1976">{{Cite news |date=December 1976 |title=Stealing the show |volume=2 |page=2 |work=Toy Retailing News |issue=4}}</ref></blockquote>

Playing games has been suggested as a viable addition to the traditional educational curriculum if the content is appropriate and the gameplay informs students on the curriculum content.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Harris |first=Christopher |date=n.d. |title=Meet the New School Board: Board Games Are Back – And They're Exactly What Your Curriculum Needs |url=http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ850549 |magazine=School Library Journal |volume=55 |issue=5 |pages=24–26 |issn=0362-8930 |access-date=23 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mewborne |first1=Michael |last2=Mitchell |first2=Jerry T. |date=3 April 2019 |title=Carcassonne: Using a Tabletop Game to Teach Geographic Concepts |journal=The Geography Teacher |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=57–67 |doi=10.1080/19338341.2019.1579108 |bibcode=2019GeTea..16...57M |issn=1933-8341 |s2cid=181375208}}</ref>

==Categories==
===Historical development===

[[H. J. R. Murray|Harold Murray]]'s ''A History of Board Games Other Than Chess'' (1952)<ref name="classical-classification_murray_1952">{{Cite book|last=Murray|first=Harold James Ruthven|author-link=H. J. R. Murray|title=A History of Board Games Other Than Chess|publisher=Oxford [USA], Clarendon Press, and Hassell Street Press|year=2021|isbn=978-1-015-00305-7|edition=Reprint|orig-date=1st Pub. 1952, [[Clarendon Press]], Oxford}}</ref> has been called the first attempt to develop a "scheme for the classification of board games", in which he separated board games into five categories: "race", "war", "hunt", "alignment" / "configuration", and "mancala" games.<ref name="game-category_murray_1952">{{Cite web|title=SFE: Board Game|website=sf-encyclopedia.com|url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/board_game|access-date=18 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250118122450/https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/board_game|archive-date=18 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/> [[Robert Charles Bell|Robert Bell]]'s ''Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations'' (1869)<ref name="classical-classification_bell_1960">{{Cite book|last=Bell|first=Robert Charles|author-link=Robert Charles Bell|title=Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations|publisher=[[Dover Publications]]|year=1979|isbn=978-0-671-06030-5|edition=Revised|volume=I|orig-date=1st Pub. 1960, [[Oxford University Press]], London}}</ref> similarly espoused a classification of board games, this time divided into four categories, "race", "war", "positional", and "mancala" games.<ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/> In [[David Parlett]]'s ''The Oxford History of Board Games'' (1999),<ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999">{{Cite book|first=David|last=Parlett|author-link=David Parlett|title=The Oxford History of Board Games|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1999|isbn=978-0-192-12998-7}}</ref> based on the work of Murray and Bell,<ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/> he described a "classical" categorization of board games which consisted of four primary categories: "[[#race|race]]", "[[#space|space]]", "[[#chase|chase]]", and "[[#displacement|displace]]" games.<ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999" /><ref name="game-categories_woods_2024_p15">{{Cite book|last=Woods|first=Stewart|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xgmjCHxSxvoC&q=history+of+board+games&pg=PP1|title=Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games|date=16 August 2012|isbn=978-0-7864-9065-3|page=15|publisher=McFarland}} [https://ia601907.us.archive.org/9/items/woods-2012-eurogames-p-15/Woods%20%282012%29%20Eurogames%20-%20p15.pdf Alt URL]</ref>{{rp|page=17}}

Modern board games have been classified in a variety of ways, a classification that can be based on the board game's mechanics, theme, age range, player number, and promotion. The diversity of board games means that some games belong to several categories.<ref name="edwards_fv">{{Cite thesis|last=Edwards|first=Jason R.|title=Saving Families, One Game at a Time |url=http://visionandvalues.org/docs/familymatters/Edwards_Jason.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205071220/http://visionandvalues.org/docs/familymatters/Edwards_Jason.pdf|archive-date=5 February 2016}}</ref>{{rp|13}}

===Mechanics===

A board game's [[game mechanic|mechanics]] usually involve an assessment of a player or player/s achievements while adhering to a series of pre-established {{boardgloss#rule set|rules}}, i.e. {{boardgloss|gameplay}}, such as capturing opponents' pieces, calculation of a final score, or achieving a predefined goal. Board games have a range of rule complexity but also a range of strategic depth, both of which determine the ease of mastering the game, i.e., hard-to-master games like [[chess]] possess a relatively simple rule set but have great strategic depth.<ref name="pritchard_1994">{{Cite book|last=Pritchard|first=D.B.|title=The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants|publisher=Games & Puzzles Publications|year=1994|isbn=978-0-9524142-0-9|page=84|quote=Chess itself is a simple game to learn but its resulting strategy is profound.|author-link=David Pritchard (chess player)}}</ref> Examples of categories based on a modern categorization of a board game's mechanics include:<ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+ Board game categorization by mechanics
|-
! width=130px | Board game categories
! Description
! Examples 
! width=50px | Ref
|-
| Alignment
| Alignment board games are a subcategory of space board games. In an alignment game, a player is required to position their tokens in an array of a prescribed length. Like space games, these games are often abstract games.
| [[Renju]]; [[Gomoku]]; [[Connect6]]; [[Nine men's morris]]; [[Tic-tac-toe]]
| <ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| American-style
| [[Ameritrash|American-style]] board games are those from the North American region, usually having an emphasis on theme; randomness, usually through dice; numerous ways to win; and direct player conflict. These board games are also called Ameritrash board games; however, this term is not necessarily a negative label.
| ''[[Betrayal at House on the Hill]]''; ''[[Zombicide]]''; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''; ''[[Arkham Horror]]''; ''[[Talisman (board game)|Talisman]]''
| <ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/>
|-
| Auction
| Auction board games are those that use [[bidding]], a competitive assigning of value to different items, resources, privileges, or game scenarios, as a mechanism by which players attempt to obtain valuable in-game assets or establish a favorable turn order. These board games are also called bidding board games.
| [[:Category:Auction board games|Examples]] include: ''[[Biblios]]''; ''[[Condottiere (board game)|Condottiere]]''; ''[[El Grande]]''; ''[[For Sale (board game)|For Sale]]''; ''[[Hit Z Road]]''; ''[[Hoity Toity]]''; ''[[The Estates (board game)|The Estates]]''; ''[[High Society (card game)|High Society]]''; ''[[Irish Gauge (board game)|Irish Gauge]]''; ''[[Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King|Isle of Skye]]''; ''[[Medici (board game)|Medici]]''; ''[[Power Grid]]''; ''[[Skull (card game)|Skull]]''; ''[[Taj Mahal (board game)|Taj Mahal]]''; ''[[Ra (board game)|Ra]]''
| <ref name="auction-games_bombard-games_2023">{{cite web|title=Board Game Mechanics – Auctions & Bidding|website=Bombard Games (www.bombardgames.com)|date=14 February 2023|language=en|url=https://bombardgames.com/board-game-mechanics-auctions-bidding|access-date=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401211943/https://bombardgames.com/board-game-mechanics-auctions-bidding|archive-date=1 April 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auction_dice-breaker_2020">{{cite web|title=10 best auction board games you can bet on for a good time|website=Dice Breaker (www.dicebreaker.com|date=25 May 2020|first=Thomas|last=Wells|language=en|url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/mechanics/auction/best-games/best-auction-board-games|access-date=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716132639/https://www.dicebreaker.com/mechanics/auction/best-games/best-auction-board-games|archive-date=16 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/>
|-
| Area control
| Area control board games are those with some form of map or board defining a space that players compete to dominate, usually through adding their own pieces to regions or areas or removing their opponents' pieces. 
| ''[[Small World (board game)|Small World]]''; ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''; ''[[Nanty Narking]]''; ''[[Blood Rage (board game)|Blood Rage]]''; ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[Scythe (board game)|Scythe]]''; even arguably ''[[Scrabble]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Bluffing
| Bluffing board games involve convincing opponent players on the accuracy of a claim, which includes tricking opponent players into believing something that is incorrect. All bluffing board games revolve around an element of hidden information. 
| ''[[Blood on the Clocktower]]''; ''[[Coup (card game)|Coup]]''; ''[[The Resistance (game)|The Resistance]]''; ''[[Sheriff of Nottingham (board game)|Sheriff of Nottingham]]''; ''[[Skull (card game)|Skull]]''; ''[[Shadows Over Camelot]]''; ''[[Enigma Beyond Code]]''; ''[[Bacchus' Banquet (board game)|Bacchus' Banquet]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="bluffing-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Bluffing|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1023/bluffing|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212093435/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1023/bluffing|archive-date=12 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Campaign
| Campaign board games are defined by players following a series of connected scenarios, where the actions and outcome of one scenario will usually affect the next. 
| ''[[Charterstone]]''; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Return to Dark Tower]]''; ''[[The Ungame]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Chase
| Chase board games often have an asymmetrical layout, where players start the game with different sets of pieces and objectives, usually rolling one or more dice to move a corresponding number of spaces along a looping track of spaces, or a path with a start and finish. When players land on certain spaces, it triggers specific actions or offers the player certain gameplay options. These board games are also known as roll-and-move games.
| Classical: [[Tafl games|Hnefatafl]]; [[Snakes and ladders]]; [[Hyena chase]]{{pb}} Modern: ''[[Cluedo]]''; ''[[Cranium (board game)|Cranium]]''; ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]''; ''[[The Game of Life]]''; ''[[Formula D (board game)|Formula D]]''
| <ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/><ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| [[Chess variant]]
| Chess variant board games are displacement games that are variations upon the general [[chess]] concept.
| Traditional: [[Shogi]]; [[Xiangqi]]; [[Janggi]]{{pb}} Modern: [[Chess960]]; [[Grand Chess]]; [[Hexagonal chess]]; [[Alice Chess]]
| {{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} <!-- This category appears in no current list of game categories. The question needs to be asked whether just being a variant of [[Chess]] satisfies the requirement for a game category. --> 
|-
| City building
| City building board games involve building and managing a city via planning decisions, in a way that is efficient, powerful or lucrative.
| ''[[7 Wonders (board game)|7 Wonders]]''; ''[[The Capitals (game)|The Capitals]]''; ''[[Suburbia (board game)|Suburbia]]''; ''[[Citadels (card game)|Citadels]]''; ''[[Catan]]''; ''[[Everdell]]''; ''[[Life in Reterra (game)|Life in Reterra]]''; ''[[Lisboa (board game)|Lisboa]]''; ''[[On Mars (board game)|On Mars]]''; ''[[Puerto Rico (board game)|Puerto Rico]]''; ''{{ill|Underwater Cities (board game)|lt=Underwater Cities|de|Underwater Cities}}''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="city-building-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=City Building|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1029/city-building|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250107235705/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1029/city-building|archive-date=7 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Civilization building
| Civilization building board games are those that involve developing and managing a society of people, often from scratch, requiring the contemplation of long-term strategy, good resource management, and sometimes even conflict with opponents.
| ''[[7 Wonders (board game)|7 Wonders]]''; ''[[Anno 1800 (board game)|Anno 1800]]''; ''[[Civilization (2010 board game)|Civilization]]''; ''[[Eclipse (board game)|Eclipse]]''; ''[[Gaia (board game)|Gaia]]''; ''[[Shogun (2006 board game)|Shogun]]''; ''[[Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization|Through The Ages]]''; [[Terra Mystica|''Terra Mystica'' franchise games]]; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="civilisation_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Civilization|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1015/civilization|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171824/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1015/civilization|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Collectible component
| Collectible component board games involve collecting and trading certain game elements, usually [[Collectible card game|cards]] and [[Miniature figure (gaming)|miniatures]]. These games are built around strategy and collection building, but also luck. These board games are also often called building board games.
| ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''; ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game|Yu-Gi-Oh]]''; ''[[Pokémon Trading Card Game|Pokémon]]''; ''[[KeyForge]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="collectible-component-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Collectible Components|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1044/collectible-components|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216215532/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1044/collectible-components|archive-date=16 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Configuration
| Configuration board games are a sub-category of space games. However, as opposed to alignment games, the objective of players is to line up their pieces to complete per-determined array targets in a particular order. Like space games, these games are often abstract games. 
| [[Lines of Action]]; [[Hexade (board game)|Hexade]]; ''[[Entropy (1977 board game)|Entropy]]''
| <ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/>
|-
| [[Connection game|Connection]]
| A connection board game is often an abstract strategy game, in which players attempt to complete a specific type of connection with their pieces. This could involve forming a path between two or more endpoints, completing a closed loop, or a player connecting all of their pieces so they are adjacent to each other. 
| [[TwixT]]; [[Hex (board game)|Hex]]; [[Havannah (board game)|Havannah]]
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| [[Cooperative board game|Cooperative]]
| Cooperative board games are those in which all the players work together to achieve a common goal rather than competing against each other. Either the players win the game by reaching a predetermined objective, or all players lose the game, often by not reaching the objective before a certain trigger event ends the game. These board games are also called non-competitive or co-op games. 
| [[:Category:Cooperative board games|Examples]] include: ''[[Max the Cat (board game)|Max the Cat]]''; ''[[Caves and Claws (board game)|Caves and Claws]]''; ''[[Bambino Dino (board game)|Bambino Dino]]''; [[Forbidden Island (game)|''Forbidden Island'' franchise games]]; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Horrified (board game)|Horrified]]''; ''[[Mountaineering (board game)|Mountaineering]]''; ''[[Nemesis (board game)|Nemesis]]''; ''[[Nurturing Game]]''; ''[[Pandemic (board game)|Pandemic]]''; ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[There's a Growly in the Garden (board game)|There's a Growly in the Garden]]''; ''[[The Ungame]]''; ''[[Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island|Robinson Crusoe]]''; ''[[Shadows over Camelot]]''
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.learningforlife.org/exploring/resources/99-720/x08.pdf|title=Cooperative Games|website=Learningforlife.org|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224235936/http://www.learningforlife.org/exploring/resources/99-720/x08.pdf|archive-date=24 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="cooperative-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{Cite web|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2023/cooperative-game|title=Cooperative Game &#124; Board Game Mechanic &#124; BoardGameGeek|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230703030659/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2023/cooperative-game|archive-date=3 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="cooperative-games_children-therapy_toys">{{cite web|title=Cooperative and Non-Competitive Games|website=Child Therapy Toys (www.childtherapytoys.com)|date=19 October 2017|first=Gary|last=Yorke|language=en|url=https://www.childtherapytoys.com/blogs/news/cooperative-and-non-competitive-games|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330060606/https://www.childtherapytoys.com/blogs/news/cooperative-and-non-competitive-games|archive-date=30 March 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Count and capture
| Count and capture board games are where players use tokens in rows of designated positions to capture their opponent's pieces. They are often also called sowing or mancala games.
| [[List of mancala games|Examples]] include: [[Mangala (game)|Mancala]]; [[Wari (game)|Wari]]; [[Oware]]; The Glass Bead Game
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| [[Cross and circle game|Cross and circle]]
| Cross and circle board games are race games with a board consisting of a circle divided into four equal portions by a cross inscribed inside it like four spokes in a wheel.
| [[List of cross and circle games|Examples Cross and circle games]] that are also included: [[Yut]]; [[Ludo (board game)|Ludo]]; ''[[Aggravation (board game)|Aggravation]]''
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| Deck-builder
| In [[Deck-building game|deck-builder]] board games, each player starts with their own identical deck of cards but alters it during play, with more powerful cards being added to the deck and less powerful ones being removed.
| ''[[Aeon's End (board game)|Aeon's End]]''; ''[[Black Box (game)|Black Box]]''; [[Clank! (board game)|''Clank!'' franchise games]]; ''[[Dominion (game)]]''; ''[[Dune: Imperium]]''; ''{{ill|Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle|de|Harry Potter: Kampf um Hogwarts}}''; ''[[Hero Realms]]''; ''[[Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game]]''; ''[[Mystic Vale (board game)|Mystic Vale]]''; ''[[Star Realms]]''; ''[[Undaunted (board game)|Undaunted: Normandy]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Deck construction
| Deck construction board games involve players using different decks of cards to play, constructed prior to the game from a large pool of options, according to specific rules. This type of board game is also called a trading card board game.
| ''[[Android: Netrunner]]''; ''[[Arkham Horror: The Card Game]]''; ''[[Disney Lorcana]]''; ''[[Keyforge]]''; ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''; ''[[Marvel Champions: The Card Game|Marvel Champions]]''; ''[[Pokémon Trading Card Game|Pokémon]]''; ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game|YU-Gi-OH!]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>
|-
| Deduction
| Deduction board games involve requiring players to form conclusions based on what is occurring or has transpired based on available premises, such as provided clues either by the board game itself or by fellow players. These board games are also called Investigation games. Social deduction board games are a subcategory of deduction board games. 
| [[:Category:Deduction board games|Examples]] include: ''[[Alchemists (board game)|Alchemists]]'', ''[[Bureau of Investigation: Investigations in Arkham & Elsewhere]]'', ''[[Clue (game)|Clue]]''; ''[[Cryptid (board game)|Cryptid]]'', ''[[Decrypto]]'', ''[[Hanabi (card game)|Hanabi]]'', ''[[Kryptos (board game)|Kryptos]]'', ''[[Love Letter (card game)|Love Letter]]'', ''[[Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation]]'', ''[[Mastermind (board game)|Mastermind]]'', ''[[Scotland Yard (game)|Scotland Yard]]''; ''[[Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective]]'', ''[[Sleuth (game)|Sleuth]]'', ''[[Spectator Ops (board game)|Spectator Ops]]'', ''[[Werewolf (social deduction game)|Werewolf]]''; ''[[Zendo (game)|Zendo]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="deduction_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Description|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1039/deduction|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217205453/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1039/deduction|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="deduction_tabletop-family_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=10 Great Deduction Board Games|website=The TableTop Family (www.thetabletopfamily.com)|date=23 August 2019 |language=en|url=https://thetabletopfamily.com/10-great-deduction-board-games|access-date=12 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250112082655/https://thetabletopfamily.com/10-great-deduction-board-games|archive-date=12 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/>
|-
| Dexterity
| Dexterity board games are those that require accurate movements of the body in response to real-time game situations. These games are a particular form of physical board game where [[Motor skill#Types of motor skills|fine motors skills]] are more important than physical attributes such as strength or endurance, including flicking, balancing, or even throwing objects around. Dexterity board games test motor skills, reflexes and coordination; and reward carefulness and punishing clumsiness. These board games are also known as action board games.  
| ''[[Flick 'em Up (game)|Flick 'em Up]]''; ''[[Beasts of Balance]]''; ''[[Dungeon Fighter (board game)|Dungeon Fighter]]''; ''[[Flip Ships (board game)|Flip Ships]]''; ''{{ill|Ghost Blitz (board game)|lt=Ghost Blitz|de|Geistesblitz (Spiel)}}''; ''[[Jenga]]''; ''[[Jungle Speed]]''; ''[[Klask]]''; ''{{ill|Paku Paku|de|Paku Paku}}''; ''[[Pitch Car (board game)|Pitch Car]]''; ''[[Spot It!]]''; ''[[Tumblin' Dice (board game)|Tumblin' Dice]]''; ''[[What Next? (party game)|What Next?]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="dexterity-games_changing-minds_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Dexterity Games|website=Changing Minds (www.changingminds.org)|language=en|url=http://changingminds.org/disciplines/game_design/types_game/games_dexterity.htm|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714221944/https://changingminds.org/disciplines/game_design/types_game/games_dexterity.htm|archive-date=14 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dexerity_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Action / Dexterity|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1032/action-dexterity|access-date=8 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171826/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1032/action-dexterity|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Displacement
| Displacement board games are those in which the main objective is the capture the opponents' pieces. These board games are also often called elimination or war board games.
| [[Chess]]; [[Draughts]]; [[Alquerque]]; [[Fanorona]]; [[Yoté]]; [[Surakarta (game)|Surakarta]]
| <ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/>
|-
| Drafting
| Drafting board games involve a mechanism where players are presented with a set of options, usually cards, from which they must pick one, thus choosing the best options from a pool, leaving the remainder for the next player to choose from. They combine strategy, quick decision-making, and outguessing opponent players. The drafting mechanism can be a small part of a game, in order to select an ability for use during a round, or the entire decision space for a game.
| ''[[7 Wonders (board game)|7 Wonders]]''; ''[[Blood Rage (board game)|Blood Rage]]''; ''{{ill|Bunny Kingdom|de|Bunny Kingdom}}''; ''[[Citadels (card game)|Citadels]]''; ''[[Exploding Kittens]]''; ''[[Sushi Go!]]''; ''[[Ticket to Ride (board game)|Ticket to Ride]]''; ''{{ill|It's a Wonderful World (board game)|lt=It's a Wonderful World|fr|It's a Wonderful World (jeu de société)}}''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/>| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Dungeon-crawler
| In dungeon-crawler board games, players take the roles of characters making their way through a location, often depicted by a map with a square grid or a page in a book, defeating enemies controlled by another player, a companion app, or the game system itself.
| ''[[Descent: Journeys in the Dark|Descent]]''; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; [[Betrayal at House on the Hill|''Betrayal at House on the Hill'' franchise games]]; ''[[HeroQuest]]''; ''[[Mansions of Madness]]''; ''[[Star Wars: Imperial Assault]]''; ''[[Mice and Mystics]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/>| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Economic
| Economic board games involve players managing resources and making smart decisions about how they spend or invest money. A player's strategy usually revolves around ensuring they have enough resources to achieve a strong financial position. Economic board games usually simulate a market in some way. These games are often also called Economic simulation games. The term economic board game is often used interchangeably with resource management board game.
| [[:Category:Economic simulation board games|Examples]] include: ''[[Ark Nova]]''; [[Brass (board game)|''Brass'' franchise games]]; ''[[The Business Game]]''; [[Terra Mystica|''Terra Mystica'' franchise games]]; ''[[Great Western Trail (board game)|Great Western Trail]]''; ''[[Catan]]''; ''[[Food Chain Magnate]]''; ''[[The Game of Life]]''; ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]''; ''[[Power Grid]]''; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mars]]''; ''[[Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization|Through The Ages]]''; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="economics_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Economic|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1021/economic|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217193903/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1021/economic|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Educational
| [[Educational game|Educational]] board games are those designed to teach new ideas, concepts, topics or understanding while playing. The board game's learning is based on a particular theme. While educational games exist for different age groups, they are usually designed for children.
| ''[[The Magic Labyrinth (board game)|The Magic Labyrinth]]''; ''[[Brain Quest]]''; ''[[Cashflow (board game)|Cashflow]]''; [[Evolution (board game)|''Evolution'' franchise games]]; ''[[Mariposas (board game)|Mariposas]]''; ''[[Wingspan (board game)|Wingspan]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="educational-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Educational|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1094/educational|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250108222450/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1094/educational|archive-date=8 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Engine-builder
| Engine-builder board games are those where the course of the game involves building an engine, something that takes your starting resources or actions and turns them into more resources, which often eventually accumulate scored points.
| ''{{ill|Res Arcana|fr|Res Arcana}}''; ''[[Century: Spice Road|Century]]''; ''[[Everdell]]''; ''[[Imagnarium (board game)|Imagnarium]]''; ''[[Race for the Galaxy]]''; ''[[Splendor (game)|Splendor]]''; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mars]]''; ''[[Wingspan (board game)|Wingspan]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Euro-style
| [[Eurogame|Euro-style]] board games are those with a strategy focus, prioritising limited randomness over theme. These board games usually have competitive interactions between players through passive competition, rather than aggressive conflict, in contrast to the more thematic but chance-driven American-style board games. Euro-style board games are also called Eurogames or German-style board games due to the fact many of the early games of this style were developed in Germany.
| ''[[Agricola (board game)|Agricola]]''; ''[[Catan]]''; ''[[Carcassonne (board game)|Carcassonne]]''; ''[[Decatur (board game)|Decatur]]''; ''[[Carson City (board game)|Carson City]]''; ''[[Five Tribes (board game)|Five tribes]]''; ''[[Le Havre (board game)|Le Havre]]''; ''[[Lords of Waterdeep]]''; ''[[Montana (board game)|Montana]]''; ''[[Paladins of the West Kingdom (board game)|Paladins of the West Kingdom]]''; ''[[Power Grid]]''; ''[[Puerto Rico (board game)|Puerto Rico]]''; ''[[Stone Age (board game)|Stone Age]]''; ''[[Suburbia (board game)|Suburbia]]''; ''[[Takenoko (board game)|Takenoko]]''; ''[[Ticket to Ride (board game)|Ticket to Ride]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Exploration
| Exploration board games are those that have an unexplored map of tiles or cards, which the game encourages players to explore by flipping them and dealing with the consequences, either beneficial or detrimental. These board games are also often called Travel or 4x games.
| ''[[Arkham Horror: The Card Game]]''; [[Betrayal at House on the Hill|''Betrayal at House on the Hill'' franchise games]]; ''[[Eclipse (board game)|Eclipse]]''; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[The Lost Expedition (board game)|The Lost Expedition]]''; ''[[Lost Ruins of Arnak]]''; ''[[Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island|Robinson Crusoe]]''; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="exploration-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Exploration|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1020/exploration|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217202803/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1020/exploration|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Fighting
| Fighting board games are those that encourage players to engage game characters in close quarter battles and hand-to-hand combat. They differ from Wargames in that the combat in Wargames exists as one part of a large-scale military simulation, while in Fighting games the focus is on the particular combat scenarios.
| [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Scythe (board game)|Scythe]]''; ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[War of the Ring (board game)|War of the Ring]]''
| <ref name="fighting_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Fighting|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1046/fighting|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126161618/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1046/fighting|archive-date=26 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Guessing game|Guessing]]
| Guessing board games are those that involve a player, or players, guessing the answer to a question based on clues from another player. 
| ''[[Battleship (game)|Battleship]]''; ''[[Mysterium (board game)|Mysterium]]''; ''[[Pictionary]]''
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| Hidden movement
| Hidden-movement games are defined as those that feature one or more players who move across the board, unseen to the other players. 
| ''[[Black Sonata]]''; ''[[Captain Sonar]]''; ''[[City of the Great Machine (board game)|City of the Great Machine]]''; ''[[Fury of Dracula]]''; ''[[Letters from Whitechapel (board game)|Letters from Whitechapel]]''; ''[[Mind MGMT#Board game|Mind MGMT]]''; ''[[Star Wars: Rebellion (board game)|Star Wars Rebellion]]'' 
| <ref name="hidden-movement-games_more-than-meeples_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Best Hidden Movement Board Games|website=More than Meeples (www.morethanmeeples.com.au)|date=12 March 2024 |language=en|url=https://morethanmeeples.com.au/best-hidden-movement-board-games|access-date=31 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421081741/https://morethanmeeples.com.au/best-hidden-movement-board-games|archive-date=21 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Hidden role
| Hidden-role board games involving a player, or players, with a hidden role within the group, where the rest of the players have to identify them, avoiding any influence or tricks used to deflect any suspicions that they have those roles. Sometimes called hidden traitor board games.
| ''[[Mafia (party game)|Mafia]]''; [[The Resistance (game)|''The Resistance'' franchise games]]; [[Ultimate Werewolf|''Werewolf'' franchise games]]; ''[[Secret Hitler]]''; [[Betrayal at House on the Hill|''Betrayal at House on the Hill'' franchise games]]
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/>
|-
| [[Legacy game|Legacy]]
| Legacy board games are a sub-category of campaign board games, as they also involve players following a series of connected scenarios, where the actions and outcome of one scenario will usually affect the next. However, in legacy board games, a player's choices and actions cause permanent, often physical, changes to the game and its components, such as applying stickers to the board or tearing up cards, thus providing a one-time experience. 
| ''[[Betrayal at House on the Hill#Versions|Betrayal Legacy]]''; ''[[Charterstone]]''; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar]]''; ''[[Pandemic (board game)#Pandemic Legacy|Pandemic Legacy]]''; [[Ticket to Ride (board game)#9) Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West|Ticket to Ride: Legands of the West]]
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Math
| Math board games explicitly require players to use mathematical knowledge and concepts to achieve game objectives, thereby testing each player's number skills. These games combine mathematical skills, such as calculations, with regular game structures, such as sources of randomness.
| ''[[Lost Cities]]''; ''[[Sentient (board game)|Sentient]]''; ''[[The Shipwreck Arcana (board game)|The Shipwreck Arcana]]''; ''[[Turning Machine (board game)|Turning Machine]]''; ''[[Prime Club (board game)|Prime Club]]''; ''{{ill|Qwixx|de|Qwixx}}''; ''[[Fluxx#Editions|Math Fluxx]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Maze and labyrinth
| A maze and labyrinth board game often requires players to navigate a series of complex pathways that are located on the game board. This type of board game tests a player's spatial awareness and problem-solving skills, often while adding in design elements from other types of board games.
| ''[[Burgle Bros]]''; ''[[RoboRally]]''; ''[[Labyrinth (board game)|Labyrinth]]''; ''{{ill|Magic Maze|fr|Magic Maze}}''; ''[[Sub Terra]]''; ''[[Ricochet Robots]]''; ''[[The Magic Labyrinth (board game)|The Magic Labyrinth]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="maze-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Maze|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1059/maze|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032105/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1059/maze|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Memory
| Memory board games concern memorizing certain facts, figures, and other information while testing a player's ability to recall sequences, locations, or specific items. 
| ''[[Codenames (board game)|Codenames]]''; ''[[Confusion (board game)|Confusion]]''; ''[[Cortex + Challenge (board game)|Cortex + Challenge]]''; ''[[Enigma: Beyond code (board game)|Enigma: Beyond code]]''; ''[[Hanabi (card game)|Hanabi]]''; ''[[The Magic Labyrinth (board game)|The Magic Labyrinth]]''; ''[[Concentration (card game)|Memory]]''; ''[[That's not a hat (board game)|That's not a hat]]''; ''[[The Resistance (game)|''The Resistance'' franchise games]]''; ''[[Sideshow Swap (board game)|Sideshow Swap]]''; ''[[Simon (game)|Simon]]''; ''[[Wandering Towers (board game)|Wandering Towers]]''; ''[[Whitehall Mystery (board game)|Whitehall Mystery]]''; ''[[Witness (board game)|Witness]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="memory-game_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Memory|website=Board Game Geek (boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1045/memory|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250108231432/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1045/memory|archive-date=8 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Moral and spiritual development
| Moral and spiritual development board games are those that prioritise player moral and spiritual development above any technical process of establishing a winner and loser. 
| ''[[Transformation Game]]'';<ref name="transformation-game_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=The Transformation Game|website=Transformation Game Wworldwide (www.transformationgameworldwide.com)|first=Nancy|last=Jochim|language=en|url=https://transformationgameworldwide.com|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214112053/https://transformationgameworldwide.com|archive-date=14 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Mansion of Happiness|Mansion of Happiness]]'';<ref name="mansion-of-hapiness_nyt_2012">{{cite web|title=Streams of Consciousness|website=The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)|date=10 August 2012|first=Dani|last=Shapiro|language=en|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/review/the-mansion-of-happiness-by-jill-lepore.html|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511035646/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/review/the-mansion-of-happiness-by-jill-lepore.html|archive-date=11 May 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mansion-of-hapiness_ny-historical_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=The Mansion of Happiness|website=The New York Historical (www.wams.nyhistory.org)|language=en|url=https://wams.nyhistory.org/expansions-and-inequalities/industry-and-immigration/the-mansion-of-happiness|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250104001541/https://wams.nyhistory.org/expansions-and-inequalities/industry-and-immigration/the-mansion-of-happiness|archive-date=4 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mansion-of-hapiness_henry-ford_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Mansion of Happiness Gameboard, 1845-1880|website=The Henry Ford Museum (www.thehenryford.org)|language=en|url=https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/27801|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250104002213/https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/27801|archive-date=4 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="transformation-games_spririt-of-translformation_currrent(2025)">{{cite web|title=What is the Transformation Game?|website=Spirit of Transformation (www.spiritoftransformation.com)|language=en|url=https://www.spiritoftransformation.com/Whatisthegame.htm|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519042130/https://www.spiritoftransformation.com/Whatisthegame.htm|archive-date=19 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> or ''[[Psyche's Key]]''<ref name="psyche's-key_purple-pawn_2010">{{cite web|title=Psyche's Key, A Personal Journey of Discovery|website=Purple Pawn (www.purplepawn.com)|date=21 February 2010|language=en|url=http://www.purplepawn.com/2010/02/psyches-key-a-personal-journey-of-discovery|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912091154/http://www.purplepawn.com/2010/02/psyches-key-a-personal-journey-of-discovery|archive-date=12 September 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="psyche's-key_craven-herald_2010">{{cite web|title=Addingham woman invents self-help board game|website=(www.cravenherald.co.uk)|date=21 February 2010|language=en|url=https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/5013457.addingham-woman-invents-self-help-board-game|access-date=3 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906170645/https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/5013457.addingham-woman-invents-self-help-board-game|archive-date=6 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
|-
| Negotiation
| Negotiation board games are where players must persuade fellow players to make deals and alliances or even offer bribes to get ahead in the game. The only exceptions to this are often euro games, which have stringent resource management rules. 
| ''[[Ca$h' n Guns (board game)|Ca$h' n Guns]]''; ''[[Cosmic Encounter]]''; ''[[Diplomacy (game)|Diplomacy]]''; ''[[Hegemony (board game)|Hegemony]]''; [[The Resistance (game)|''The Resistance'' franchise games]]; ''[[Rising Sun (board game)|Rising Sun]]''; ''[[Sheriff of Nottingham (board game)|Sheriff of Nottingham]]''; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''; ''[[Paydirt (game)|Paydirt]]''; [[Pax Pamir|''Pax'' franchise games]]
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="negociation-game_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Negotiation|website=Board Game Geek (boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1026/negotiation|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250108232240/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1026/negotiation|archive-date=8 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Number
| Number board games are ones in which players are required to use or manipulate numbers to achieve their the games objectives.
| {{ill|That's Pretty Clever! (board game)|lt=''That's Pretty Clever!'' franchise games|de|Ganz schön clever}}; ''[[Arboretum (board game)|Arboretum]]''; ''[[Take 5 (board game)|Take 5]]''; ''[[The Shipwreck Arcana (board game)|The Shipwreck Arcana]]''
| <ref name="number-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Number|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1098/number|access-date=17 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218124503/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1098/number|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Paper-and-pencil game|Paper-and-pencil]]
| Paper-and-pencil board games are those that can be played solely with writing implements, usually without erasing. They may be played to pass the time, as icebreakers, or for brain training.
| [[Dots and boxes]]; [[Hangman (game)|Hangman]]; [[MASH (game)|MASH]]; [[Paper soccer]]; [[Spellbinder (paper-and-pencil game)|Spellbinder]]; [[Sprouts (game)|Sprouts]]; [[Tic-tac-toe]]
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Fun Pen and Paper Games to Cure Boredom|website=What Do We Do All Day (www.whatdowedoallday.com)|date=18 February 2020|url=https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/pen-and-paper-games|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206021055/https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/pen-and-paper-games|archive-date=6 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Party
| Party board games are those that encourage social interaction. They are designed for larger groups of players with the aim of fostering social interaction amongst players, thus combining humour, creativity, and social interaction. 
| Classic: [[Charades]]; ''[[Pictionary]]''{{pb}} Modern: ''[[Blood on the Clocktower]]''; ''[[Codenames (board game)|Codenames]]''; ''[[Concept (board game)|Concept]]''; ''[[Dixit (board game)|Dixit]]''; ''[[Decrypto]]''; ''[[Just One (board game)|Just One]]''; ''[[Mysterium (board game)|Mysterium]]''; [[The Resistance (game)|''The Resistance'' franchise games]]; ''[[Secret Hitler]]''; ''[[Snake Oil (board game)|Snake Oil]]''; ''[[Telestrations]]''; ''[[Time's Up! (game)|Time's Up]]''; [[Ultimate Werewolf|''Werewolf'' franchise games]]
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="party-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Party Game|website=Board Game Geek (boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1030/party-game|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101232833/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1030/party-game|archive-date=1 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Physical
| Physical board games are those involving physical challenges, and fall into two sub-categories: 
<ul>'''Dexterity board games'''
: Those focusing on [[Motor skill#Types of motor skills|fine motors skills]] of a player's fingers, including flicking, balancing, or even throwing objects around. {{pb}}'''Physical skill board games'''
: Those focusing on [[Motor skill#Types of motor skills|gross motors skills]] by utilising a player's whole body movement.</ul>
| ''[[Camp Granada]]''; ''[[Flick 'em Up (board game)|Flick 'em Up]]''; ''[[Beasts of Balance]]''; ''[[Dungeon Fighter (board game)|Dungeon Fighter]]''; ''[[Flip Ships (board game)|Flip Ships]]''; ''{{ill|Ghost Blitz (board game)|lt=Ghost Blitz|de|Geistesblitz (Spiel)}}''; ''[[Jenga]]''; ''[[Jungle Speed]]''; ''[[Klask]]''; ''{{ill|Paku Paku|de|Paku Paku}}''; ''[[Pitch Car (board game)|Pitch Car]]''; ''[[Spot It!]]''; ''[[Tumblin' Dice (board game)|Tumblin' Dice]]''; ''[[What Next? (party game)|What Next?]]''
| <ref name="dexterity-games_changing-minds_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Physical skill
| Physical skill board games involve challenges involving [[Motor skill#Types of motor skills|gross motors skills]], through assigning whole body movement tasks to players. 
| ''[[Camp Granada]]''
| {{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
|-
| Position
| Position board games are where the object is not to capture, but to win by leaving the opponent player unable to make a move.
| [[Kōnane]]; [[Mū tōrere]]; [[L game]]
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| Push-your-luck
| Push-your-luck board games that invite you to take ever bigger risks to achieve increasingly valuable rewards against the risk of significant loss. These board games are also called press your luck board games.
| ''[[Biblios (board game)|Biblios]]''; ''[[Formula D (board game)|Formula D]]''; ''[[The Captain is Dead (board game)|The Captain is Dead: Dangerous Planet]]''; ''[[King of Tokyo]]''; ''[[The Quacks of Quedlinburg]]''; ''[[Port Royale (board game)|Port Royale]]''; ''[[Deep Sea Adventure (board game)|Deep Sea Adventure]]''; ''{{ill|Welcome to the Dungeon (board game)|lt=Welcome to the Dungeon|de|Welcome to the Dungeon}}''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
 
| Puzzle
| Puzzle board games are based on the solving of a [[puzzle]] or mystery and are commonly single-player games. 
| Classic: [[Peg solitaire]]; [[Sudoku]]{{pb}} Modern: ''[[Azul (board game)|Azul]]''; ''[[Bärenpark]]''; ''[[Blokus]]''; ''[[Exit: The Game (board game)|Exit: The Game]]''; ''[[Patchwork (board game)|Patchwork]]''; ''[[Ubongo]]''; ''[[Unlock! (board game)|Unlock!]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="puzzle-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Puzzle|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1028/puzzle|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218081917/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1028/puzzle|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Race game|Race]]
| Race board games are those in which each player has the goal of being the player to finish first, either by moving all their pieces to the final destination or completing an objective, e.g., the first player to collect five gems. This also includes games where the objective is to be the first to reach a checkpoint by navigation or steering around obstacles, usually by having greater speed or control than your opponents. The basic requirement is that race mechanics be an operative mechanism; however, racing is not required to be part of the board game's theme. 
| Classic: [[Agon (game)|Agon]]; [[Pachisi]]; [[Backgammon]]; [[Chaupar]]; [[Chinese checkers]]; [[Coan ki|The bottle game]]; [[Dogs and jackals]]; [[Five-field kono]]; [[Grasshopper (chess)|Grasshopper]]; [[Halma]]; [[Hyena chase]]; ''[[Kerala (board game)|Kerala]]''; [[Liubo]]; [[Ludo]]; [[Ludus duodecim scriptorum]]; [[Mehen (game)|Mehen]]; [[Nyout]]; [[Pachisi]]; [[Patolli]]; [[Royal Game of Ur]]; [[Salta]]; ''[[Saturankam (board game)|Saturankam]]''; [[Senet]]; ''[[T'shu-p'u (board game)|T'shu-p'u]]''; [[Chowka bhara]]; ''[[Kilkenny Cats (board game)|Kilkenny Cats]]''; [[Game of the goose]]; [[Zohn ahl]]{{pb}} Modern: ''[[Camel Up]]''; ''[[Downforce and Rallyman: GT (board game)|Downforce and Rallyman: GT]]''; ''{{ill|Flamme Rouge (board game)|lt=Flamme Rouge|it|Flamme rouge}}''; ''[[Formula D]]''; ''[[Istanbul (board game)|Istanbul]]''; ''[[Long Shot: The Dice Game (board game)|Long Shot: The Dice Game]]''; ''[[Montana (board game)|Montana]]''; ''[[Heat: Pedal to the Metal (board game)|Heat: Pedal to the Metal]]''; ''[[The Quest for El Dorado (board game)|The Quest for El Dorado]]''; ''[[Snow Tails (board game)|Snow Tails]]''; [[Thunder Road (board game)|''Thunder Road'' franchise games]]    
| <ref name="cyningstan_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Race Games|website=Cyningstan (www.cyningstan.com)|language=en|url=http://www.cyningstan.com/games/521/race-games|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205151605/http://www.cyningstan.com/games/521/race-games|archive-date=5 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024">{{cite web|title=Classification of Games|website=The Big Game Hunter (www.thebiggamehunter.com)|first=Bruce|last=Whitehill|date=2 February 2011 |language=en|url=https://thebiggamehunter.com/classification-of-games|access-date=31 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207082259/https://thebiggamehunter.com/classification-of-games|archive-date=7 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="race-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Race|website=Board Game Geek (boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2876/race|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217024556/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2876/race|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="racing-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Racing|website=BoardGame Arena (www.boardgamearena.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1031/racing|access-date=18 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114031954/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1031/racing|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Tabletop role-playing game|Role-playing]]
| Role-playing board games are those where players assume a fictional character identity to participate in the game and its narrative. These games combine the character development and narrative of classic role-playing games with the mechanics of a board game.
| ''[[Arcadia (card game)|Arcadia Quest]]''; ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Mage Knight Board Game|Mage Knight]]''; ''[[Mice and Mystics]]''; ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder]]''; ''[[Shadowrun]]''; ''[[Swords & Sorcery (SPI)|Sword and Sorcery]]''; ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Real-time
| Real-time board games are those with time limitations, usually playing against a timer, necessitating quick decision-making under pressure. In some real-time games, players take their turns simultaneously, creating a fast-paced, chaotic environment.
| ''[[Captain Sonar]]''; ''[[Galaxy Trucker]]''; ''[[Pendulum (board game)|Pendulum]]''; ''[[Space Alert]]''; ''[[Fast chess|Speed chess]]''; ''[[XCOM: The Board Game]]'' 
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="real-time-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Real-time|website=Bord Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1037/real-time|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250105010916/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1037/real-time|archive-date=5 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Resource management
| The aim of resource management board games is to achieve objectives and gain an advantage through players acquiring, using, and managing a set of resources, which can be anything from physical materials, currency, and points to abstract concepts like time or influence. 
| ''[[Everdell]]''; ''[[Imperial Settlers]]''; ''[[Concordia (board game)|Concordia]]''; ''[[Scythe (game)|Scythe]]''
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="resource-management-games_mahtgichan-games_2024">{{cite web|title=Incorporating Resource Management Mechanics|website=The Creative Workshop (www.mahtgiciangames.com)|date=19 January 2024|language=en|url=https://mahtgiciangames.com/blogs/the-creative-workshop-game-design-blueprints/incorporating-resource-management-mechanics?srsltid=AfmBOop45_zqVF8TUXRJnv6QpH3gD4vWkdMsMbjKQt7Ph8pCybRHFLJt|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250113032358/https://mahtgiciangames.com/blogs/the-creative-workshop-game-design-blueprints/incorporating-resource-management-mechanics?srsltid=AfmBOop45_zqVF8TUXRJnv6QpH3gD4vWkdMsMbjKQt7Ph8pCybRHFLJt|archive-date=13 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="resource-management-games_cbr_2022">{{cite web|title=10 Best Resource Management Tabletop Games|website=Comic Book Resources (www.cbr.com)|date=20 December 2022|first=Rebekah|last=Krum|language=en|url=https://www.cbr.com/best-resource-management-tabletop-games/|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101142939/https://www.cbr.com/best-resource-management-tabletop-games|archive-date=1 January 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=17 Types of Board Games Explained!|website=Gameology (www.gameology.com.au)|date=3 October 2020|language=en|url=https://www.gameology.com.au/blogs/news/types-of-board-games-explained?srsltid=AfmBOorw2dGN5GNgBkkbj6qI3JPU3rRG-1zkcsP9HN0IYmZacrkfNRDj|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250206034019/https://www.gameology.com.au/blogs/news/types-of-board-games-explained|archive-date=6 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Roll-and-write
| Roll-and-write board games are those where players roll dice and decide how to use the outcome, writing it into a personal scoring sheet. Each decision impacts on a player's options for the rest of the game, so even in games where everyone uses the same dice, slightly different choices at the start can lead to very different end results. Some games replace dice rolls with card exposure or the writing with miniature-based roll-and-build.
| ''[[Bargain Basement Bathysphere (board game)|Bargain Basement Bathysphere]]''; ''[[Corinth (board game)|Corinth]]''; ''{{ill|Railroad Ink|de|Railroad Ink}}''; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''; {{ill|That's Pretty Clever! (board game)|lt=''That's Pretty Clever!'' franchise games|de|Ganz schön clever}}; ''[[Yahtzee]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| [[Running-fight game|Running-fight]]
| Running-fight board games are those that combine the movement of race games with the goal of eliminating opponent player pieces like in chess or draughts.
| [[:Category:Running-fight board games|Examples of Running-fight games]] that are also board games include: ''[[Bul (game)|Bul]]''
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| Share-buying
| Share-buying board games are those in which players buy stakes in each other's positions. These board games are typically longer economic-management games.
| ''[[Acquire]]'' or ''[[Panamax (board game)|Panamax]]''
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-
| [[Social deduction game|Social deduction]]
| Social deduction board games are those where one or more players have a secret that the rest of the players need to figure out. Often, players are secretly assigned roles known only to them and must achieve their own objectives, commonly either establishing the odd one out or hiding the fact that they are the odd one out. These board games generally involve deceit, bluffing, and accusations. 
| ''[[Blood on the Clocktower]]''; [[Ultimate Werewolf|''Werewolf'' franchise games]]; ''[[The Resistance (game)|The Resistance]]''; ''[[Secret Hitler]]''; ''[[Unfathomable (board game)|Unfathomable]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>
|-
| Space
| In space board games are often abstract games where the objective is for players to line up their pieces in order to complete predetermined array targets. Space board game fall into either two of the following sub-cateogires:
<ul>'''Alignment board games'''
: The goal of an alignment board game is to create a line of tokens of a prescribed length. {{pb}}'''Configuration board games'''
: The goal of a configuration board game is to create a line of tokens of a prescribed length in a particular order.
</ul>
| ''[[Connect6]]''; ''[[Entropy (1977 board game)|Entropy]]''; [[Gomoku]]; [[Hexade (board game)|Hexade]]; [[Lines of Action]]; [[Nine men's morris]]; [[Noughts and crosses]]; [[Renju]]; [[Tic-tac-toe]]
| <ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/>
|-
| Storytelling
| Story-telling board games are those with a focus on narrative and description that is directed or fully created by the players. This can be an overarching story lasting the whole game, or across a campaign of multiple sessions, read from pre-written passages, or a sequence of vignettes tasking players with inventing and describing something. Story-telling board games often test a player's creativity, improvisation, and sometimes acting skills.
| [[List of storytelling games|Examples of story-telling games]] that are also board games include: ''[[Betrayal at House on the Hill]]''; ''[[Dixit (card game)|Dixit]]''; ''[[Fog of Love (board game)|Fog of Love]]''; ''[[The King's Dilemma (board game)|The King's Dilemma]]''; ''[[Once Upon a Time (game)|Once Upon a Time]]''; ''[[Tales of the Arabian Nights (board game)|Tales of the Arabian Nights]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>
|-
| Stacking
| Stacking board games involve players physically stacking and balancing game pieces.
| [[List of abstract strategy games#Stacking games|Examples of stacking games]] that are also board games include: ''[[Boom Blast Stix (board game)|Boom Blast Stix]]''; ''[[Bamboleo (board game)|Bamboleo]]''; ''{{ill|Paku Paku|de|Paku Paku}}''; ''[[Animal Upon Animal (board game)|Animal Upon Animal]]''; ''[[Junk Art (board game)|Junk Art]]''; ''[[Jenga]]''; ''[[Beasts of Balance]]''; [[Lasca]]; ''[[Meeple Circus (board game)|Meeple Circus]]''; ''[[Riff Raff (board game)|Riff Raff]]''; ''[[Rhino Hero (board game)|Rhino Hero]]''; ''[[DVONN]]''
| <ref name="stacking_board-game-quest_2018">{{cite web|title=Top 10 Stacking Board Games|website=Board Game Quest (www.boardgamequest.com)|date=19 October 2018|first=Tony|last=Mastrangeli|language=en|url=https://www.boardgamequest.com/top-10-stacking-board-games|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415193726/https://www.boardgamequest.com/top-10-stacking-board-games|archive-date=15 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Territory building
| In territory building board games, players establish or gain control over a specific area. These games often use area majority mechanics, also known as influence or enclosure mechanics, where areas are created as the game progresses. 
| ''[[The Castles of Burgundy]]''; ''[[Faust (board game)|Faust]]''; [[Terra Mystica|''Terra Mystica'' franchise games]]; [[Go (game)|Go]]; [[Reversi]]; ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''; ''[[Scythe (game)|Scythe]]''; ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mars]]''; ''[[War of the Ring (board game)|War of the Ring]]'' 
| <ref name="territory-building-games-bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Territory building|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1086/territory-building|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171822/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1086/territory-building|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Trivia
| Trivia board games are those that test a player's ability to recall [[trivia]] facts. Many are based on a simple design that revolves around a deck of cards with questions. 
| ''[[Articulate!]]''; ''[[Blockbuster: The Game (board game)|Blockbuster: The Game]]''; ''[[Fauna (board game)|Fuana]]''; ''[[Hipster (board game)|Hipster]]''; ''[[Richard Garfield#Other Games|Half-Truth]]''; ''[[Linkee! (board game)|Linkee!]]''; ''{{ill|Smart10|fi|Smart10}}''; ''[[Timeline (board game)|''Timeline'' franchise games]]''; ''[[Trivial Pursuit]]''; ''[[Wits and Wagers]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Types of Board Games|website=Hero Time University|language=en|url=https://herotime1.com/design/types-of-board-games|access-date=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230064713/https://herotime1.com/design/types-of-board-games|archive-date=30 December 2024}}</ref><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="trivia-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Trivia|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1027/trivia|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216222203/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1027/trivia|archive-date=16 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Unequal forces
| Unequal force board games are classified as any game whose core mechanics involve one player who is playing against all the other players right from the start or at least changes their allegiance, usually pledging it to the dark side. These board games are also known as hunt or one vs many board games.
| ''[[Betrayal at House on the Hill]]''; ''[[Fox games|fox and geese]]''; ''[[Fury of Dracula]]''; ''[[Not Alone (board game)|Not Alone]]''; ''[[Shadows Over Camelot]]''; [[Tafl games|Tablut]]
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>
|-
| [[Word game|Word]]
| Word board games involve the competitive use of language, testing each player's vocabulary, creative thinking skills, spelling or ability to quickly come up with words, phrases, or sentences.
| ''[[Anagrams (game)|Anagrams]]''; ''[[Boggle]]''; ''[[So Clover! (board game)|So Clover!]]''; ''[[Codenames (board game)|Codenames]]''; ''[[Decrypto]]''; ''[[Bananagrams]]''; ''[[Just One (board game)|Just One]]''; ''[[Paperback (board game)|Paperback]]''; ''[[Scrabble]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="word-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Word Game|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1025/word-game|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217214756/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1025/word-game|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Worker-placement
| Worker-placement board games are those where actions are taken by assigning worker tokens, from a player's allocated allotment, on designated game board spaces, which trigger specific actions, like collecting resources or completing tasks. Such board games are more commonly Euro-style board games, which concentrate on player interaction. Actions one player has taken often can not be taken by or come with a cost for other players.
| ''[[Agricola (board game)|Agricola]]''; ''[[Charterstone]]''; ''[[Caverna (board game)|Caverna]]''; ''[[Caylus (game)|Caylus]]''; ''[[Dune: Imperium]]''; ''[[Everdell]]''; ''[[A Feast for Odin]]''; ''[[Keyflower (board game)|Keyflower]]''; ''[[Lords of Waterdeep]]''; ''[[Ora et Labora (board game)|Ora et Labora]]''; ''[[Stone Age (board game)|Stone Age]]''; ''[[Tōkaidō (board game)|Tōkaidō]]''; ''[[Village (board game)|Village]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|-
| Wargame
| [[Wargame]] board games are strategy-based board games with a war theme. Their mechanics are also closely tied to simulate battles, either fictional or historical, within differing settings, e.g. Napoleonic Wars, World War II, even Mars. Players pit armies against each other, represented by collections of miniatures or tokens on a map, with a grid or actual measured distances for movement. Players are required to eliminate the opponent's figures or achieve objectives to win, with combat usually dictated by dice rolls or card play. This type of game has three subcategories: 
<ul>'''Tactical'''
: Tactical wargame board games depict a skirmish, battle or series of battles, using smaller scale units and maps that depict a battleground that is a few miles or less in size. {{pb}}'''Operational'''
:  Operational wargame board games cover a broader scope of military actions, greater than single battles. These may cover an entire smaller war, or a series of operations, or even a campaign within a greater war. {{pb}}'''Strategic'''
: Strategic wargame board games usually recreate a major war on a large scale. Typically, units in such a game will be corps or army level; however, in the monster wargame, divisions and even smaller-sized units can be depicted.
</ul>
| [[List of board wargames|Examples]] include: ''[[Axis & Allies]]''; ''[[Cry Havoc (2016 board game)|Cry Havoc]]''; ''[[Dune: Imperium]]''; ''[[Inis (board game)|Inis]]'', ''[[Kings of War]]''; ''[[Memoir '44]]''; ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''; ''[[Root (board game)|Root]]''; ''[[Star Wars: Armada (board game)|Star Wars: Armada]]''; ''[[Scythe (board game)|Scythe]]''; ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''; ''[[Undaunted (board game)|Undaunted: Normandy]]''; ''[[Warhammer (game)|Warhammer]]''
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021"/><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="war_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Wargame|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1019/wargame|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217204338/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1019/wargame|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="resource-management-games_gameology_current(2025)"/>
|}

===Theme===

Parlett also distinguishes between [[Abstract strategy game|abstract]] and [[Theme (narrative)|thematic]] games, the latter having a specific genre or frame narrative, for examples regular chess versus [[Star Wars]]-themed chess.<ref name="game-category_murray_1952"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/> The board games often have themes that emulate concepts in real-life situations or fictional scenario but can also have no evident theme.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Campi |first=Assunta |chapter=Late Antiquity and Middle Ages in Calore River Middle Valley |date=2015-09-03 |title=Proceedings of the 4th Electronic International Interdisciplinary Conference |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.18638/eiic.2015.4.1.484 |publisher=Publishing Society |volume=4 |pages=163–167 |doi=10.18638/eiic.2015.4.1.484|isbn=978-80-554-1090-6 }}</ref>

Such games have come under criticism, usually when trending thematic concepts, such as those based on popular television show licenses, have been used to supplement deficiencies in the game mechanics. When discussing this practice, Edwards wrote "A bad game, however, remains a bad game even if it has been themed to a favorite television show."<ref name="edwards_fv"/>{{rp|11}} Parlett went so far as to describe these promotional and television spin-off games as being "of an essentially trivial, ephemeral, mind-numbing, and ultimately soul-destroying degree of worthlessness".<ref name="classical-classification_parlett_1999"/>{{rp|7}}

The prominent themes found in board games of the Golden Era included: travel, sports, courtship, racism, city life, war, education and capitalist enterprise".<ref name="golden-era_hofer_2003">{{cite book|title=The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board and Table Games|via=Google Books|date=1 March 2003|first=Margaret|last=Hofer|language=en|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icYtGRUZrZUC|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250114024717/https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Games_we_Played/icYtGRUZrZUC?hl=en|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|isbn=978-1-56898-397-4}}</ref> Common modern thematic game categories include:

{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+ Thematic categorization of board games
|-
! Board game genres
! Description
! Examples 
! Ref
|-

| Adventure
| An [[adventure]]-themed board game has themes of heroism, exploration, and puzzle-solving, often involving the game characters in quests. The storylines for these types of games often make them fantasy board games.
| [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Nemesis (board game)|Nemesis]]''; [[Clank! (board game)|''Clank!'' franchise games]]; ''[[Arkham Horror: The Card Game]]''
| <ref name="adventure_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Adventure|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1022/adventure|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217185529/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1013/farming|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| [[Abstract strategy game|Abstract strategy]]
| An abstract strategy game is a game where player decisions, rather than random elements, determine the outcome. These games are [[Combinatorial game theory|combinatorial]], meaning they provide [[perfect information]] rather than hidden or imperfect information, and rely on neither [[Fine motor skill|physical dexterity]] nor non-deterministic elements like [[Shuffling|shuffled cards]] or dice rolls during gameplay. Nearly all abstract strategy games are designed for two players or teams taking a finite number of alternating turns. Most games in this category are themeless or have minimal themes and typically lack narrative elements.
| [[List of abstract strategy games|Examples of abstract strategy games]] that are also board games include:<ul>Classical: [[Chess]]; [[Checkers]]; [[Go (board game)|Go]]; [[Reversi]]; [[Tafl games]]{{pb}} Modern: ''[[Abalone (game)|Abalone]]''; ''[[Arimaa]]''; ''[[Blokus]]''; ''[[Dameo]]''; All games in the ''[[GIPF Project]]'' series; ''[[Hive (game)|Hive]]''; ''[[Onitama]]''; ''[[Pylos (board game)|Pylos]]''; ''[[Quarto (board game)|Quarto]]''; ''[[Quoridor]]''; ''[[Santorini (game)|Santorini]]''; ''[[Stratego]]''; ''[[Tak (game)|Tak]]''; ''[[Tigris and Euphrates (game)|Tigris and Euphrates]]''; ''[[YINSH]]'' </ul>
| <ref name="gamy-types_dice-breaker_2021">{{cite web|title=Board game types explained: a beginner's guide to tabletop gaming terms|website=Dice Breaker (www.dicebreaker.com)|date=25 June 2021|first=Simon|last=Castle|language=en|url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/board-game/how-to/board-game-types-explained|access-date=30 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230140816/https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/board-game/how-to/board-game-types-explained|archive-date=30 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-types_games-radar_2024">{{cite web|title=Types of board games, explained|website=Games Radar (www.gamesradar.com)|date=21 September 2024|first=Benjamin|last=Abbott|language=en|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/types-of-board-games|access-date=21 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230064243/https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/types-of-board-games|archive-date=30 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024">{{cite web|title=Different types of board games|website=Board Games Land (www.boardgamesland.com)|date=22 October 2024|language=en|url=https://boardgamesland.com/different-types-of-board-games|access-date=31 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910213932/https://boardgamesland.com/different-types-of-board-games|archive-date=10 September 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="abstract-strategy-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Abstract Strategy|website=Board Game Geek (boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1009/abstract-strategy|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218114312/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1009/abstract-strategy|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Animal
| [[Animal]]-themed games involve animals as a major component of the theme or gameplay, often requiring players to attend to their management or control. Players can even be required to take on the role of animals in the game.
| ''[[Ark Nova]]''; ''[[Great Western Trail (board game)|Great Western Trail]]''; ''[[Root (board game)|Root]]''; ''[[Wingspan (board game)|Wingspan]]''; ''[[Everdell]]''
| <ref name="animal-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Animals|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1089/animals|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114031906/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1089/animals|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Arabian
| [[Arab culture|Arabian]]-themed board games are generally fantasy or adventure games that are set in, or inspired by, locations on the Arabian Peninsula of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, or North/East Africa, including themes and imagery such as deserts, palaces, camels, jewels, and oases etc.
| ''[[Five Tribes (board game)|Five Tribes]]''; ''[[Targui]]''; ''[[Camel Up]]''; ''[[Wayfarers of the South Tigris (board game)|Wayfarers of the South Tigris]]''; ''[[Through the Desert]]''
| <ref name="arbian_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Arabian|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1052/arabian|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171825/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1052/arabian|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Environmental
| [[Natural environment|Environmental]]-themed games have themes and storylines regarding environmental conservation and management.
| ''[[Pandemic (board game)#Pandemic Legacy|Pandemic Legacy]]''; ''[[Ark Nova]]''; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mars]]''; ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[Barrage (board game)|Barrage]]''; ''[[Cascadia (board game)|Cascadia]]''
| <ref name="environmental_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Environmental|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1084/environmental|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217195924/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1084/environmental|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Civil War
| [[Civil war]]-themed board games have storylines concerning a violent battle for government control between two more groups from the same country. The majority of Civil War games are also categorized as [[wargame]] board games.
| ''[[Star Wars: Rebellion (board game)|Star Wars: Rebellion]]''; ''[[Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan (board game)|Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan]]''; ''[[COIN (board game)|Fire in the Lake]]''; [[Pax Pamir|''Pax'' franchise games]]; ''[[Seize Rome in 20 Minutes! (board game)|Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes!]]''; ''[[Resist! (board game)|Resist!]]''
| <ref name="civil-war-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Civil War|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1102/civil-war|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217203548/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1102/civil-war|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Climbing
| A [[climbing]]-themed board game is one thematically related to mountaineering or scaling a similarly steep surface, including a wall.
| ''[[K2 (board game)|K2]]''; ''[[Mountaineering (board game)|Mountaineering]]''; ''[[Climb! (board game)|Climb!]]''; ''[[Summit: The Board Game|Summit]]''; ''[[Mountaineers (board game)|Mountaineers]]''
| <ref name="climbing-games_climbing_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=5 Climbing Board Games|website=Climbing (www.climbing.com)|date=March 2021 |language=en|url=https://www.climbing.com/news/5-climbing-board-games|access-date=22 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522202906/https://www.climbing.com/news/5-climbing-board-games|archive-date=22 May 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Fantasy
| A [[fantasy]]-themed board game is one whose themes and scenarios exist in a fictional world, where magic and other supernatural forms are a primary element of the plot, theme or setting. 
| [[:Category:Fantasy board games|Fantasy games]] include: [[Clank! (board game)|''Clank!'' franchise games]]; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Shadows Over Camelot]]''; ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[War of the Ring (board game)|War of the Ring]]''
| <ref name="fantasy-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Fantasy|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1010/fantasy|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217193611/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1010/fantasy|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Farming
| A [[farming]]-themed game, usually a turn-based game revolving around building farms, growing crops, and raising livestock. 
| ''[[Agricola (board game)|Agricola]]''; ''[[Caverna (board game)|Caverna]]''; ''[[A Feast for Odin]]''; ''[[Puerto Rico (board game)|Puerto Rico]]''; ''[[Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (board game)|Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar]]''; ''[[Viticulture (board game)|Viticulture]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="farming_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Farming|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1013/farming|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217185529/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1013/farming|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Flight
| [[Flight]]-themed board games have themes concerned with mechanical flight, including planes, helicopters, and gliders etc.
| ''[[Sky Team (board game)|Sky Team]]''; ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game]]''; ''[[Pan Am (board game)|Pan Am]]''; ''[[The Manhattan Project (board game)|The Manhattan Project]]''; ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition]]''; ''[[Airlines Europe (board game)|Airlines Europe]]''
| <ref name="flight-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Aviation / Flight|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2650/aviation-flight|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032031/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2650/aviation-flight|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Industry / manufacturing 
| [[Manufacturing|Industry / manufacturing]]-themed games encourage players to build, manage or operate tools and machinery in order to manufacture raw materials into goods and products. Many industry / manufacturing-themed games are economic games.
| [[Brass (board game)|''Brass'' franchise games]]; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mars]]''; ''[[A Feast for Odin]]''; ''[[Barrage (board game)|Barrage]]''; ''[[Food Chain Magnate]]''
| <ref name="Industry-Manufacturing-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Industry-Manufacturing|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1088/industry-manufacturing|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032046/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1088/industry-manufacturing|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Historical simulation
| A historical simulation board game is a game that attempts to create a realistic model of a historical event, battle, or encounter. The game uses rules and other [[wikt:ludus#Latin|ludic]] elements to construct meaning about the event, and players can use these elements to interpret the game in specific ways. Common periods of history which have provided themes for board games include:<ul>
<li>General<ref name="history-simulation_play-the-past_2012">{{cite web|title=Historical Simulations as Problem Spaces: Some Guidelines for Criticism|website=Play the Past (www.playthepast.org)|date=21 March 2012|first=Jeremiah|last=McCall|language=en|url=https://www.playthepast.org/?p=2594|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130155610/http://www.playthepast.org/?p=2594|archive-date=30 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>Before 4000 BC [[Prehistoric]]<ref name="prehistoric-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Prehistoric|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1036/prehistoric|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114125431/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1036/prehistoric|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>3000 BC–476 [[Ancient]]<ref name="ancient-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Ancient|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1050/ancient|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114094140/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1050/ancient|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>476–1492 [[Medieval]]<ref name="medieval-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Medieval|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1035/medieval|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032057/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1035/medieval|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1380–1590 [[Renaissance]]<ref name="renaissance-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Renaissance|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1070/renaissance|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114094058/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1070/renaissance|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1500–1690 Pike and Shot<ref name="16-17th-century-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Pike and Shot|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2725/pike-and-shot|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114094204/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2725/pike-and-shot|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1690–1789 [[Age of Reason]]<ref name="age-of-reason-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Age of Reason|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2726/age-of-reason|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171824/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2726/age-of-reason|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1600–1800 [[American Indian Wars]]<ref name="us-indian-wars_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=American Indian Wars|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1108/american-indian-wars|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032054/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1108/american-indian-wars|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1775–1783 [[American Revolutionary War]]<ref name="us-revolutionary-war_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=American Revolutionary War|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1075/american-revolutionary-war|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171823/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1075/american-revolutionary-war|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1789–1815 [[Napoleonic]]<ref name="napoleonic-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Napoleonic|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1051/napoleonic|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114115000/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1051/napoleonic|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1815–1914 Post-Napoleonic<ref name="post-napoleonic-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Post-Napoleonic|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2710/post-napoleonic|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114094044/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2710/post-napoleonic|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1861–1865 [[American Civil War]]<ref name="us-civil-war_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=
American Civil War|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1075/american-revolutionary-war|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171823/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1075/american-revolutionary-war|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1850–1900 [[Timeline of the American Old West|American Old West]]<ref name="us-west_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=American West|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1055/american-west|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114121414/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1055/american-west|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1914–1918 [[World War I]]<ref name="ww1-bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=World War I|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1065/world-war-i|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114121517/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1065/world-war-i|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1939–1945 [[World War II]]<ref name="ww2_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=World War II|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1049/world-war-ii|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217221414/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1049/world-war-ii|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1945–present [[Modern warfare]]<ref name="modern-warfare_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Modern Warfare|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1069/modern-warfare|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115023010/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1069/modern-warfare|archive-date=15 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><li>
1945–1975 [[Vietnam Wars]]<ref name="vietnam-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Vietnam War|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1109/vietnam-war|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114122328/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1109/vietnam-war|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>1950–1953 [[Korean War]]<ref name="korean-war-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Korean War|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1091/korean-war|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114094213/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1091/korean-war|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
</ul>
| General: ''[[Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization|Through The Ages]]'' or ''[[History of the World]]''{{pb}} Before 4000 BC Prehistoric: ''[[Dominant Species (board game)|Dominant Species]]''; ''[[Stone Age (board game)|Stone Age]]''; ''[[Paleo (board game)|Paleo]]''; ''[[Endless Winter: Paleoamericans (board game)|Endless Winter: Paleoamericans]]''; [[Evolution (board game)|''Evolution'' franchise games]], or ''[[Oceans (board game)|Oceans]]''{{pb}} 3000 BC–476 Ancient: ''[[7 Wonders Duel]]''; ''[[Concordia (board game)|''Concordia'' franchise games]]''; ''[[Lost Ruins of Arnak]]''; ''[[Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (board game)|Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar]]''; ''[[Teotihuacan: City of Gods (board game)|Teotihuacan: City of Gods]]''{{pb}} 476–1492 Medieval: ''[[The Castles of Burgundy]]''; ''[[A Feast for Odin]]''; ''[[Orléans (board game)|Orléans]]''; ''[[The Quacks of Quedlinburg]]''; ''[[Paladins of the West Kingdom (board game)|Paladins of the West Kingdom]]''; ''[[El Grande]]''{{pb}} 1380–1590 Renaissance: ''[[Azul (board game)|Azul]]''; ''[[El Grande]]''; ''[[Splendor (game)|Splendor]]''; ''[[Keyflower]]''; ''[[Lorenzo il Magnifico]]''; ''[[Rajas of the Ganges]]''{{pb}} 1500–1690 Pike and Shot: ''[[Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan (board game)|Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan]]''; ''[[Merchants & Marauders (board game)|Merchants & Marauders]]''; ''[[Here I Stand (boardgame)|Here I Stand]]''; ''[[Pax Renaissance (board game)|Pax Renaissance]]''; ''[[Wallenstein (board game)|Wallenstein]]''{{pb}} 1690–1789 Age of Reason: [[Brass (board game)|''Brass'' franchise games]]; ''[[Rococo (board game)|Rococo]]''; ''[[Maria (board game)|Maria]]''; ''[[Newton (board game)|Newton]]''; ''[[Saint Petersburg (board game)|Saint Petersburg]]''; ''[[Imperial Struggle (board game)|Imperial Struggle]]''{{pb}} 1600–1800 American Indian Wars: ''[[A Few Acres of Snow (board game)|A Few Acres of Snow]]''; ''[[Wilderness War (board game)|Wilderness War]]''; ''[[Wendake (board game)|Wendake]]''; ''{{ill|1812: The Invasion of Canada|de|1812: Der zweite amerikanische Unabhängigkeitskrieg}}''; ''[[Navajo Wars (board game)|Navajo Wars]]''; ''[[Wooden Ships and Iron Men]]''{{pb}} 1775–1783 American Revolutionary War: ''[[Imperial Struggle (board game)|Imperial Struggle]]''; ''[[1775: Rebellion (board game)|1775: Rebellion]]''; ''[[Washington's War]]''; ''[[Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection (board game)|Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection]]''; ''[[Wooden Ships and Iron Men]]''; ''{{ill|Sails of Glory|it|Sails of Glory}}''{{pb}} 1789–1815 Napoleonic: ''[[Commands & Colors: Napoleonics (board game)|Commands & Colors: Napoleonics]]''; ''[[Napoleon's Triumph (board game)|Napoleon's Triumph]]''; ''{{ill|1812: The Invasion of Canada|de|1812: Der zweite amerikanische Unabhängigkeitskrieg}}'', or ''[[Manoeuvre (board game)|Manoeuvre]]''{{pb}} 1815–1914 Post-Napoleonic: [[Brass (board game)|''Brass'' franchise games]]; ''[[Pax Pamir]]''; ''[[Obsession (board game)|Obsession]]''; ''[[Trickerion: Legends of Illusion (board game)|Trickerion: Legends of Illusion]]''; ''[[Carnegie (board game)|Carnegie]]''{{pb}} 1861–1865 American Civil War: ''[[Freedom: The Underground Railroad]]''; ''[[Battle Cry (game)|Battle Cry]]''; ''[[For the People (board game)|For the People]]''; ''[[The Civil War 1861-1865 (board game)|The Civil War 1861-1865]]''; ''[[A House Divided (board game)|A House Divided]]''{{pb}} 1850–1900 American Old West: ''[[Great Western Trail (board game)|Great Western Trail]]''; ''[[Western Legends (board game)|Western Legends]]''; ''[[Lewis & Clark: The Expedition (board game)|Lewis & Clark: The Expedition]]''; ''[[Boonlake (board game)|Boonlake]]''; ''[[Colt Express]]''{{pb}} 1914–1918 World War I: ''[[Memoir '44]]''; ''[[Paths of Glory (board game)|Paths of Glory]]''; ''[[The Grizzled (board game)|The Grizzled]]''; ''[[Wings of War: Famous Aces]]''; ''[[Quartermaster General: 1914 (board game)|Quartermaster General: 1914]]''; ''[[Wings of War#First World War Series|Wings of War: First World War Series]]''{{pb}} 1939–1945 World War II: ''[[Axis & Allies]]''; ''[[Undaunted: Normandy (board game)|Undaunted: Normandy]]''; ''[[Memoir '44]]''; ''[[Combat Commander: Europe (board game)|Combat Commander: Europe]]''; ''[[Air, Land, & Sea (board game)|Air, Land, & Sea]]''; ''[[Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes (board game)|Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes]]''; ''[[Black Orchestra (board game)|Black Orchestra]]''{{pb}} Modern Warfare: ''[[Twilight Struggle]]''; ''[[This War of Mine: The Board Game]]''; ''[[Captain Sonar]]''; ''[[Fire in the Lake (board game)|Fire in the Lake]]''; ''[[Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001–?]]''; [[COIN (board game)|''COIN'' franchise games]]{{pb}} 1945–1975 Vietnam Wars: ''[[Downtown: Air War Over Hanoi, 1965-1972 (board game)|Downtown: Air War Over Hanoi, 1965-1972]]''; [[Fields of Fire (game)|''Fields of Fire'' franchise games]]; ''[[Fire in the Lake (board game)|Fire in the Lake]]''; ''[[Phantom Leader (board game)|Phantom Leader]]''; ''[[Vietnam 1965-1975]]''{{pb}} 1950–1953 Korean War: [[Fields of Fire (game)|''Fields of Fire'' franchise games]]; ''[[The Korean War: June 1950-May 1951 (board game)|The Korean War: June 1950-May 1951]]''; ''[[Korea: The Forgotten War (board game)|Korea: The Forgotten War]]''; ''[[Flight Leader (board game)|Flight Leader]]''; ''[[The Speed of Heat (board game)|The Speed of Heat]]''
|-

| Horror
| A [[Horror fiction|horror]]-themed game is one that contains themes and imagery depicting morbid topics that are associated with fear, terror, or dread, often also including supernatural elements.
| [[:Category: Horror board games|Examples of horror games]] that are also board game include: ''[[Arkham Horror]]''; ''[[AuZtralia (board game)|AuZtralia]]''; ''[[Betrayal at House on the Hill]]''; ''[[Cthulhu: Death May Die (board game)|Cthulhu: Death May Die]]''; ''[[Dead Man's Cabal]]''; ''[[Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game|Dead of Winter]]''; ''[[Eldritch Horror]]''; ''[[Horrified (board game)|Horrified]]''; ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre#Adaptations|Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse]]''; ''[[Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game (board game)|Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game]]''; ''[[Mansions of Madness]]''; ''[[Mysterium (board game)|Mysterium]]''; ''[[Nyctophobia (board game)|Nyctophobia]]''; ''[[Shadow Hunters]]''; ''[[The Thing (board game)|''The Thing'' franchise games]]''; [[Ultimate Werewolf|''Werewolf'' franchise games]]; ''[[Unmatched (board game)#Cobble & Fog|Unmatched: Cobble and Fog]]''; ''[[Unfathomable (board game)|Unfathomable]]''; ''[[Zombicide]]''
| <ref>{{Cite web|title=Arkham Horror's 3rd Edition Gives the Game a Dramatic and Awesome Overhaul - Gen Con 2018|date=3 August 2018|website=IGN (www.ign.com)|language=en|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/03/arkham-horrors-3rd-edition-gives-the-game-a-dramatic-and-awesome-overhaul-gen-con-2018|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190121013402/https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/03/arkham-horrors-3rd-edition-gives-the-game-a-dramatic-and-awesome-overhaul-gen-con-2018|archive-date=21 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=20 December 2019|title=The Best Horror and Zombie Board Games|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-horror-and-zombie-board-games|website=IGN (www.ign.com)|language=en|access-date=28 December 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241228062342/https://www.ign.com/articles/best-horror-board-games|archive-date=28 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="horror_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Horror|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1024/horror|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171820/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1024/horror|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="horror_meehan(dice-breaker)_2023">{{Cite news|title=Best horror board games|first=Alex|last=Meehan|date=26 October 2023|language=en|page=|website=Dice Breaker (www.dicebreaker.com)|url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/themes/horror/best-games/best-horror-board-games|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721092451/https://www.dicebreaker.com/themes/horror/best-games/best-horror-board-games|archive-date=21 July 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Mafia
| [[Mafia]]-themed board games have themes, narratives or scenarios related to organized criminal groups.
| ''[[The Godfather: Corleone's Empire]]''; ''[[Ca$h 'n Guns (board game)|Ca$h 'n Guns]]''; ''[[Scarface (board game)|Scarface]]''; ''[[Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem (board game)|Sons of Anarchy: Men of Mayhem]]''; ''[[La Cosa Nostra (board game)|La Cosa Nostra]]''
| <ref name="mafia-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Mafia|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1033/mafia|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032055/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1033/mafia|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Medical
| [[Medicine|Medical]]-themed board games often can have elements of surgery, cures, recovery/recuperation/physical therapy, psychiatry, pharmaceutical prescription, and other medicine-related matters.
| [[Pandemic (board game)|''Pandemic'' franchise games]] or ''[[Unconscious Mind (board game)|Unconscious Mind]]''
| <ref name="medical-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Medical|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2145/medical|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114031900/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2145/medical|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Murder mystery
| Murder mystery-themed board games are board games that often deduction or social deduction board games, where players investigate an unsolved murder, or murders, determining the criminal details or perpetrators.
| ''[[Mansions of Madness]]''; ''[[Blood on the Clocktower]]''; ''[[Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (gamebook)|Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective]]''; ''[[Deception (board game)|Deception: Murder in Hong Kong]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="murder-myster-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Murder / Mystery|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1040/murder-mystery|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218031609/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1040/murder-mystery|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Musical
| Musical board games are thematically linked to music, [[Musical ensemble|bands]] or the [[music industry]]. 
| ''[[Battle of the Bands (board game)|Battle of the Bands]]''; ''[[Cranium (board game)#Expansions and spinoffs|Cranium Pop 5]]''; ''[[DropMix (game)|DropMix]]''; ''[[Game that Song (board game)|Game that Song]]''; ''{{ill|Hitster (board game)|de|lt=Hitster|Hitster}}''; ''[[Humm Bug (board game)|Humm Bug]]''; ''[[Encore (board game)|Encore]]''; ''[[Lacrimosa (board game)|Lacrimosa]]''; ''[[Melody Infidelody (board game)|Melody Infidelody]]''; ''[[On Tour (board game)|On Tour]]''; ''[[Spontuneous (board game)|Spontuneous]]''; ''[[Schrille Stille (board game)|Schrille Stille]]'' ; ''[[Timeline: Music & Cinema (board game)|Timeline: Music & Cinema]]''
| <ref name="musical-gmaes_gamer_2024">{{cite web|title=Best Musical Board Games In 2024|website=The Gamer (www.thegamer.com)|date=24 April 2024|first=Davis|last=Collins|language=en|url=https://www.thegamer.com/best-music-board-games|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514220831/https://www.thegamer.com/best-music-board-games|archive-date=14 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="musical-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Music|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1054/music|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920145157/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1054/music|archive-date=20 September 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Mythology
| [[Myth]]ology-themed board games are those that incorporate a thematic narrative that defines how the game world or characters came into existence, especially those related or based on narratives of ancient civilizations. The storylines usually include supernatural elements, e.g. gods, goddesses and demigods, and are sometimes even set in a fabled or primordial time, which usually corresponds to a general corpus of folk stories (myths) that used to have some form of religious or sacred nature for the cultures focused on in the game.
| ''[[Spirit Island (board game)|Spirit Island]]''; ''[[The Crew (card game)#Reimplementation|The Crew: Mission Deep Sea]]''; ''[[Blood Rage (board game)|Blood Rage]]''; ''[[Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood (board game)|Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood]]''; ''[[Mansions of Madness]]''; ''[[Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar (board game)|Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar]]''
| <ref name="mythology-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Mythology|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1082/mythology|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217023226/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1082/mythology|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Nautical
| [[Seamanship|Nautical]]-themed board games involve sailors, ships or maritime navigation as a major component of the theme or gameplay, often requiring players to effectively control ships as an objective.
| ''[[Concordia (board game)|Concordia]]''; ''[[The Crew (card game)#Reimplementation|The Crew: Mission Deep Sea]]''; ''[[Underwater Cities (board game)|Underwater Cities]]''; ''[[Sleeping Gods (board game)|Sleeping Gods]]''; ''[[Maracaibo (board game)|Maracaibo]]''; ''[[Le Havre (board game)|Le Havre]]''
| <ref name="nautical_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Nautical|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1008/nautical|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032056/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1008/nautical|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Other media
| These are board games thematically link, derived or inspired from works or franchises in other media sources, including: 
<ul><li>Comic book / Strips<ref name="comics_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Comic Book / Strip|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1116/comic-book-strip|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032154/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1116/comic-book-strip|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><li>Novels<ref name="novels_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Novel-based|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1093/novel-based|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171820/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1093/novel-based|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><li>Video games<ref name="video-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Video Game Theme|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1101/video-game-theme|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250116043845/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1101/video-game-theme|archive-date=16 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><li>Movies / Television / Radio<ref name="movies-tv-radio_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Movies / TV / Radio theme|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1064/movies-tv-radio-theme|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116053709/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1064/movies-tv-radio-theme|archive-date=16 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref></ul>
| Comic books:<ul><li>''[[Marvel Champions: The Card Game]]'';<li>''[[Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game]]'';<li>''[[Marvel United (board game)|Marvel United]]'';<li>''[[Splendor: Marvel]]'' (all based on the [[Marvel Universe]]); <li>''[[MIND MGMT#Board game|Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage "Game"]]'' (based on ''[[MIND MGMT]]'');</ul>Novels: <ul><li>''[[Dune: Imperium]]'' (based on the ''[[Dune (franchise)|''Dune'' novels]]'');<li>''[[War of the Ring (board game)|War of the Ring]]'';<li>''[[The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth]]'' (both based on ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' novels);<li>''[[Arkham Horror: The Card Game]]'';<li>''[[Cthulhu: Death May Die]]'' (both based on the [[Cthulhu mythos]] created in the novels by [[H. P. Lovecraft]]);</ul>Video games: <ul><li>''[[Mechs vs. Minions]]'' (based on ''[[League of Legends]]'');<li>''[[Slay the Spire#Board game adaptation|Slay the Spire: The Board Game]]'' (based on ''[[Slay the Spire]]'');<li>''[[This War of Mine: The Board Game]]'' (based on ''[[This War of Mine]]'');<li>''[[Railways of the World]]'' (based on ''[[Railroad Tycoon]]'');<li>''{{ill|Hanamikoji|de|Hanamikoji}}'';<li>''[[Anno 1800 (board game)|Anno 1800]]'' (based on ''[[Anno 1800]]'')</ul>
|-

| Pirate
| A [[pirate]]-themed game has characters, themes, or storylines of nautical robbery or criminal violence, including [[treasure hunting]], sea robbery, [[swords]] and [[cannons]], [[Swashbuckler|swashbuckling]], and ship racing etc. Pirate board games are usually thematically set between the 14th to 20th centuries.
| ''[[Maracaibo (board game)|Maracaibo]]''; ''[[Skull King (board game)|Skull King]]''; ''[[Forgotten Waters (board game)|Forgotten Waters]]''; ''[[Merchants & Marauders (board game)|Merchants & Marauders]]''; ''[[Dead Reckoning (board game)|Dead Reckoning]]''; ''[[Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest (board game)|Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest]]''
| <ref name="pirate_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Pirate|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1090/pirates|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032013/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1090/pirates|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Political
| [[Politics|Political]]-themed board games encourage players to use their character's authority to manipulate societal activities and policy.
| ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''; ''[[Dune: Imperium]]''; ''[[Twilight Struggle]]''; [[Pax Pamir|''Pax'' franchise games]]; ''[[Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory (board game)|Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory]]''
| <ref name="political-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Political|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1001/political|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032033/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1016/science-fiction|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Religion
| [[religion|Religious]]-themed games feature elements of their narrative, setting or characters that relate to current belief systems or religions of the world, either in their historical aspect and development through time, or their actual objects of faith, like sacred scriptures and articles of doctrine.
| ''[[Here I Stand (boardgame)|Here I Stand]]''; ''[[Biblios (boardgame)|Biblios]]''; ''[[Orléans (board game)|Orléans]]''; ''[[Ora et Labora (boardgame)|Ora et Labora]]''; ''[[Pax Pamir|Pax Renaissance]]''; ''[[The Pillars of the Earth#Adaptations|The Pillars of the Earth]]''
| <ref name="religious-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Religious|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1115/religious|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124115650/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1001/political|archive-date=24 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Science fiction
| [[Science fiction]]-themed board games often have themes relating to imagined possibilities in the sciences. Such games need not be futuristic, or they can be based on an alternative past. 
| ''[[Twilight Imperium]]''; ''[[Dune: Imperium]]''; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mars]]''; ''[[Star Wars: Rebellion (board game)|Star Wars: Rebellion]]''; ''[[Terra Mystica#Expansions|Gaia Project]]''
| <ref name="sci-fi-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Science Fiction|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1016/science-fiction|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032033/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1016/science-fiction|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Space exploration
| [[Space exploration]]-themed board games have storylines relating to travel and adventure in [[outer space]]. Often players must seek and gather resources and territories as objectives of the game. These board games are also simply called Space games.
| ''[[Alien: The Role Playing Game]]''; ''[[Black Angel (board game)|Black Angel]]''; ''[[The Crew (card game)]]''; ''[[Ganymede (board game)|Ganymede]]''; {{ill|High Frontier 4 All (board game)|lt=''High Frontier'' franchise game|es|High frontier}}; ''[[Kepler-3042 (board game)|Kepler-3042]]''; ''[[Pulsar 2849 (board game)|Pulsar 2849]]''; ''[[Race for the Galaxy]]''; ''[[Space Base (board game)|Space Base]]''; ''[[Star Wars: Outer Rim (board game)|Star Wars: Outer Rim]]''; ''[[Starship Samurai (board game)|Starship Samurai]]''; ''[[Terraforming Mars (board game)|Terraforming Mar]]''
| <ref name="outspace_space_2022">{{cite web|title=Best space board games 2024|website=Space (www.space.com)|date=22 February 2022|first=Jeff|last=Spry|language=en|url=https://www.space.com/best-space-board-games|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250102020100/https://www.space.com/best-space-board-games|archive-date=2 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="outer-space_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Space exploration|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1113/space-exploration|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218115013/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1113/space-exploration|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Spies / secret agents
| A [[espionage|spies / secret agents]]-themed board games often have themes or storylines relating to espionage. A common premise is that players must identify another player who has taken the role of spy or secret agent, in an attempt to reveal that player's allotted information. Since many Spies / Secret Agents-themed board games have an element of hidden information, they are therefore often also categorized as bluffing or deduction board games. 
| [[Pax Pamir|''Pax'' franchise game]]; ''[[Pandemic (board game)#Spinoffs|Pandemic Legacy]]''; ''[[Decrypto]]''; ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game]]''; ''[[Codenames (board game)|Codenames]]''; ''[[Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (gamebook)|Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective]]''
| <ref name="spy_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Spy / Secret Agents|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1081/spies-secret-agents|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218120251/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1081/spies-secret-agents|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Sports
| [[Sports]]-themed board games have themes or storylines related to the physical activity of sports, including football and racing (whether car, boat, bicycle, or horse) etc.
| ''[[Heat: Pedal to the Metal (board game)|Heat: Pedal to the Metal]]''; ''{{ill|Flamme Rouge (board game)|lt=Flamme Rouge|it|Flamme rouge}}''; ''[[Long Shot: The Dice Game (board game)|Long Shot: The Dice Game]]''; ''[[Blood Bowl]]''; ''[[Downforce (board game)|Downforce]]''; ''[[Ready Set Bet (board game)|Ready Set Bet]]''
| <ref name="sports-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Sports|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1038/sports|access-date=15 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032129/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1038/sports|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| [[Train game|Train]]
| [[Train]] board games are those concerned with building and managing [[Rail transport|railway routes]]. They often combine elements from many other game types, requiring the use of strategy, planning, and economic skills to gain an advantage over other players.
| [[Ticket to Ride (board game)|''Ticket to Ride'' franchise games]]; ''[[18xx]]''; ''[[Railways of the World]]''; ''[[Colt Express]]''; ''[[Age of Steam (game)|Age of Steam]]''; ''[[TransAmerica (board game)|TransAmerica]]''
| <ref name="trains_bgg_current(2025_)">{{cite web|title=Trains|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1034/trains|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171824/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1034/trains|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Travel
| [[Travel]]-themed board games are travel-themed board games where the objective is to move to and from different geographic locations. Travel games usually employ a map as the main feature of the game board.
| ''[[Lost Ruins of Arnak]]''; ''[[Orléans (board game)|Orléans]]''; ''[[Lost Ruins of Arnak]]''; ''[[The Voyages of Marco Polo]]''; ''[[Darwin's Journey (board game)|Darwin's Journey]]''; ''[[Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon]]''; ''[[Eldritch Horror]]'' 
| <ref name="travel-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Travel|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1097/travel|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217215923/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1097/travel|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Transportation
| [[Transportation]]-themed board games are those that have gameplay involving the movement of goods or people from one place to another. 
| [[Brass (board game)|''Brass'' franchise games]]; ''[[Keyflower (board game)|Keyflower]]''; ''[[Age of Steam (game)|Age of Steam]]''; ''[[Xia: Legends of a Drift System (board game)|Xia: Legends of a Drift System]]''; ''[[Railways of the World]]''
| <ref name="transportation_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Transportation|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1011/transportation|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032125/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1011/transportation|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Zombie
| [[Zombie]]-themed board games often contain themes and imagery concerning the animated dead, including common storylines themes of an apocalypse, horror, and fighting. These games are a thematic sub-category of Horror-themed board games. 
| ''[[Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game|Dead of Winter]]''; ''[[Dawn of the Zeds (board game)|Dawn of the Zeds]]''; ''[[Zombicide]]''; ''{{ill|Zombie Kidz Evolution|de|Zombie Kidz Evolution}}'' 
| <ref name="zombies-game_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Zombies|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2481/zombies|access-date=14 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032140/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2481/zombies|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

===Components===

Board games can also be categorized by their components, including:<ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+ Board game categorization by components
|-
! Board game audience
! Description
! Examples 
! Ref
|-

| [[Dice game|Dice]]
| [[Dice]] board games are those that use dice as their sole or principal component. 
| [[List of dice games|Example of ''dice'' games]] that are also board games, include: ''[[The Castles of Burgundy]]''; [[King of Tokyo|''King of Tokyo'' franchise games]]; ''[[Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood (board game)|Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood]]''; ''[[Sky Team]]''; ''[[Too Many Bones (board game)|Too Many Bones]]''; ''[[Troyes#In popular culture|Troyes]]''; ''[[The Voyages of Marco Polo]]''; ''[[Roll for the Galaxy]]''  
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="dice-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Dice|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1017/dice|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217195833/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1017/dice|archive-date=17 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| [[Gamebook|Book]]
| Book board games are those where a book is a major operative component, can be separated into two types:<ul>'''Supplement'''
: A book is used as a repository for game designs and rules, which are applied to common gaming equipment, i.e. a checkered board, paper and pencil, cards, dominoes, dice, etc. {{pb}}'''Narrative'''
: A book is a board game's operative mechanism, involving storytelling, dice rolling or a "multiple-choice paragraph system".
</ul>
| ''[[Gaslands]]''; ''[[Four Against Darkness (board game)|Four Against Darkness]]''; ''[[Frostgrave]]''; ''[[Spire's End (board game)|Spire's End]]''; ''[[Ace of Aces (picture book game)|''Ace of Aces'' franchise games]]''
| <ref name="book_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Book|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1117/book|access-date=16 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114032112/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1117/book|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| [[Card game|Card]]
| [[Playing card|Card]] board games are those where cards are the sole or central mechanism of the game. There are two types:<ul>'''Stand-alone'''
: In stand-alone card board games all the cards necessary for gameplay are purchased at once. {{pb}}'''Collectible'''
: In collectible card board games players purchase either "starter" and "booster" card packs to compile an increasingly more powerful deck with which to compete with.
</ul>
| ''[[7 Wonders Duel]]''; ''[[Anno 1800 (board game)|Anno 1800]]''; ''[[Arkham Horror: The Card Game]]''; ''[[Citadels (card game)|Citadels]]''; ''[[The Crew (card game)|''The Crew'' franchise games]]''; ''[[Everdell]]''; ''[[Splendor (game)|Splendor]]''; ''[[Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization]]''; ''[[Wingspan (board game)|Wingspan]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="card_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Card Game|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1002/card-game|access-date=9 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109143809/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1002/card-game|archive-date=9 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Electronic
| Electronic board games are those that have an electronic apparatus as the central component of the game, such as circuitry or sometimes simple computers. Electronic board games differ from both; electrified games, such as ''[[Operation (game)|Operation]]'' which contain no circuitry; and those games requiring a website or app to be played.
| ''[[Return to Dark Tower]]''; ''[[Space Alert]]''; ''[[Escape: The Curse of the Temple (board game)|Escape: The Curse of the Temple]]''; ''[[Loopin' Louie]]''; ''[[Escape Room: The Game (board game)|Escape Room: The Game]]''; ''{{ill|La Boca (board game)|it|lt=La Boca|La Boca (gioco da tavolo)}}''  
| <ref name="electornic-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Electronic|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1072/electronic|access-date=18 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229233540/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1072/electronic|archive-date=29 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Game system
| Game system board games are ones based around an item whose components are not a game of themselves, but are used to play games.
| a [[piecepack]]; a [[decktet]];<ref name="decktet_decktet_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Decktet|website=Decktet (www.decktet.com)|language=en|url=https://www.decktet.com|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110041225/https://www.decktet.com|archive-date=10 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="decktet_father-geek_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Decktet Game System Review|website=Father Geek (www.fathergeek.com)|date=11 October 2012 |language=en|url=https://fathergeek.com/decktet-game-system|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919171639/https://fathergeek.com/decktet-game-system|archive-date=19 September 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="decktet_gaming-stuff_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=The Decktet|website=Gaming Stuff (www.fecundity.com)|first=P.D.|last=Magnus|language=en|url=https://www.fecundity.com/pmagnus/decktet/index.php|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908125945/https://www.fecundity.com/pmagnus/decktet|archive-date=8 September 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> [[GEMJI|GEMJI tiles]];<ref name="gemji_gemji_current(2025)">{{Cite news|title=Grow with games. Be a better parent, leader & human with GEMJI!|language=en|website=Gemji (www.gemji.com)|url=https://gemji.com|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124214218/https://gemji.com|archive-date=24 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gemji_bgg_2020">{{Cite news|title=GEMJI (2020)|language=en|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/320963/gemji|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250207223000/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/320963/gemji|archive-date=7 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[chestego|chestego set]];<ref name="chestigo_bgg_current(2025)">{{Cite news|title=Chestego (2018)|language=en|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/265071/chestego|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207223550/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/265071/chestego|archive-date=7 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[shibumi (game system)|shibumi object]];<ref name="shibumi_chesstris_2012">{{Cite news|title=Chesstris|author=Martin|date=28 January 2012|language=en|page=|website=Chresstris (www.chesstris.com)|url=http://chesstris.com/2012/01/28/shibumi-game-design|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207220553/http://chesstris.com/2012/01/28/shibumi-game-design|archive-date=7 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="shibumi_browne-andrés(campolbri)_2012">{{Cite news|title=Shibumi│Rule book|first1=Cameron|last1=Browne|first2=Néstor Romeral|last2=Andrés|date=2012|language=en|pages=7–8|website=Cambolbro (www.cambolbro.com)|url=http://cambolbro.com/games/shibumi/shibumi-rule-book-v1.1.pdf|access-date=8 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207221114/http://cambolbro.com/games/shibumi/shibumi-rule-book-v1.1.pdf|archive-date=7 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="shimbumi_brown_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Shibumi Game System|website=(www.cambolbro.com/games/shibumi)|first=Cameron|last=Browne|language=en|url=https://cambolbro.com/games/shibumi|access-date=21 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241105033735/http://www.cambolbro.com/games/shibumi|archive-date=5 November 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="
shibumi_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Shibumi (2011)|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135270/shibumi|access-date=21 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250404193653/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135270/shibumi|archive-date=4 April 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mü & More (board game)|''Mü & More'']]'s unique card deck; a [[card games|traditional deck of cards]]; ''[[Unmatched (board game)|Unmatched]]'s'' unique card deck; a ''[[Hanafuda]]''; [[Unsettled (board game)|''Unsettled'']]'s unique card deck; a [[rainbow deck]]<ref name="game-system-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Number|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1098/number|access-date=17 January 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250117124123/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1098/number|archive-date=17 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
|-

| Miniatures
| [[Miniature model (gaming)|Miniatures]] board games are board games that use detailed miniature models to represent characters or units. Games of this type use miniatures as part of their game mechanics, combining tactics and strategy with collecting and artistry. Of all board game types, miniature games can be some of the most complex to produce, and time-consuming for players, who often are required to paint the models. 
| ''[[BattleTech]]''; ''[[Blood Rage (board game)|Blood Rage]]''; ''[[Dead of Winter: A Cross Roads Game|Dead of Winter]]''; ''[[Fury of Dracula]]''; [[Gloomhaven|''Gloomhaven'' franchise games]]; ''[[Mansions of Madness]]''; ''[[Memoir '44]]''; ''[[Nemesis (board game)|Nemesis]]''; ''[[Rising Sun (board game)|Rising Sun]]''; ''[[Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game|''Star Wars'' franchise miniature games]]''; ''[[Santorini (game)|Santorini]]''; ''[[War of the Ring (board game)|War of the Ring]]''; ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="miniatures-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Miniatures|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1047/miniatures|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171820/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1047/miniatures|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| [[Tile-based game|Tile-based]]
| A tile-based board game is one that uses small tiles as playing pieces or to create the board. These board games are also called "tile placement" or "tile-laying" board games.
| [[:Category:Tile-based board games|Examples of tile-based games]] that are also board games include: ''[[Carcassonne (board game)|Carcassonne]]''; ''[[Scrabble]]''; ''[[Tigris and Euphrates]]''; ''[[Evo (board game)|Evo]]''; ''[[Takenoko (board game)|Takenoko]]''; ''[[Cacao (board game)|Cacao]]''; ''[[The Castles of Burgundy]]''; ''[[Quadropolis (board game)|Quadropolis]]''; ''[[Between Two Cities (board game)|Between Two Cities]]''
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>
|}

===Age range===

The recommended age range of board game's target player market impacts of the categorization of that board game:

{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+ Board game categorization by age range
|-
! Board game audience
! Description
! Examples 
! Ref
|-

| Adult / mature
| Adult and mature board games are those designed exclusively for grown-up players. Compared to family or children's games, adult / mature board games usually involve mature subject matter, including violence, mystery or sexual humour etc.
| ''[[Cards Against Humanity]]''; ''[[Dead of Winter: The Long Night (board game)|Dead of Winter: The Long Night]]''; ''[[Escape Tales: The Awakening (board game)|Escape Tales: The Awakening]]''; ''[[Kingdom Death: Monster]]''; ''[[Tainted Grail: Conquest|''Tainted Grail'' franchise games]]''; ''[[Monikers (board game)|Monikers]]''; ''[[Codenames (board game)#Official variations|Codenames: Deep Undercover]]'' 
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/><ref name="adult-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Mature / Adult|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1118/mature-adult|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171823/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1118/mature-adult|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Children's
| Children's board games are designed for kids and are usually straightforward enough for very young children to learn in a short period of time, having bright colors, and fun and engaging settings.
| ''[[Mouse Trap (board game)|Mouse Trap]]''; ''[[Animal Upon Animal (board game)|Animal Upon Animal]]''; ''[[My First Stone Age (board game)|My First Stone Age]]''; ''[[Dinosaur Escape and Candy Land (board game)|Dinosaur Escape and Candy Land]]''; ''[[My Little Scythe]]''; ''[[Perudo]]''; ''[[PitchCar (board game)|PitchCar]]''; ''[[Rhino Hero (board game)|Rhino Hero]]''; ''{{ill|Zombie Kidz Evolution|de|Zombie Kidz Evolution}}'' 
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/><ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/><ref name="cildren's-games_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Children's Game|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1041/childrens-game|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218120316/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1041/childrens-game|archive-date=18 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Family
| Family board games are those suitable for the entire family, including adults who play together with younger children.
| ''[[Artriculate (board game)|Artriculate]]''; ''[[Birds on a Wire (board game)|Birds on a Wire]]''; ''[[For Sale (board game)|For Sale]]''; ''[[Herd Mentality (board game)|Herd Mentality]]''; ''[[Photosynthesis (board game)|Photosynthesis]]''; ''[[Roll Through the Ages (board game)|Roll Through the Ages]]''; ''[[Sushi Go]]''; ''[[Ticket to Ride (board game)|Ticket to Ride]]''; or ''[[Wingspan (board game)|Wingspan]]''
| <ref name="game-categories_big-game-hunter_2024"/><ref name="family-games_games-radar_2024">{{cite web|title=Must-have family board games for 2024|website=Games Radar (www.gamesradar.com)|date=21 December 2024|first=Benjamin|last=Abbott|language=en|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/board-games-for-families|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230064215/https://www.gamesradar.com/board-games-for-families|archive-date=30 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

===Player number===

Board games can be characterised by the number of players they are designed for. Board games can be; solitaire [[puzzle]] games, where a player's performance is assessed against a specified target; or multiplayer games such as competitive games, where a comparison is made between two or more players' achievements, or [[Cooperative board game]] where players all players win or lose as a team:{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+ Board game categorization by player number 
|-
! Board Game Audience
! Examples 
! Ref
|-

| Large multiplayer
| ''[[Take It Easy (game)|Take It Easy]]''; ''Swat''
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-

| [[Multiplayer game|Multiplayer]]
| ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''; ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]''; [[Four-player chess]]
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|-

| [[Two-player game|Two-player]]
| ''En Garde''; ''Dos de Mayo''
| {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
|}

===Promotion type===

The following categories of board games are not board game types but rather paths board game creators take to promote their game:<ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers"
|+ Board game categorization by promotion
|-
! Promotional Approach
! Description
! Examples 
! Ref
|-

| Collectable
| A collectible board game is a special edition of a board game that has limited copies, such as anniversaries or deluxe versions. 
| <ul>
<li>''[[Dune: Imperium|Dune: Imperium – Deluxe upgrade pack]]''<!-- The Wikipedia article doesn't yet mention the deluxe edition, therefore, an inline citation is included. -->;<ref name="dune-imperium-ugrade_bgg_current(2020)">{{cite web|title=Dune: Imperium – Deluxe Upgrade Pack (2020)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameaccessory/324114/dune-imperium-deluxe-upgrade-pack|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250208110030/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameaccessory/324114/dune-imperium-deluxe-upgrade-pack|archive-date=8 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Dungeon Lords (board game)|Dungeon Lords – Happy Anniversary]]''<!-- The Wikipedia article doesn't yet mention the deluxe edition, therefore, an inline citation is included. -->;<ref name="duneon-lords_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Dungeon Lords: Happy Anniversary (2014)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161617/dungeon-lords-happy-anniversary|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109091046/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161617/dungeon-lords-happy-anniversary|archive-date=9 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Pandemic (board game)#Editions|Pandemic – 10th Anniversary Edition]]'';</li>
<li> ''[[Magic the gathering|Magic the gathering – 4th edition]]''<!-- The Wikipedia article doesn't yet mention the deluxe edition, therefore, an inline citation is included. -->;<ref name="magic-the-gathering_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Magic: The Gathering – Fourth Edition Core Set (1995)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/221378/magic-the-gathering-fourth-edition-core-set|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250208105611/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/221378/magic-the-gathering-fourth-edition-core-set|archive-date=8 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Ticket to Ride (board game)#Anniversary releases|Ticket to Ride: Anniversary Editions]]''</li>
</ul>
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/>
|-

| [[Expansion pack|Expansion]]
| An expansion of the base board game is a set of additional components and rules for expanding on an original base game. An "expansion" requires the base game to play.
| <ul>
<li>''[[Blood Bowl#Fourth Edition, rule updates and Living Rulebook|Living Rulebook]]'' (expansion of ''[[Blood Bowl]]'');
<li>''[[Boss Monster 2: The Next Level (board game)|Boss Monster 2: The Next Level]]''<ref name="boss-level-2_brotherwise_current(2019)">{{cite web|title=Boss Monster 2: The Next Level|website=Brotherwise Games (www.brotherwisegames.com)|language=en|url=http://www.brotherwisegames.com/2015/04/16/boss-monster-2-the-next-level|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710060641/http://www.brotherwisegames.com/2015/04/16/boss-monster-2-the-next-level|archive-date=10 July 2019}}</ref> (expansion of ''[[Boss Monster (board game)|Boss Monster]]'');<ref name="boss-monster_brotherwise-games_current(2013)">{{cite web|title=Boss Monster|website=Brotherwise Games (www.bossmonstergame.wordpress.com)|date=13 June 2013|language=en|url=http://bossmonstergame.wordpress.com|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703093806/http://bossmonstergame.wordpress.com|archive-date=3 July 2013}}</ref><!--No Wikipedia page exists for either game, therefore inline citations are needed.-->
<li>''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game#Related products|Wrath of the Righteous]]'' (expansion of ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game#Related products|Pathfinder Adventure Card Game]]'' based on ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game|Pathfinder]]'');</li>
<li>[[Pixel Tactics 5 (board game)|Pixel Tactics 5]]<ref name="pixel-tactics-5_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Pixel Tactics 5 (2015)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172969/pixel-tactics-5|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130094911/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172969/pixel-tactics-5|archive-date=30 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> (expansion of ''[[Pixel Tactics (board game)|Pixel Tactics]]'');<ref name="pixel-tactics_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Pixel Tactics (2012) |website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125548/pixel-tactics|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229183137/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125548/pixel-tactics|archive-date=29 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>{{ill|Rumis+|de|Rumis#Veröffentlichung}} (expansion of ''[[Rumis]]'');
<li>[[Star Wars: Destiny#Sets|Booster Packs]] (expansion of ''[[Star Wars: Destiny]]'');<ref name="star-wars-2-player_ffg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Star Wars: Destiny Two-Player Game|website=Fantasy Flight Games (www.fantasyflightgames.com)|language=en|url=https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/8/31/star-wars-destiny-two-player-game|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121060129/https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/8/31/star-wars-destiny-two-player-game|archive-date=21 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><!--No Wikipedia page exists for either game, therefore inline citations have been included.-->
<li>[[Ticket to Ride (board game)#Map collections|Map expansions]] of ''[[Ticket to Ride (board game)|Ticket to Ride]]''</li> 
</ul>
| <ref name="expansion_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Expansion for Base-game|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1042/expansion-for-base-game|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114041001/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1042/expansion-for-base-game|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Fan expansion
| Fan expansion board games are non-commercial enhancements made by people other than a base game's designers or publishers. These are also called "unofficial" board games.
| <ul>
<li>''[[Android: Netrunner#Null Signal Games releases|System Gateway]]'' (fan expansion for ''[[Android: Netrunner]]'');<ref name="system-gateway_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=System Gateway (fan expansion for Android: Netrunner) (2021)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345976/system-gateway-fan-expansion-for-android-netrunner|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250118035027/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345976/system-gateway-fan-expansion-for-android-netrunner|archive-date=18 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Crabs Adjust Humidity: Volume One]]'' (fan expansion for ''[[Cards Against Humanity]]'');<ref name="crabs-against-humanity_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Crabs Adjust Humidity: Volume One (fan expansion for Cards Against Humanity) (2013) |website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/145418/crabs-adjust-humidity-volume-one-fan-expansion-for|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114034849/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/145418/crabs-adjust-humidity-volume-one-fan-expansion-for|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Switching Gears]]'' (fan expansion for ''[[T.I.M.E Stories]]'');<ref name="sitching-gears_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Switching Gears (fan expansion for T.I.M.E Stories) (2016)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/200443/switching-gears-fan-expansion-for-time-stories|access-date=7 February 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250209054529/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/200443/switching-gears-fan-expansion-for-time-stories|archive-date=9 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[The Crimson Scales]]'' (fan expansion of ''[[Gloomhaven]]'');<ref name="crimson-scale_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=
The Crimson Scales (2021)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/365186/the-crimson-scales|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250209051306/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/365186/the-crimson-scales|archive-date=9 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Atolla Modulis]]'' (fan expansion for ''[[Power Grid]]'');<ref name="atolla-modulis_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=
Atolla Modulis (fan expansion for Funkenschlag) (2006)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/22355/atolla-modulis-fan-expansion-for-funkenschlag|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122144202/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/22355/atolla-modulis-fan-expansion-for-funkenschlag|archive-date=22 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
<li>''[[Lost Wonders]]'' (fan expansion for ''[[7 Wonders (board game)|7 Wonders]]'')<ref name="lost-wonders_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title= Lost Wonders (fan expansion for 7 Wonders) (2012)|website=BoardGameGeek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/134849/lost-wonders-fan-expansion-for-7-wonders|access-date=5 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114034940/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/134849/lost-wonders-fan-expansion-for-7-wonders|archive-date=14 January 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
</ul>
| <ref name="fan-expansion_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Fan Expansion|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2687/fan-expansion|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171756/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/2687/fan-expansion|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| {{ill|Print-and-play|de|Print & Play|fr|Print and play}}
| Print-and-play board games are those not published in a physical form but are those that require the players to download, print, and construct the game. Often, these games are downloaded electronically as a PDF file. 
| ''[[Air, Land, & Sea]]''; ''[[Corinth]]''; ''[[Evolution (board game)#History|Evolution: Climate]]''; ''[[Monikers]]''; ''[[The Resistance (game)|The Resistance]]''; ''[[Rolling Realms (board game)|Rolling Realms]]''; ''[[Root (board game)|Root]]''; ''[[Secret Hitler]]''; ''[[Tiny Epic Galazies]]'' 
| <ref name="game-types_board-games-land_2024"/><ref name="printplay"/><ref name="print-and-play_bgg_current(2025)">{{cite web|title=Print and Play|website=Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com)|language=en|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1120/print-and-play|access-date=10 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225171820/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1120/print-and-play|archive-date=25 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-

| Travel
| Travel versions of board games that are more amenable for packing and carrying while traveling, having smaller game components to make them more compact, and simplified rules to make them quicker to play. 
| Compact versions of [[chess]], or [[checkers]]
| <ref name="game-types_hero-time_current(2025)"/>
|}

==Glossary <span class="anchor" id="Common terms"></span>==
{{further|Glossary of board games}}
Although many board games have a [[jargon]] all their own, there is [[terminology]] that is recognized and widely shared by [[gamers]] and the [[Tabletop game industry|gaming industry]].

==See also==
* [[Board game awards]]
* [[BoardGameGeek]] – a website for board game enthusiasts
* ''[[Going Cardboard]]'' – a [[documentary movie]]
* [[History of games]]
* [[Interactive movie]] – DVD games
* [[List of board games]]
* [[List of game manufacturers]]
* [[Mind sport]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Austin|first=Roland G.|title=Greek Board Games|journal=Antiquity|date=14 September 1940|volume=14|issue=55|pages=257–271|doi=10.1017/S0003598X00015258 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Bell|first=Robert Charles|author-link=Robert Charles Bell|title=Board and Table Games From Many Civilizations|publisher=[[Dover Publications]]|year=1979|isbn=978-0-671-06030-5|edition=Revised|volume=I|orig-date=1st Pub. 1960, [[Oxford University Press]], London}}
* {{Cite book|first=Robert Charles|last=Bell|author-link=Robert Charles Bell|title=The Boardgame Book|publisher=Exeter Books|year=1983|isbn=978-0-671-06030-5}}
* {{Cite book|first=Edward|last=Falkener|title=Games Ancient and Oriental and How to Play Them|publisher=[[Dover Publications]] Inc|year=2020|orig-date=1892|isbn=978-93-5415-754-7|author-link=Edward Falkener|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RI5UugEACAAJ|access-date=21 July 2017}} [https://archive.org/details/gamesancientorie00falkuoft/page/10/mode/2up Alt URL]
* {{Cite book|first=Willard|last=Fiske|author-link=Willard Fiske|title=''Chess in Iceland and in Icelandic Literature—with historical notes on other table-games''|url=https://archive.org/details/chessinicelandin00fiskuoft/page/172/mode/2up|publisher=Florentine Typographical Society|year=1905}}
* {{Cite book|first1=Fernand|last1=Gobet|author-link=Fernand Gobet|first2=Alex|last2=de Voogt|author-link2=Alexander de Voogt|first3=Jean|last3=Retschitzki|title=Moves in mind: The psychology of board games|publisher=Psychology Press|year=2004|isbn=978-1-84169-336-1|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{Cite thesis|first=Sonja Musser|last=Golladay|title=Los Libros de Acedrex Dados E Tablas: Historical, Artistic and Metaphysical Dimensions of Alfonso X's Book of Games|url=http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fdata1%2Fpdf%2Fetd%2Fazu_etd_2444_1_m.pdf&type=application%2Fpdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717133812/http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fdata1%2Fpdf%2Fetd%2Fazu_etd_2444_1_m.pdf&type=application%2Fpdf|archive-date=2011-07-17|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Arizona|year=2007}}
* {{Cite magazine|first=Stewart|last=Gordon|date=July–August 2009|title=Saudi Aramco World: The Game of Kings |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200904/the.game.of.kings.htm|magazine=[[Saudi Aramco World]] |location=Houston|publisher=Aramco Services Company|volume=60|issue=4|pages=18–23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720035407/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200904/the.game.of.kings.htm|archive-date=20 July 2009}}
* {{Cite book|first=Frederic V.|last=Grunfeld|url=https://archive.org/details/gamesofworldhowt0000unse|title=Games of the World |publisher=[[Holt McDougal|Holt, Rinehart and Winston]]|year=1975|isbn=978-0-03-015261-0|url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/waytoplayillustr00diag|title=The Way to Play|publisher=Paddington Press Ltd |year=1975|isbn=978-0-8467-0060-9|editor-first=Ruth|editor-last=Midgley}}
* {{Cite book|first=Merilyn Simonds|last=Mohr|url=https://archive.org/details/newgamestreasury0000mohr|title=The New Games Treasury|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|year=1997|isbn=978-1-57630-058-9|url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book|first=Harold James Ruthven|last=Murray|author-link=H. J. R. Murray|title=[[A History of Chess]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2007|orig-date=1913|isbn=978-0-19-827403-2|edition=Reissued}}
* {{Cite book|first=D. B.|last=Pritchard|title=Brain Games|publisher=[[Penguin Books]] Ltd|year=1982|isbn=978-0-14-005682-2 |author-link=David Pritchard (chess player)}}
* {{Cite book|first=David|last=Pritchard|title=The Family Book of Games|publisher=Brockhampton Press|year=1994|isbn=978-1-86019-021-6|author-link=David Pritchard (chess player)}}
* {{Cite journal|first=Gary O.|last=Rollefson|author-link=Gary O. Rollefson|title=A Neolithic Game Board from Ain Ghazal, Jordan|journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research|volume=286|number=1|date=May 1992|pages=1–5|doi=10.2307/1357113 |jstor=1357113 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271790491}}
* {{Cite book|first=Sid|last=Sackson|title=A Gamut of Games|year=1983|isbn=978-0-09-153340-3|author-link=Sid Sackson|orig-date=1969|publisher=[[Random House]]|publication-place=New York}}
* {{Cite book|first=R. Wayne|last=Schmittberger|title=New Rules for Classic Games|url=https://archive.org/details/newrulesforclass00rway|publisher=John Wiley & Sons Inc|year=1992|isbn=978-0-471-53621-5}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Board games}}

{{Tabletop games by type}}
{{Portal bar|Games|Chess|Dungeons & Dragons}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Board games]]
[[Category:History of board games]]
[[Category:Egyptian inventions]]