I love board games. I love the mechanics, the bits, the board, the competition – all of it. And board games have really come a long way, particularly in the last 10 years. These days, with the prevalence of Kickstarter and Gamefound board game campaigns, expectations for quality components have never been higher.
Why a Board Game Top 10 Now
My taste in board games tends toward the classic, tried and true game. I definitely give extra points for how long a game has remained relevant. It’s just not that easy for a new game to crack my top ten. But wow, was it ever time to update my list, because 2022 and 2023 were excellent years. Six games on my list come from those two years. Number one hasn’t changed, but a few new games are getting very close.
Related: My previous favorite board games
I have provided an information card at the beginning of each game description with my rating out of ten and year of first publication. There is also information on player count, player age, time to play, luck factor and complexity (see end of post for more details). These factors are my opinions and may not always agree with published information from the game companies.
1. Acquire
HOW THE BOARD GAME ACQUIRE PLAYS
Acquire is a stock market game in which players create and grow hotel companies by placing randomly drawn tiles on a grid. Players may then purchase stock in those hotels. The more tiles in a company’s tile group, the more valuable the stock.
Buying stock early in a growing company can pay off in stock value as the company grows, but the only way to earn cash during the game is to buy stock in hotels that merge into larger hotels. If you do not paricipate in such a merger as a majority or minority shareholder, you risk running out of money. Acquire’s gameplay is abstract but does an excellent job creating the tension of the stock market and long-term versus short-term decision making.
MY THOUGHTS ON ACQUIRE
Acquire has been published by many different companies since first introduced in the early 1960s. It may not be the flashiest game out there now but the mechanics still hold up and it earns extra points for longevity. For the third year in a row, it is still being played as one of the ring games in the 2024 Word Series of Board Gaming – the oldest game on the list and a testament to its relevancy.
Acquire is not difficult to learn but balancing short-term and long-term decisions can be tricky and is the key to winning. There is a bit of memory work involved, as attention to other player’s turns is required for keeping track of who owns what. It is never difficult or tedious, but rather a perfect balance of strategy and tactics.
I do wish someone would produce a definitive deluxe edition, however. The latest publication came out in 2023 by Renegade Games and is one of the better versions but still not what the game deserves. I mean, seriously, how hard would it be to include Scrabble-style tile holders? And higher quality plastic components? How about an electronic board that changes the tile colors to match the corresponding hotel? Okay, that may be asking for too much. I really shouldn’t sound so negative. Acquire is an excellent game worthy of an excellent production and remains my favorite game of all time. A 60th Anniversary Edition is due soon, so there’s still hope.
MORE RESOURCES FOR ACQUIRE
Board Game Geek Information
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2. Foundations of Rome
Foundations of Rome is a large, lavish, some may say overly produced game which at its heart is a rather simple polyomino-style tile laying game. But in this case, the polyominoes are intricately designed 3-D Roman buildings.
It was originally produced as a Kickstarter game with options for upgraded components and, as of this review, remains unavailable for purchase from mass market retailers. You may find some editions for purchase online, but at a rather steep price. The good news is that a $50 re-skinned version is being produced for retail called Foundations of Metropolis. This is exactly the same game with a different theme and a more accessible price.
HOW THE BOARD GAME FOUNDATIONS OF ROME PLAYS
In Foundations of Rome, players acquire lots on the gameboard grid which, once the proper lot arrangement is collected, allow them to place a building. The buildings come from three categories: Commerce, Residential and Civic. Each type scores points in a different way and value may depend on surrounding buildings.
Each turn requires a choice of only one of three actions: take money, buy a lot, or construct a building. Deciding which to do can be excruciating. Buildings score points, but you need to own the correct combination of lots. Up to six lots are available for purchase on each turn; the longer they remain available, the cheaper they get – but the more likely another player buys that lot you want. While the decisions can be difficult, turns move quickly making this a game you’ll want to play multiple times on game night.
NOTE: Player count max is listed as 4 because that is the max for Foundations of Metropolis and some versions of Foundations of Rome. There are deluxe versions of Foundations of Rome which accomodate up to 5 players, however.
MORE RESOURCES FOR FOUNDATIONS OF ROME/FOUNDATIONS OF METROPOLIS
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Gamenerdz
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3. Trekking Through History
HOW THE BOARD GAME TREKKING THROUGH HISTORY PLAYS
In Trekking Through History, players score points by collecting historical event cards into chronologically ordered groups called treks. The more cards in a trek, the more that trek will score. But if the player cannot collect a card with a later date than the previously collected card, he or she must close up the group and begin a new trek. Sometimes a player must select a card that is very late, forcing him or her to close the trek earlier than desired.
Each collected card also gives the player a reward in the form of a token which the player places on his or her player board. Each player board is different and provides different ways of scoring points based on these collected rewards.
MY THOUGHTS ON TREKKING THROUGH HISTORY
The game’s strategy comes from determining which cards will provide the most points either by becoming part of a trek, through the rewards it provides, or both. The game’s pacing and length of play are just about perfect. This is another game with high replayability on game night.
MORE RESOURCES FOR TREKKING THROUGH HISTORY
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Amazon
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4. Ticket To Ride
HOW THE BOARD GAME TICKET TO RIDE PLAYS
Ticket To Ride is a set collection game with a train theme. Players collect train cards of varying colors which allow them to place trains of corresponding lengths between cities on the gameboard map.
Players have at least two hidden goals, each of which is to create a link between two cities. The longer the link, the more points scored at the end of the game; but if the link is not created, the player loses those points.
MY THOUGHTS ON TICKET TO RIDE
Ticket To Ride is a modern classic and one of the most recognizable games on this list because of its long-time mass market distribution. There have been many variants and spin-offs produced since it was first introduced in 2004. The first game is the best place to start. But many players prefer later versions, particularly Ticket To Ride Europe. Nevertheless, the classic Ticket To Ride game is a must-own.
MORE RESOURCES FOR TICKET TO RIDE
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Amazon
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5. World Wonders
HOW THE BOARD GAME WORLD WONDERS PLAYS
In World Wonders, each player has the same small grid gameboard. Players will take turns acquiring polyomino tiles representing buildings and roads from a limited supply to fit on their gameboards, thereby creating their cities. The way these are arranged will determine points scored at the end of the game.
Players may also choose to build a Wonder, which is a larger wooden piece with special requirements but also higher point value. And purchasing the Wonder implements a very unique mechanism: whenever you choose to purchase a Wonder, you must spend all your remaining money. At first this doesn’t make much sense, but in play it rachets the tension up to 11 because the longer you wait, the cheaper it gets but the less likely you will be able to purchase it.
All of this may sound rather simple and, to be honest, it is simple to learn. But because there is only one randomly colored building tile of each shape and a limited number of road tiles available each round, players must constantly adjust their strategies to maximize points using available tiles.
MY THOUGHTS ON WORLD WONDERS
What appears at first glance to be a multiplayer solitare style game is actually a fiercely competitive game of tile acquisition with immense tension between turns. World Wonders is a game that really came out of nowhere and should please gamers of all skill levels.
MORE RESOURCES FOR WORLD WONDERS
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Amazon
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6. Earth
Earth is a game of scoring points while creating your own island habitat. Cards (and there are a TON of cards) represent the flora of your island, which you build into a 4 x 4 card grid.
HOW THE BOARD GAME EARTH PLAYS
The game is an engine builder, giving players numerous ways to score points upon points upon points. There is very little down time, since all players can do something on every turn, not just their own. The game’s tension comes from trying to maximize one’s own points rather than being concerned with what other players are doing.
MY THOUGHTS ON EARTH
In fact, there is very little interaction among players since each player is working on his or her own island rather than a common game board. There are common goals which give more points the earlier you accomplish them, but this is secondary to the primary engine building mechanism. However, there is always plenty to do on every turn, making for a friendly but highly competitive game.
MORE RESOURCES FOR EARTH
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Amazon
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7. CATAN
Catan (or Settlers of Catan as it was originally named) is the definitive modern classic board game. It is arguably the game which ushered in a board gaming renaissance of the mid-1990s.
HOW THE BOARD GAME CATAN PLAYS
Catan is a civilization game in which players use resources to expand area control of the map. Particular combinations of those resources allow players to construct more roads and settlements as well as upgrade settlements to cities. Players earn resources based on the type of land space where their settlements and cities are located. On each turn, the player rolls two dice to determine which land spaces produce resources for any player with a settlement or city on a tile with the rolled number. A major component of Catan is trading among players which can occur on any turn, making for a highly interactive game.
MY THOUGHTS ON CATAN
Since its introduction, hard core gamers have turned on Catan as being too light, too lucky and lacking depth or strategy. This was likely exacerbated by how quickly Catan achieved mass market appeal. A variant called Cities and Knights soon followed the core game which increased its complexity and appeased some hard core gamers but in my opinion did not necessarily make it more fun.
One of the main reasons this game has managed to stay on my list is how easily customizable it is. It may be blasphemous, but I prefer to eliminate rules with negative impacts (does anyone actually like stifling resource production with the robber?) and I also have been known to add additional items for purchase. This helps curb the problem of players getting stuck and unable to expand early in the game, another common complaint.
And, the pre-game crafting of the perfect playing surface by determining the best combination of land tiles and numbers is one of my great joys of gaming. I enjoy this setup ritual almost as much as the actual game.
In my opinion, the Seafarers expansion is a must-have. Also, 5 to 6 player expansions are available, but most gamers do not recommend playing with more than 4 players. Bottom line – this remains an excellent gateway game with plenty of player interaction and is easily modified to fit your gaming preferences.
NOTE: The pictures in this post are from the 3-D version of the game. The standard version has flat tiles and wooden pieces.
MORE RESOURCES FOR CATAN
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Amazon
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8. Ready Set Bet
Ready Set Bet is a casino-style betting game with a horse racing theme. This is the closest any game on my list comes to being classified as a “party game”. Up to 9 people can play, but the game still works well with only 3 or 4.
HOW THE BOARD GAME READY SET BET PLAYS
Technically, the game requires one player to act as gamemaster, running the horse race. However, an app on a phone or tablet can run the race, eliminating the need for a gamemaster. Dice rolls determine horse movement, with each horse tied to a different rolled number. This is spread out in such a way that the favorites are not always going to win. And lesser rolled numbers score higher bonuses if that number is rolled twice in a row, creating speed bursts.
While the race is running, players place bets on a board with spaces for each horse and different betting requirements and returns. There are no turns, as bets are placed simultaneously in real time, adding to the chaotic fun. An early bet can be risky but give you better returns. This is the impetus for the game’s tension, as players decide when to pull the trigger on particular bets. Exotic bets and cards assigning asymmetric abilities to players add depth to the decision making.
MY THOUGHTS ON READY SET BET
If you have more than 4 players on game night who all want to play together, this is the no-brainer choice. Do not be scared off by the need for a gamemaster to run the horse race. If you have a smartphone or a tablet, the app is simple to use and does all the work flawlessly. If you don’t have such a device handy, running the race manually is actually quite fun, and there is a method to run the race and play the game at the same time.
MORE RESOURCES FOR READY SET BET
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Amazon
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9. Elasund
Elasund is the most obscure game on my list. It is currently out of print but can be found at used resellers. Elasund is set in the world of Catan, and uses a similar dice roll mechanic. However, it is a very different game and actually more resembles Foundations of Rome (#2 on this list).
HOW THE BOARD GAME ELASUND PLAYS
Players acquire lots by placing permits on the central game board, and once the proper number of lots is permitted, a player may place a building over the corresponding permits. The player with the total highest number value on a given group of permits is the one allowed to build there. Unlike Foundations of Rome, however, players can use lots permitted to other players and can build over smaller buildings of other players, resulting in a much meaner game. Buildings earn resources on particular dice rolls, and some buildings score points when built. There are a few additional ways to score points including common building on a church and city wall.
MY THOUGHTS ON ELASUND
This game carries the lowest rating on Board Game Geek of any game on my list, so I assume it is not for everyone. While the game is actually simple to learn, the tension is high throughout play. Make sure your relationships with other players are solid because they could hate you after any given turn. The mechanisms are solid and were quite unique when this game was introduced. Foundations of Rome has definitely streamlined these concepts, but this remains an excellent tile laying game.
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Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Noble Knight Games
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10. Thunder Road Vendetta
And now for a deviation into the world of silly dice chucking. Compared to this game, Ready Set Bet plays like chess.
HOW THE BOARD GAME THUNDER ROAD VENDETTA PLAYS
Thunder Road Vendetta is a racing game in which players get to shoot, bump and crash other players out of the race. Each player has three vehicles which he or she must maneuver to the finish line, avoiding other players’ attacks and obstacles on the road. Movement, attacks and damage are all determined by the rolling of special dice. Once a vehicle has suffered enough damage, it is out of the race.
Multiple track pieces are included so races can be different each game. And there is a dice placement mechanism to allow for special abilities on your turn. Simplistic? Yes. Brainless? Yes. Fun? You bet!
MORE RESOURCES FOR THUNDER ROAD VENDETTA
Board Game Geek Information
Buy on Gamenerdz
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ICON LEGEND:
So that is my Top 10 Board Games of All Time. I’m always playing new games, so this list will likely need to be updated again soon.
How many of these games have you played? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? And which board games would be in your Top 10? Let us know in the comments!
