The 12 Most Popular Board Games For All Players in 2024

In recent years, tabletop gaming has evolved into a thematic and thrilling experience that’s somehow more accessible than ever. Though everyone is bound to have their favorite tabletop titles, the most popular board games are still those that manage to appeal to all players.

In this list, we highlight ten modern board games that offer interesting new gameplay mechanics, exciting strategic opportunities, and guaranteed fun on game night. 

12. 7 Wonders

Build an empire from the ground up in 7 Wonders, a quick and easy game of strategic card placement and resource management. In the early stages of the game, your civilization is still young and must gather things like clay, wood, and copper to progress. But over time, you’ll develop military might, invest in scientific advancements, and build monuments to honor your own greatness. 

11. Patchwork

Patchwork is a puzzle board game in which each player’s aim is to put together a complete quilt using uniquely shaped pieces and then acquire the most victory points. Throughout the game, you’ll collect buttons that you can use to purchase more patches, all of which come in different shapes and colors. As the game progresses, you’ll continue to move your token along the time tracker. The earlier you finish your quilt, the better when it comes to scoring.

10. Pandemic

If cooperative games are more your style, then you should the immensely popular Pandemic board game a try. You and your fellow players are scientists aiming to stop the spread of a deadly virus. To win, you’ll need to travel across the world, stop outbreaks, and develop a cure before the virus infects too many populated areas.

9. Sushi Go Party

In Sushi Go Party, your objective is to put together the tastiest meal possible using a mix of rolls, sashimi, nigiri, and other Japanese delights. Each type of food has a different effect when scoring and benefits from either unique culinary pairings or sets of similar cards. It’s pleasant, portable, and popular with just about everyone.  

8. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

Dive into the depths of the ocean in The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, a cooperative adventure in which the players are collectively looking for the sunken continent of Mu. Everyone has its own personal objectives, making each playthrough a novel experience. There’s a great story booklet included in the box and a near-perfect difficulty scaling system that ensures everyone will be up against a challenge that properly manages their skill level.

7. Star Wars: The Deck Building Game

Star Wars: The Deck Building Game is a great tabletop title for two players and utilizes all the best characters and locations from the original trilogy to recreate the epic clash between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. Each player starts with a basic mix of cards but can then add their favorite heroes and villains to their deck to build up their power. Destroy three enemy bases before your opponent to claim victory.

6. Sky Team

Sky Team is a cooperative two-player game in which each person takes on the role of either the pilot or copilot and attempts to land a plane together. A balanced axis, the correct speed, and fully deployed landing gear are all necessary if you want to make it back to the ground in one piece. Each destination brings its own set of unique obstacles and challenges that match the terrain of the location’s airport in real life.

5. Skull

Skull is a bluffing game in which each player has to stack their collection of skull and flower tiles facedown, then guess how many flower tiles on the table they can turn over without hitting a skull. The person who guesses the highest number gets to flip the tiles, but if they accidentally hit a skull, they lose one of their tiles for the next round. It’s a straightforward yet thrilling party game.

4. Sagrada

If you enjoy more abstract, artistic tabletop titles, then Sagrada is a great pick for your next game night. By rolling and assembling a collection of beautiful colored dice, you can piece together the best stain-glassed window for the famous La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona. The picture-perfect patterns and visual appeal of the game will be enough to win over just about anyone. 

3. Carcassonne

If you enjoy classic tile-laying games, then Carcassonne is an essential addition to your game shelf. Players take turns drawing and arranging landscape pieces to build an epic medieval kingdom with roads, monasteries, cities, and farms. It’s amazing how different the map looks each time you play. Carcassonne is a great pick for families and suitable for players ages seven and up.

2. Ticket to Ride

In Ticket to Ride, the goal is simple: build the best railway in North America. Longer chains of train cars that link together cities across the map from one another earn the most points. The game’s developer, Days of Wonder, has also released a substantial collection of expansions and different versions of the base game, so it’s easy to pick the map that interests you most. 

1. Wingspan

Wingspan is an immensely popular board game for good reason. You’ll get to play more than 170 different kinds of birds across the forests, grasslands, and marshes of your player mat, and each of these zones will have a different chain of effects depending on what birds you’ve put there. The variations are seemingly endless, and as a result, there are countless ways to win. It’s easy to learn yet difficult to master, perfect for players of all ages.