Top Ten Best Board Games

I love Monopoly. I agree that the game can be incredibly luck-based and whoever has the most properties at the beginning tends to win. If you think Monopoly takes ages, make sure you follow the rules in the instruction manual. Not using the free parking space as a money collecting space helps keep the game short and I do not know why people have that house rule. You also need to auction properties if one player that lands on it does not wish to buy. I am just putting these two official rules out there that make the game easier and faster. Overall, Monopoly is a great game to play on a family game night. Just don't let anyone flip that game board once they go bankrupt!

Possibly the WORST example of a family board game there is. 1 person takes the lead early on - and then "monopolizes" their lead for the rest of the game (hours and hours and hours), until everyone else is squeezed out. This game was originally designed as a moral example of why capitalism is bad for society. Seriously, if you think this is a "great" board game - you don't know what a modern board game is.

I honestly have really good memories playing this game and though its really long, the tension builds until everyone is so concentrated theres a wonderful silence coating everyone and everything, but its not awkward.

you take your turns, gaining and losing money and its all balanced on luck and strategy. it really is such an amazing game and I think it fully deserves to be at the top of the list.

also, free parking, am I right?

This is a great game. You have to have as much money and properties as possible in order to stay in the game. You also have to get the same color property in order to build houses. The further you go in the game, the more expensive the property gets (with Baltic Avenue the cheapest and Boardwalk the most expensive).

Chess. Is a very strategic Game And you really have to think. If you don't play strategy you will lose I think chess is the best board game because it helps you with real things and if you're capable of mixing your real life with chess then you'll win. Everything goes according to chess, if you analyze the real life you'll see that your life is full of sacrifices (when you've said bad words, did bad things) and strategy. It's like a war where you protect the king, your children. The one who knows chess can rule the world better than the one who knows risk. The chess player will understand the risks of everything. So I guess it really helps.

In this game, you and your opponent have to take your time planning and improvising as they make moves you didn't anticipate. You learn to sacrifice some pieces for the sake of saving others, or to create a gap in the enemies defense. Given how old this game is, and how... "Educational" it is, I regret nothing in voting for it.
Unlike Risk and Monopoly, when you lose some pieces, or even a whole game, you tend to gain respect for your opponent, instead of a burning hatred and passion for revenge. (Once you've matured a bit, that is).
I still play it to this day, great game and teaching tool.

Chess must be the greatest board game of all time. It is the only game on this list that has been played outside the 20th or 21st century and is solely based on logic, strategy, and tactics. It's the only game on this list which requires practice and study (OK, checkers may have some valid argument here). You enter drawing of cards or dice to any game, you have entered 'luck' or probably into the equation. Chess is divorced of this completely. The circumspection alone is why this was the "Game of Kings". Chance does not influence chess in any manner. Remember when IBM programmed its greatest supercomputer, Deep Blue, to challenge Kasparov to Pictionary?

I think chess is the best board game because it helps you with real things and if you're capable of mixing your real life with chess then you'll win. Everything goes accourding to chess, if you analyze the real life you'll see that your life is full of sacrifices (when you've said bad words, did bad things) and strategy. It's like a war where you protect the king, your children. The one who knows chess can rule the world better than the one who knows risk. The chess player will understand the risks of everything. So I guess it really helps.

I love the game of Life because there are so many different ways YOUR game could go. It could turn out to be an incredible game and you have tons and tons of money OR you could end up losing, with no money, no house, NO NOTHING. This game is great for people aged +7.

This game is great! I played it with a few of my friends, before deciding to purchase it myself. Great fun. Definitely a must have with my family, played it for 3 hours, then stopped and left my friends and I wanting to play more.

I love this game so much! Espicially the new versions with all the new stuff. My best score at it was when I played a one on one and he ended with 3.5 million dollars but I ended with 5.9 millions dollars! So fun, a must play!

I was a small fish in a big pond before I played life. But this game taught me to put myself out and hope for the best. You just can not beat life.

It is a fun family game. It is the best detective game there is. I love it! My family and I play it every free time that we get. I love it so much that if it was a person I would want to marry it. It is the BEST!

Clue is my most favorite of all board games! The point of the game is too try to solve the murder. It's a great family game and isn't to long or too short. The only thing I would look for is that it may not be appropiate for young kids ( under 7 yrs )
Because it's about a murder

It's oodles of fun! This should totally be higher up on the list!
P.S. - It was Mrs. Peacock in the Ballroom with the lead pipe.

I love this game it's fun and easy to play. It also makes you think a lot. It's perfect for a wet weekend.

Simple enough to teach to anyone, yet complex enough to satisfy more hardcore gamers. There are multiple versions (including a few spin-offs of popular franchises), and although the arrows are much more boring than the detailed infantry units of previous versions, the choice for mission based gameplay with a variety of objectives and power-ups, as well as better balanced cards-troops ratios, gives the most recent version an edge over previous versions. If you want to take it to the next level, you can make up different units with strengths and weaknesses or additional mission objectives with varied power-ups and so on. My only real complaint to this game is that it's "lengthy playtime" of 3-4 hours (despite being nothing compared to most war games) scares off a lot of first timers.

I agree with most people on here- many say it's all about luck due to the dice and the cards at the beginning of the game. Those people are actually oblivious to how much strategy you have to integrate into your gameplay. Like a real war, luck is a big factor, yes- you never know who's going to win, adding to the suspense- but if you have a godawful strategy, even good luck's not going to save you.

This game has a well-deserved place on this list. While there are better games, this one happens to be my particular favorite. The only problem I'd have with this is that it ignites temper among the players- the goal is to ruthlessly conquer, after all. All in all, it's not the best family-night game, but it's still a timeless classic that's not really as famous as others, but as well designed. Take a risk and try it out!

My favourite. A combination of strategy, negotiation and luck, but the best bit is the way luck works. The dice are loaded, but then dice will be dice and occasionally even the strongest attacker can be repelled. That's the most fun! The game starts small and builds to an almighty all-out-war crescendo, which I always thought works well.

I remember playing this wonderful game in History class with Miss Jennings and sometimes I would win the game ! I really like this game very much plus you get to use your head and it helps you learn many things in history like war battles and land battles too.. This game is a must play with family or friends.

Catan is simple fun, the game can recall is similar to Age of Empires for the personal computer. The progression is amazing and there are many ways to win so the game can be utilize again and again. Am glad to have purchase one, do not mind others of the sort. Good job to all settlers and may the upgrades benefit the beliefs. A great idea at last put together in the real world. Beautiful design and game mechanics to engage the imagination each time around. Neat.

I started playing this game when I was 12 just by chance when I went to my friend's cottage and his Great Aunt had billions of board games. I had never even heard of this one but once I started playing it, me and my friend and his family played it every morning until I left the cottage and got it at home. IT'S SO FUN, and has luck and strategy in it. There's lots of rules but once you know all the rules you'll love it!

Settlers of Catan is an amazing mold of luck and strategy put into a box. It's incredibly fun, Awesome, and brings a family the joy of trading wood for sheep... It's a lot more fun than it sounds you also get to build roads!...I'm not doing great job at selling it, anyways, it's fun, Awesome, Easy to find. The only flaw it has is that it's a little complicated but that's it. I absolutely love it.

I am happy with the top 5. But Settlers is the best I'm sorry to say... Settlers of Catan is a game like no other! If you don't know what it is BUY IT it is totally worth it. Completely different from any other board game. This game is unique as you play it you will know what I mean! So Try it it will introduce you to a brand new way to play Board games.

As games go, Scrabble has everything. Each game is different due to luck of the draw, but your own cleverness and skill can compensate for a bad draw. It's also terrific for teaching children logic, spelling, spatial relations, et al

I love scrabble. I always end up with at least 200 points or 175 or a tiny bit less. Of course my dad's high score was around 370 or something. But I still love this game. Really makes you think.

You normally wouldn't really want to play scrabble, but once you start playing, you suddenly treat it as one of the best games in the world.

There's enough complexity to Scrabble to please experts, but gameplay is simple enough to draw in millions of new players every year.

This game is absolutely amazing. It combines luck and strategy, so every time you play it, it will be a different experience.

Battleship is a fun great game to play I probably play it every week for fun.

It is very interesting. Improved my sense of guessing.

Best game ever! addicted to it! I own at least 5 types of battleship!

Checkers is probably the most simple board game, but it still requires good strategy if you want to win. I don't play it that much, but I still love it.

This game is simple for young people and is a classic for adults and I
Highly recommend to play or buy this game.

Its simplicity yet need for total strategy easily makes it the best board game for anyone to play.

I can't even play this game on the computer and (by you I mean anyone) you expect me to play it?!?!?

Best game to get people who don't normally play games to start playing games.

Super easy and Super Fun. (I Recommend Europe)

Best family game... way better than "Sorry" that's for sure should be much higher on the list.

Ticket to ride is a suitable family game for up to six players. It has different versions. It should be one

Great family game that involves some tricky strategy decisions.

Awesome game. Its really fun to play with people who have no idea what their history, science, etc is!

Definitely one of the most fun board games I've ever played.

When you rate a game on 'best of all time' you have to include influence in your decision. Not everyone has played Risk, Apples to Apples, or Ticket to Ride - or even Chess (ouch), sad but... EVERYONE has played Candyland. It is the gateway board game. It must be a top 5 based on this alone.

I don't know why this is so popular it's as generic as board games get.

I remember that this was my very first gameborad I ever played when I was little.

I love candyland, it should be top 10 to be honest.

Another gateway game which is based on tile-laying and worker placements. Easy to learn, yet can get complex with strategies if you so choose.

Number two on my list. This game get even better when you start adding the expansions.

Infinitely replayable and expandable. We play a myriad of rules changes and its always still fun

What an awesome game!

Excellent game for ages 5+. Good logic, spacial - relations games. Easy to learn. Mastery with a bit more time.

Blokus is a game of strategy. It is very underrated in my opinion.

Great fun, quick game, it doesn't have to take all day,.

Easy to learn, fun to play and not all buy luck.

Can't believe this isn't at least Top 10. Causes less arguments than Monopoly at least.

It's fun to think of something and compare at the end!

Great fun for all ages

Love love this game!

My opinion
1. Pictionary
2. clue
3. Life
4. Risk
5. Trivial Pursuit

And why the hell is pictionary 28th!

I want to be an artist when I grow up. (I want to be other things too, of course).

For those of you that are saying it is chutes and ladder not snakes and ladders, a little fact is that in North America the game is called Chutes and Ladders and in the rest of the world, it's called Snakes and Ladders. Same game but if you're wondering, Snakes and Ladders came first. It's really fun for youngsters.

My mom bought me this game (Shoots) in 1978 when I was 3 to show me that counting does not go from 29 to 100. And there is a number called 17. It was a tipping point in my life.

Chutes and Ladders is for white people, but Snakes and Ladders is where it's at.

A really fun game to play with friends and family.

Half of you probably don't even know how to play Uno, so don't say it's your favorite game if you don't even know the rules. The goal isn't to play all your cards, it's to score the most points.

Probably the best one so far. Mattel (or Fundex) also did different variants of this game including My Scene, Princess, Limited Too, Justice, High School Musical and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Uno is a great game to play at parties! A really big group can play it!

Uno is a really fun game. I always play uno with my friends.

Great game. Unfortunately, all the stores I've went to have took this item out of stock. I don't know how long its been since they stopped buying Stratego, but not many people kno about it now. :(

Buy this game people, and be amazed at the fun you will have!

I've been playing this game since I was 10 years old. I haven't found any other board game as addictive as this.

Especially with the old wooden pieces, great game of strategy (duh) that is unique every game!

They still sell Stratego! I love that game! I have both the original and the LOTR version! It's the most fun game ever!

This game has been around for decades. Simple in concept, but requires deductive reasoning skills. Great little game that is sure to please players of all ages. Best to look for an older used version.