Global most played board games over time from 2000 to 2023

[@nerdymove]

Thanks for watching! BGG recorded plays: boardgamegeek.com/plays/bygame/subtype/All/start/2023-08-01/end/2023-08-31?sortby=distinctusers

[@nicotti]

Perhaps equally as interesting is watching how the website traffic to the site increases from a few hundred to 125k.

[@Webhead123]

Very cool idea. Thank you for putting this together. Just goes to show how varied the hobby is and how quickly things can rise and fall in popularity and how different the exposure of the enthusiast (BGG) community is from the casual, mass-market player.

[@Anomander64]

Fascinating to see how much the hobby has expanded over the years. The dramatic rise in numbers can probably be attributed to apps like BGStats that makes logging plays so easy. It is interesting witching the ebb and flow and how so many people embrace the cult of the new. Only one game stayed in the list the whole time - Carcassonne.

[@JustACuteFox]

And how, unsurprisingly, more popularity equals worse and/or less interesting games.

[@Artemudzin]

@@JustACuteFox not in this graph though. These are hobbyist games, they are getting better every year.

[@JustACuteFox]

@@Artemudzin I've been playing these games for many years. They are not getting better.

[@Artemudzin]

@@JustACuteFox why do you feel that way?

[@rappscallion3238]

According to stats from BGG. Sadly, this is not a reflection of reality, only board game nerds like me who actually log their play. Outside of that I'd wager games like Monopoly is the still leader by a mile.

[@andymcguire237]

Exactly my thought; this data seems like the world left Monopoly behind decades ago and now everyone is playing Wingspan and Ark Nova every family game night. In reality, the average person on the street has never heard of those games.

[@maximilianomartinmassera9609]

no one is playing monopoly, small childs are playing cel games, adults are playing boardgames

[@alwaysplaythegame]

True, and it underrepresents games that are big enough to have their own websites for content such as Magic the Gathering (which avoids BGG almost entirely but would be on the list if using any metric).

[@Tygerwulff]

The most played game at the board game cafe I work at is Battleship. A lot of young couples come in, and that is the most popular, easy classic game pick.

[@Krian_The_Demon]

+I guess they don't account for board role play games, dnd and pathfinder would be on top aswell

[@AARonInRealLife]

I like how Root pokes its head out for a second.

[@Shura-23]

So that's why I don't know yet,is it worth to buy Root or not?

[@Edwinschuur]

​@@Shura-23It is worth it if you have a group of the same people to play it with. The reach is very long since each faction plays totally different. Also because of this you want to learn together the game. Else someone with much more experience will stomp the other players.

[@Shura-23]

​@@Edwinschuur I bought base game,Marauder expansion and E&P deck.We'll see. Thank you so much... 🙏

[@AARonInRealLife]

@@Shura-23 Root is my favorite board game of all time! The learning curve is steep and you have to be very strategic when introducing the game to new players. But with hard work it turns out to be one of the most rewarding board game experiences!

[@Shura-23]

@@AARonInRealLife I'm greatful to you.Great thanks for your recommend... 🙏

[@loumika820]

Carcassonne never leave the top20... in 23Years. thats impressiv. Cool Video.

[@diamondmeeple]

Yes, and thats why it should been in the top 50 ranking, but the BGG team made a formula to get the games they wanted themselves.

[@lexlim7816]

exactly..... i would had thought ttr would be higher rank

[@diamondmeeple]

@@lexlim7816 If some games are so "specialized" and/or expensive that close to only people who like them buy and play them... They get a high rating and rank. Carcassonne and TTR are more broadly played and punished rankingwise because of it. Even if very popular among a rather large group.

[@Alphyyn]

Carcassonne is still a great game and a good starter into boardgames.

[@samirjafri191]

Ok, who was logging CHESS on BGG? I am guessing that people still play chess the most, but BGG was taken over by board game hobbyists. It's also weird how I felt happy when I saw that I had played so many of the games on the list.

[@MichaelDart]

BGG was taken over by board game hobbyists? Well yeah, it was created by them and for them. 😂

[@samirjafri191]

@@MichaelDart Fair point 🤪😜🤣

[@samirjafri191]

​@MichaelDart Well, chess was the leader at the start of this video, so clearly BGG did have chess players logging games at some point. I'm guessing they migrated to more chess specific sites as they became available.

[@SammyHoff]

I was cheering on some of my favourite games as they stormed up the charts, especially Terraforming Mars 😊

[@yasminpontes4427]

Its on my list to buy

[@BenetTribble]

This is an amazing video, nicely done! I should try Azul!

[@lu7ky]

Way to hang in there Carcassonne! Love that game

[@phil7121]

I totally thought Carcassonne sounded super boring when someone described it to me but I can't deny I have a great time every time I play it

[@otocan]

It's a sweet little game with plenty of cheap and fun expansions.

[@rukeyburg1084]

Explaining games has never been the fun part. Actually trying the game is, despite new players need core mechanics to understand. When a game is easily explained it makes the experience much better, especially first hand, especially for a strategy game. Immersive/rich games like Risk, Stratego, Machiavelli, Azul and even Phase 10 are great example of that.

[@FreakinFred08]

I was amused by how Quarriors shot up to like 3rd, and said, “wait, what the hell am I doing this high…?” and just as quickly went into oblivion.

[@SteffanOSullivan-f6l]

I'd love to see one that reflects "staying power." This reflects "Cult of the New." For staying power, make the same graphs for the same years, but omit any games published within three years of the year shown. So 2023 would omit games published after 2019, for example.

[@jester42100]

Awesome very fun!!! Thanks for putting together!!

[@diamondmeeple]

This is why Carcassonne of course should be in the top 50 rating at BGG, however they manipulated the formula to get a twisted top 100.

[@Davytjuhh]

If only there was an actual nice top 100

[@tmiboom]

Cool idea. Thanks for putting together the animated graphic. Really interesting to see the trends. I love statistics and who participated and how the data was acquired is very important to the result - regardless, this is fun.

[@stanize]

Accurate or not, That was fun to watch, Thanks!

[@GWA_UK]

I just sorted out my copy of Carcassonne and the expansions this evening. And as phone listen to everything this popped up in my feed. Interesting

[@nickbrown8892]

In perspective this sample represents those who know about and use BGG, log the games they own and then be bothered to record the number of times they play a game. So vastly not a survey of Global most played board games.

[@andrewhazlewood4569]

Citadels stayed in the top list for years.

[@JustACuteFox]

And to this day, no one knows why.

[@boardgameman6298]

Really cool to watch the new game of the year dart out up front for awhile and then watch it drop back in the pack. That was fun to watch, thanks!

[@eschedefilmcrew]

Really cool visualization. Also happy to see Wingspan going super strong, such a stunningly beautiful game. I used to just stare at the bird cards, whenever i wasn't playing.. 😂

[@minutemenwood]

Incredible video, thank you!

[@SenorVilla]

What an interesting video! I love the staying power of Carcassonne, vs other games that quickly raise to the top only to go straight back down. If you're looking for titles that would not confuse people outside the hobby, I would suggest something like "Most played board games from 2000 to 2023 (According to BGG)".

[@5p1t]

I am pretty newb in boardgames, because i dont have people to play them with, but i like setlers, carcason, 7wounders. I played Qacks of Quetlingburg (because my family is from that town) but it was too simple. Can u recommend some boardgames for 1-2h and strategy?

[@drawntothefire]

​@@5p1tTry Castles of Burgundy. Don't judge it by its looks, the gameplay is very addictive once you get the hang of it. I usually love sci-fi themed games, but CoB has great mechanics and is loads of fun. Not too hard to pick up either. Plus there's a digital version.

[@5p1t]

@@drawntothefire looks interesting, i ll add it to my wishlist

[@queseferris]

I would like to understand why there were 2 waves of Azul: one in 2018 and other in 2021. Maybe BGA during Covid19?

[@allthingsgood00]

Great content! Would also be interesting to see total cumulative plays. A slower changing list, no doubt, but interesting to see nonetheless!

[@playthrugames]

Yes please!

[@willomalley7619]

Mtg plays usually weekly across the globe and doesnt have as many monthly plays as carcassone?? Especially with arena i would expect it to be higher though a game is usually 1v1 where you could.have 6 play some board games

[@angelofab15]

The stats are based in bgg. I play magic and never recorded my matches in The app

[@PSCupraFormentor]

2001/02 Magic the Gathering 7 players recorded. What poor guy played against the mirror?

[@yasminpontes4427]

Started to play Marrakesh at the beggining feeling overwelmed but liking so far

[@brentottoson6974]

There's recorded games then there's reality. A heavy game like Power Grid being at the top is hard to swallow. Toward the the end seems more reasonable but without Root which was and is YUGE. I own a good number of the games listed. Personal faves: Everdell, Citadels and Dominion. If you can get your hands on it, Echidna Shuffle is deceivingly deeper than you would initially think.

[@Edwinschuur]

How often can you get Root to the table and how often can you get Carcassonne or Cascadia on the table? For Root you need a specific group of gamers

[@JustACuteFox]

Personal biases at work.

[@kerovan14]

SUPER Idea 😎

[@therealBocaStudios]

Turns out I was right. A few years ago I received a LOT of flak on a bgg post about Ark Nova data and its projected popularity. 😝

[@iangc49]

Dune Imperium surpassing Arnak is the best part 😂

[@JustACuteFox]

Tell me you've only been in this hobby for a few years without telling me you've only been in this hobby for a few years.

[@bugmanzgaming9054]

There is a HUGE difference between playing a board game, a tabletop game and a card game. This list covers neither, because they are all meshed up together in one big soup.

[@DylanYu-v9y]

Putting Magic the gathering on there is a crime. It is not a board game.

[@igorzai9831]

Wanna know why magic isn't considered as board game? Not talking about online version, tell me please reasons to not count it as board game?

[@FilmscoreMetaler]

​@@igorzai9831 It doesn't have a board in it, or anything that resembles a board.

[@rubenhero436]

I'm sure chess is still number one, specially if you count online play

[@gaston1746]

I am surprised that Mage Knight is not in this ranking. 🤔 Maybe too long and too difficult to play to have a popular success...

[@vicwaberub5297]

100 million games of Chess - the number 1 in the world.

[@tb124.gaming]

BGG is a horrible metric… I don’t even personally know a single Person who regularly or even semi regularly logs their games xD

[@semadalopes]

Do you have a better metric, that you can suggest?

[@peteriliev]

No one played chess in those years?

[@martinr3167]

No

[@GlobeofBeauty]

*paid for by Wingspan*

[@minimumgateway3357]

Bro where is chess

[@satokouts7078]

Chess is Michael Jordan

[@itsmanav8792]

I am feeling sad for catan fr

[@odiedodieuk]

The illusive battlestar galactica…

[@jarredkrum9894]

Ya i dont log stuff online everytime i play an actual board game lol

[@JasonLayton]

Chess is definitely the most played board game in the world; and it's not close.

[@JustACuteFox]

Someone has never heard of Xiangqi, I see. Even Go players may very well outnumber Chess.

[@khornelor6]

Chess is a boardgame right, im sure that wins

[@Againmike33]

Wow i jave never heard of any single one of those

[@marcelinebeckerrosas9023]

Nooooooooooooooooo Root was barely in sight Tu T , but well, at least appeared :´3 , and i definitely buy Wingspan, i knew it was good, but oof, is really really good askldjlakmdsa Also, Azul is a must-have game, easy to play, simple and quick, one of the better games ever

[@dylan8670]

IMO Azul is the most overrated game of the decade

[@tolperi48]

You don't need to buy wingspan, when you can buy wingspan with dragons 😊

[@JustACuteFox]

Popularity does not equal good. Wingspan is peak mediocrity.

[@maxslain4543]

Thanks for the video but the title is very misleading (read, untrue). These aren't the most played board games during this time period. One has to select the video, then read the description to learn that it's only plays that have been recorded on one specific website. I'm not saying it's clickbait but...

[@nerdymove]

Fair enough! Source is displayed in the video but am still looking for the best way to name videos without them becoming an entire paragraph long :)

[@IamJFD]

nah the title is not that misleading

[@maxslain4543]

It's only misleading in that it's wrong :D

[@rjfsimoes]

It's not 'wrong' at all.@@maxslain4543 Everyone knows BGG is the reference website regarding modern board games, by far. So the source is as reliable as it's possible to obtain anywhere by anyone. The title is not misleading, and the video is EXTREMELY interesting. Do not troll on a very positive contribution by @nerdymove.

[@edwardrice9170]

This data is very misleading as it only shows the data from the place that has the most number of users and data recorded for this statistic...what about all the people that play games and don't tell anyone. Very misleading.

[@GuillaumeDesrochers]

me watching this - ‘’ why the fuck am I watching this ‘’

[@noeldelamesaredonda6226]

De dónde será ese ranking Seguro de USA Aquí nunca ví a nadie que jugará catan el 2000 😅😅 Siempre los más jugados fueron los clásicos como monopoly o clue De los recientes si estaría de acuerdo que azul o cascadia son muy jugados Pero ark Nova ?? Casi nadie conoce, Recién están conociendo Catan 😂😅

[@martinr3167]

Es de la pagina web bgg

[@beach_lion]

zero chance MtG isnt still rank 1

[@lancetschirhart7676]

This sample is teensy

[@lancetschirhart7676]

Oh it’s growing a lot. Nice

[@Utigard1989]

I was waiting for chess to be kong after queens gambit. There is no way chess isnt on top of this bs list

[@williamhager855]

How is magic the gathering a board game?

[@-Tristan-]

Lost Cities 💪💪💪

[@borremetal]

Top games i never heard before 😅 where's monopoly haha

[@lessssst8898]

I completely disagree! Dune Imperium is no.1 at least for last 2 years or so 😉 100%

[@williamchurch8401]

Fun!

[@loloflores123]

Chess leaves the chat.

[@meelia4593]

Absolutely no chance this is accurate. Chess has 600+ milion regular players.

[@erikbergmann2379]

That number seems a bit high, maybe games per month across all platforms

[@meelia4593]

@erikbergmann2379 nope, approx 605 mil regular chess players worldwide.

[@FilmscoreMetaler]

​@@meelia4593 That's about 1/12 of the entire world population. So let's say from 240 people who work at my company, 20 of those are supposed to play chess regularily? That doesn't sound plausible at all and doesn't even take into account whole countries where almost no one plays chess.

[@meelia4593]

@@FilmscoreMetaler I'm sorry that reality doesn't seem plausible to you I guess? facts are facts, idgaf whether you believe them or not.

[@_sebaa]

​@@meelia4593 " facts are facts" considering approx. 1 third of the world population has access to Internet it means 1 out of 4 people you know play chess every month and its simply not true. would like to know what your source was.

[@Randomize-g8g]

Ain't no way Chess ain't there

[@markangeloflores9180]

Because chess is a boring game on those days and today of prearrangement and memorization. Why played Tabletop games with a Trivia and Quizzing themes so that the skills I mention would become very useful.

[@ralphq.79]

Please change the title to a more truthful one. Like „Most logged Board Games by BGG users“. The internet is full enough of fake and misleading statements. A Board Game enthusiast should be more willing to stick to rules and don‘t „cheat“ when presenting stats.

[@sergioqcostas]

Where is Chess?

[@laartwork]

It was there at the beginning. This is for recorded plays. If people don't record their play it won't show up.

[@mister.green8598]

No Zombicide ? 😢

[@nathwhit3980]

I guess it was probably played tons, but the plays weren't logged.

[@egg1053]

the fact that ive never played any of these board games 💀

[@ZachPetch]

Totally. My ignorant self clicked this video assuming I’d see Monopoly overtaken by Cranium around 2003, with then scrabble going in and out of popularity.

[@nerdymove]

Traditional games don't usually get logged. As for Monopoly, there are for sure much better games out there.

[@egg1053]

@@nerdymove and to be fair i dont play that many boardgames past the traditional ones my mom has had since college lol

[@OldSilentHill8]

Chess is by far the most played game in the planet. This ranking looks odd.

[@chriscookesuffolk]

Not sure what I'm looking at tbh

[@pjarnfelt]

It says it. Monthly plays logged by unique users. Generally, you can just see it as popularity of games over time.

[@nobodyjr8413]

Catan:🗿🗿🗿

[@Rob_Pap]

Whatever we say about Catan, it's one of the most influencial game ever and it deserve respect

[@rickrivers2021]

I haven't even heard of most of these lol

[@erniesulovic4734]

Wow, wasn't expecting those results. I'll never buy Ticket to Ride. I work on trains for a living. Dont want a game that reminds me of my job, thanks. Spend enough time there already. Birds don't interest me in the slightest so WingSpan is totally out for me. Same with Ark Nova. Since I am looking at light, easy games as new to them and for my Mrs and 8yo granddaughter, not into any competitive games as they are deadly in rships so more into the coop type. The closest on the list I have is Carcassonne and yet to play as moving overseas to be with my Mrs and family.

[@nerdymove]

Cool! I might do a list for 8 year olds and another for coop games.

[@erniesulovic4734]

@@nerdymove That would be awesome Nerdy 🙂

[@dolantremp]

Splendor is easy and fun

[@erniesulovic4734]

@@dolantremp Thanks for the heads up 😀

[@wyatth2992]

The Loop is a fun co-op game. It has a decent amount of variability as well.

[@mysticalgamerttv]

Why is D&D not on this list. It's a Table top game too.

[@TheMikehibbert]

It's board games, not Table top games.

[@Poppy_AndFriends]

I have no idea what half of these games are

[@NemmyBlade]

Ark Nova, such a good game!

[@nathanmays7926]

Wingspan holding the top spot, ever, is a travesty.

[@justinchase6666]

Board games, 1 chess basically russia india china ect. 2 go. 3 backgammon. 4 poker. 5 monopoly 6 risk. 7 scrabble

[@chrisk_04]

Most played by nerds

[@icalculi]

Filthy casuals 😂

[@Chris.M]

You never been to a chess tournament

[@lucaspastori8321]

Magic is not a board game but whatever.

[@moominsocks]

mtg isnt a board game lol

[@jdotco23]

That was not the cleanest video. Too quick, and it's not really clear what I'm really looking at. Unique gamers only? Or could it be the same unique user with multiple plays of the same game? Physical game sessions only? Or online, too? Dominion has its own online site, and I highly doubt those plays are getting logged on BGG, but that would've kept it on this the entire time, I imagine.

[@pjarnfelt]

These types of videos are very common on the internet and I think the format is fine. And yes it's logged plays on BGG only, not a comprehensive guide to all played games ever. Then it would be monopoly, monopoly monopoly sadly.

[@JustACuteFox]

Ah yes, the gradual decline of board games, in graph form.

[@amemename]

Carcassone really isn’t that good a game lol

[@markangeloflores9180]

Because you never played it and sticking only to what you know like this boring game called chess with only in those days of still prearrangement and memorization of moves and patterns that already been exist. Where is the fun and enjoyment when Reasoning and Thinking skills aren't using and involve

[@RAWxxx07]

What is the Lord of the Rings game? Ist it the LCG?

[@Randomize-g8g]

Ain't no way Chess ain't there

[@markangeloflores9180]

Becaus it is a boring game. Chess with only in those days of still prearrangement and memorization of moves and patterns that already been exist. Where is the fun and enjoyment when Reasoning and Thinking skills aren't using and involve