Top 20 Best Board Games of the Century (So Far)

[@WatchMojo]

Which modern games are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below. For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJi4gZ93g6ZpldE Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm and 8pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your work ❤❤❤❤❤

[@erzaender]

codenames and sushi go party

[@rusteshackleferd8115]

I'm giving this video a thumbs down because it included a game from 2000 claiming it's part of the twenty-first century.

[@erzaender]

honorable mention: the watchmojo board game

[@pizzara889]

Monopoly

[@kylereese3343]

Fun fact: I wanted to play Ticket to Ride so badly I drove across town to a comic book store. I found my former middle school best friend working there. We hit it off, I got him hired at my company. He met his wife at the company we both work for. They are married with two kids. I bought him Ticket to Ride as a wedding gift, because that’s what started it all.

[@TheOutsider69]

That's actually wild.

[@edvinass3804]

Well you did give him a ticket to ride

[@tabbyp4754]

I loved this game so much that every birthday and Christmas mom would get me this game! I have 14-16 Ticket To Ride maps! Japan is one of my favorite maps!

[@masonnnnnnnnnn]

Bro I boutta start a new holiday called warrior day. Celebrate the keyboard warriors that fought for your eduacation

[@jchangaus]

Seafall seems to be the real oddity in this list, as even the designer admitted it wasn't good.

[@scottmcfarlane7524]

Im going with they took a list off BBG lol shows that just copy other now

[@ronpetersen2317]

I agree. it had a lot of buzz before it came out but flopped when it did. There are a number of flaws in it. DEFINITELY does not belong in the best of the century list. it is extremely meh and flawed at best.

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

@@scottmcfarlane7524 not even close. only one of the top tier bgg ones is on this list

[@scottmcfarlane7524]

@@i3loody-rainbow736 That was the point sorry u got lost there

[@yotaruvegeta]

@@scottmcfarlane7524The point was that they copy a list…but they don’t?

[@lickjoe79]

This feels like a list from someone who has only ever played 20 board games.

[@bejoychandrasekhar1719]

True

[@KidJV]

why so condescending? these are solid gateway games

[@mrp4242]

@@KidJVI agree. His was a silly and snarky post; clearly the list was put together by some folks familiar with tabletop games. As a someone who has played and collected board games since the 1970s, I found the list just fine. I have played all of these, and only SeaFall fell truly flat for me. Two of these would make my personal Top-20: Terraforming Mars and Power Grid, and a couple more just miss out (Scythe). While some games, like Twilight Imperium IV, Root, and Twilight Struggle are phenomenal, they are also difficult to get to a wider audience-this list was probably targeting the casual player or non-players, Also, they’ve left off games newer than the past 5 years, with Wingspan being the most recent releases, sounds like on purpose. I’d bet they did that to fall out of the trap of the Johnny-come-lately (cult of the new); so while Ark Nova, Dune Imperium, and Hegemony are all great games, and may eventually be on a list like this. I think they wanted to avoid the trap of recent hype. And while I might have left off ‘Sushi Go’ (own it and it’s great!) because 7 Wonders was already on this list, for something completely different, such as Gloomhaven, if you asked 100 different board-gamers a Top-20 list, you are likely to get 100 different answers anyway.

[@nguyenstephen8479]

​@@mrp4242hey this might be out of topic but could you give me some good recommendations for party of 6 players? I'd really appreciate that 🙏

[@giovanilara1690]

⁠@@nguyenstephen8479Dixit, Camel up, detective club, código secreto , pistas cruzadas

[@ZacZmith1]

Wingspan is truly magnificent in game design and its rise in popularity in such a short space of time isn't surprising. Everdell would be the only game missing in this list for me.

[@ronpetersen2317]

If I am not reliant on reading glasses anymore I would like Everdell a lot more. The text is just too small to see the cards on the board. I am standing up to look at them through out the game.

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

The tree in Everdell is more than annoying.

[@YanPolSartre]

No Dominion??? Honestly, it's as important as Catan, Carcasonne, Pandemic or 7 Wonders for board gamers

[@cordawg89]

Cones of Dunshire FTW!!!

[@snipermafia3609]

Sushi Go Party was my favorite board game. I first got introduced to it at a friend’s party in my Sophomore year of college.

[@foyoGames]

Splendiferousness drafting experience

[@youngone282]

The quacks of quendlinburg should absolutely be on this list

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

So underrated.

[@evansteiner5520]

I’ve never hear of Those Board Games before this video

[@richardwieder885]

Some of these are terrific and easy to pick up and play. I'd say about five of these are simple to play and get a group going.

[@tomasmesen]

This is basically a list of bestsellers (which is great!) and somehow a spectacular failure like SeaFall randomly inserted there like nobody would notice hahahaha

[@cardboard_cave]

I’ve been playing euro games/hobby games for over 20 years, and I actually agree that Ticket to Ride belongs at the top. It’s the ideal “modern classic” in this hobby. However Seafall is a BANANAS pick.

[@BuzzRanking]

Who needs screens when you have these amazing board games? They're the perfect remedy for digital overload, offering endless fun and opportunities for quality time with friends and family.

[@michaelmccarthy5455]

Viticulture and its Tuscany expansion are my favorites. There are other expansions as well.

[@Savagefred]

Stop saying azul like that

[@brianpotter2812]

Honestly, I'm surprised that Dead of WInter didn't make a top 20 list. It's co-op AND free for all (if there's a betrayer) involved, so cooperation and desception are there, not to mention it's a ZOMBIE APACOLYPSE IN A BLIZZARD!!!

[@LostPurgeGX]

I love Dead of Winter, it's a go-to at our local shop when we all want to play together.

[@o_enamuel]

"Azul is pronounced wrong. Portguese doesn't have the "th" sound; "z" always makes the /z/ sound.

[@iceangelx]

Games I was surprised didn’t make the list over games that did: Castles of Burgundy, Dune: Imperium, Root, Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition, Concordia, Orleans, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Sleeping Gods, and Dominion, and Stone Age. Considering all the top 100 lists out there, a top twenty could be made over and over again for a 20ish year span. Many of the games selected were pretty legit, Sea Fall was the biggest surprise since it’s not generally rated well on average in the board game community. Personally, Final Girl, The Witcher: Old World, Ra (the 25th anniversary edition), Lost Ruins of Arnak, Revolution!, Tash Kalar, and Onitama are some of my most played and enjoyed.

[@crabring]

I wondered about dominion too, but that's a card game as there's no board to play on. I wondered about considering sushi go even a board game, but on technicality, it is :-p

[@JonathonV]

I like your list better. 😄 But I’m still happy that a channel this big paid attention to our hobby!

[@iceangelx]

@@crabring Games like Bohnanza, Schotten Totten, The Crew, and Love Letter are just a few popular games without boards that are considered board games among board game hobbyists. Board games generally encompass dice games, dexterity games, card games, tabletop war games, party games, tile laying games, and sometimes even tabletop RPGs like D&D.

[@crabring]

@iceangelx If that is true (for watchmojo) than this truly is a tragic list!! Bohnanza is a another great game!

[@feintcircles]

The only one of these I've played is Codenames. I must say it is a fantastic game for 6+ players. I may try some of these others though.

[@saphiro007]

Betrayal is SO MUCH fun!!! I have the second edition, which adds another level to the house, and about 25 MORE potential haunts. It is awesome! Last time I played, I was the traitor, and summoned a literal dragon! I won.

[@louisnemzer6801]

I feel jealous of young people who are not stuck with awful games like monopoly, risk, and sorry as we were

[@TOM-C.]

Monopoly, and Risk are great games, and have stood the test of time. Lets see how the games in this list do 50 years later, I doubt they will exist! Sorry is a great game for when you just want to relax with an easy game, nothing wrong with that!😎✌🗽 P.S. If you want an excellent, more complicated game, try Billionaire form the 70's. It too has withstood the test of time as it's still available though most have never heard of it. ✌

[@Kerbezena]

Monopoly hasn't stood the test of time. Few people who embrace modern games miss it. I'd play Catan, Carcassonne or almost any other game from the video over it.

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

@@TOM-C. "great" is the wrong word. they are very big for sure. but the mechanic is almost only luckbased, so not really good

[@TOM-C.]

@@i3loody-rainbow736 These are the top 10 games from one list I looked at, and I like them all except one that I haven't heard of so must be newer. Chess. Stratego. Monopoly. Risk. The Settlers of Catan. Scrabble. Battleship. Clue. I can see why some, or virtually all youngins these days would not like Scrabble as anyone versed in English would crush them. Sadly, English seems to be a second language these days behind slang, and ebonics.✌😎🗽 P.S. Two more games that are based more on skill, and knowledge are Pictionary, and Trivial Pursuit. I'm sure some of the newer games are great, but the old ones that have withstood the test of time are hard to argue with as people are still buying them in droves! ✌

[@hw29472]

​@@Kerbezenamust be a (racist) troll. I would refuse to play Monopoly and pretty much all the games he mentioned.

[@Eimi.Signo.]

Kingdomino and Potion Explosion should be on here. Both are simple to learn, infinitely replayable, and everyone's always up for them.

[@LauReXyLL]

Nope. Those aren't board games. Those are toys. Get those childish things out of my hobby

[@jeffm2222]

This is a cool list. As long as you enjoy the games you're playing with friends you're doing it right! There're so many board games out there that you could spend your whole life playing, and still only hit a fraction of them.

[@ivorkvarantan3031]

Ah, yes Sushi go party is a pure masterpiece, puts games like Zombiecide to shame

[@lonewolf4027]

Settlers of Catan should have been on there

[@user-lr9mz1bx8t]

Wingspan is truly one of the best designed games out there. 10/10 will recommend. Also, the expansion packs give a whole different flavor.

[@biomeboardgame]

Loving the list! Oooh, I love wingspan so much! Played a lot of games on the list here - would love Everdell to be included on the list but oh well :D

[@JohnPates]

I was hoping to see Imperial Assault (or something like it such as Descent) where you have a progressing story line and plays like X-Com on a board. You constantly improve your characters as you find stuff during the missions. But this is Star Wars themed. And the story varies depending on if you won or lost the mission (sort of like the story progression of the old Wing Commander games).

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

Those games aren’t great. Journeys in Middle Earth and Mansions of Madness are better.

[@WithheldStorm]

“Ticket to Ride” is the only one I’ve heard of in this list, and I play it by myself on iOS.

[@MTTWynn22]

Catan ??

[@leahkoepp5335]

Nice to see cameos by many of my fave board game influencers 😊

[@OGSheriffDaddy]

Catan needs to be on this list. The City and Knights expansion is amazing.

[@GoodOldErin]

It's a great Game but it is a 20th century game (1995). The list is about games of the 21th century.

[@wildfl0wer921]

Name a few of my favorites: Happy little dinosaurs, trogdor, muffin time, medium, one night ultimate werewolf, coup, and clue

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

watchmojo mistake: sure there is a guess limit in codenames. max guesses are hint plus 1

[@winstonhammonds3314]

There has also been TWO spin-offs of 7 Wonders.

[@mgrund883]

While I can see the case for a number of games on this list, SeaFall really jumps out as a giant, “huh?” Plus it’s hard to make a list like this and not have Brass (pick a version, they’re all awesome), Gloomhaven, Castles of Burgundy, or (my personal favorite) Twilight Imperium 4th edition.

[@GoddessGirl2121]

Forbidden Island from 2010 and it’s sequel game Forbidden Desert from 2013 are two awesome cooperative games

[@TheRocketbabydoll]

Don’t forget forbidden sky… even this list forgot it and it’s great,

[@GoddessGirl2121]

@@TheRocketbabydoll I didn’t know there was a Forbidden Sky

[@joukenienhuis6888]

Loved almost all of these games and i still want to play almost all of them. Except Ticket to Ride

[@lizhill2570]

Everdell needed to be on this list

[@FlatCapPiper]

A list like this is pretty tough as there are some many good boardgames. “Camel up” is a great family exciting game for example that wasnt on the list. “Sleeping Gods” is another epic boardgame.

[@jinglesstudiofilmsdocument6625]

I love board games! I just bought a beautiful 3D parcheesi on Amazon! Do you know this game? Congratulations on the video! 🙃

[@simla5]

Eclipse: Second dawn for the galaxy is seriously missing here. By far my favorite board game.

[@coltertilley6448]

I just played Eclipse for the first time today, and I couldn't agree more

[@Blue77ewolf]

Yess!! Everyone talks about Twilight Emperium.. but I like Eclipse way better.

[@ирек.ю]

Do you often play it?

[@skidawg22]

I like a lot of the games on this list. Ticket to Ride is a great game for new gamers. However, my favorite game - Smash Up - sadly did not make the list. Smash Up is great if you like mixing ninja with Cthulhu or fairies with zombies.

[@ZombieIca]

I literally own every smash up expansion.

[@AcevedoDMA]

Pandemic used to be my favorite game. The last time I played it was January 1st, 2020. My family won’t play it with me anymore. (I am completely serious!). 😂

[@leahkoepp5335]

You don’t need them to have fun with Pandemic! In fact, I’ve found that I enjoy Pandemic much more when play it as a complex puzzle, managing multiple roles myself. I get to live and die by my own dumb decisions, not those of my husband and son 😂

[@likecascade7015]

A friend of mine shared the theory that Monopoly shows how corrupt you can be if you buy properties or something like that. So we played to see if we would become evil by buying property and giving each other money.

[@Kerbezena]

I was happy to see a list focussing on the century. Monopoly, Risk! and many other classics have seriously overstayed their welcome.

[@johngendron946]

Games that should be in this list. Dominion - the original deck builder that is still being played today. Inspiration for countless number of games. Pandemic Legacy - not the first legacy game but it was the most successful. Using board games as a changing story-telling device Zombicide - the first truly large crowd-funding game.

[@ирек.ю]

Pandemic Legacy is in this list.

[@TylerHBHamilton]

Does Gloomhaven count? Or are they not counting Legacy-style games?

[@FatMarioHeads]

It should count, they mentioned legacy style board games a couple times on the list

[@filizant]

They mentioned seafall lol. Arguably the weakest of the legacy games

[@kenfeldman4625]

I would have had Gloomhaven instead of Seafall to represent the legacy genre.

[@filizant]

I definitely agree with those who say gloomhaven should be on this list. Very surprised it isn't

[@shadowrypre]

I think due to its complexity and lack of availability early in its release I would say no because MOST of these board games could easily be someone first and the gateway to gaming.

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

That’s a fair criticism.

[@esohny]

Not a great list. Maybe half have a solid argument, the rest aren't even close.

[@comicclub]

where is Gloomhaven ?

[@crabring]

I'm not sure how code names made the list but dominion did not. Both are card games with no board, but dominion has spawned something like 14 expansions and is quite epic.

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

i think they rate only the base game (and the list is also crappy as fuck) but if you go only with base games dominion is not really that good.

[@MrCosmicWeb]

I would say gloomhaven over seafall

[@GaminUpWithTheJoneses]

Video is called top 20 and shows 10 games. Also Machi Koro and Betrayal at House on The Hill do not belong on here at all.

[@CaptainMarvelsSon]

I developed the root of a board game in high school, but this was before the Internet, and I did not trust any company to help me flesh out holding the fear that it actually was successful, I would get screwed over. I considered a Kickstarter years ago but have since just let it fade away as a dream.

[@blipblorp]

You shouldnt let the idea go to waste! Whats the concept?

[@AcevedoDMA]

I like that they are making a board game video and actually sharing where their footage came from instead of stealing it like they did in the past.

[@QuintessenceHD]

I'm shocked that Sentinels of the Multiverse and Gloomhaven didn't make it into this list.

[@jaymore2343]

I love to see an update on card games with Uno no mercy on the list

[@TREYTYLER-ls9us]

i just want to say what makes a boardgame good is highly subjective what makes 1 person hate it might make someone else love it

[@DankerTVTimeCapsule]

shocking NRB wasn't used as any source for footage.

[@James-es9em]

For Part 2 Root: Woodland Game of Might and Rite, Smallworld, Roll for the Galaxy, Blood Rage, Cascadia, Decrypto, Gloomhaven, Monikers, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Splendor, Secret Hitler, Arkham Horror, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Cash'n Guns, Disney Villainous, Cosmic Encounter, Jaipur, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Tokaido, Munchkin, Dead of Winter, Coup, Mysterium, Wavelength, Sagrada, and Dixit.

[@FatMarioHeads]

While these are all great games I feel that this list is a little outdated, especially since all of the games mentioned on WatchMojo's Top Ten Board Games of the Century list are on here. Not that it's bad or anything, but not too many people enjoy Power Grid as much anymore, as there are better heavy games similar to it that have better looking boards. And you know Machi Koro got a sequel and a legacy version, right? Why weren't they mentioned here? And also where was Unmatched, Horrified, Nemesis and Gloomhaven? Those are games that definitely deserved to be on here, if not than an honorable mention at least

[@truerockfan]

I can honestly admit I have only played three games on this list: Betrayal, Ticket to Ride, and King of Tokyo. All those others? I will most likely never play. Was surprised to hear Sushi Go described as a deck building game though. It's more just a drafting game because players aren't building a deck, where in DC Deck Building Game, Epic Spell Wars Annihilageddon, Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle, Power Rangers Deck Building Game, etc., you start with a starting deck of cards that aren't that great, but you use them to purchase cards from a face up line-up, or market, to strengthen your deck over the game and accomplish a goal and then count up victory points

[@kevinhovivian1121]

I was really interested - and not disappointed, lots of games I do not know but seem very interesting. But I am very surprised that Zombicide has not made it on to the list. Cooperative, very tense, and every box has slightly different mechanics that nonetheless completely change the game.

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

There are a lot of games that do what Zombicide does but better. Mansions of Madness, Journeys in Middle Earth, even Pandemic.

[@matthewjay660]

Eldritch Horror anyone?

[@dylanbair8149]

I knew the minute I saw the list wingspan would be #1 or #2, even though it’s moment has definitely passed. No brass Birmingham, ark nova, the crew, gloomhaven, or viticulture though.

[@clutchpowersbruh4631]

bro just looked at top boardgames in bbg 💀, create ur own opinions little bro, Wingspan is peak

[@foyoGames]

Dice Forge & Sea Fall????? Who made this list? Dice Forge is cool, but Sea Fall ...gtfoh

[@Kranitoko]

Wooooow Gloomhaven and Frosthaven didn't even crack the top 20?!

[@mikedelvalle931]

Gloomhaven not being top 3 at minimum is a joke.

[@ronpetersen2317]

Gloomhaven proabably should be in there ... Frosthaven is merely a sequel.

[@ricardofernandes2628]

This list is so wrong...and why did she said Azul in spanish?

[@AvtrOfWoe]

Surprised no Gloomhaven on the list at all

[@littlebrockstar1324]

Ive only played Azul, Codenames, Catan, Betrayal amd ticket to ride

[@handledav]

good

[@animationman6426]

Lost Ruins of Arnak is a great game!

[@inginheiro]

Just a little spelling correction. Azul history is placed in Portugal, but the way you spelled the game in the video is like spanish. In portuguese the spelling of azul it's much like in English.

[@MadSlantedPowers]

Do you mean pronunciation instead of spelling? That's what I was wondering since I know that some Spanish dialects pronounce the z like a th, but wasn't aware if that was the case in Portuguese.

[@inginheiro]

@@MadSlantedPowers yes, sorry. I meant pronunciation. You are correct, the z in spanish is pronounced like th, but portuguese is not a spanish dialect, it's an independent language derived from latin like spanish and italian. Thanks for your answer.

[@thecodester6669]

Before i graduated. We have a game design class. One of my few now sophmore buddies. He made his and it was awesome. The cards he made looked identical to something from red dead redemption. The color, the look. Also, i only heard of codenames from wildcat and nogla. But to me none of these count for me. I'm more of a life,mon,uno,cards against,jackbox. Kind of guy.

[@thecodester6669]

OOH AND SCENE IT TOO. Love that series. Yeah. DVD of something plus board game= awesome fun. Nick scene it, Simpsons, Disney, WWE dvd game, dreamworks trivia game. I may have to get that one again

[@BoardGameGreeks]

who made this list? like really???

[@jessc.994]

My favorite game is Here to Slay. Technically more of a card game than a board game, but it is really fun!

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

there is no meeple on the starting plate in carcassonne. small mistake by "geek & sundry"

[@hashem6356]

The Campaign for north Africa is my recommended #1

[@IamLegendaryguy1998]

Yugioh should be on this list

[@foyoGames]

yugioh was last century

[@KaponoMonster]

It’s a card game not a board game

[@barcalona55]

@@KaponoMonstershut up

[@leahkoepp5335]

Rodney Smith cameo!

[@ironblooded7751]

Not a bad list actually. Surprised Catan didn’t make the list but still i was expecting some wack sht and this was surprisingly informed takes.

[@MadSlantedPowers]

Catan was before 2000, so it doesn't qualify.

[@garyjust.johnson1436]

Ticket to ride!

[@tenplayreviews4702]

How’d they select Seafall? Pick anything else.

[@keelahrose]

Your time tracker says "Scythe" during the segment about "Welcome To." Very sloppy. And most of these games are party games. Hard core gamers would disagree with your list.

[@johnniihansen4707]

what about Catan?

[@JosefFerguson]

Seafall? Fucking Seafall?!

[@Nondescript48]

I need to play Teraforming Mars and Wingspan. Horrified may not deserve to make the list, but I just want to say that I like it.

[@joaoantunes6858]

Just stick with Terraforming Mars (play with Prelude expansion and drafting variant).

[@MadSlantedPowers]

All three of those are games I enjoy, though probably not in my top 10.

[@verenasonar1698]

My brother and I got the King of New York version of the game

[@chris55529]

Although she's responsible for one of the most famous photographs of all time, Evelyn McHale's suicide still remains a mystery.

[@brianmurphy9039]

I personally love wingspan with 2 major critiques the Ravens are massively over powered ad the Hunting birds are massively underpowered. With each hunter you get a chance at about 50% ish of what you are guaranteed with any other bird you pick. [ undoubtedly confirmation bias but the RoadRunner has oddly never failed me except on my very last game ]

[@brianmurphy9039]

Oh yeah and no Spirit Island? Sure the learning curve is steep but I don't think it is more more so than Mars or even Pandemic

[@MrSushicide]

I'm so glad that they included Macho Koro instead of Catan. So much better yet underappreciated.

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

It’s fine, but Catan is better.

[@themakersmarc]

Catan wasn't eligible to be on the list. This video is about this century, and Catan was published in the 90s.

[@JohanHaagg]

Should have gone with Mansion of Madness insted of Betrayal. So much better.

[@brianhedley5139]

People whining Gloomhaven not been on the list is probably because the game is very expensive not everyone wants to spend £100 for a board game

[@njk3498]

Some other games to also check out Organ Attack Age of War Splendor Chameleon Patchwork Side Effects

[@DOMINQ-qv2oz]

How is Everdell not on this list?

[@acpudman]

I’m surprised Splendor or Magic the Gathering didn’t make the list.

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

boardgame enthusiast and boardgame convention worker here. this list is ridiculous. for example: only one of the highest kickstarter games ever (no exploding kittens) and only one of the top ten list from bgg (worlds biggest boardgame community side)

[@crabring]

I'm not sure what you're saying- They didn't include no exploding kittens on this list..?

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

@@crabring exactly

[@crabring]

@i3loody-rainbow736 oh I see now :-p sorry. Although isn't that one strictly with cards? It's not a technical "board"game?

[@i3loody-rainbow736]

@@crabring as codenames and the suhi one ;D

[@crabring]

@i3loody-rainbow736 well sushi go technically has one but yeah, that or code names. I agree

[@joermnyc]

#1, I think the Europe version is slightly better with the addition of the Ferry and Tunnel mechanics.

[@appleseiter15]

In what world is Sushi Go a deck building game?

[@LavenderRare]

My favorite board game is based on an anime-esque web series.

[@floopalomp]

The Thing board game and Last night on Earth!