There are moments when you just want to disconnect from the screens and technology, yet the desire to play a good game doesn’t fade. Board games are a classic way to unwind and have fun, not only for yourself but with others as well. These are some of the best video game themed board games to play when you want to escape the digital world while keeping the spirit of your favorite video games alive.
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Stardew Valley: The Board Game
Ages 13 & up – 1 to 4 Players – Game Length: 45 mins per player
Just like the game it is based on, Stardew Valley: The Board Game is an amazing wholesome experience. It is easily one the best video game themed board games because of how it captures the spirit and adventure of Stardew. While this game can be played alone, it is much better when played cooperatively with others. You will need to work together to complete grandpa’s goals and restore the community center within a full year of the game. Fail to do so and you will lose with the Joja Corporation continuing its take over of the town.
The game will require you and the other players to work together each day to work towards completing your goals. Whether it is tending to crops, mining, fishing or foraging, you will all need to work together to make your farm and the community thrive. Achieving your goals will be hard at first, but as you play you will increase your skills and upgrade your tools just like in the video game. Before you know it, you will have no problem getting what you need to restore the community center. Then you can give Joja Corporation the boot out of town.
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Minecraft Builders & Biomes Board Game
Ages 10 & up – 2 to 4 Players – Game Length: 30 to 60 mins
Minecraft is one of the most popular video games ever made. There are several board and card games based on the game. However, the Minecraft Builders & Biomes Board Game is at the top and deserves to be among the best video game themed board games. You and your friends will compete to see who is the best builder and mob slayer among you. Throughout the game, you will explore the Overworld while trying to gather resources to build with and weapons to defeat mobs with. All with the goal of earning experience, which is how you win the game.
The way the game plays out as follows. The players take actions during each of their turns. These include moving spaces, gathering resource blocks, picking up weapons, building structures, and fighting mobs. Different actions will give various levels of experience. Experience is also gathered during 3 different scoring rounds. How much you get in a round is based around what kind of biomes you have on your personal card, the structures you have created on it, and the mobs you have defeated throughout the game. When the third scoring round is complete, the player with the most experience is the winner.
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This War of Mine: The Board Game
Ages 18 & up – 1 to 6 Players – Game Length: 45 to 120 mins per Day/Night Cycle
This War of Mine: The Board Game is based on the video game of the same name. Just like the video game, the board game seeks to tell a dark and dramatic story of what war is like for civilians. This game’s ability to invest you in the characters and their survival is what makes the game so entertaining. It is a cooperative board game where those playing have one goal, survive until the war ends. This is because for civilians in a war zone, the only way to win is to still be alive when the nightmare is over. This is not a light-hearted game, however, it is one of the best video game themed board games.
During the day, when it is too dangerous to go outside due to the fighting, your party is stuck inside of a bombed out building. You must spend your time making it as comfortable and safe as you can make it, while finding whatever is salvageable among the rubble. Night is where things get really interesting and possibly dangerous. Each night you can explore outside, carefully searching for resources vital to your group’s survival. Back at the ruined building you call home, the survivors that stayed back will need to fend off nighttime raids. These might be starving people looking to steal what they can or even dangerous people that will commit more sinister crimes. You must try your best to have as many members of your group survive until the end of this hellish conflict.
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Fallout: The Board Game
Ages 14 & up – 1 to 4 Players – Game Length: 2 – 3 hours
Fallout: The Board Game is a unique board game that plays very much like an RPG video game. This is not surprising given that the Fallout video game series is so heavy in its RPG elements. It features many stats and items from the games such as rads, health, special attributes, armor, and weapons. The game also has many iconic factions and enemies, such as The Brotherhood of Steel and super mutants. It is a great way to venture out into the apocalyptic wasteland alone or with friends.
What really puts this game among the best video game themed board games is that it’s a completive game rather than a cooperative one. You will be competing with the other players to fulfill your own goals before they fulfill their own. There will be two competing factions, and part of your goals will be to ensure one side wins. Your allegiance will be hidden at the start of the game, however, you can reveal it at anytime in order to avoid conflict with that faction.
With these goals in mind, you must set out to explore the wasteland. You can acquire better weapons, armor or even a companion to help you achieve your victory. Health and rads will be a constant concern because they share the same bar just on opposite ends. When the two meet somewhere in the middle, you are sent back to the starting outpost to recover. Your health is reset back to full but your rads won’t be. This can have harsh consequences besides being sent back to the outpost because you can lose weapons, armor, and items. The game will end when one faction has defeated the other, so you need to make sure that the victorious faction is yours and that you have your other goal accomplished.
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The Witcher Old World Board Game
Ages 14 & up – 1 to 5 Players – Game Length: 90 to 150 mins
This board game, similarly to the video games series, is based on the “The Witcher” novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. It is one of the best video game themed board games because of its entertaining gameplay loop and the iconic monsters that are seen in the novels. You will venture out into The Continent with other witchers to fight monsters, as well as each other. This is a competitive board game, so may the best witcher win.
The objective of this game is to earn four trophies before one of the other players does. There are a few ways to earn trophies: defeating monsters, defeating other witchers (players) in combat, and meditating on stat categories you have maxed out. You will need to navigate the board and visit locations around the continent. Monsters will be located at specific locations on the map, which is randomly determined at the start of the game. Meanwhile, the other witchers will be constantly on the move. You will not be ready to fight either of these at the start of the game. Through your explorations and adventures you will gain gold, increase your stats, and prepare yourself to earn trophies.
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Super Mario Themed Chess Set
Ages 5 & up – 2 Players – Game Length: 10 to 60 mins
Chess holds a timeless place in the world of board games, and a list of best board games would not be complete without a chess set. This Super Mario themed chess set is the greatest of the video game themed chess sets available. The pieces are all iconic Super Mario characters and look amazing. The details and colors make a lasting impression, and there is just something satisfying about capturing a Goomba rook with your Luigi queen. This is a must-have for Mario fans, Nintendo fans, retro game fans, or anyone who just wants a cool looking video game themed chess set.
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Animal Crossing Guess Who?
Ages 6 & up – 2 Players – Game Length: 20 mins
Animal Crossing Guess Who? is a must have for fans of the video game. You will find that there is something uniquely wholesome about this version of the game. It is a blast narrowing down the adorable and fun characters to figure out who each player is. The more Animal Crossing knowledge you have, the more specific you can get in your questions. Don’t fret though, just like any version of Guess Who, it is not hard to narrow down the choices with visual features. Therefore, anyone can play this adorable board game even if they have never played the video game. Animal Crossing fans are sure to put this at the top of their list of best video game themed board games.
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The Oregon Trail Board Game
Ages 14 & up – 2 to 4 Players – Game Length: 30 to 60 mins
The final board game that needs mentioning is The Oregon Trail Board Game. Fans of this old time video game classic will find this game a little more forgiving but just as fun. Just like the video game, you will need to cross the United States with your family in a wagon to reach the west coast. Players will be competing with each other to reach the end with more money than the other players. There are various ways to make money at the forts and towns along the way. Having a family member die will hit you with a large money penalty at the end of the game, depending on how early on they died. Do your best to thrive as you make your way across the board and be really careful about crossing those rivers!
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