The best Monopoly editions for bleeding your family dry

Monopoly is a board game that, in a horrific and ironic twist, has dominated the minds of the people. So much so that over 1,500 editions of the game exist. If you’re going to play Monopoly, at least make sure it’s one of the better editions available.

Please note that I’ll be going over more obscure and interesting variations of Monopoly, as the last thing you’ll want if you’re bored of classic Monopoly is classic Monopoly but with a different coat of paint. If you’re after something more faithful, then search up “Monopoly” and your current favorite franchise in Google. I’m sure they’ve got something.

Monopoly City

Starting off strong, Monopoly City is a much more “gamified” edition of Monopoly, as the center of the board has been refurbished into different grids. When players land on a space, they can build a variety of different buildings on the respective area of land in the middle of the board.

As the game progresses, players will be building up residential houses, factories, and even special projects like stadiums. Upon owning a monopoly, a player can then build skyscrapers and even towers. Hazard buildings can also crop up, which makes all residential buildings in that area redundant.

Monopoly City allows players to tangibly see their progress and build much more exciting buildings, adding real strategy to an otherwise largely luck-based game.

Monopoly Hotels

I know Monopoly Hotels doesn’t use a board, but out of all the stranger and divorced Monopoly board games, I thought this one was pretty good.

In Monopoly Hotels, players will try to be the first to construct a five-story Hotel with rooms in each (without any bill cards, either). It costs to build new floors, although the rest of the game, such as sabotaging your opponent and adding rooms and celebrities to your Hotel, are done purely from a deck of cards.

A faster-paced and more interesting way to enjoy Monopoly, Monopoly Hotels takes the core principles of Monopoly and turns it into a card game with psychological warfare and you both try to bluff each other about the values of the rooms of your Hotels. Wonderful stuff.

Monopoly Gamer

Monopoly Gamer, to my initial surprise, is so much more than a reskin, although it’s less of a “gamer” edition and simply is a Super Mario edition, which may be a shame to some.

In Monopoly Gamer, the game will only last around eight rounds, as every time someone passes “Go!” a boss will be brought into play. They’ll get tougher as the game goes on, and upon defeating a boss, rewards are given. Coins are used instead of cash, which can be dropped onto the board for various reasons.

Each character in Monopoly Gamer has a different ability, and the winner is the player with the most points, which are accumulated from buying properties and defeating bosses, meaning a player’s coin count is meaningless when it comes to deciding a victor.

Monopoly Longest Game Ever

Hilariously, Monopoly Longest Game Ever really leans into the franchise’s reputation. Although the base game is likely the worst Monopoly game ever conceived, I can’t help but find it incredibly amusing.

This edition of Monopoly comes with a board with double the spaces and only one dice. The only way to win Monopoly Longest Game Ever is by owning absolutely everything on the board. Better yet, players can forcibly purchase other players’ properties by paying merely $10 more than the base price.

I feel like Monopoly Longest Game Ever is perfect for a one-off night of torture for you and your friends. Better yet, you can make it into a drinking game or have other silly challenges associated to it to turn it from a genuine slog into an experience so nightmarish and grueling it becomes hilarious with the right people.

Monopoly The Lord Of The Rings

Monopoly The Lord Of The Rings, like all good Lord of the Rings games, has the One Ring and some sort of tracker that leads to Mount Doom. As players go around the board acquiring properties and engaging in classic 21st century capitalism, they’ll also be escorting the ring.

The One Ring will be held by a player at all times, offering advantages. However, the dice now has a Sauron side. Every turn that player doesn’t roll the Sauron side, the Sauron tracker increases. Upon finally rolling the Sauron side, that player will need to pay money equal to the value of the space the Sauron tracker is on.

However, should the Sauron tracker reach the end (when a player manages to hold the One Ring for six consecutive turns), the game ends and a winner is decided. The pieces, especially the ring, are of great quality and games are less likely to drag on for too long thanks to the ring mechanic.

Monopoly Star Wars

Monopoly Star Wars is the only team-based Monopoly on this list, and does a great job at having a winning side and an “ultimate winner.”

Firstly, the board is spherical, which is very cool. Instead of placing houses and hotels, players will instead be building a base, and will place a token of their side on the planet. The moment all the planets have a base, the game ends and the side with the most bases wins. It’s that simple.

To make the game even more interesting, if you owe another player in Monopoly Star Wars, they’ll take over your most valuable base. Bounty Hunter spaces can also be used to repossess enemy bases, making this edition a much quicker, yet much more strategic and tense, game of Monopoly.

Monopoly Gamer Overwatch

Unbelievably, Monopoly Gamer Overwatch is a very interesting edition of Monopoly where combat takes center stage. Players will construct teams of three Overwatch characters to take to the board to gain points and defeat opponents.

Using a smaller board, players will duke it out to claim objectives (the spaces) for points whilst dealing damage to other players. In place of money, players now have “HP.” Throughout the game, loot boxes will be dealt to players, and when the last loot box is dealt, the game will end.

With each character having their own abilities, Monopoly Gamer Overwatch allows for a surprising level of replayability, and as each game has a hard limit, it’s not so daunting bringing back to the table.

Monopoly Tropical Tycoon

Monopoly Tropical Tycoon is a more premium experience, even if it is a little dated. This game is to be played with the provided interactive CD (which, depressingly, some groups may not be able to use). The CD takes players through the game, with explanations and news broadcasts that give players interesting choices to make.

There are four new different types of buildings to build in Monopoly Tropical Tycoon, making this more than “Monopoly but with old animations in the background.” Also, the winning condition has changed from having the most cash, to having the most Fortune Points.

For a more immersive, involved, and strategic experience, Monopoly Tropical Tycoon is one of the best Monopoly games out there. And the CD is a great touch if you can stand the old graphics.

Monopoly The Mandalorian

Strangely enough, Monopoly The Mandalorian is a very interesting edition of Monopoly that includes combat, Grogu, and villains. Oh, and the board is smaller too for those wanting more express experiences.

The Child will be moving around the board like the players, and players sharing a space will receive unique benefits. However, sooner or later one of the three Imperial villains will enter the board (Storm Trooper, Dark Trooper, and Moff Gideon). You’ll need to keep The Child safe from them, as encountering them will lead to combat.

If The Child gets captures, no one will win. Conversely, upon defeating Moff Gideon, the game will end and a winner will be decided like normal. Having combat and special abilities thanks to The Child makes this version of Monopoly infinitely more interesting.

Monopoly Gamer Mario Kart

Upon first glance, I wrote Monopoly Gamer Mario Kart off as likely another reskin, until I looked closer. This edition provides a quicker game of Monopoly that has lots of interesting and thematic additions.

Using coins, players will use their chosen racer (each with special abilities) to drift around the board and purchase tracks with their coins. Each property is worth points, which is what counts instead of cold hard coins. Upon passing “Go!” players can pay to enter a randomly selected race, which they’ll then compete in.

With the powers from Mario Kart and the racing, Monopoly Gamer Mario Kart offers a strangely refreshing and infinitely more enjoyable variant of Monopoly that people of all ages can enjoy.

Now that you have lots of choice to make Monopoly much more interesting, all that’s left to do is to pick your favorite and give it a go.

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