10 Outstanding Board Games for Beginners to Play in 2024

Interested in setting out into the world of board gaming but feeling overwhelmed with the quantity and complexity of your choices? In this list, we’re highlighting 10 of the best board games for beginners that won’t break the bank and have high replay value. You might’ve heard of some of our picks before; they’re classics of their respective genres and have won over many fans. Others are exciting new titles that highlight how fun, engaging, and dynamic board gaming can be for players who are completely new to the hobby.

1. Dominion

Dominion is a great introduction to deck-building and always welcome at the game night table. Your goal is to get as many victory point cards as possible before the game ends. However the victory points also slow you down because they don’t do anything during the game. Instead, you’ll need to add a solid mix of treasure and action cards to ensure you have enough card draw and buying power. There’s also a big selection of Dominion expansions that allow you to slowly increase the game’s complexity, which is a great mechanic for newer board gamers. 

2. Forest Shuffle

In Forest Shuffle, the goal is to build the best ecosystem by planting trees and attaching sets of animals and other plants to your forest. Each card type has different set bonuses and traits that you’ll need to align before winter arrives at the end of the game. It’s a relaxing, refreshingly straightforward card game that’s more focused on what you’re building than on competitive gameplay. 

3. PARKS

PARKS is your chance to explore the natural beauty and wonders of America’s National Parks in a unique tabletop format. As you move your hiker across each locale, you’ll get points for snapping photos and creating memories in the forest, at vista points, or next to stunning waterfalls. The game also offers an accessible solo mode and has incredible art on every tile and card.  

4. The Resistance

The Resistance is a game of social deduction and secret roles in which you’ll have to guess which of the other players at the table are secretly spies. If you’re aiding the Resistance, you’ll need to set out on quests without bringing any of these spies along- just one of them can sabotage your mission. If you’re a spy, you need to subtly convince the Resistance that you’re on their side. In addition to it being a great board game for beginners, The Resistance is also a fantastic party game, and supports up to 10 players.   

5. Sagrada

The Sagrada Família is a famous landmark in Barcelona with stained-glass windows so beautiful that they inspired an entire board game. Sagrada allows players to reconstruct these windows with colorful transparent dice. No two colors can be placed next too each other, but there are also many fun ways to bend the rules and score higher. It’s the kind of abstract game that highlights just how unique and diverse board games can be. 

6. Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a well-known classic for good reason. The rules are simple and easy to learn. The gameplay offers exciting risks and rewards when building your route. The theme is engaging, and there are so many different ways to win. There many expansion maps to keep the game fresh and multiple editions with which you can depart on a new board gaming adventure.

7. Sheriff of Nottingham (2nd Edition)

Bring your best poker face to the table when playing Sheriff of Nottingham– you’ll need it. Your goal is to smuggle as much illegal contraband as possible into town without getting caught. Each round you’ll place a number of cards from your hand facedown in a bag, and the person playing as sheriff for the round has the option to check what you’re bringing into Nottingham. You can bribe the sheriff, or bring in only legal goods and make the sheriff pay for checking. Risking the right amount and knowing your opponents are the keys to victory.

8. 7 Wonders

7 Wonders takes players back to the Ancient World to build a new civilization from scratch over the course of four rounds. In the early segments of the game, it’s all about gathering resources and trading. As the ages progress, however, you’ll need to build iconic landmarks and win conflicts to achieve greatness. The board game is a good introduction to engine building, a fundamental element of many more complex board games.

9. Forbidden Desert

If you’re more interested in cooperative board games, Forbidden Desert is a great place to start. You and your team journey into a vast desert to find an ancient flying machine, but your helicopter crashes, leaving you stranded. To escape alive you’ll need to excavate tiles, gather tools, and find the flying machine parts before you run out of water or supplies. An incoming sandstorm also threatens to sweep you away, giving the game great thematic tension. 

10. Istanbul

For beginners seeking a slightly more complex starting point in the world of board gaming, Istanbul is a great choice. It still isn’t too difficult to learn, but you’ll need to think strategically if you want to win. You’ll play as a merchant and send your assistants to the various locations around the city to sell goods, bet money, and hopefully gather five rubies faster than anyone else. At the start of the game, the players arrange the markets, gambling houses, and warehouses randomly, which means the map changes every time you play and the game is always fresh and exciting.