Getting into board games can feel a bit overwhelming – there are just so many to choose from. But don’t worry, it’s not that scary! Whether you’ve never played a board game before or are just looking for something simple to play with friends and family, this list of the 15 best board games for beginners is everything you need.

These games are easy to learn, fun to play, and perfect for game nights that don’t drag on forever. You won’t need a rulebook the size of a novel or hours of setup time – just grab a seat and enjoy. So, let’s play a little game now. Our goal? To find your next favorite board game! 

Best Board Games for Beginners Comparison Table

1. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Rescuing Robin Hood

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30–60 minutes
• Playstyle: Cooperative, story-driven
• Game Type: Adventure, narrative, strategy
• Number of players: 1–4

From classic movies to the super-fun animated shows and books, Robin Hood is a character everyone loves! And this Robin Hood board game? It mixes his charm and Sherwood Forest’s magic with fun gameplay and great design, making it one of the best board games for beginners. Let’s learn the rules and head out on this quest now – you have to rescue Robin Hood!

Why We Like It 

Rescuing Robin Hood features a charming cartoonish style and 89 unique character cards made from high-quality materials. Each round, you draw four cards, collect your skill tokens, and add up your Wit, Brawn, Stealth, and Jolliness. Then, each player attacks the guard rows twice, using the right skills to rescue the Villagers. Win, and the rescued Villagers join your deck, giving you more power for the next day.

After four days of building your team, it’s time for the final battle. Choose the four best cards from your entire deck – plus your Leader – and storm the castle in one last attempt to rescue Robin Hood! It all comes down to one big team effort, so plan your moves, pick your strongest crew, and make every skill point count.

What makes this award-winning title the best choice for novice players is its easy setup, straightforward rules, well-made and colorful components, cooperative mechanics allowing for the whole group to enjoy learning the rules together, and quick playtime. So, can Robin Hood count on you? 

2. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Guns or Treasure

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 10–15 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, bluffing
• Game Type: Card game, pirate-themed
• Number of players: 2–6 (up to 10 with two copies)

Pirates, however scary they might be, have always been some of the best when it comes to entertainment. Whether it’s movies or video games, you can’t deny that everything pirate-related is super cool. Which takes us to this beautiful game. One look at Guns or Treasure is enough to see that it’s one of the best board games for beginners.

Why We Like It

In Guns or Treasure, players go through four shipbuilding rounds, each time drawing up to six cards and playing three to build their fleet. Every ship starts with a face-up bow card, while the rest, filled with guns, treasure, or maybe even bombs, are played face down. You decide how many ships to build and how risky to make them. Go all in on one or two powerful ships, or spread out across more – the choice is yours.

Once ships are built, the real fun begins. In the Marauding phase, you pick a ship to send into battle and choose an opponent’s ship to attack. Then, you both reveal your face-down cards. The ship with the most guns wins and takes all the treasure, but if either ship has a bomb, both sink. On later turns, you can retreat instead, keeping your treasure but losing any guns or bombs.

It has a super-easy scoring system (where you only have to count your treasures), breathtaking artwork, quick playtime, and family-friendly complexity. Simple yet engaging, with lots of bluffing and strategizing – that’s why Guns or Treasure is awesome for beginners.

Plus, if you're sailing with a large crew, you can expand the game to up to 10 players by owning two copies of the base game, or up to 9 players with the Parrots and Monkeys expansion. So, prepare your ships and enjoy! 

3. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Jaipur

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30 minutes
• Playstyle: Head-to-head, tactical
• Game Type: Trading, set collection
• Number of players: 2

Do you like quick, good-looking games that are easy to learn so everyone can enjoy playing? And how does the beauty of Jaipur and trading goods sound to you? Pretty cool, if I’m honest. Oh, and there are camels too. And money, in the shape of fantastic tokens. It seems Jaipur has it all for novice players to fall in love with board games, making it a title worth checking out.

Why We Like It

Jaipur is a simple game where you and your opponent compete to collect and sell goods to earn tokens. On your turn, you can either take one good from the table or trade multiple cards from your hand with an equal number from the market (table). Alternatively, you can take all the camels to build the biggest herd. That’s one turn.

When you collect three, four, or five identical goods, you can sell them to earn tokens from the matching stack. The bigger the set, the better the reward, so it’s worth waiting until you collect four or five cards.

The game ends when three token stacks are empty. The player with the most token points – which are revealed at the end – plus a camel herd bonus, wins the round. Win two rounds, and you win the game!

With just two simple actions (taking and selling cards) and an easy-to-follow scoring system, Jaipur is a game anyone can learn in minutes and enjoy for hours. Whether it’s the main event of your game night or a quick, light session between bigger games, it’s the perfect pick for new players.

4. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Azul 

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30–45 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, tactical
• Game Type: Abstract, tile placement
• Number of players: 2–4

Beginners like two things: easy-to-learn and good-looking board games. And this wonderful piece of art I can’t stop recommending has it all – and more! So, if you’re looking for a tile-placement board game that’s easy to teach your partner, friend, or sibling and a lot of fun to play, Azul is for you.

Why We Like It

To start playing Azul, each player gets their own wall to decorate, and tiles are placed in shared groups called Factory Displays, arranged in a circle. On your turn, you take all tiles of one color from a Factory Display and move the rest to the center, where others can pick from later. Then, you place your chosen tiles on one of the five pattern rows on your board.

At the end of the round, if a row is filled, you move one tile from it onto your wall. Each placed tile scores a point, with extra points if it connects to others in a row or column. The game ends when a player completes a full horizontal row of five tiles. The player with the most points from tile placement and bonuses wins. 

In Azul, each turn is the same – you take tiles and place them on the wall. That means you can learn the basics very quickly and start picking up on smart moves after just a few fun 20-minute sessions. In other words, it has everything a beginner needs to get into the game, enjoy it, and have fun playing with friends.

5. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Ticket to Ride

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30–60 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, route-building
• Game Type: Set collection, board game classic
• Number of players: 2–5

The classics are classics for a reason, and that’s why Ticket to Ride is one of the best board games for beginners. With unique gameplay mechanics where you connect routes on a vintage map using super-cool trains, it’s a game everyone will fall in love with. So, let’s see how to play Ticket to Ride! 

Why We Like It

Why rule one train route when you can rule the whole continent? In Ticket to Ride, players receive Destination Tickets that earn points if they connect specific cities. On each turn, you can either draw train cards, take new Destination Tickets, or build a route between two cities using matching-colored train cards.

To complete a Destination Ticket, you’ll often need to connect multiple cities – and that’s where things get interesting. Other players might need the same routes and block your path, or go for the same train cards you’re after. For example, to build a three-train-long yellow route, you need three yellow train cards. You then trade them for the train cars and put them on the route!

The game ends when one player is down to two or fewer trains, and everyone counts up their points collected from completed routes, the longest continuous path, and Destination Tickets. With a simple scoring system, just three possible actions each turn, color-matching train cards, and clear goals from the Destination Tickets, Ticket to Ride grabs every beginner’s attention – and keeps it!

6. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Splendor

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, engine-building
• Game Type: Resource management, card drafting
• Number of players: 2–4

Would you like to play a game where you buy and sell cards tactically, building your own “factory” – or “engine” – that makes you more money, eventually leading to victory? But be careful – your opponents might need the same resources as you and ruin your plans entirely. And the money? It’s actually gems – and they’re fantastic! So, how does this trading work? 

Why We Like It

Splendor is a game of strategic resource planning with just enough luck to keep things interesting. At the start, three rows of development cards are placed on the table – each showing a cost and a reward. On your turn, you can take up to three gem tokens to help you prepare for future purchases.

When you buy a card, you pay its cost using your tokens, then place it in front of you to get its permanent gem bonus. For example, a white gem card lets you spend one less white gem when buying future cards.

As the game goes on, you build up your gem engine to afford better cards that earn you more gems and, more importantly, Prestige Points. So, how do you win? Some cards have points printed on them, and the first player to reach 15 Prestige Points wins.

If you want to introduce a beginner to “engine-building” board games, Splendor is the right choice. Why? Because its mechanics help you learn how to plan and spend resources in a clear, easy way. And with just two main actions – take tokens or buy a card – it teaches strategy without overwhelming new players.

7. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Codenames 

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 15–30 minutes
• Playstyle: Team-based, word guessing
• Game Type: Social deduction, party game
• Number of players: 2–8+

How are your guessing and spy skills? Think you can crack every code and find all the right answers without fail? That’s important because one wrong move can mean defeat, and you definitely can’t afford to lose. And if you win, you’ll have to prove it wasn’t beginner’s luck. It won’t be – because this game doesn’t have any complex rules, making it super accessible for everyone.

Why We Like It 

In Codenames, two teams of agents face off in a game where every move counts. Twenty-five cards are laid face up on the table, each hiding a secret identity that the team must uncover. One player, the spymaster, knows the full layout – where their team’s agents are, where the enemies are, and where the assassin is. 

He then gives one-word clues, hoping their teammates can guess the right cards. If they do, they keep going unless they uncover an enemy card, which ends their turn. But be careful: if either team finds the assassin, they lose.

With no confusing rules and plenty of strategy, Codename lets new players jump right in because guessing and reading clues are all they need. The word association mechanic feels natural, so players focus more on clever thinking and teamwork than on learning how to play.

8. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Catan

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 60–90 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, semi-cooperative trading
• Game Type: Strategy, resource management
• Number of players: 3–4 (up to 6 with expansion)

Here’s another classic board game everyone loves to play. When you think of Catan, think of Monopoly but with a slight twist. Here, you manage resources, build, grow, and interact with other players, either working together or totally messing with their plans. And while it might look a bit complicated at first, don’t worry – you’ll quickly get the hang of it and enjoy ruling the island of Catan!

Why We Like It 

Catan is a board game for 3 – 4 players where the goal is to build the most successful settlements by collecting and trading resources like wood, brick, wheat, sheep, and ore. The board is made up of hexagonal tiles, each producing resources when their number is rolled. On your turn, you roll two dice, and any player with a settlement next to a tile showing that number collects the corresponding resource.

You then use your resources to build roads, settlements, and cities, or buy development cards that grant special abilities. You can also trade with other players or the bank to get what you need. Watch out for the robber, however, because when someone rolls a 7, it blocks a tile and steals from players. Bonus points are awarded for the Longest Road and Largest Army, and the first player to reach 10 points wins the game.

With turns structured around rolling dice, collecting resources, and trading or building, Catan is a game with easy-to-learn actions that feel rewarding. Plus, the trading system is great for teaching interaction and planning, and the race to 10 points keeps the game exciting for the whole group, making beginners adore this title.

9. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Pandemic

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 45 minutes
• Playstyle: Cooperative, problem-solving
• Game Type: Strategy, crisis management
• Number of players: 2–4

A horrifying disease is spreading, and the world needs your knowledge and skills to stop a disaster. And don’t take it lightly – it will happen if you and your friends don’t cooperate. That said, Pandemic is perfect for gamers who believe they can work well with their science buddies, making it one of the best co-op board games for beginners. 

Why We Like It 

In Pandemic, the first thing you see is a world map showing cities connected by routes, spaces for Infection and Player cards, and colored cubes marking infected cities. Once setup is complete, each player chooses a role, each with unique abilities that shape how they’ll fight the disease.

On your turn, you can travel between cities, treat infections, share knowledge, build research stations, or work toward discovering cures – depending on your role. After that, you draw two Player cards, which may include Epidemic cards that escalate the infection rate and bring new outbreaks. Then you draw Infection cards, potentially causing outbreaks if a city already has three cubes, which then spread to connected cities.

Collecting five cards of the same color and going to a research station cures a disease, getting you closer to your goal of curing all four diseases to win. But if eight outbreaks occur, you run out of disease cubes, or the Player deck runs out – your team loses.

Pandemic is a big game with clear cooperative goals that help new players learn by working together, while each role’s abilities guide decisions without being overwhelming. The action-point system (four actions per turn) keeps turns structured, and curing diseases is a straightforward objective tied to collecting matching cards. Simple, right?

10. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Dixit

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30 minutes
• Playstyle: Creative, clue-based
• Game Type: Party game, storytelling
• Number of players: 3–8 (up to 12 with expansions)

Dixit is probably the simplest game on this list because all you need to play is imagination. It’s great to play with family or friends who can pick up the basics quickly, letting everyone enjoy hours of fun together. So, how are your storytelling and clue-reading skills? In Dixit, you’ll need them!

Why We Like It

Dixit doesn’t have many rules or complex strategies, but it’s still so fun and replayable. In this 3 – 8 player game with 84 beautifully illustrated cards, each player starts with six secret cards. One player becomes the storyteller, picks a card, and gives a clue – using words, phrases, or sounds – then places the card face-down on the table.

The other players each choose a card from their hand that best matches the clue and place it face down, too. The cards are shuffled and revealed, and everyone (except the storyteller) secretly guesses which card was the storyteller’s. 

If no one or all players guess correctly, the storyteller gets 0 points, and everyone else gets 2. If some guess correctly, the storyteller and the correct guessers each get 3 points. Plus, anyone whose card gets a vote earns 1 point. The first player to reach 30 points wins.

Dixit is probably the simplest game on this list, where players only have to describe a card or guess someone else’s. The scoring involves tracking points each turn, and the gameplay relies on interpretation, making it a good choice for beginners and all players who might not enjoy intense strategy.

11. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Citadels 

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30–60 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, strategic role selection
• Game Type: Bluffing, city-building
• Number of players: 2–7

When it comes to the best board games for beginners, Citadels definitely deserves a mention. With its simple strategy, medieval vibe, and few mechanics like drawing cards, building, or taking gold, anyone who likes trading and building will love this game. And that’s not all – there are many roles you can choose, giving you plenty of ways to outsmart your opponents. So, let’s see how to play Citadels.

Why We Like It

Citadels is the perfect blend of surprise and strategy, where each round players take on different roles that offer unique playstyles and abilities. How do you play? You start with two gold coins and four district cards, then secretly choose a character – like the Assassin, King, or Thief – each with a special power, such as stealing gold, gaining extra income, or drawing more cards.

The player with the lowest-numbered character goes first. On your turn, you can either take two gold coins or draw two district cards and keep one, then optionally use your character’s ability or build one district by paying its cost. After everyone has taken their turn, a new round begins with new character choices.

The game ends when a player builds their eighth district. Everyone gets one final turn, and then you count points based on your built districts, character effects, and special bonuses. 

This is why I love recommending Citadels to beginners! Each round centers around choosing a role and using its ability, keeping the gameplay loop clean and focused. The drafting of roles adds strategy without confusing mechanics, and the building cards are self-explanatory and easy to use for scoring.

12. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Patchwork

Our Rating: 5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 20–30 minutes
• Playstyle: Head-to-head, spatial strategy
• Game Type: Puzzle, tile placement
• Number of players: 2

Patchwork is another board game for two players that simply has to be on this list. It’s super cute, has unique components, and with its very few simple rules, is a game everyone can play. So, how do Tetris-like mechanics combined with knitting beautiful pieces sound? Pretty fantastic, if you ask me. Now, let me tell you how to play it! 

Why We Like It 

Patchwork is a cozy two-player board game where each player gets an empty quilt board and tries to fill it with patches from the center of the table, earning points – called buttons – along the way. 

The patches are arranged in a circle around the time board, with a marker placed to show the next three available. On your turn, you choose one of these patches, pay its cost in buttons, put it on your board, and then move the marker to the place where you took the patch from. 

Each patch has a button cost and a time cost, which determines how far you move on the time board. As you pass button icons, you collect income equal to the total number of buttons on the patches on your quilt board. Also, if you can’t buy a patch, you move your pawn in front of your opponent and earn buttons based on the number of tiles you moved. 

The goal is to cover as much space as possible on your quilt board because each empty square at the end loses you points. There’s also a bonus: the first player to complete a 7x7 grid earns 7 extra points. The game ends when you reach the center of the time board, and the player with the most buttons and the fullest quilt wins! 

With super-simple turns where players have to pick one of the three available patches and place it on their board strategically, Tetris-like tile placement mechanics, and a scoring system consisting of counting buttons and empty squares, Patchwork is a fun and easy-to-learn choice for all beginners. 

13. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game

Our Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 15–20 minutes
• Playstyle: One-vs-many, bluffing
• Game Type: Card game, deduction
• Number of players: 2–6

Have you heard of Love Letter? If so, you’ll also love Infinity Gauntlet. But even if you’re not familiar with it, all you need is love for the Marvel heroes – and villains – to enjoy this super-fun card game. It has very few simple rules, and you always have only two cards to worry about. Sounds like one of the best board games for beginners here, doesn’t it?

Why We Like It

The main difference between classic Love Letter and Infinity Gauntlet is the one-vs-many mechanic, where a team of players takes on Thanos. They all work together to stop him while he tries to defend himself and collect all the Infinity Stones.

Everyone starts with one card and, on their turn, draws a card and plays one, triggering effects that range from combat and defense to special abilities. Some cards initiate battles, where players can either get knocked out or drain Thanos’ health, depending on the card’s value. 

Thanos, however, has a unique deck. On his turn, he chooses one of two cards in hand to play – this could be a Stone, ally, or power-up – placing it in front of him for lasting effects.

If the Avengers reduce Thanos’ health to zero before he defeats them or collects all six Stones, they win. But if they fail – well, every fan knows what happens when Thanos completes the Gauntlet. 

Being a Love Letter game, this title is an amazing pick for beginners because all you do each turn is play one of two cards. Plus, the asymmetry between Thanos and the heroes adds fun variety while keeping the card abilities, structure, and win conditions easy to follow.

14. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Monkey Palace

Our Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30–40 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, light strategy
• Game Type: Tile placement, family game
• Number of players: 2–4

Do you like playing with LEGO? If so, then Monkey Palace is definitely for you. And even if you don’t, you might become a fan after trying it. One thing’s for sure – you’ll enjoy its beautiful design, simple building and scoring rules, and the fun it offers for both small and slightly bigger groups. Kids, adults, beginners, or seasoned players – Monkey Palace is for everyone! 

Why We Like It 

In Monkey Palace, your goal is to build the tallest, most impressive tower and create a habitat that the monkey will love. There are three types of blocks – bricks and columns for building height and arches, which earn you credits. You then use those credits to buy cards that give you more resources and points, and help you get even more blocks.

When building, you end with an arch, stacking the vertical blocks in between to gain height. If you use five or more bricks (column counts as three), you earn four bonus points. But it’s not just about stacking – animals can appear to block paths, add challenges, or even affect your score positively or negatively.

The game ends when one type of block runs out. Then, players take a turn and tally their points from animals, cards, and bonuses. If you have the highest score, the monkey congratulates you on your well-earned victory!

As you can see, every player can enjoy this LEGO-style game, especially beginners! With its fun yet strategic building mechanics, clear scoring, simple rules, and shared board, players can quickly learn by both playing and watching their opponents’ turns and decisions. Whether it’s 2v2 or every player for themselves, Monkey Palace is a great entry point into gaming!

15. The Best Board Games for Beginners – Dream Home

Our Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

• Playtime: 30 minutes
• Playstyle: Competitive, casual drafting
• Game Type: Family, home design
• Number of players: 2–4

To me, this is one of the most underrated board games out there – and one that more players should definitely try. Why? Because it offers a familiar, cozy setting and has just a few simple rules, like decorating a house, yet still manages to keep a strategic element. It’s cute, easy to learn, and perfect for a quick session without too much thinking.

Why We Like It 

Dream Home is a super-enjoyable board game where you and your friends start with an empty house that’s waiting for a great interior designer. On each turn, you draw room and accessory cards (like helpful workers) or roofs that give bonus points. Then, you place those rooms on your home board in a way that makes sense. For example, you score more points by placing two or three living rooms side by side, or a sauna next to a bathroom.

If you manage to include all the essential rooms, you earn extra points for your home’s functionality. Accessory cards add even more fun – they let you swap rooms, draw new cards, or boost your score. Ready for the challenge? In Dream Home, every little detail counts if you want to be the best interior designer around!

Not only does it look great and blend the super-fun concept of interior design with gaming, but Dream Home also offers a level of simplicity every gamer will enjoy. On each turn, you just pick two cards and place them on your board – that’s it! The scoring is clear, and the visual layout helps players quickly understand how room placement works, making it a top choice for board game beginners and fans of light strategy games.

Final Thoughts on the Best Board Games for Beginners

Hope you had fun playing this little game – the one where the goal was to find your next favorite board game. Whether you’re trading goods in Jaipur, laying down train tracks in Ticket to Ride, or building a wall of tiles in Azul, these beginner-friendly games are proof that simple doesn’t mean boring. 

I picked titles that are quick to learn, fun to replay, and perfect for getting anyone into the hobby, even that one friend who swears board games aren’t their thing. Some are short and sweet, others a bit more strategic, but all of them are great ways to spend time with people you like. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about – laughing, thinking, maybe a little friendly rivalry, and just having a good time around the table.