Most Popular Board Games

From LoveToKnow BoardGames

There can be only one – at least that’s what the Highlander said in all those movies (and we all know how many of those there were), but in the world of board games, popularity is ranked by sales and play usage logs from the Internet. Thus, the most popular board games differ depending on whom you ask or what resource you use.

The Internet and Board Games

The Internet has made the world of board games larger than it once was. Before the Internet was in existance, people would find themselves stuck playing whatever games were available at the local small town store. But thankfully, the Internet opened the doors to many publishers from all corners of the world. Many of online retailers were able to offer games from Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and even the Middle East. This makes it difficult to pinpoint just what games constitute the most popular board games in the world.

Most Popular Board Games on the Internet

If Internet sales are a key indicator of a game’s popularity then the following list should be considered the be all of the top 10. There are some serious surprises – though some make sense. Others you will have never heard of, but now you can see what all the fuss is about:

Carcassonne: A game published by Rio Grande Games where players must develop the land around the French City of Carcassonne. With each turn comes an area larger than the one before that takes a lot of strategy.
Ticket to Ride: Published by Days of Wonder, Ticket to Ride is a train adventure game that has players collecting cards that allow them to claim railways across North America connecting other railways all in an attempt to complete their destination ticket as well as build the longest, continuous rail.
Outburst: Published by Hasbro, the players shout out lists of things in an allotted time such as parts of the body that come in pairs. The game is fast and fun.
Curses is a game published by Play All Day Games that can create moments of immense hilarity that can get the right group of people rolling around on the floor in laughter.
Password, published by Hasbro, is the popular reincarnation of the television game show about word association.
Settlers of Catan by Rio Grande Games pits the players against each to become the most dominant group by claiming lands, building cities and trading.
That’s life, a German game by publisher Ravensburger is a fast game with very few rules. Players roll dice and take cards with point values. The last card can determine the winner which is the person with the most points or the one with the fewest negative points.
Apples to Apples is an award winning game taking the coveted Mensa Select Mind Game in 1999 and GAMES Magazine’s Best Party Game of 2000 award. One player is chosen as the judge (each player gets a turn), and a card is chosen. You choose a card from your hand that best describes the card played. The judge decides which is best. If yours is chosen – you get points.
Cranium is a game of fun that is unmatched by many other games. It includes trivia, acting, drawing and sculpting.
Jambo is a game based on the Swahili in Central Africa and trading with those wishing to colonize the area. The players buy and sell goods, and the winner is the player that earns 60 gold.

The Most Popular Board Games: Sales

Off the Internet sales and sales before the Internet, as well as public opinion, can sway just what the most popular board games are. The following ten are based on retail store sales over the years:

Monopoly
Risk
Mah Jongg
Scrabble
Beyblades
Backgammon
Battleship
Stratego
Checkers
Chess

These games truly stand the test of time and will always be incredibly popular. Monopoly and Risk have seen many reincarnations over the years and continue to change and evolve.

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