The best board games inspire us and often stay with us for a lifetime. Exciting board games offer a simple but gripping game principle that captures the players and doesn’t let them go. Despite all kinds of digital entertainment options, card, dice and board games are still a popular pastime for British players and the afternoon or evening of gaming is a regular part of leisure activities for young and old.
In the meantime, many classics have of course received a digital edition as an app or online version, and popular board games have long since found their way into non GamStop casinos. We look at the top 7 best board games that are popular in the UK and then examine which of these titles can also be found in non GamStop casinos as live dealer versions or as online slots. For a detailed analysis, check out our Betti Casino review.
These Best Board Games Are Popular With the British Players
Classics such as chess, checkers, Nine Men’s Morris or backgammon are truly timeless and can often be found as part of popular game collections, which is why we have excluded these games from our overview. Other popular board game titles include Maleficent, Scrabble, Labyrinth, Scotland Yard or the newer Codenames.
When it comes to dice games, Yahtzee is clearly the most popular, while popular card games include Uno, Mau-Mau, Doppelkopf, Skat and poker variants. The following top 7 board games are popular in the UK:
1. Don’t get angry
Ludo is an absolute classic among British board games and is still extremely popular. The inventor Josef Friedrich Schmidt developed the game in 1907 based on the English game Ludo, which itself is a descendant of the Indian game Parchisi. This makes Ludo one of the most traditional board games.
Ludo was first published in the UK in 1910 and series production began in 1914. After more than 100 million copies sold, annual sales still amount to around 100,000 games. The publisher is Schmidt Spiele. In addition to the classic version for 2 to 4 players, there is also a version for 6 players and numerous rule variations.
The players move their four game pieces from a start to a finish area and are dependent on luck with the dice. Nevertheless, Ludo offers room for tactics and strategy, since when there are several game pieces in the race, the player is free to choose which one to move.
The rules are extremely easy to learn and fun to play, but the title of the game also comes from the fact that the other players and their intentions represent an obstacle.
2. Monopoly
Monopoly is a world-famous board game that has provided hours of fun and despair to players around the globe since its release.
The inventor Elizabeth Magie patented the game in 1904 as “The Landlord’s Game” and later had a dispute with Charles Darrow, who sold the rights to the Parker Brothers, who eventually acquired all rights. The current trademark owner is the US game manufacturer Hasbro.
The game’s mascot, or Monopoly Uncle, is based on the banker Otto Kahn. 2 to 8 players move their playing pieces across a square playing field, acquiring ownership rights and paying or demanding rent.
The so-called community and event cards represent random elements. Anyone who cannot increase their starting capital and goes bankrupt is eliminated from the game. Many players know Monopoly as an endless board game, but this is usually due to changes in the rules. By sticking to the original rules, the playing time can be limited.
3. Game of Life
The Game of Life is a board game that has delighted players of all ages since the 1960s. Its inventor is Milton Bradley, who published “The Checkered Game of Life” in 1860.
In the USA, the manufacturer Hasbro now sells the game under the title “The Game of Life.” The aim of the game is to lead as successful a life as possible from school to retirement and to accumulate capital and status symbols.
The 2 to 6 players can make different decisions with more or less risk. Ultimately, however, it is a pure game of chance with comparatively little interaction with the other players.
The easy-to-understand principle makes the Game of Life accessible to children aged 8 and over, and compared to Monopoly, the playing time is much shorter, which is why the Game of Life remains one of the most popular board games in the UK.
4. Taboo
Taboo is an exciting board game that requires quick thinking and communication skills. The players form two competing teams with at least 2 players each and try to guess as many words as possible using verbal descriptions before a set time runs out. Each player has their own list of words that are taboo. The game not only promotes communication and the ability to express itself, but also empathy, as it helps to know what makes the other players tick.
Numerous variants such as Taboo for children or Taboo with special terms such as celebrities ensure that the game never stops being fun. The author of the game is Brian Hersch. Since its release in 1990, the manufacturer Hasbro has published the game, with worldwide sales of more than 20 million games.
5. Risk
Risk is a strategic board game about conquering the world. The classic among strategy games requires clever tactics and negotiating skills, but also luck with the dice. To conquer countries and lead armies. The goal is to control the continents and at the same time defeat the armies of the opponents.
Despite its simple and abstract level, Risk was a defining feature of the strategy and board game genre and is still popular today. It was invented by the Frenchman Albert Lamorisse and Risk was first released in 1957. The worldwide rights holder is now the game manufacturer Hasbro.
6. Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a knowledge game that tests the general knowledge of the players. The game consists of different categories such as history, sports or entertainment and the players answer questions to collect evidence of their knowledge. The winner is the first to succeed in all categories. Trivial Pursuit is available in different editions and with supplements to experience new questions and challenges.
The game was released in 1981 and was invented by two friends, Scott Abbott and Chris Haney. Hasbro now owns all rights to Trivial Pursuit and distributes the board game around the world, with more than 100 million copies sold.
7. Dream Catcher (EvolutionGames)
The original is still popular in the live casino sites not on GamStop UK. Dream Catcher was the first game show live dealer game from the manufacturer Evolution Games. Players bet on the number fields of the wheel of fortune and hope for one of the lucrative multipliers.
