Many different tabletop games are released every year, but many of them fly under the radar. They become firm favorites of some groups, but they don't break out into the mainstream. This isn't the case for all modern games, however. Some become highly-coveted, among the best-regarded and most widely-played board games ever.

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Many modern classics are perfect for families and newcomers to the hobby. Others are a bit more complex and appeal to hardcore hobbyists. Either way, these popular board games usually have excellent mechanics and a solid theme and are simply a delight to play.

Updated by Lauren Turner on January 5, 2023: Board gaming is an expansive hobby with many genres for players to choose from. However, modern board games are becoming more popular than ever. New and longtime players will always want to know more about the most popular modern board games, so we've revamped this list with even more information.

15 Terraforming Mars Is Sci-Fi Corporate Greed

1-5 players, 120 minute play time, ages 12+

Pieces from several players on areas in Terraforming Mars board game

In Terraforming Mars, players compete against each other to terraform the planet by utilizing cards, spending resources, and triggering special abilities in an attempt to score the most points. Each player takes on the role of a greedy corporation that is trying to exploit Mars in a way to make the most money possible.

Terraforming Mars is a popular board game that is defined for variety and replayability. No two games are ever the same because the dozens of unique components can reshape the entire map. Even players with a dedicated strategy in mind will find themselves caught off-guard by how the game unfolds.

14 Dominion Defined Deck-Building

2-4 players, 30 minute play time, ages 13+

Several cards from Dominion board game.

Dominion is considered to be a modern classic for many reasons. Hobbyists everywhere have praised Dominion for its clever card combinations, its fast-paced gameplay, and the ability for players to truly improve their skills with every game they play.

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Dominion is also often considered to be the first deck-building game. Other games touched on the idea, but none centered the entire gameplay around that one core mechanism. Dominion is a popular board game that made deck-building the very meat of the game itself rather than something players do before the game starts.

13 Betrayal At House On The Hill Is Surprisingly Complex

3-6 players, 60 minute play time, ages 12+

Several players exploring in Betrayal at House on the Hill game.

Some of the most successful popular board games are on the simpler end of the spectrum. This allows them to be playable and understandable without a huge time investment and makes them more enjoyable for casual players. Betrayal at House on the Hill bucks the trend by being reasonably complex, but it's also a staple of many board game groups.

Betrayal has a simple and entertaining horror theme. Players explore a haunted house, acquire items, and try to survive the many mysterious happenings. Eventually, a Haunt occurs, and one or more players betrays the rest. The game then shifts from cooperative to competitive. Two sides form, each of which uses a different set of rules to overcome the other.

12 Coup Is A Rapid-Fire Deception Classic

2-6 players, 15 minute play time, ages 13+

The box of Coup board game.

Deception games are often popular at parties. They forefront interaction as part of their gameplay and produce tense and amusing moments by their very nature. Coup is simpler and quicker to play than a great many deception games. Players acquire money and spend it for various different abilities, depending on the cards in their hands.

Coup's biggest twist is that players can lie at any time and use the ability of a card they don't really have. The main meat of the game comes from figuring out when players are telling the truth or lying. Coup's simple mechanics, as well as the ability to play a game in 15 minutes, make it a popular board game choice among a great many gaming groups.

11 Carcassonne Is A Beloved Classic

2-5 players, 30-45 minute play time, ages 7+

Some of the components of Carcassone board game.

Carcassonne truly showed players what tile-laying games are all about. Carcassonne goes one step further with its lore and theming than most popular board games. It truly feels, top-to-bottom, like players are assembling and managing a kingdom and not just a board that looks like one.

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Its excellent theming and engaging tile-laying gameplay have earned Carcassonne an ongoing adoring fanbase. Several games have attempted to do the same thing or one-up it, but to little avail. Carcassone still remains on top of the pile for tile-laying games, and it's one of the most popular games ever.

10 Scythe Blends Wargaming With Other Genres

1-5 players, 90-115 minute play time, ages 14+

A board set up for a game of Scythe.

Wargames have a reputation as being notoriously complex. Even the simplest tend to require more explanation than most popular board games. However, Scythe manages to break through the contentious reputation of wargames. In part, it does this by combining elements of more general strategy games and Eurogames.

In Scythe, players control powers in an alternate-history Europe. They expand across the map, fight over resources, and go to war with 20th-century mechs. The game has beautiful artwork, excellent pieces, and evocative theming. Coupled with a careful blend of several genres and plenty of replayability, Scythe is both complex and well-loved by audiences.

9 Splendor Made A Simple Card Game Feel Premium

2-4 players, 30 minute play time, ages 10+

The box art and components of Splendor board game.

Splendor is one of the most popular board games to come out in several years for two very important reasons: simple gameplay and poker chips. While the gameplay of Splendor did a lot for its success, the main attractor is still the beautiful poker chips that come with the game.

As silly as it may seem to a non-gaming audience, components are very important to board game players, especially hobbyists. While Splendor tends to appeal to the general public, the tabletop gaming community gave it notoriety for having some of the nicest components in any card game at the time.

8 Azul Is An Abstract Game With A Beautiful Look

2-4 players, 30-45 minute play time, ages 8+

Several tiles from Azul board game.

Azul took the board gaming hobby by storm when it was released. It combines many things that players love, like drafting, beautiful components, and thought-provoking choices. Azul has quickly become one of the most popular modern board games, and for a good reason.

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Abstract games can often be a hard sell for newer or more casual players. However, Azul's strong gameplay has allowed it to thrive in the mainstream. It has spawned three sequels, but it remains more popular than any of its successors.

7 Wingspan Brought New Players To The Hobby

1-5 players, 40-70 minute play time, ages 10+

The dice roller, eggs, and food tokens of Wingspan board game.

Wingspan was a surprise hit when it was first released in 2019. Wingspan's designer showed players that a theme for a board game does not have to fit the mold or be something that everyone has seen before. With that mindset, the designer chose a bird sanctuary as the theme for Wingspan.

Despite its sedate and grounded nature, the theme has taken audiences by storm. Wingspan shows that a theme devoid of violence or action can thrive with gamers. The mixture of a peaceful and fulfilling theme with surprisingly deep and competitive mechanics makes a modern-day classic in Wingspan.

6 7 Wonders' Two Versions Are Both Bestsellers

2-7 players, 30 minute play time, ages 10+

The box art for 7 Wonders board game.

7 Wonders is a popular board game that takes strong inspiration from Civilization and similar strategy games. Players control a civilization and compete with other players across a variety of areas. They might choose to expand their infrastructure, raise a great army, explore the sciences, or more.

7 Wonders comes in two versions, both of which are popular. The original 7 Wonders is still widely-played many years later. It shares its success with 7 Wonders: Duel, a spin-off designed for head-to-head play. In either iteration, it continues to sell well and find its way into many game groups.

5 Codenames Is Perfect For Game Night

2-8 players, 15 minute play time, ages 14+

Codenames Board Game Setup and Ready For Play

Codenames exploded onto the party game scene, receiving many awards and selling countless copies. Codenames centers around a grid of words, and the players are divided into two teams. One player on each team gives single-word clues to their teammates, trying to link several together. The teammates then try and guess the codenames without guessing any of their opponents'.

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The gameplay in Codenames is simple, but it's more than capable of sparking discussions and arguments. It's well-loved for the surprising amount of thought put into it and for the ability to frustrate every member of a team. Codenames remains a popular board game choice for parties or for casual game nights.

4 Ticket To Ride Is Elegantly Simple

2-5 players, 30-60 minute play time, ages 8+

An in-progress game of Ticket to Ride

Ticket To Ride is by far one of the most popular modern board games to date. The franchise as a whole has sold well in excess of 10 million copies and continues to release new expansions. Ticket to Ride continues to reach new audiences, both among dedicated board game hobbyists and more casual fans.

In Ticket To Ride, players collect cards and then spend those cards to place trains on a board to make connections between cities. The gameplay is simple, but engaging and incredibly fulfilling. The original is set around the United States, but subsequent games have spread the action to many other countries around the globe.

3 Catan Was A Revolution In The Hobby

3-4 players, 60-120 minute play time, ages 10+

An ongoing trade in Settlers of Catan game.

Settlers of Catan is what introduced many modern board gamers to the hobby. In 1995, the board game scene was distinctly more nascent, particularly in the United States. Board games were mainly sold in specialty shops and played by a much smaller number of people than today.

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However, Catan quickly surpassed the smaller market and made it into the mainstream. It has since gone on to be one of the most talked-about and played board games of all time. Catan is often credited with bringing more people into the hobby than any other game.

2 Gloomhaven Splits The Difference Between Board Game & Roleplaying Game

1-4 players, 60-120 minute play time, ages 14+

The components of Gloomhaven board game

Plenty of the most popular modern board games have strayed from combat and conflict. They've gone for other, more broadly-approachable themes. Gloomhaven, however, dives into tabletop gaming's roots and emphasizes dungeon crawling and player-level tactical combat.

Gloomhaven is more than just mindless violence. It tells an evolving, branching story as players go through it. It's the combination of genuinely thrilling combat and this storytelling that's earned the game its success. Gloomhaven is a best-seller and is considered one of the best games ever made.

1 Pandemic Spawned An Entire Genre

2-4 players, 45 minute play time, ages 8+

An in-progress game of Pandemic.

Pandemic is a cooperative game where all players work together to beat the game itself instead of competing with each other. It's far from the first game to emphasize cooperation, but it is one of the first to make it big. Many credit Pandemic with starting the recent boom in cooperative games.

While plenty of cooperative games have been developed since, few have outcompeted Pandemic. It's one of the best-selling games of all time and also the most-reviewed board game on the hobbyist website Board Game Geek.

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