41 expert-recommended board games for beginners and veterans

For those with just five minutes or those willing to invest an entire weekend. For those willing to thoroughly study an instruction manual with many rules and those who just want to get started and see. With a very elaborate setting and plot, or in search of a good time without further pretensions. Solo, as a couple, in small or very large groups. To compete, cooperate, forge new friendships or shake up old ones. For participants from tiny to very old, novices or veterans. Lately, the board game industry has been repeating that there's a title for everyone's tastes; you just have to find it. For now, this list, compiled based on the preferences of creators like Michael Kiesling, Lorena Fernández, Llama Dice, editors, and festival directors, has 41 options.

For 2 to 8 players. About 15 minutes. Perfect for families with young children. The idea is very simple: each player has a card with several pictures. And they must be the fastest to find an identical one on the card in the center of the table. And so it goes for a long and entertaining time, which will probably end up being two. Or three. Or many more.

For 2 to 4 players. 15 minutes. Ideal for raising young fans. Each player controls a hen and must move it around the board to fill its tail with feathers. Aside from being fun, it also stimulates memory.

For 4 to 12 players. 30 minutes. Frantic, hyper-competitive (except when the little ones are playing, or is that?), stimulating, always different. One of the most famous card games in the world. Very basic, and perhaps that's why it's so successful: the cards feature famous people, whom you have to get the rest of your team to guess with descriptions, imitations, or just a single word. There are all kinds of versions, for little players, youngsters, or adults.

1 to 4 players. Between 5 and 10 minutes. A priori, you only need to count to 10. Easy, right? Except that everyone else is also doing it at the same time, placing more tiles on the board to speed up their journey or torpedo others'.

For 2 to 5 players. 15 minutes. "For lovers of cats and explosions," the game box itself states. But, in reality, this frenetic card-swapping with the ever-looming risk of explosion has proven itself suitable for everyone. Or, at least, for the millions of buyers it has had around the world.

For 2 to 5 players. 30 minutes. The French town of Carcassonne is known for its immense beauty. But the board game of the same name also boasts remarkable global acclaim: it is considered one of the key titles in the history of the sector. "It's the modern board game for those who want to get started with real strategy games," says the Devir website.

3 to 8 players. 20 minutes. It's defined as "the game of mental connection." It's precisely what will be put to the test during fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled matches, where team members gain speed and affinity. If there is any.

For 3 to 8 players. 30 minutes. A highly acclaimed work that blends poetry, illustration, imagination, and creativity to bring to life ever-new and thought-provoking games. In addition to fantasy, it tests your mental connection with other players. It also allows for a leisurely pace, for those who prefer reflection rather than adrenaline.

2 to 5 players. 5 minutes. A fight against monsters, obstacles, and, above all, time. Because each game flies by in an instant. Each player embodies a hero, with a specific ability to aid the group. To win, you'll have to put them together. Quickly.

For 2 to 5 players. Between 30 and 60 minutes. A new century begins. It's been 28 years since Phileas Fogg traveled around the world. Two reasons, among many, for the protagonists of this work, and therefore the players, to decide to embark on another adventure: to see who can visit the most North American cities by train in a week.

2 players. Between 15 and 30 minutes. A little is enough, in every sense. Because all you need is one more player and a quarter of an hour. And because the goal is to make the best quilt with scraps of fabric and leather scattered around the board.

For 2 to 4 players. Between 30 and 45 minutes. One of the industry's masterpieces. Recommended by several sources. The King of Portugal, Manuel I the Fortunate, was fascinated by the Alhambra. Upon his return to his homeland, he wanted to replicate the tiles he had loved so much in the Royal Palace of Évora. The mission will fall to the players. Or rather, to one of them: the one who can become the ruler's favorite artist.

For 2 to 6 players. 20 minutes. Probably the most popular Spanish title right now, because it's fun and fast-paced, but also because anything goes to win. Above all, sabotage your opponents.

For 2 to 5 players. 15 minutes. A simple, immediate, frenetic, and successful game. It's basically about rolling dice and hitting your opponent's dice. Like petanque. Or like gladiators in an arena. Or however you want to imagine it. It's often addictive.

For 1 to 8 players. Between 10 and 30 minutes. The goal is to create a timeline with the cards drawn. Along the way, we recount the stories of women who truly changed the world, from Nellie Bly to Clara Campoamor.

3 to 4 players. 90 minutes. Suffice it to say that it's almost certainly the most famous game of modern times and the one that forever changed the history of the industry upon its release in 1995.

1 to 4 players. 60 to 90 minutes. The planet is overheating. In the game, just like in reality. The difference is that here, society reacts: players must cooperate to devise strategies for a sustainable present and future.

For 2 to 4 players. Between 40 and 60 minutes. The creator of the famous "Azul" once again takes on the decoration challenge: this time, he's redesigning the Café de Paris's parquet floor with intarsias, so it can reopen more elegant than ever after the renovations.

For 2 to 4 players. 20 minutes. Each player takes on the role of a Valkyrie. And their main mission: to save the world! To defeat the monsters, you'll need any help, whether it's new weapons or the gods themselves. And the fun can even be expanded with various expansions.

1 to 5 players. 40 to 70 minutes. Each player is a bird enthusiast, dedicated to discovering and attracting the rarest and most fascinating birds. At the same time, however, each new addition to the aviary shakes up the habitat and requires them to coexist with the other feathered residents.

For 2 to 4 players. About 30 minutes. Competition among artisans along the Silk Road is intense. But only one will be able to accumulate gold and gems, persuade numerous nobles, and ultimately build an entire trading empire.

8 to 18 players. 30 minutes. In theory, all participants are fighting to free the village of Castronegro from the threat of the madmen. Unfortunately, however, in practice, werewolves have infiltrated their ranks, hiding behind their human faces by day and eager to devour the villagers by night. It will take intuition and careful observation to unmask them and save the village.

For 2 to 4 players. 60 minutes. The goal is to build the tallest tower and, ultimately, become the new king. To do so, each player must optimize resource and personnel management during their turn and make strategic decisions that lead to victory or failure.

For 2 to 5 players. 75 to 100 minutes. A year in Ancient China, divided into 12 game turns. The game involves making wise and cautious decisions to confront increasingly devastating disasters and catastrophes, and proving yourself the most skilled provincial governor.

For 1 to 4 players. 60 minutes. The first Spanish-made game to be ranked among the top 100 titles in the world, according to the specialized website Board Game Geek. Each player leads a clan and must gain the favor of a feudal lord through various tasks in 18th-century Japan.

For 2 to 6 players. Between 30 and 120 minutes. Based on the story of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft, it builds a plot where one player pulls the strings and the others play investigators, ready to confront horrors and mysteries. It requires luck when rolling the dice, composure, and a certain amount of patience to understand how it works, like any complex role-playing game. "Think of it as a play where everything is based on improvisation," suggests its official synopsis.

For 2 to 4 players. Between 30 and 90 minutes. You start with a small fiefdom. But no player will want to settle for that. Instead, over the course of five phases, you'll have to accumulate resources, influence, knowledge, and trade to ultimately build the most prosperous castle.

At least two players. 15 minutes. Landing is a must. However and wherever. In windy Tokyo, in Keflavík on ice, in Kuala Lumpur, despite a fuel leak. The players must work together in the cockpit to make sure everything goes smoothly.

For 2 to 4 players. Over 180 minutes. Another colossal work. Its length and price will put off most novices and casual gamers. Those who take the next step, however, will find one of the games that best portrays the universe conceived by JRR Tolkien. Each player can also choose which side to lead the war for Middle-earth, whether leading the Free Peoples or the Armies of the Shadow of Sauron.

For 2 to 5 players. 90 minutes. A large and complex game, as ambitious as its ambition. It aims to portray the competition between dynasties and the economic development around the Mediterranean Sea during the Roman Empire. It requires learning and a great deal of management skill. In return, it grants millennia of glory.

For 1 to 4 players. Between 40 and 80 minutes. Winter is coming. Not as threatening as the one in 'Game of Thrones,' but it's time to get moving. Each player takes on the role of the leader of a group of woodland creatures trying to find and build a new home. But they only have one year to complete their mission. Time is running out.

1 to 6 players. Between 45 and 90 minutes. The starting point is a dream: owning a vineyard in Tuscany. But such luck comes with demands and responsibilities. You have to organize workers and visitors, plant vines, place wine orders, and try to build the most prestigious winery in all of Italy.

For 2 to 4 players. 90 minutes. Each player takes charge of a Mayan tribe and must lead it to its full potential. The game is based on trade, resource use, religion, and management skills. The game has also become known for its unique board, composed of six pieces with built-in gears.

2 to 8 players. 15 minutes. One of the keys to being a good spy is knowing how to decipher codes. Although it also depends, of course, on whether the code makes some logical sense. Here, one player must summarize in one word what some images (or terms, depending on the version chosen) might have in common, and the others must understand their mind and guess which cards they were referring to.

For 2 to 4 players. Between 60 and 90 minutes. A fight for control of the forest between strange creatures, where each player leads a faction with very different characteristics that they must harness to achieve victory.

For 2 to 5 players. 60 minutes. Its first release in 1989 marked a turning point: from its mechanics to its miniatures, even its graphic presentation. Repeated reissues and recent expansions maintain its popularity.

2 players. Over 180 minutes. Summarizing the Cold War in a board game. This title's premise is practically nothing. It more than fulfills it, according to the many lists that have placed it among the best strategic games of all time. In return, it demands time and dedication: after all, this is a conflict that lasted 40 years.

2 players. More than 180 minutes. This is where the stakes are raised. In terms of length: Devir's own website suggests dedicating "a weekend" to the game. And in terms of complexity: one player embodies Abraham Lincoln. The other, Jefferson Davis. And from there, they relive the American Civil War with its historical events, its most famous figures, its great battles, and its momentous decisions.

For 1 to 4 players. Between 90 and 150 minutes. Building the most modern zoo is a difficult task. The passage of time has tarnished the image of these establishments. And because of all the work they require: here you have to obtain animals, treat them with the utmost respect, and secure scientific recognition and sponsorship.

For 2 to 6 players. 60 minutes. One player takes on the role of Jack the Ripper. Each night, he must commit his heinous crimes and go back into hiding. The others act as Scotland Yard investigators, trying to gather enough clues to track down the killer and put an end to his horrors. It takes some time to get used to, but it encourages deduction, intuition, and cunning, including deception.

For 2 to 10 players. 30 minutes. Perfect for music lovers. It involves listening to dozens of famous songs from the last century and arranging them on a timeline. And, of course, enjoying each hit song in the process.