12 Best 6 Player Board Games
The amount of players that play a board game can frequently be a decisive factor in determining how fun the gameplay of that particular board game is. Sometimes a small group of players is better, other times a larger group is better. With the spread of the world wide pandemic one may think it’s better to have a smaller group of players rather than a larger group of players. Six players is a solid number of gamers to play with. It’s not too much nor is it too little. As goldilocks would say, it’s just right.
With that said, we have compiled the following 12 board games that are not strictly 6 player board games. But rather, these are the best board games that one can play with 6 players. Some of these board games can host more than six players. Other board games on this list can host six or less. But the one constant is that all these board games that are on this list are best played with a group of six players.
Zombiecide
Players : 1-6
Ages: 14+
Game Time: 60 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2012
Starting off this list of Best 6 Player Board Games, we have Zombicide.
Zombicide is a collaborative board game with a focus on the players teaming up in order to survive a zombie apocalypse. Each player will have to choose a survivor represented by a character game piece. Each survivor has their own different and unique special abilities as well as skills that can heal the team of survivors to continue to survive.. This means that the players working together is of the utmost importance in order to survive the zombies.In other words, teamwork makes the dream work. Only in this case the dream is to survive hordes of zombies trying to kill you. Finding better weapons allows the players to kill more zombies. But the amount of zombies that need killing will go up the more zombies you kill. There are 10 different scenarios that can be played on different maps. Which makes the replayability of this board game high. It is possible to play with only one or two players. But zombicide is a cooperative board game. Which means the more players you have on your team the more you can get done. This doesn’t mean that it will necessarily be easier. Zombiecide has a medium ranking for the difficulty. And it may not be suitable for younger children. Nevertheless, the hand management, grid movement mechanics and scenario style gameplay make for a thrilling and fun game to play in your downtime.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Players: 3-10
Ages: 8+
Game Time: 10 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2014
With a playtime of approximately 10 min, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a social deduction game that promises to be a fast, easy, and fun game to play. Even though this board game can be played with a large number of players, the gameplay is at its best when the number of players is closer to six. With a player count of roughly six players, the game takes place over the course of a single night and a single day, where the players will have to deduce who is the werewolf and ultimately kill that werewolf. Each player gets to be any one of a wide cast of different characters. Each of these characters, ranging from normal villagers, to doppelgangers, to robbers, have their own abilities and actions that they can perform on their turn. At night all the players have to close their eyes, then each different character, starting with the werewolves, open their eyes and complete an action. Once everyone has done that, the game turns to daytime where the players will have to try and guess who the werewolf is. The short playtime means that One Night Ultimate Werewolf has a high replay value. Every time you play there will be a different person who is the werewolf. There may even be two werewolves. This is the perfect board game for a family game night and has earned its spot at number 11.
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Players: 3-6
Ages: 12+
Game Time: 60 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2004
Coming in at number 10, we have Betrayal at House on the Hill. In this thrilling and suspenseful role-playing game, gamers get to explore a haunted mansion whilst trying to stay alive and sane. The tile mechanic in the gameplay is used to build the mansion one room at a time. Each time the players play this game the layout of the mansion will be different. There are also 50 different scenarios to play through. Which means the replay value on this game is quite high. In the beginning of the gameplay, the players explore the mansion. Eventually, towards the end of the game, the gameplay turns into a haunt. In this part of the game, it becomes important for the players to figure out who is the traitor amongst them. Seeing as Betrayal at House on the Hill is an RPG game, each of the players will have to play a character with 4 traits. They are the following: Speed and Might for physical traits, and Sanity and Knowledge which are the mental traits.
When a player gets into a scenario where they have to take physical damage. The player takes physical damage and can choose between speed and might. Mental damage works the same way where a player takes damage in either sanity or knowledge. All in all, Betrayal at House on the Hill is a great game for 6 players and will even be tons of fun for a larger group of players as well.
Colt Express
Players: 2-6
Ages: 10+
Game Time: 40 Minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2014
Ranked 9th on our list of Best 6 Player Board Games, we have Colt Express. In this board game the goal is to get as much gold as you can by the end of the game.
There are two phases of gameplay that players will have to get through. They will have to play through the programming or “Schemin’” phase and then the resolving or “Stealin’” phase.
These two phases constitute one round and gameplay consists of five rounds.
In Colt Express, a card game mechanic is used to determine what is in the action queue in the first phase and what how those actions resolve in the second phase. Movements and actions like shooting into the adjacent carriage or moving between carriages are controlled by this card game mechanic.
If you and a few other players are in the mood for some rootin’, tootin’, shootin’, and lootin’, dont delay and get your ticket to ride the Colt Express.
Dixit
Players: 3-6
Ages: 8+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2008
Number eight in our rankings of the Best 6 Player Board Games
goes to the 2010 winner of the Spiel des Jahres award; Dixit.
Dixit is a really fun game for the whole family to play. The goal of each player is to be the first player to reach 30 points. Dixit is a card game where the players score points by guessing correctly what card the active player is describing. Each of the players will start out by choosing one of the colored miniatures and the players take the voting cards that go along with that colored miniature. Everyone then chooses an active player to start off. The active player will firstly describe a card they have in their hand. All the other players will then discard a card in their hand that they think matches the active player’s card. These cards are all shuffled without showing who’s card is who’s. The active player then reveals the discarded cards and then all the rest of the players are then supposed to vote which card is the correct card. Dixit is an award winning game for a reason. It is a great game that is both easy to play and supports a large group of six players.
Arkham Horror
Players: 1-6
Ages: 14+
Game Time: 120-240 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2005
Sitting at number seven of the Best six player board games is Arkham Horror. Published by fantasy flight games, Arkham Horror is a cooperative board game where the players are tasked with saving the city of Arkham from eldritch gods and monsters. There are a number of scenarios for the players to complete. With the third edition of Arkham Horror that was released in 2018, the gameplay has been streamlined significantly in comparison with the second edition. Having up to
This game is perfect for people who are fans of RPG games. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the Cthulhu mythos creator H.P. Lovecraft, this game and a large number of others set in the world of the Chtulhu mythos, remain popular with enthusiasts of tabletop board games around the world.
King of Tokyo
Players: 2-6
Ages: 8+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2011
Number six on our list of Best 6 Player Board Games has the opposite objective than number seven.
In Arkham Horror the goal is to save the city from monsters. On the other hand, in King of Tokyo the aim of the game is to destroy the city of Tokyo as monsters. Each player chooses to play as one of up to six different monsters and battle it out against each other in order to become the King of Tokyo. Rolling dice in this game lets players gain health points, energy points, and attack points. Players can attack each other to bring down healthpoints. When a player’s health points are at zero, they are out of the game. The last monster standing is the King of Tokyo. If at the end of the game, there is still more than one monster alive. The winner is decided by who has earned the most victory points. The brief 30 minute gameplay time makes this a perfect choice as one of the most fun party games to play.
Mysterium
Players: 2-7
Ages: 10+
Game Time: 40 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2015
Ranked at number five on our list of Best 6 Player Board Games is Mysterium. Mysterium is a combination of Dixit and Cluedo. Players get to take on the roll of psychic mediums attempting to solve a murder. One player will get to play as a ghost that tries to communicate with the player through Illustrated cards in a similar fashion to Dixit.
Players will have to investigate and use deduction skills to uncover the suspect, location and murder weapon in a similar fashion to Cluedo. Mysterium is a cooperative board game. Which means the players will have seven rounds to deduce the suspect, locaition, and murder weapon. If they do not figure it out by the seventh round of gameplay at the end of the game, then the ghost will disappear and the mystery will remain unsolved. A large group of players is ideal for this game dueto the fact that if there are more psychic mediums working together, then it could possibly be easier deduce the suspect, location, and murder weapon. With that said there may also be a whole lot more confusion in a larger group of players. The old adage that too many cooks spoil the broth mightt very well ring true. Nevertheless, Mysteriums is a great game for six players to play.
War of The Ring 2nd Edition
Players: 2-10
Ages: 13+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2012
The Resistance: Avalon has a base game that is similar to One Night Ultimate Werewolf. In this board game, players get to take on the roles of the legendary knights of Camelot and go on epic quests. This board game is a social deduction game where the players will have to guess who the traitors are in their midst. These traitors are Mordred’s minions also played by a few of the gamers. Much like One Night Ultimate Werewolf, there is a wonderful tension to this game that makes it such a fun game to play. Each quest that the players will be sent on will either fail or succeed depending on the actions of Mordred’s minions and Arthur’s knights. With the age-old battle of good and evil at stake, the first side to achieve three successes or failures, wins the game. The Resistance: Avalon comes in as a solid number four in our list of Best 6 Player Board Games.
Codenames
Players: 2-8
Ages: 14+
Game Time: 15 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2015
Sitting at number 3 in our list of Best 6 Player Board Games, we have Codenames. Codenames, along with its variant Codenames: Pictures, is a cooperative deduction board game in a similar vein to Dixit. This board game requires teamwork in order to win. Players form two teams. Each team then has one player play as that team’s spymaster. The rest of the players are all operatives. Both spy masters then look at a key card that identifies all the operatives on the card grid in front of them. The goal of the game is for the spy master of each team to give clues to find all the operatives. The board game is won when all the operatives on either team are found or if the deadly assassin gets revealed. The team that reveals the assassin loses the game. This multi award winning board game ranks as one of the best party games to play due the quick setup and play time. In addition to that, it also has a fairly easy gameplay style best suited for all ages.
Caverna: The Cave Farmers
Players: 2-6
Ages: 12+
Game Time: 90-120 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2020
Designed by Uwe Rosenberg, Caverna: The Cave Farmers will appeal to fans of other agricultural board games such as The Settlers of Catan. This board game is an evolution past its precursor which was Agricola. The object of Caverna: The Cave Farmers is to farm and mine your way to a higher amount of victory points than the other players. Players will be playing as dwarven families. Only this time, unlike the Disney dwarves that live in a cottage in the woods, the players will be farming and mining from a cave. The actual set up of the game requires a large tabletop due to the base game boards for every player as well as the three base game boards and the Supply boards. These supply boards have a beginners side for those who are new to the game and need an introduction and a full game side for experienced players. Players will play through multiple phases of gameplay that, depending on how they play, will earn the players victory points that will be tallied up at the end of the game to decide who wins. The reason Caverna: The Cave Farmers is sitting pretty at number two on our list of Best 6 Player Games is due to its wonderful versatility in gameplay complexity and gameplay time.
Twilight Imperium
Players: 3-6
Ages: 14+
Game Time: 240-480 minutes
Complexity: High
Release Year: 2017
Finally, number one on the list of Best 6 Player Board Games, is the strategy board game; Twilight Imperium. If you are a fan of board games like Eclipse and Cosmic Encounter, then you will love Twilight Imperium. This board game is set in a galaxy where a civilisation superpower has fallen, leaving a power vacuum in its stead. Each of the players will play as a unique alien race that struggles for power and ultimately dominion over the galaxy. Even though there are plenty of card game mechanics in this board game, the main mechanics are those that aid the players in achieving victory points. As a competitive game, it has few rivals for the amount of fun one can have playing this board game. With that said, this board game is a very long board game to play. The average play time for Twilight Imperium is 240 to 480 minutes. With quite a hefty play time, it’s also not uncommon for a game like this to last most, if not all, the day. But it’s definitely still worth playing if you have tons of downtime. Nevertheless, Twilight Imperium is the kind of board game that stands on the pedestal of the top tier of tabletop gaming for a very good reason. Twilight imperium is our Number one pick for the Best 6 a Player Board Games.
