Board games can provide hours of fun for whole groups of people. Getting the gold or vanquishing that dragon is infinitely more fun when you’re doing it with friends, or doing it to friends in a competitive setting. With all that said, here are our picks for the Top 15 Four player board games.
Munchkin
Starting as a sendup of Dungeons and Dragons and its various tropes, Munchkin is one of the best known “take that” games. Players battle from Level 1-10 slaying monsters, grabbing loot and inevitably stabbing each other in the back for fame, glory and fun. Oh so much fun. There will be temporary alliances, deal making, deal breaking and every possible attempt to get over on your frenemies. From its D&D inspired start, it has spun off through almost every genre and popular license including a Marvel variant and the spaghetti Western-themed The Good, The Bad and The Munchkin.
Players: 3-6
Game Time: 60-120 min.
Complexity: Medium
Age: 10+
Release Year: 2001
Battlestar Galactica
Are those the strains of Jimi Hendrix’ All Along The Watchtower playing in the background? Masterfully capturing the theme of the hit sci-fi show, players are tasked with saving humanity and finding Earth. But among the players at the table are treacherous Cylon robots, ready to reveal their true allegiance and sabotage the mission at any time. The way to Earth is paved with good intentions, except for the frakkin’ skinjobs on board your ship.
Players: 3-6
Game Time: 120-180 min.
Complexity: Hard
Age: 14+
Release Year: 2008
DC Comics Deckbuilding Game
Fight evil alongside the most iconic heroes in comic books such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and yes -even Plastic Man. Hey, he doesn’t biodegrade. You start out with a meh hand full of punches and kicks and gradually upgrade to use heat vision, summon sharks and sling all the various colors of power rings they have nowadays. In addition to the regular competitive mode, there is a cooperative Crisis mode that challenges players to fight the most powerful villains in the universe.
Players: 2-5
Game Time: 45 min.
Complexity: Low
Age:10+
Release Year: 2012
BANG!
Would you like a little spaghetti western with your social deduction game? One player reveals temselves to be the town sheriff, while you won’t know who the other roles are until the shooting starts. The Deputy has to protect the Sheriff to win. The Renegade just has to be the last one standing. The Outlaw has to kill the sheriff to win.
Players: 4-7
Game Time: 20-40 min
Complexity: Low
Age: 10+
Release Year: 2002
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Werewolf has become so popular it is used as an icebreaker at corporate events. After all, it can teach you a fair amount about someone’s personality. Why you would want your boss to know how good you are at lying is up for debate, but Werewolf’s status as a great party game isn’t.
Players: 3-10
Game Time: 10 min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 8+
Release Year: 2014
Star Trek Ascendancy
Take he role of one of the Star Trek franchise’s iconic sci-fi civilizations in this excellent entry in the 4X genre. Will the peace loving Federation unite all the planets in this sector? Or will the warlike Klingons conquer everything and everyone in sight? Perhaps the Ferengi will reign supreme by following the Rules of Acquisition. Either way, you’re going to have a great time bending the galaxy to your will.
Players: 2-5
Game Time: 180 min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 14+
Release Year: 2016
Pandemic
Suddenly more relevant than it has ever been, Pandemic challenges a team of medical specialists to stop a series of dangerous outbreaks all over the world. If one disease spreads too far or if too much time passes, the specialists fail and the world falls into chaos. Hey, no pressure here right?
Players: 2-4
Game Time: 45min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 8+
Release Year: 2008
Fluxx
Fluxx starts simply. Draw a card, play a card. But, as “new rules” start taking over the board it can get chaotic fairly quickly. Cards played may change how many cards you draw, how many you play, etc. One of the game’s many variants, Zombie Fluxx, has a card that requires you to moan like a zombie every time you play a card. What does a card playing zombie sound like? Up to you and your pals!
Players: 2-6
Game Time: 5-30min
Complexity: Low
Age: 8+
Release Year: 1997
Western Legends
Legends are the currency of the West, somebody once said. In this board game you’ll choose from famed figures of the frontier including Stagecoach Mary, Billy The Kid and Buffalo Bill Cody. You can make your mark in a number of ways including mining gold, robbing banks or chasing down outlaws. Of course, your buddies aren’t just gonna stand around and let you get famous off their carcass. Reach for the sky, varmint!
Players: 2-6
Game Time: 60-90 min
Complexity: Low
Age: 14+
Release Year: 2018
Dead of Winter
Yes, it’s another zombie-themed game. No, it’s not based on The Walking Dead. Hey, don’t run off! Plaid Hat bills Dead of Winter as meta-cooperative psychological survival game. Everybody, in theory, is working toward the same team-oriented goal. But players also have individual goals they are trying to achieve. They range from relatively harmless stuff to things that could jeopardize humanity’s future and get everyone with a pulse killed. Also, there could be a traitor in the midst who just wants to watch the world burn! This game involves a lot of tense decisions and there will inevitably be some finger pointing. Who has the small colony’s best interest at heart, and who’s only out for themselves? It’s up to you and your (probably) allies to figure out. If your playground doesn’t want to get too backstabby, there are rules variants that don’t include traitors.
Players: 2-5
Game Time: 60-90min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 13+
Release Year: 2014
Ticket to Ride
There’s a great deal of fun to be had with trains, it’s why they’re a constant theme in games of all sorts. Few train games have achieved more accolades or popularity than Ticket to Ride. Perhaps because it’s the quintessential gateway game. You can teach it to someone in under 15 minutes, but you can play for years and still not master all the details. So much of the game relies on knowing when to push your luck and when to bide your time.
Players: 2-5
Game Time: 30-60 min
Complexity: Low
Age: 8+
Release Year: 2004
Scythe
Scythe takes place in a steampunk vision of World War I Europe. The capitalistic city-state known as
“The Factory” has closed, but not before cranking out a whole passel of giant battle mechs for players to ravage the landscape with. Players will start with a faction, a resource and a whole swath of choices that will change the tide of history. There’s no player elimination, so you’ll get to fight to the end of what would have been World War I.
Players: 1-5
Game Time: 90-115min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 14+
Release Year: 2016
Small World
This is an area control game with a near infinite combination of possibilities for your army. Flying wizards, cursed kobolds and all manner of bizarre creatures battle it out on a map that isn’t big for all of them. Only one tribe will reign supreme when the dust has settled and the points are tallied.
Players: 2-5
Game Time: 40-80 min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 8+
Release Year: 2009
Star Wars: Outer Rim
Many Star Wars games feature the near godlike Force powers of the Jedi and the Sith. Star Wars Outer Rim takes it another way and brings players into the underworld. Try to scrape out a living as a bounty hunter, mercenary or smuggler on the outskirts of the galaxy’s society. Everybody’s looking to get an edge at somebody else’s expense. Make your galactic fortune and show those troublemakers why Han Shot First.
Players: 1-4
Game Time: 120-180 min
Complexity: Medium
Age: 14+
Release Year: 2019
Catan
It’s an oldie but most certainly a goodie. Catan has stood the test of time because there is so much strategic goodness to be had. You can get any resource at the table you need, provided you’re able to convince another player the deal is good for them. Of course everyone’s trying to win, so these deals are fraught with intrigue. That’s what makes it so great.
Players: 3-4
Game Time: 60-120 min
Complexity: Low
Age: 8+
Release Year: 1995
