Alphabetical List of Board Games A-Z

The A to Z game is a simple and fun word game where players take turns naming items that fit a certain category, and each item must start with a different letter of the alphabet. It’s great for parties or just for some quick thinking.

Here’s how it works:

Pick a Category: Choose a category, like animals, countries, foods, or anything else.

Go from A to Z: Players have to come up with a word that fits the category and starts with the next letter of the alphabet. So, if the category is animals, you might go like this:

-A for Alligator
-B for Bear
-C for Cat
-And so on

No Repeats: Each word has to be unique, and everyone has to think of something new for each letter.

End of the Round: The round ends when someone makes it through the whole alphabet, or when everyone agrees to stop.

7 Wonders is a really fun and strategic board game where players build civilizations by collecting resources, constructing buildings, and creating wonders. It’s designed for 3-7 players and usually takes around 30-45 minutes to play.

Here’s how it works:

Setup and Goal: Each player starts with their own wonder (like the Great Pyramid or the Hanging Gardens), and the goal is to develop your civilization over three ages, earning the most points by the end. You get points by building structures, advancing scientifically, or having a strong military.

Card Drafting: In each of the three rounds (called ages), players pick one card from a hand of cards, then pass the rest to the next player. You choose the cards that help you the most, whether it’s resources, military, or buildings. After everyone has chosen, the next hand is passed, and it repeats.

Building Structures: The cards you draft can represent different types of buildings:

Resources like mines or quarries,

Commercial buildings to help trade,

Military to strengthen your army,

Cultural buildings to earn victory points,

Scientific for advancements in technology.

Wonder Building: Each player also has a wonder they’re trying to complete. As you gather resources, you can build stages of your wonder, which provide bonuses and victory points.

Scoring: After three ages, the game ends. You score points for the buildings you’ve constructed, how far you’ve developed your wonder, military victories, and scientific progress. At the end, the player with the most points wins!

7 Wonders is quick to pick up but offers plenty of depth for strategic thinking. It’s perfect for groups and works really well for players who like balancing resource management and strategy.

The #1 board game in the world is often considered Catan (formerly The Settlers of Catan). It’s a favorite among board game lovers because it’s easy to learn but offers tons of strategy. In Catan, players collect resources like wood, brick, sheep, wheat, and ore to build settlements, cities, and roads on an uncharted island. The first player to earn 10 victory points wins, and points come from building structures, trading, and having the longest road or largest army.

Catan has been around since 1995 and has expanded into multiple editions and spin-offs, making it a classic in the board game world.

Here’s a list of other popular board games that are also widely loved:

-Ticket to Ride: A fun train-themed game where players compete to build the longest routes across a map.

-Pandemic: A cooperative game where players work together to stop global disease outbreaks.

-Codenames: A word-based party game where teams try to guess their secret agents using one-word clues.

-Carcassonne: A tile-placement game where players build cities, roads, and fields to score points.

-Monopoly: A classic real-estate game where players buy, sell, and trade properties to bankrupt their opponents.

-Splendor: A game about collecting precious gems and cards to earn points and prestige.

-Azul: A beautiful tile-laying game where players try to create patterns with colored tiles.

-7 Wonders: A card drafting game where players build their civilizations through three ages, collecting resources and constructing wonders.

-Risk: A game of global domination, where players strategize to conquer the world through military tactics.
-Dominion: A deck-building game where players collect cards to improve their deck and gain victory points.

These games are all highly rated and loved for their strategic depth, replayability, and ability to bring people together for a fun time!

Here are some board games that start with the letter A:

-Agricola: A farming strategy game where players manage a farm, grow crops, and raise animals to earn points.

-Apples to Apples: A party game where players match noun cards to adjective cards and try to come up with the funniest or most fitting combinations.

-Arkham Horror: A cooperative horror-themed game where players investigate supernatural events and try to stop an ancient evil from awakening.

-Alhambra: A tile-laying game where players build the most beautiful and efficient palace.

-Ascension: A deck-building game where players battle monsters and earn points to become the most powerful hero.

-Azul: A tile-laying game where players create beautiful patterns with colorful tiles, aiming for the most points.

-Antiquity: A strategy game set in ancient times, where players manage cities, trade, and expand their empires.

-Arboretum: A strategy game where players create beautiful gardens by collecting and arranging trees, aiming for the most valuable collection.

The most awarded board game of all time is Catan (formerly The Settlers of Catan). Since it was released in 1995, it has earned numerous prestigious awards, including the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) in 1995, which is one of the most recognized honors in the board game world. Catan is loved for its combination of resource management, trading, and strategy, and it’s credited with helping bring modern board games into the mainstream. With its many expansions, spinoffs, and digital versions, it’s become a true classic in the gaming community.

Another highly awarded game is 7 Wonders, which has also received tons of recognition and praise. 7 Wonders won the Spiel des Jahres in 2011, and it’s known for its deep strategy and fast-paced card drafting. Players build civilizations over three ages, collecting resources, constructing buildings, and developing wonders. Its wide appeal and strategic depth have earned it a spot as one of the most awarded games in the world as well.

Both Catan and 7 Wonders are considered gateway games that introduced a lot of people to modern board gaming, and their success is reflected in the numerous accolades they’ve received over the years.

The title of the “hardest board game” is subjective, as it depends on what type of challenge you’re looking for—whether it’s deep strategy, complex rules, or difficulty in winning. However, there are a few games that are often considered some of the hardest:

Gloomhaven: This cooperative dungeon-crawler is often cited as one of the most difficult board games to play. It’s incredibly deep, with complex rules, a massive campaign, and tough decisions that can have long-term consequences. The game’s difficulty increases as you progress, and players need to work together to survive against challenging enemies.

Twilight Imperium: Known for its vast scale and intricate strategy, Twilight Imperium can take several hours to play, and the complexity of the game can overwhelm even the most experienced gamers. It involves diplomacy, warfare, alliances, and strategy on a galactic scale, which makes it one of the most intense and difficult games to master.

Pandemic: Legacy (Season 1): The Pandemic series is already known for being challenging, but the Legacy version takes it up a notch with evolving rules and a changing game board. Players must work together to stop global pandemics, and every decision they make affects future games, making it incredibly difficult to keep up.

Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization: This is a civilization-building game that involves managing resources, developing technologies, and waging wars over the course of the game. The rules are complex, and the strategy needed to succeed is deep, making it one of the hardest strategy games to master.

Mage Knight: Mage Knight is a fantasy-themed, deck-building game that mixes role-playing elements with complex strategy. It can be extremely difficult to win, and it requires a lot of planning and thinking ahead. The rules can be overwhelming for new players, and even experienced ones might find it challenging to win.

Advanced Squad Leader (ASL): This is a tactical wargame that’s infamous for its complexity. The game has an enormous rulebook, and even seasoned players can find it difficult to grasp all of the nuances of the game’s combat system. ASL is known for its deep strategy and incredibly realistic combat simulations.

Ultimately, the “hardest” board game depends on what kind of challenge you enjoy—whether it’s working together against tough odds, mastering complex rules, or outthinking your opponents in a deep strategy game.

If you’re looking for a board game that really works your brain, there are tons of great ones that challenge your logic, strategy, memory, and problem-solving skills. Here are some top picks that really flex those mental muscles:

Chess – A timeless classic that demands deep thinking, pattern recognition, and long-term strategy.

Go – Easy to learn, nearly impossible to master. Its minimal rules hide an incredible amount of depth and mental challenge.

Catan – You’ll need to think ahead, trade smart, and manage your resources wisely to win. A great intro to strategic board gaming.

Carcassonne – A tile-placement game that challenges your ability to build the best landscape while cutting off your opponents’ plans.

Azul – Focused on building patterns with colorful tiles, Azul is beautiful and brainy—perfect for spatial reasoning and timing.

Terraforming Mars – A complex strategy game where you manage a space corporation, make scientific decisions, and plan far ahead.

Brass: Birmingham – A deep economic game about building industries and trade networks during the Industrial Revolution. Super strategic.

Through the Ages – A civilization-building game that demands careful planning, resource balancing, and political timing.

Scythe – A gorgeous strategy game with area control, resource management, and asymmetric factions—plenty to think about every turn.

Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar – Known for its rotating gear mechanic, this game’s all about planning your moves many turns in advance.

Power Grid – A classic economic game where players bid, buy power plants, and manage resources efficiently to light up cities.

Eclipse – A sprawling space strategy game with exploration, expansion, and combat—plenty of brainpower needed to win.

Gaia Project – A heavy Eurogame where you build civilizations across a galaxy, with tons of strategic depth and replayability.

Concordia – A clever game of trade and expansion in the Roman Empire, where every move needs careful thought and efficiency.

Le Havre – A strategic game of resource management and shipping. Think of it as a more advanced version of Agricola, with a sharper economic focus.

All of these require critical thinking and a strong dose of strategy, making them ideal picks when you’re in the mood for a serious mental challenge—no cards needed.