Ever since the advent of advanced technologies, board games have evolved a lot. Gone are the days when players used to flock towards games like Chess, Ludo, and Chekcers. Now, there are several types of board games and categories. Board games are divided into various categories based on their primary game mechanics.
For example, an economic board game refers to games like Monopoly that involve financial strategy. On the other hand, investigation board games like Risk require players to solve mysteries.
There are different types of board games in the market each with their unique game mechanic. Whether you are a seasoned board game enthusiast or a total newbie, this blog will help you get familiar with various board game types.
Let’s get started and open up a whole new world of board games!
Table of Contents
Whether you like the economics of Monopoly or the fantasy element of Dungeons & Dragons. We have compiled a list of the top 15 types of board games to help gamers understand each game before buying.
As the name suggests, the worker placement mechanic strategically places workers (tokens) in specific spots on the board. Each correct placement is rewarded with a coin, resources, or task completion. In these types of board games, each location has a unique benefit like collecting materials or completing a task.
As the game progresses, the available spots get filled and players need to strategically find new spots. While the gameplay mechanic is simple, these games require careful observation of your opponent’s moves.
Popular examples: Agricola, Lords of Waterdeep
Set collection board games require players to collect specific groups or sets of items like cards, tokens, or tiles to score points. Each set typically has a particular rule or pattern like collecting a certain number of identical items.
The challenge lies in acquiring the right pieces while competing with other players for the same resources. A completed set is far more valuable and worth a ton of points.
Popular examples: Sushi Go!, Ticket to Ride
These types of board games involve placing bids and getting items and resources. The players use resources like money or tokens to bid to acquire resources. However, as the game progresses, the value of the bid fluctuates, requiring players to carefully judge how much they are willing to spend. These games typically revolve around increasing the value and watching the moves of the other players.
Popular examples: Power Grid, Ra
Bluffing board games require players to deceive or fool their opponents while always staying one step ahead. These games focus on misdirection where players withhold information, lie, and mislead others.
It is a game that requires a mix of strategy, psychology, and social interaction. The goal is to outwit opponents either by convincing them or figuring out their true intentions.
Popular examples: Coup, Liars Dice
These types of board games involve players to construct a full-fledged city. However, that’s not all. It also involves other elements like resource collection to ensure you have enough materials to build infrastructure. Players are required to maintain a balance between economic growth, resources, and citizen needs. The goal is to expand the city and earn victory points.
Popular examples: Suburbia and Cities, Skylines: The Board Game
Cooperative board games require players to work together to achieve a common goal. Typically, the goal is to complete the game. A unique mechanic of these types of games is that players do not have to compete with each other. Instead, they share knowledge and strategies to solve puzzles to achieve a shared goal. In these types of board games, individual performance does not matter much as success is determined by the collective actions of the team.
Popular examples: Pandemic, Forbidden Island
Investigation is a strategic board game category that requires critical and out-of-the-box thinking to uncover secrets and solve mysteries. Players act as detectives searching for clues, interviewing suspects, and finding clues to detect culprits and solve crimes.
Usually, investigation games are based on a set narrative. Players can either work solo or collaborate with other players to unveil the hidden mystery.
Popular examples: Clue (Cluedo), Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Legacy/Campaign board games are lengthy board games where the gameplay keeps evolving. Here, players participate in a series of connected games, with each session affecting the next. Like investigation games, these types of board games are also based on a storyline that is unveiled as the game progresses.
As the game progresses through multiple sessions, it evolves based on the player’s choices including unlocking new components, altering the game board, or rule changes. If you are someone who wants to invest a lot of time in a board game, you should definitely try Legacy games.
Popular examples: Pandemic: Legacy, Gloomhaven
War games are action-packed board games that simulate military conflict. Players control armies and battalions to achieve specific objectives. Moreover, there are various types of war games from abstract strategy titles to historically detailed simulations.
Some popular war games like Risk feature large-scale battles that require strategy, tactics, and resource management to win. If you want to feel like an army general, making quick decisions on the battlefield, try out War board games.
Popular examples: Risk, Twilight Struggle
Economic board games are just like how they sound. It involves financial strategy and focuses on trading and money management. In these types of games, players make decisions to manage money, invest, and expand their assets to generate profit and avoid bankruptcy.
If you are a board game enthusiast, you might have played Monopoly. It is the most popular economic board game where success depends on avoiding bankruptcy and collecting rent from other players.
Popular examples: Monopoly, Power Grid
Deck-building is a type of board game where players construct a deck of cards to get an edge over opponents. The game starts with a basic deck and players start collecting new cards that offer abilities, resources, or points to strengthen their deck.
While the gameplay may seem straightforward, these games involve a lot of strategic decisions and quick thinking to ensure players pick the right card.
Popular examples: Dominion, Clank!
Dexterity board games feature unique game mechanics that focus on physical skill instead of mental acumen. These players require precise hand-eye coordination, timing, and skill to accomplish several challenges.
These types of board games usually involve actions like tossing objects, flicking, and balancing. Such games can be competitive or casual, depending on the player’s dexterity instead of relying on strategic thinking alone.
Popular examples: Jenga, Crokinole
Drafting board games requires players to select cards or items from a shared pool, usually in turns. The primary goal of these games is to build a strong hand by picking cards that complement one another while also simultaneously denying your opponent the chance to create hands.
These games require strategy and critical thinking to guess what your opponent is trying to pick while also tracking which cards are available.
Popular examples: 7 Wonders, Sushi Go!
Dungeon Crawler board games revolve around exploring dungeons, battling enemies, and collecting resources. However, it is quite different from actual RPGs as all of these activities are performed by dice rolls.
As the game progresses, players control different characters and cooperate to tackle monsters, and identify traps, and other obstacles that may stop their progress.
Popular games: Gloomhaven, Descent: Journeys in the Dark
The last type of board game on the list is Eurogame. These games primarily focus on making efficient systems to increase points through actions such as trading, building, or optimizing resources. They have simple rules but deep strategic decisions which makes them accessible yet challenging. Herein players don’t directly conflict but compete for limited resources or actions.
Popular examples: Catan, Carcassone
The gaming market of the USA is witnessing emerging trends in board games. In 2025, the board gaming community is leveraging advanced technologies to create more diverse and inclusive board games.
Games like Dungeons and Dragons, Catan, Terraforming Mars, and more are being refined by the integration of advanced technologies and exciting new features that are redefining the board game experience. With new narratives and unique gameplay, there have been massive leaps in terms of themes and character design in board games.
Moreover, by integrating social gaming features, board game developers are allowing players to connect and interact with a vast community, fostering a social gaming experience.
From economic board games like Monopoly to Dungeon Crawlers like Dungeons & Dragons, there are different types of board games that each provide a unique gaming experience. If you haven’t tried any of them, try these games today to improve your board game skills. Whether you are a new player or game developer, understanding the various categories of board games is crucial for a satisfying gaming experience and creating a unique board game.
If you want to invest in developing online board games, you can contact a board game development company like BR Softech.
Ans. It takes around two months to develop a board game for Android with optimum features and functions. However, the time depends on the type of project.
Ans. There is no fixed cost of online board game development as there are various factors influencing the actual cost. On average the cost to create a board game ranges between $8000 and $15000 with optimum features and functions. A renowned game development company can help you analyze the cost of your project.
Ans. Chess is the most popular board game in the world of different board game categories.
Ans. There are many types of board games available online. However, the most popular ones are placement, deck-building, cooperative, legacy, set-collection, combat, and area control
Ans. Creative graphics, immersive sounds, and a fascinating storyline are what make a board game successful.
Ans. A legacy board game differs from the traditional format by permanently changing the in-game components. The game’s session evolves the game through irreversible actions like writing on cards, sticking stickers, and even tearing the game. On the other hand, a traditional board game always resets to its original state after each play.
Ans. The major difference between these two games is that the area control games allow players to control a specific area on the board, whereas combat games allow players to fight against each other.
