Ten Highly-Rated (and Cheap) Board Games You Can Get For $20 Or Less
Board games don’t need to break the bank to be fun. Snag these cheap board games and have fun with your friends time and time again.
Here to Slay
Here to Slay is a fast-paced strategy-fantasy-adventure game where being absolutely adorable doesn’t make you any less formidable. Players will build a party of very cute adventurers and face off against monsters to become the greatest heroes. And maybe you’ll sabotage your friends a little while you’re at it.
A strategic card game. A role-playing adventure. A dangerous new world. Here To Slay is a fast-paced, easy to learn game that is perfect for all skill levels, whether you’re just entering the world of role-playing games or honing your masterful skills. The game was one of Kickstarter’s top 50 most backed projects of all time and is one of Pop Insider’s best geeky gifts of 2020!
Forest Shuffle
Start by planting a single tree, and build it up into an entire ecosystem with all sorts of plants and animals. Forest Shuffle is a strategy and hand management card game that anyone can enjoy. And it’s not just a game that claims to care about the environment, it’s also one that will come to you in eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging. Fun, pretty, and will give you a reason to feel good about yourself today.
Experience the miracles of the forest in this clever card game. In Forest Shuffle, players compete in gathering the most valuable trees and attract species, thus creating an ecologically balanced habitat for flora and fauna.
The Gang
This is poker with a twist. The Gang is a game of guessing how good your hand will be compared to everyone else’s, and then trying to make their guesses a reality. And knowing how to play poker isn’t a requirement.
In this cooperative poker game, round up your gang and get ready to pull off a series of bank heists using the power of poker! In this innovative, cooperative version of a poker game, players bet on how good they think their hand of cards will be relative to the other players, and then try to make their predictions a reality. At the end of the round, players see if they correctly evaluated their hand. If all players did, you get to open one of the bank vaults! If not, you trip the alarm! If you manage to open three vaults before you trip the alarm three times, your gang wins!
Forbidden Island
Forbidden Island is a cooperative survival game where the island is sinking, and it’s up to you and your friends to grab the four sacred treasures and escape before time runs out. It’s a modern classic and even won a Mensa Favorite award!
Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss! The latest creation by cooperative game master, Matt Leacock who created the best seller Pandemic.
Twisted Cryptids
Make your mark and go down in history as a legend… Before anyone has a chance to get hard proof of your existence. This is an easy to learn strategy game where you’ll try to outwit your fellow cryptids using special powers and quick thinking.
It’s so hard to feel seen as a Cryptid these days. In this easy-to-learn strategy game, you’ll navigate your love-hate relationship with humans and outwit your fellow Cryptids to earn your status as a true legend. As hikers, hunters, and researchers scatter across the wilderness hoping to catch a glimpse of you, you’ll stage elaborate hoaxes, plant perfect decoys, and lurk discreetly in the shadows to build up your myth. You might even expose your true self once in a while, but be warned: vulnerability can come at a price.
Flip 7
Flip 7 is one of those obvious additions to your game shelf. This fast-paced card game is a little strategy, a little luck, and the perfect game to reach for when you’re hanging out with friends who aren’t usually “game people.” Sometimes it’s refreshing to be able to pull out a simple, fast, easy-to-teach-easy-to-learn game that can accommodate up to eighteen players.
Flip over cards one by one without flipping the same number twice. Sound easy? Think again! This isn’t just any deck of cards… In Flip 7 there’s only one 1 card, two 2’s, three 3’s, etc plus a bunch of special cards that can score you extra points, give you a second chance, or freeze you or your opponents in your tracks.
Are you the type of player to play it safe and bank points before you bust, or are you going to risk it all and go for the bonus points by flipping over seven in a row? Press your luck meets strategy in this addictive card game that’s sure to be the greatest card game you’ve ever played!
Coup
Coup is another of my top party games, for sure. It’s a bluffing game of trying to assassinate the other players. But everyone lies about everything, including their ability to steal your money or even to be able to assassinate you at all. It sets up in seconds and plays in maybe 10 minutes. This is a game you’ll play a dozen times in a single night.
Play your cards wisely or bluff your way to victory – the choice is yours. With five unique roles to master, every game of Coup is an adventure waiting to unfold. Coup’s gameplay is designed for both adults and kids, making it a superb addition to your collection of board games and card games. It’s a great game for 2 to 6 players, making it perfect for an evening of fun with friends.
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Sea Salt & Paper
In Sea Salt & Paper, you’ll assemble an origami ocean out of cards. This is a strategy and hand management game with beautiful and unique art, and cards with special effects. Two games will never be the same, and never get boring.
Assemble your hand of cards, play their effects, and take the initiative to stop the round. Will you dare to give your opponents one last turn to try to maximize your own points? In Sea Salt & Paper players are trying to manage their hand and collect sets of cards. Once a player reaches 7 points in their hand, they may announce either a Stop or a Last Chance. If they say Stop, all players score the points on their cards. If they say Last Chance, they’re betting that after one last round they will have the most points. If their bet is won they get bonus points! The game is played in rounds until one player reaches the required number of points for victory.
Escaping Extinction
Sometimes big rocks fall from the sky, and dinosaurs go extinct. But in this game, players take on the roles of super-smart dinosaurs who build rockets in an attempt to escape extinction. Dinos will work together to explore, complete missions, avoid earthquakes, and build their rocket before the meteor strike.
In Escaping Extinction, you take on the role of super-smart Dinos trying to build a rocket and survive extinction. Work together as a team to travel the world, searching for rocket parts described by your friend Dr. Velo C. Raptor. With a tile-based game board, you’ll face a different layout every time you play – with special Earthquake cards changing it up mid-game. Can you make it to the safety of space before the Meteor touches down?
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Skull King
This is a trick-taking, card-bidding pirate game that anyone can play. Games are quick and easy to learn. And even the youngest potential pirates can join the crew.
Correctly bid on the number of tricks you think you’ll win each round in this exciting card game. Earn points for correct bids, but lose points if you win more or fewer tricks than you bid. Master the predicting and trick taking strategy to maximize your score!
Mermaids, treasure, the Kraken, and the white Whale await in this wild pirate adventure. Bid right and win big!
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