We all know that, with any successful entertainment product, the powers that be will do everything they can to maximize the profits with a bevy of tie-ins. Every now and again, though, this works out in our favor.
When a video game makes the jump from the screen to our tabletops in the form of a board game, your mileage will vary. But, fear not, not every board game based on a video game is complete trash, like the god-awful Frogger board game from the 80s.
Here is a look at the five best board games based on video games.
Top 5 Best Board Games Based On Video Games
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Top 5 Best Board Games Based On Video Games
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1. Civilization: The Board Game
BoardGameGeek Rating: 7.5
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rnNormally, I think a board game based off a video game is better off replicating the feel of the video game, rather than try to recreate the actual mechanics, simply removing the screen but keeping everything the same, in a sense.
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rnBut Civilization: The Board Game defies conventional wisdom and aims to create a turn-based 4X game about four players trying to expand their individual empires and achieve victory through either culture, technology, economy or war. Sound familiar?
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rnBeyond just the concept, it even plays like the Civilization video games – just without the screen. Maybe it’s just that turn-based 4X games lend themselves easily to the tabletop, but we really have the genuine article here. -
4. Starcraft: The Board Game
BoardGameGeek Rating 7.3
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rnThis game was created and released while Starcraft II was still in its infancy and the series itself hadn’t even sniffed global popularity. So, I imagine you were simultaneously the coolest kid on the block and the least cool kid on the block if you owned this game back then.
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rnAnd that’s a shame, too, because Starcraft: The Board Game is the real deal, achieving the right balance between adherence to the source material and creating a unique experience, as you try to conquer your opponents using one of three of the iconic Starcraft races, but it doesn’t try too hard to replicate the real-time-strategy mechanics.
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rnBuyer beware: BoardGameGeek lists the average playtime of Starcraft: The Board Game as 3-4 hours. Clear your schedule. -
5. Super Mario Bros. Monopoly
BoardGameGeek Rating: 7.0
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rnYes, this one is very far from other games on this list that created a unique experience from that still felt like the source material, but it sort of acts like a counterweight to the Civilization board game that did very little different.
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rnSuper Mario Bros. Monopoly is exactly what you expect: Monopoly with Mario themes and imagery. Your money is coins, your pieces are pixelated faux 2D figures. Your houses are flags your hotels are Castles.
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rnThere’s little innovation beyond a palette swap, but, in the case of Super Mario Bros. Monopoly, that’s all it takes to be a great buy and a fun tabletop experience. -
2. Gears of War: The Board Game
BoardGameGeek Rating: 7.5
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rnOne thing that is actually a rare find in board games is a cooperative experience, and what better way to bring that to our kitchen tables than a Gears of War tie-in. A game known for its co-op was actually the perfect candidate for a board game, and Gears of War: The Board Game doesn’t disappoint.
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rnThink of those numerous hold-out missions in the Gears games, where you and your teammates have to hold one locations and fight off hordes of enemies, except in the board game you’re doing more than just hold right trigger.
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rnThey have a turn-based, card-based gameplay that has the perfect balance of strategy and combat, making the Gears of War board game appealing even to those who haven’t played the video game, and there’s perhaps the truest measure of video-game board game success. -
3. DOOM: The Board Game
BoardGameGeek Rating: 8.3
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rnWhile DOOM has had its board game iterations in the past, this most recent one is based off the 2016 game, which was universally praised. The board game has a familiar theme with these games, with each player potentially playing for one side or the other, operating in an almost asymmetrical manner.
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rnYou could say this is the board game that inspired this list: an incredibly deep human-vs-demon experience that uses new mechanics to deliver the DOOM experience to your living room.
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rnOne thing DOOM: The Board Game does especially well is translate the sheer carnage of the video game. What’s DOOM without blood a guts, after all?
