Best strategy board games

This guide covers strategy games that people actually bring to the table again and again. Some are about trading and building, such as Catan, where you collect resources and negotiate with your neighbours. Some are about placing tiles to build a shared map, such as Carcassonne. Some are cooperative, such as Pandemic, where the whole group wins or loses together against the game itself. Others, such as 7 Wonders and Splendor, are about building an engine: small early gains grow into large rewards if you plan the order well.

For each game we explain the goal, the basic flow of a turn, how long a session lasts, and how many players it suits. We also give honest pros and cons and a few tips for your first games. Our ratings are editorial opinions, not sales rankings. We do not sell or host these commercial games; this guide only introduces them so that you can decide what to try. If you want to practise planning ahead right now, our free in-house browser games are one click away.