2024] 10 Board Game Recommendations! Simple and profound masterpiece games that anyone can get hooked on.

Points to consider when selecting board games

Duration of play

Many board games have an estimated playing time for one game. There is a wide range of games, from those that can be played quickly in a spare time to those that can be enjoyed over a period of hours. Therefore, first determine how much time the game is expected to take.

Recommended Age

The complexity of the rules varies from game to game. Therefore, what you want to check is the recommended age. It does not necessarily mean that you have to be the stated age to play the game, but it can be used as a guide to the age at which you can enjoy the game together.

Number of participants

Depending on the number of participants, some games may not allow everyone to join. If you know the number of participants in advance, you need to choose games that are suitable for that number of people. The larger the group, the more important it is to check in advance.

Table of Contents

15 minutes or less

30 minutes

More than 1 hour

Easy board games that can be enjoyed in a spare time of 15 minutes or less

Strike ASIA

• Release date: October 11, 2021
• Price: 2,750 yen (tax included)
• Maker：Ravensburger
• Recommended age: 8 years old and up
• Playing time: 15 minutes

Players roll the dice they have in the center arena, and if the dice are aligned, they are added to their hand; if not, they are forfeited. The winner is the player who has the last die in his or her hand, which gradually decreases. The rules are simple. The game is full of tension even though it is just a roll of the dice, because there are some rules that accentuate the game, such as the dice flying out of the arena or the forfeit of the game immediately if the "X" side of the dice appears. Even if you drop out of the game, you cannot take your eyes off the game until the end. The game is full of the addictiveness that only a dice game can offer.

Onsoku Hanten (Sound Speed Restaurant)

• Release date: October 27, 2022
• Price: 1,320 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：Sugorokuya
• Recommended age: 6 years old and up
• Playing time: 15 minutes

The first player to run out of cards in his or her hand wins. The first player to run out of cards in his or her hand wins. The player must quickly place cards with katakana characters such as "tang," "men," and "cha" on the tray in the center of the screen, just as if making Chinese food. Tang! Tang! Men! Shrimp! Cha! Han! The rhythm of the cards as they are read out and the frustration of not being able to keep up with the speed is addictive.

Crash Ice Game

• Release date: August 27, 2016
• Price: 1,320 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：Yu-ai Toy
• Recommended age: 6 years old and up
• Playing time: 15 minutes

The ice blocks are set on the table, and according to the roulette, the player takes turns to hit them with a hammer and drop them. If the penguin doll in the center falls, you lose. The rules are simple and easy to understand, and the game can be settled in a short time, so small children and adults can participate together. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is a game that children can participate in, but the contrast between the tension on the board, which gradually loses its balance, and the vigorous falling of the penguin dolls will have adults hooked as well.

Recommended board games that can be settled in 30 minutes

Rokka

• Release Date: December 14, 2023
• Price: 3,960 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：Arkwright
• Recommended age: 8 years old and up
• Playing time: 10-20 minutes

A new tile game simply reconfigured to make Mahjong easy to enjoy. The game is similar to Mahjong in that the aim is to make a "Yaku" faster than anyone else by changing tiles in the hand in order. The most unique feature of "Rokka" is the "domino tile," which has two numbers assigned to each tile. By switching the numbers on the top and bottom of the tiles to form a hand, players can play a brain game that is different from Mahjong. The feel of the beautifully carved cards with fireworks motifs is another attraction.

Ciao Ciao

• Price: 2,800 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：Mebius Games
• Recommended age: 8 years old and up
• Playing time: 20-25 minutes

The player who rolls the dice and crosses the bridge and delivers the four adventurers to the shore the fastest wins. So far, this is an ordinary backgammon game, but it is actually quite a bluffing game: dice with numbers 1 to 4 and an X on them are rolled, and only you can check the roll and declare the number before proceeding. However, players are allowed to declare false numbers, and if the roll is an X, they must choose any number they like and lie. The difference between success and failure is whether or not the player can detect a lie, so the game is a battle of deception using poker faces and acting skills.

Ubongo Standard Edition

• Release date: August 1, 2017
• Price: 4,200 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：GP Games
• Recommended age: 8 years old and up
• Playing time: 30 minutes

This puzzle board game has won numerous game awards, especially in Scandinavia. The rules are simple: fit the "Tetris"-like puzzle pieces together on the board, which has a frame drawn on it. Players earn gems for completing the puzzle within a time limit, and compete for the most points over a total of nine rounds. Along with the thrilling sense of speed, the hourglass, which serves as a clock, visually pushes the player to the edge. The gems, the hourglass, the African-inspired board cards, and other elaborate decorations make Ubongo a fascinating game to play.

Sea Turtle Island

• Release date: March 3, 2015
• Price: 2,800 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：Mebius Games
• Recommended age: 7 years old and up
• Playing time: 30 minutes

Advance your turtle according to the roll of the dice and earn an egg card each time you make a round of the island. The player who gets the most eggs in the end wins. This is a backgammon type game. The key point of the game is that the player can choose whether to roll the second or third dice after seeing the roll of the dice, and that only the top turtle can win an egg if the turtles circle the island in a row while overlapping each other. Strategy, including these factors, is the key to victory. However, since the game can be played by up to seven players and the turtles overlapping each other are just too cute, we recommend that you enjoy the game without thinking too hard.

Sit back and concentrate! Recommended board games that can be enjoyed for more than an hour

Momotaro Dentetsu ~Showa Heisei 2025 is also a classic! ～ Board game

• Release date: October 21, 2021
• Price: 4,950 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer: Takara Tomy Arts Co.
• Recommended age: 6 years old and up
• Playing time: 30 minutes to 5 hours or more
• Official website：#

A board game adaptation of the popular video game "Momotaro Dentetsu" in which players take on the role of the president of a Dentetsu company and compete for the assets they have earned while buying and selling properties all over Japan. In addition to the regular rules where players play backgammon while aiming for their destinations, there is also an "Easy Rally Mode" for simple play from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and a "No God of Poverty Mode" so that even young children can enjoy the world of "Momotetsu," making it the perfect Momotetsu debut! It's perfect for a Momotetsu debut. Of course, the addictive "poor god" and "blow-up cards" that fans of the video game version of Momotetsu will be interested in have been fully ported over to the game.

The Game of Life (2023 ver.)

• Release date: April 22, 2023
• Price: 5,500 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer: Takara Tomy
• Recommended age: 6 years old and up
• Playing time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours
• Official website：#

The eternal classic backgammon "Game of Life" has been renewed for the first time in seven years and is now available as the 8th generation model. By docking four additional areas such as "Junior Area" and "Travel Area" to the basic basic stage, players can now enjoy 16 different stage configurations to suit their mood of the day. In addition, the number of occupation cards has been increased to 31, with a lineup that includes such modern kids' dream jobs as "popular video creator" and "investment tycoon. The unchanged design, with a large roulette wheel on the colorful board, is packed with detailed updates for parents and children of three generations to enjoy together.

3D Stereoscopic Othello

• Release date: December 2021
• Price: 4,378 yen (tax included)
• Manufacturer：MegaHouse
• Recommended age: 6 years old and up

By stacking two 3D Othello boards on top of the regular Othello board, this evolutionary Othello game allows players to pinch in 3D directions such as vertically and horizontally. Even for those who are familiar with the rules of Othello, unexpected developments await them as they are attacked from unexpected positions. By moving the position of the three-dimensional board, the shape of the board can be further changed, making it possible to play without getting bored. It has always been difficult to overturn a difference in skill, but with the 3D version, an unexpected upset is sure to occur.