Where to Play Modern Board Games Online (Sometimes for Free!)

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Nothing beats an in-person board game. Board games are so beautiful nowadays, and playing games is a great way to spend time with friends. Plus, they offer a nice break from video games.

Sometimes, though, physical board games aren’t the best way to go. Maybe you want a more affordable option, or every time your friends get together they want to play the same game over and over again.

Whatever your reasons may be, you can enjoy plenty of board games online for a low price or for free and not just classic board games. You will see there are lots of modern board games online you can play.

Play Premium Online Board Games

Anything free is awesome. Sometimes, though, you want to pay to play. Maybe you want a certain game for a few dollars. Or, you might want a higher quality design. Maybe you simply want to get rid of ads. Whatever the reason, there are premium options for playing board games online, too.

Steam

Many, many, many modern board games are available on Steam at a fraction of the cost of their physical counterparts. It’s a great way to play your favorite games on the go or with friends far away. If you’re unfamiliar with Steam already, it’s a free application you can download to your computer where you can download games. Alternately, Steam also has a handheld console called a Steam Deck. You can either purchase directly in the app or from a third party seller like Humble Bundle where you’ll receive a digital code to download the game in Steam.

Here is a list of some of our favorites. If you have a Mac instead of a PC, make sure to note if the online board game you’re looking at is available.

• Ticket to Ride
• Splendor
• Wingspan
• Quilts and Cats of Calico
• Mysterium
• Small World
• Carcassonne
• Exploding Kittens
• Patchwork

This is just a taste of the many games you can find on Steam. If you’re looking for a certain game, make sure to visit the Humble Bundle store and search the specific game.

Tabletop Simulator

Tabletop Simulator is as close as you’ll get to feeling like you’re playing games at a real table. More of a gathering space, Tabletop Simulator comes with a set of classic board games, but it gives you the opportunity to find or upload hundreds of games. This includes tabletop RPGs or even games you designed yourself! If things aren’t going your way, you can even flip the table.

The best way to understand this platform is to see a bit of it for yourself. Watch the trailer video below.

Tabletop Playground

For a more affordable online tabletop space with a sleek user interface, Tabletop Playground is a good option as well. When asking if you should buy Tabletop Simulator or Tabletop Playground, many users do seem to prefer the classic Tabletop Simulator. Both are available on multiple systems, are VR supported, and allow you to play modern board games online as well as tabletop RPGs. However, the cost and the graphics seem to offer some points in favor of Tabletop Playground.

Free Modern Board Games Online

When playing modern board games online, you can choose from several platforms. Some sites will let you play in-browser. Some online board games come as apps. Others use a gaming platform like Steam. All of the options in this section are free to you. Some of these sites also offer a premium upgrade, which will unlock more board games.

Free Board Game Apps

Lots of popular board games are available on smartphones or tablets or even in the Steam store for a price. We’re going for free, though, and there are free ones as well. Asmodee and B&CO are two game publishers that offer some of their board games online for free as apps. Some of these games include:

• Catan (iOS, Android)
• Fluxx (iOS, Android)
• Ascension (iOS, Android)
• Wavelength (iOS, Android)
• RISK (iOS, Android)

Don’t see a game you’re looking for? Make sure to search the app store too. Many modern board games online as apps are paid apps, but a lot of classic board games are free.

Board Game Arena

Some of the more popular games on Board Game Arena like 7 Wonders require a modest subscription to start a game. However, other games like Terra Mystica are free to you. And most games can be played even without a membership as long as a member starts the game. There are also forums and a community section available so you can regularly find players for your favorite free board games.

You are not limited to playing in your browser, either. Board Game Arena is available on phones, tablets, and popular gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.

If you can’t gather your friends to play board games online, you can play with people on the site. Board Game Arena also offers a ranking system. This will show you two things. First, it will show you how well a player has done with a particular game. Second, and more importantly, it will show you how reliable the other player is during gameplay. If they leave games a lot or are unresponsive, their rating will go down. That way, you can avoid a frustrating game.

Visit their game list for a full list of available games.

Tabletopia

Like Board Game Arena, Tabletopia also has a premium version that allows you to play popular games. However, their free version allows for many modern board games including Secret Hitler, Santorini, and Love Letter. Some of them will only allow you to play with one other player, while others will allow you the full experience for free.

The games in Tabletopia are laid out similary to an actual board game rather than being modified to an online version. There’s also no tutorial for the games (although a rulebook is provided), so it plays as much like a physical board game as possible. For a full list of their games, check out the All Games category.

Board Space

This is a great free site for online board games if you enjoy abstract games. In addition to more well-known games like Chess, Checkers, Go, and Hive, other popular games include Fanorona and Zertz.

If You’re Looking for More Games

For more ways to play board games online, either premium ones or for free, check out this list of links from Board Game Geek. They are listed in alphabetical order. There are a couple of terms you’ll find there and at other sites we’ve recommended you might want to know.

Real-time games are those you will play live. This is like playing with people in person where everyone takes their turns in a timely manner. Sometimes online board game sites set a time limit to ensure that players respond quickly.

Turn-based games allow players to make their move whenever they want. They might still have a limit, but the time limit will be in days rather than minutes. That way, people can play without worrying about how much time they have to play a game.

Some sites only offer real-time games. Others only offer turn-based ones. Many sites offer both options. When you start or join a game, make sure you know which play style you are joining.

Keep in mind, too, that not all of these games give you a platform to find other players or play against a computer. Some of them are giving you a free online version to play in real life in lieu of a physical copy.

What are you waiting for? Start playing more board games now with these awesome sites! Each one gives players like you a unique way to play modern board games online. And if you enjoy tabletop RPGs, you can visit our guide on how to play tabletop RPGs online, too!