Black Friday is a great time to pick up some new board games, especially as they are a great way to get away from the screen. In fact, in the last few years, there has been a massive boom in the types of board games out there, with dozens if not hundreds of options out there and increasingly evolving and fun mechanics. Either way, there are a lot of great early Black Friday deals for you to take advantage of, including some of the best board games on the market. That’s why we’ve gone out and collected some of our favorite Black Friday board game deals for you below.
HUES and CUES — $20 $25 20% off
Hues and Cues is a great social game that relies on figuring out how well you know your friends. Each player takes a turn describing a color without specifically mentioning it, and all the other players have to figure out what color that is. It’s a great little game that’s easy to take with you, can play up to 10 players, and has a solid 20% discount on it.
Azul — $33 $40 20% off
If you’re more strategically minded, then one of the best board games for you is Azul. You and up to four other players build tiles on a grid to score points and, hopefully, get in the way of other players’ ability to do so. It’s a fun little game that you can play in roughly 30 minutes, and with the 20% discount, it’s worth picking up to add to your board game rotation.
Ticket to Ride — $43 $55 22% off
Ticket to Ride is the quintessential family game and is great for both adults and kids. Players have to place down trains to connect various cities in the board to score points, with additional points for completing secret goals and having the longest train track, plus the 22% discount makes it worth adding to the family library of board games.
Catan — $44 $60 27% off
Catan is probably one of the first big resources management board games on the market. While there have been a few advancements since then, it remains an excellent and simple game to play with friends who are just getting into board games, especially with 27% off the $60 price tag
Wingspan — $52 $65 20% off
Wingspan is a gorgeous and delightful little game where each player essentially acts as a bird watcher and collector. Each player tries to collect as many birds as possible by building up their resources, and while there is a little bit of play against each other, it’s an overall lighthearted game. The 20% discount isn’t too bad either!
Camel Up (Second Edition) — $32 $40 20% off
Camel Up is another fun and lighthearted game in which you and up to four other players race camels around a race track. It’s a bit more tricky, though, since movement is random, bets are taking place, and a couple of strange camels go around, making life difficult. If you want a fun and cute game, this deal that gives you 20% off is worth grabbing.
Nemesis — $109 $150 27% off
This totally not Aliens board game is great for those who want something a little bit more heavy-duty, as you and up to four other players try to battle it out of a spaceship while being inundated by alien creatures. This is a longer board game that can take two or even three hours, so it’s a bit pricier, although the $40 discount makes it worth picking up.
How to Choose a Board Game on Black Friday
There are a lot of excellent board games out there, and a lot of your choices will rely on the group of folks you tend to play with. For example, if you mostly play games at social gatherings with lots of people, then you’ll want to go for games that can take up to 10 people, such as Hues and Cues or Codenames. Alternatively, if you’re mostly playing with a family that involves kids, then you may want to aim for something like Ticket To Ride or even Wingspan for teenagers.
Alternatively, you can focus on heavier-duty games that require strategy, resource management, or both, like Nemesis and Catan. At the end of the day, it’s a good idea to grab a few games to try them out and see what sort of mechanics you enjoy and find board games that are similar.
How We Chose These Board Game Black Friday Deals
Most of the board game choices above are aimed at being entry-level into the various mechanics that they have, and are great for those who are just starting out and want to explore board games a bit more. Most of these have some form of sequel or expansion, so if you really like one, you can always build on it, which is always great fun.
Besides that, we also did our best to find you the cheapest offers on the board games below by leveraging our own experience as reviewers and deal hunters, as well as the tools we have to look at things like historical pricing. At the end of the day, that means you get the best bang for your buck.