5 Best Board Game Companies to Try in 2025
Discover the best board game companies with games that make us laugh, think, and sometimes cry—usually over lost snacks or dice.
We all know picking the best board game companies is like facing the boss at the end of a long adventure—tricky, but oh so rewarding. When we made our list, we looked for games that capture the high-stakes world of board game design, the wild moments of startup life, and the joys of running your own tabletop empire. We checked for fun, easy rules, and those stories you’ll want to share after a game night. Whether you want to feel like a tycoon, a designer, or the owner of a buzzing café, these picks from the best board game companies nail it.
On this list:
5 Board Game Tycoon
Board Game Tycoon puts us in the shoes of publishers hungry to make the next big hit. It’s all about developing games, hiring designers, and dealing with the quirky world of publishing—trust us, the stress feels real, but without the bankruptcy. We picked this one because it nails the ‘best board game companies’ vibe and stays fun, light, and competitive.
4 Unpub: The Unpublished Card Game
We picked Unpub because it’s all about being a board game designer trying to get your creation noticed at conventions. It really puts you in the shoes of the best board game companies, but with more coffee and a lot more weird ideas. We had a blast pitching wacky concepts to each other and trying to outsmart our friends.
3 Game About Game
We picked Game About Game because it lets you run a board game company, publish titles, and outsmart your rivals. It scratches the same itch as Industry: Board Game Magnates with a tongue-in-cheek style. If you want that behind-the-scenes, ‘make-your-own-boardgame-company’ feel, this one fits the bill.
2 Board Game Cafe Frenzy
We picked Board Game Cafe Frenzy because it lets you run a board game cafe, collect customers, and manage stacks of the hottest games. It’s quirky, perfect for fans who want the board game business theme without having to pitch or design a game. We laughed a lot when we played—who knew running a game cafe came with so much chaos?
1 Startup Fever
We picked Startup Fever because it puts you in the hot seat of running your own company, battling rival businesses for the best talent and profits. It’s not about board games, but it’s the next best thing—it’s all about the thrills and spills of running a company, with plenty of tough decisions and wild swings. When we played it, we laughed, argued, and somehow ended with half the team broke and the other half gloating. There’s no meeple-making, but the business battles feel a lot like the chaos of board game publishing.
