Best 11 Strategy Board Games of 2024 Reviewed

Looking for the best strategy games? Here’s a list of 11 top picks that’ll keep you and your friends hooked.
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Catan coverTicket to Ride cover7 Wonders cover

11 Best Strategy-Based Board Games for New Players

On this list:

11 Catan

Catan cover

  • Age Range: 10+
  • Players: 3-4
  • Play Time: 60-120 min

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Catan is a classic in the strategy genre. We love how it combines resource management, trading, and building. It’s always fun to see who can master the island first. It’s simple to learn, but strategic depth keeps you coming back for more.

10 Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride cover

  • Age Range: 8+
  • Players: 2-5
  • Play Time: 30-60 min

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This game is perfect for entry-level strategy gamers. Collect train cards, claim routes, and complete tickets. It’s a race against time and opponents, making each game unique and thrilling.

9 7 Wonders

7 Wonders cover

  • Age Range: 10+
  • Players: 2-7
  • Play Time: 30 min

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We enjoy 7 Wonders for its card drafting and civilization-building elements. You must make strategic choices to develop your city and achieve victory through science, military, or culture.

8 Pandemic

Pandemic cover

  • Age Range: 8+
  • Players: 2-4
  • Play Time: 45 min

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Pandemic is a cooperative game where players work together to save the world from deadly diseases. It’s all about strategy and teamwork as you race against the clock to find cures.

7 Agricola

Agricola cover

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-5
  • Play Time: 30-150 min

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Agricola is all about farming and planning ahead. Every decision matters as you grow food, build structures, and manage your workers. It’s a game of careful strategy and resource management.

6 Carcassonne

Carcassonne cover

  • Age Range: 7+
  • Players: 2-5
  • Play Time: 35 min

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This tile-placement game makes you think strategically about where to place your tiles and meeples. Building cities, roads, and fields has never been this fun and challenging.

5 Dominion

Dominion cover

  • Age Range: 13+
  • Players: 2-4
  • Play Time: 30 min

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Dominion is a deck-building game that requires strategy to create the best deck. We love the variability in cards and strategies each game brings. It’s a perfect mix of luck and skill.

4 Terraforming Mars

Terraforming Mars cover

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-5
  • Play Time: 120 min

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In this game, you strategically manage resources to transform Mars into a habitable planet. There’s a great balance of competition and cooperation that keeps every session engaging.

3 Scythe

Scythe cover

  • Age Range: 14+
  • Players: 1-7
  • Play Time: 90-115 min

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Scythe offers a unique blend of strategy, combat, and resource management. Set in an alternate-history 1920s, the game’s beautiful artwork and deep gameplay make it a favorite.

2 Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven cover

  • Age Range: 14+
  • Players: 1-4
  • Play Time: 60-120 min

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Gloomhaven is a huge game with tactical combat and strategy. It’s a legacy game, meaning your decisions carry over to future sessions. This makes every choice crucial and exciting.

1 Chess

Chess cover

  • Age Range: 6+
  • Players: 2
  • Play Time: 10-60 min

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Chess is the ultimate strategy game. We consider it the best because of its pure strategic depth, requiring you to think many moves ahead. Its simplicity in rules but complexity in gameplay make it timeless.

Jamie in his proper element: With all of his board games
Jamie Hopkins

With years of dice-rolling, card-flipping, and strategic planning under my belt, I've transformed my passion into expertise. I thrive on dissecting the mechanics and social dynamics of board games, sharing insights from countless game nights with friends. I dive deep into gameplay mechanics, while emphasizing the social joys of gaming. While I appreciate themes and visuals, it's the strategy and camaraderie that truly capture my heart.