Board Game Statistics and Facts (2025)
Barry Elad
Updated · Mar 27, 2025
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
Introduction
Board Game Statistics: Board games have experienced a notable resurgence, becoming a preferred pastime for diverse demographics. In the United States, 43% of board game enthusiasts engage in gameplay several times per week, while 25% play weekly. Demographically, 47% of board game players are aged between 18 and 34, with individuals aged 55 and above comprising 18% of the player base. Gender representation is balanced, with women accounting for 51% and men 49% of board game enthusiasts. Regarding game collections, 43% of gamers own more than 25 board and/or card games.
The average playing time for most board games ranges from one to two hours, though this can vary significantly depending on the game’s complexity. These statistics underscore the enduring appeal and diverse engagement within the board gaming community.
Editor’s Choice
- The global board game market was valued at USD 9.3 billion in 2020.
- The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% from 2023 to 2028.
- The board game market revenue in 2023 was approximately USD 3.39 billion, representing a 16% increase from 2022, when revenue was USD 2.93 billion.
- The market is projected to generate USD 20 billion in opportunities within the next six years.
- North America accounted for the largest market share at 28.88% in 2022 and is expected to experience the fastest growth rate of 12.29% from 2023 to 2030.
- In the Asia Pacific region, the board game market is projected to reach USD 4 billion by 2025.
- In China, the market was valued at USD 580 million in 2020, reflecting increasing consumer interest.
- Hobby games represent 43% of the U.S. board game market.
- Strategy games account for 69% of total board game sales globally.
- Approximately 16.5% of the global population plays board games at least a few times per year.
- Chess is the most popular board game, with 3 million sets sold annually in the United States.
- 38% of Gen Z in the U.S. report a strong interest in board games, while 17% of Gen X continue to enjoy classic titles.
- The most searched board games on Google include Jumanji (49,500 searches), Life and Sorry (40,500 searches each), Ticket to Ride (33,100 searches), and Ludo (27,100 searches).
- Monopoly remains highly popular in European countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Finland, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
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What are Board Games?
Board games are worktops that usually use pieces. These pieces are placed and moved on an already marked board (a playing surface). Board games generally include elements of miniature games, cards, and role-playing. Many board games involve competition between players. Board games include Chess, Lego, Ludo, etc.
General Board Games Statistics
- Between 2023 and 2030, North America’s board gaming market will grow by around 12.29%.
- The value of the board games industry for the year 2023 is almost USD 3.39 billion.
- According to board games Statistics, the board games industry will create USD 20 billion in opportunities in the next six years.
- The revenue change for 2023 is 16%. The revenue change in 2022 was 4.4%, with USD 2.93 billion in the board games industry revenue.
- In 2022, North America had the most effective market share of about 28.88%.
- According to board game statistics, 38% of Gen Z in the United States find board games very interesting.
- Among the various genres in the board games, strategy games have 69% of the total sales in the industry.
- With almost 3 million board games sold annually in the United States, chess is the best-selling game in all.
- 3% of the United States population always quit at the board games when they think that they are losing the game.
- Around 3% of people in the United States say that they always cheat in board games to win, although it can result in disqualification.
- When it came to separating board games, 82% of the United States played chess as a game of skill, whereas almost 54% played snakes and ladders as a game of luck.
- Word games are demanded by around 47.20% of people in the United States as their favorite board game type, which is more than any other type of board game.
- In the United States, 21.40% of the population plays board games once a month, and only 1.70% play them once a year.
- For around 50.60% of the United States, board games are advantageous because they give people more chances to socialize with other people.
- Chess is considered the most famous board game of all time, with more than 3 million sets sold annually in the United States alone.
- More than 20,000 board games are publicized, and almost 150,000 board games and related titles are known to exist.
- The worldwide board games industry created USD 8 billion in revenue in the same year.
- The worldwide board games industry had a revenue of USD 11.88 billion in 2022.
(Reference: wordsrated.com)
- In the chart above, we can see how often people play board games in 2023.
- As we can see in the above chart, almost 15.50% of the people wish to play board games daily.
- Around 37.20 % of the people wish to play board games weekly, the highest among all.
- Almost 21.30 % of the people wish to play board games monthly.
- Nearly 16.50% of the population globally likes to play board games once every few months.
- Practically, 1.70% of the population globally likes to play board games once a year.
- Almost 7.30% of the people playing board games state that they have played but not regularly.
- Around 0.30% of the people say that they have never played a board game.
Board Games Demographics Statistics
- According to a May 2020 survey, almost 38% of Gen Z played board games enthusiastically, the highest percentage.
- Around 29% of the Silent Generations played board games with the maximum level of enthusiasm, but they were still associated with the lowest percentage.
(Reference: marketsplash.com)
- The above chart shows that the maximum number of people playing board games are men. Similarly, the number of females playing board games is less than half.
- Almost 44% of the Board game players are between 18 and 34 years old, which is the highest participation rate.
- Around 41% of the board game players are between 35 and 54.
- The people 55 years and above account for only 15% of the population playing board games.
- The silent generation between 77 years and 95 years old shows almost 67% interest in playing board games.
- There is a wide variety of ways where people participate in different games.
| 81.72% | People play board games with people of the same age at irregular times. |
| 50.11% | People attend the communications about gaming. |
| 43.68% | People have a daily playing session. |
| 42.18% | Play a solo game. |
| 40.11% | People teach playing board games to others. |
| 22.87% | People have joined a gaming committee, and they regularly attend gaming sessions. |
| 21.26% | People create board games. |
| 21.15% | People have joined a gaming committee and attend it once in a while. |
- Almost 27.9% of the population in the United States in 2022 have a high school diploma.
- Nearly 14.9% of the population in the United States in 2022 have completed college without a degree.
- Virtually 8.9% of the United States population lacks a high school diploma or an equivalent degree.
- According to Techpenny and INSIDER INTELLIGENCE, 38% of Gen Z in the United States enthusiastically play board games.
- According to Print Ninja, almost 57% of board gamers own between 1 and 25 cards and games.
- Almost 22% of gamers have between 26 and 50 board games, whereas 5.9% have between 76 and 100 games. Almost 10.9% of people have more than 100 games.
- According to IMARC and N.B.C news, children between the ages of 5 and 12 influence the board games industry.
- Techpenny states that 27.9% of board game players have a high school diploma, which is the highest educational accomplishment.
Board Games Global Market Size
- The board games industry’s market size will grow at an 11.2% CAGR between 2023 and 2028.
- The worldwide market size of board games has reached almost USD 15.1 billion in 2022, as of IMARC.
- North America has the largest share of the worldwide board games industry, with almost 28.88% of the market share in 2022.
- According to Print Ninja, almost 41% of board gamers purchase 5 to 10 new games annually.
- In the above chart, we can see the board games market share from 2017 to 2027.
- Arizton states that the Asia Pacific board games industry accounted for almost USD 5.38 billion in 2022.
- China’s annual saving ratio is almost 50%, and South Korea’s and India’s ratios are almost 30%.
- According to P.R. Newswire, the board game market will reach USD 20 billion in 6 years.
- According to Gitnux, experts predict that the Asia Pacific board games industry will grow to USD 4 billion by 2025.
- Verified market research states that the board games industry will be valued at USD 37.82 billion in 2030.
- BoardGamesGreek states that the board games industry will initiate more than 5,000 new board games after 2020.
Boards Games Popularity Statistics
- The board game industry is doing well. People still love playing board games, and the market keeps growing. In 2020, it was worth USD 9.3 billion worldwide. This shows how much people enjoy playing board games, no matter their age.
- Millennials like strategy board games. About 23% of them prefer playing them.
- Traditional toys and board games sales grew by 3% in 2019, reaching USD 27.4 billion. Even with digital games becoming popular, people still enjoy playing with physical toys and board games.
- In the US, 43% of the board game market is made up of hobby games. These games are becoming more popular, making the market more competitive.
- On average, it takes 1-2 hours to play a board game. This means people like spending time playing them.
- A good chunk of Gen Xers, about 17%, still like playing classic board games.
- About 20% of Americans between 18 and 29 years old played board games several times a week.
- Almost 18% of Kickstarter projects were for board games. This shows that people still like making and playing new board games.
- Europe had the biggest market share for board games in 2020, followed by North America. This means people in these places enjoy playing board games.
- Puzzle games make up almost 28% of the most popular board games. People like these kinds of games.
- On average, a board game Kickstarter project raised over USD 21,000. This shows that people are willing to invest money in new board games.
- The Card and Board games segment is expected to grow by 7.2% each year by 2027, which means the board game industry will continue to grow.
- Tabletop board game cafes are expected to grow by 6.3% by 2023. This means more people will likely visit these cafes to play board games.
(Source: alliedmarketresearch.com)
- The board game market in China was worth USD 580 million in 2020, which shows that Chinese people are starting to like board games.
- The number of board game hobby stores in North America increased by 15%, which means more people are interested in playing board games.
- Over 5,000 board games were published on BoardGameGeek, which shows that there are many different board games to choose from.
- In 2020, the worldwide sales of educational board games rose by 18%.
Most Popular Board Games Statistics
- Board games can be divided into various categories, from the primary to the most advanced. Word games are the most famous, with around 1 in 2 players preferring to play them over various types.
| Board Games Type | Percentage |
| Word Games | 47.20% |
| Strategy Games | 43.40% |
| Abstract Games | 37.40% |
| Dice Games | 31,30% |
| Trivia Games | 29.30% |
| Family Games | 27.50% |
| Role-Playing Games | 13.00% |
| Dexterity Games | 9.20% |
| Deduction Games | 8.50% |
Most Famous Board Game Types
(Reference: wordsrated.com)
- Games that require a high level of skill are more appropriate for adult players, whereas the young age groups generally play luck-based games.
| Board Game | Opinion: Skill | Opinion: Luck | Opinion: Don’t know/other |
| Chess | 82% | 4% | 14% |
| Checkers | 77% | 10% | 13% |
| Scrabble | 76% | 9% | 14% |
| Connect 4 | 49% | 21% | 30% |
| Clue | 46% | 23% | 30% |
| Backgammon | 45% | 13% | 42% |
| Battleship | 45% | 31% | 23% |
| Monopoly | 42% | 46% | 12% |
| Yahtzee | 22% | 49% | 29% |
| The Game of Life | 16% | 46% | 38% |
| Settlers of Catan | 15% | 6% | 80% |
| Chutes and Ladders | 11% | 54% | 35% |
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Board Games COVID-19 Statistics
- The segment is predicted to reach USD 13 billion by 2026, and the retail outlet sales decreased in Q2 and Q2 in 2020, accounting for a revenue of USD 50 million.
- The COVID-19 lockdown increased demand for educational games and board games, resulting in a 12.5% growth in Hasbro’s product sales in 2020.
- According to Betway and Soocial, Google searches for “Board game” grew by almost 82% between February and March, the time of the pandemic.
(Source: soocial.com)
- According to Betway, around 306.6% of the pandemic was caused by the board game, with the highest growth in Google searches.
- At the time of the pandemic, the most popular term by country, COVID-19, was the most famous in the United States in March 2020, with almost 50% of the searches coming in the next years.
- Ludo, with 173.7%, was second on the list of board games with the biggest growth in Google searches between February and March 2020.
- Monopoly scored almost 123.2% growth in Google searches between Feb and Mar 2020.
- In Europe, Monopoly was very famous in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Finland, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
- Lybia was the country in Africa where Monopoly was very famous while shifting to the preferred board game in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
- Scrabble is the third most famous game with the number of nations searched between February and March 2020.
- The pandemic was the board game with the highest global count in March 2020, with 246,000 Google searches.
- The list of the top ten most famous board games related to Google searches was 49,500 Jumanji, 40,500 Life and Sorry, 33,100 Ticket to Ride, and 27,100 Ludo.
Conclusion
The data from our market research indicates a widespread global interest in board games across all continents. During the pandemic, there was a notable surge in engagement with these games, leading to a significant increase in active users, now numbering in the millions. Online board games have emerged as a dominant force, surpassing offline games in revenue generation over the past two years. This shift has been facilitated by advancements in technology within the gaming industry, allowing for enhanced connectivity and gameplay
experiences. Overall, these statistics provide valuable insights into the evolving landscape of board games, highlighting their enduring popularity and the pivotal role of technology in shaping their trajectory.
Sources
Barry Elad
Barry is a technology enthusiast with a passion for in-depth research on various technological topics. He meticulously gathers comprehensive statistics and facts to assist users. Barry's primary interest lies in understanding the intricacies of software and creating content that highlights its value. When not evaluating applications or programs, Barry enjoys experimenting with new healthy recipes, practicing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his child.
