Strategy Board Games That You MUST Play!

The Best Strategy Board Games

Don’t buy strategy board games until you have read our reviews. Our Editor’s Picks are top-rated games. Many of the Spiel Des Jahres Best Board Games Award Winners are strategy games, too.

The strategy games genre is a particular favourite of the Boardgame Beast strategist, General Beastman. The General likes nothing more than to get his predatorial teeth into a meaty challenge with friends.

Indeed, well-designed strategy games can be among the most satisfying of all board games. They encourage experimentation, and seldom rely on luck, instead rewarding players who think ahead and manage resources with care.

Our Favorite Strategy Games

Some of our picks for the top strategy games: Agricola – a farming game that can even be played solo, this is a huge and incredibly detailed game that grows as you become familiar with it.

Risk – the granddaddy of war strategy games, the Risk boardgame is simple to learn, plays well in mixed age groups, and is rewarding, but has a luck element due to dice rolling.

Settlers of Catan – 12m units sold and counting, this is a great ‘gateway’ game for new players to strategy games. Check out the limited edition pictured here!

Puerto Rico board game – this is a hugely popular game, but is definitely a “proper” strategy game. Unlike Settlers, nobody will feel they have comprimised when they reach for Puerto Rico. It’s deep, rich and rewarding.

Lost Cities – a two-player card game, this simple yet fun game is a great filler between longer games. It’s portable enough to play on aircraft or trains.

What Are Meeples?

A nice aspect of strategy board games is the components. Most games come with a flurry of cards and other little bits and bobs, while another of our favorite strategy games, Carcassonne game, invented the ‘meeple’, a 3D wooden token representing elements of the game.

You can now buy meeples for virtually every popular strategy game, which replace the original cardboard tokens with 3D wooden equivalents. Find more board game pieces here.

If your personal top strategy games are not listed here, send us board game reviews.