Best Board Game Apps for iOS and Android
Many of the popular board games are now being released in digital form (for iOS and Android devices) as well, allowing gamers to play on their mobile device and challenge people from around the world. The best board games give families an opportunity to spend quality time together as well as allow players to sharpen their minds and be entertained.
While board games for mobile devices might not make as big of a splash as some other genres typically do, there are plenty of them to offer. This ranges from digital adaptations of well-known, classic board games to new, creative mobile originals. Who doesn’t love themselves some good-old board games? Check out some of the best board games for mobile below!
- 6. Backgammon
If there's any classic family board game, it's definitely Monopoly, and now you can play it right on your iPhone or iPad at home. This renowned board game might be one of the world’s most famous board games. The mobile version is packed with all your beloved features and is just as fun! Sharpen up your real estate skills and buy and sell your way to becoming a rich tycoon!
With Monopoly, you can watch the board come to life as a beautifully animated 3D city - you can't get that with a physical board game! This version of Monopoly also comes with the basic house rules that you are already familiar with, but you can also change it up too. There are also a few different modes: Quick Mode, single-player against the AI, or even go online or offline multiplayer. You can even explore different cities with different local editions of Monopoly boards in the app.
Devices: iOS and Android
Cost: $3.99
If we missed any of the Best Board Game Apps for iOS and Android, tell us about them!
2. Carcassonne
(iPhone, iPad)
Another highly popular board game is Carcassonne, and it's been around for ages but has retained a loyal fanbase. For the uninitiated, Carcassonne is a tile-placement game where you must create a town by placing the "Meeples" on the tiles, thus becoming the ruler of a kingdom once everything is said and done. Points are earned by completing roads, creating entire kingdoms, and protecting the Abbeys. Whoever has the most points once all tiles are laid down wins the game.
It sounds easy, but the game requires a lot of planning ahead and strategy. You can play locally with others in a pass-and-play style, go head-to-head against the AI, or even online. There's also a solitaire game that's more based on luck and chance, rather than strategy.
Devices: iOS and Android
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
Exploding Kittens is one of the most-funded games on Kickstarter, and now it's even available digitally. The game of Exploding Kittens can be played with 2-5 people, and it works with multiple phones in the same room, or just online. And if you are alone, there's a single-player mode too.
The goal of the game is simple and similar to Russian Roulette. Everyone draws cards, hoping that they don't draw an Exploding Kitten. When this happens, they are "dead" and get kicked from the game. That is unless they have a Defuse card, which can prevent the kitten from exploding through the powers of belly rubs, laser pointers, and other things cats like. All other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate, or avoid the Exploding Kitten entirely.
Exploding Kittens is a game that is sure to get everyone laughing, and all art is drawn by The Oatmeal himself.
Devices: iOS and Android
Cost: $1.99
4. Catan Universe
(Android, iPhone, iPad)
Catan or Settlers of Catan is considered one of the best board games by many. This strategic game is complex and competitive, perfect for those who prefer a little challenge. This mobile adaption makes it easy for beginners to get in on the fun and its free-to-play model makes is accessible to all!
In the app you can either play against multiple AI or link up with the online multiplayer to roll your dice, build your roads, trade your sheep, and move that damn thief that keeps blocking your brick production. You can play Catan on PC, Mac, iOS and Android or go old-school with the original board game.
Devices: iOS and Android
Cost: $4.99
5. Rento - Online Dice Board Game
(iPhone, iPad)
Ticket to Ride is a strategy board game in which monopolist American railway tycoons duke it out for train domination. This app was one of the first European-style board games (those like The Settlers of Catan) to gain widespread popularity in the U.S. At its core, the game is pretty simple. On each turn you collect or play colored cards to build preset railway routes across a map of the United States (and a bit of Canada). As you go, you gain points for building longer routes and connecting pairs of cities. At the end of the game - surprise! - the train impresario with the most points wins.
Devices: iOS and Android
Cost: $6.99
6. Backgammon
(iPhone, iPad)
Backgammon Online is the classic game requires players to develop a strategy of moving their pieces across a board, utilizing dice rolls to make plays in an attempt to block their opponent. The online version features a rule book making it suitable for players of all skill levels.
Devices: Desktop, iOS and Android
Cost: Free
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