The best board games, according to hackers
15 board games were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended board games with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
War game theme with subtle play
A war game with cute animal factions and subtle play that fans love. The factions are hard to master, and some players are sensitive to the game's conflict.
Enjoyable, challenging deduction game
People recommend this turn-based deduction board game as an enjoyable challenge. Caveat: one line of attack on the solution can get a little boring.
All 15 board games, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1D Chess | 16 | 2 | 89% | 1 | — | — |
| 2 | Tiao | 14 | 1 | 93% | 2 | — | — |
| 3 | Diplomacy board game | 12 | 1 | 92% | 3 | — | — |
| 4 | Root by Leder Games | 11 | 4 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 5 | Mastermind board game | 10 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Tied 6 | Azul board game | 9 | 2 | 82% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Stratego | 9 | 1 | 90% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Voronoi Go | 9 | 2 | 82% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Risk by Hasbro | 7 | 3 | 70% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Carcassonne board game | 7 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Mahjong | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| 12 | Terraforming Mars | 6 | 1 | 86% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Arcs by Leder Games | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Wingspan board game | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Twilight Imperium | 5 | 1 | 83% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same board game in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to board games that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.