Board Games Tier List
A board game has to work for the people at the table, not for the person who read the rules. Twelve games, unranked, judged on teach time, replayability and whether it generates good conversation. Nothing is pre-graded: tiles wait in Unranked until you drag or tap them into S–F. Rows rename in a click and the finished board exports as a PNG.
Catan
Codenames
Ticket to Ride
Pandemic
Gloomhaven
Azul
Wingspan
7 Wonders
Dixit
Splendor
Risk
Monopoly0 of 12 items ranked.
Board saved automatically in this browser. Original.
How this board is built: the 12 tiles are an editorial starting set, not an official roster and not a published ranking — every entry waits in Unranked until you place it. Item tiles are original pictograms or two-letter emblems drawn for this site rather than character artwork, film stills or club logos, so nothing here is licensed material reused from a rights holder. Tiers you set are your own judgement.
What's included in this Board Games board
The board arrives with all 12 entries present as tiles and none of them assigned to a tier. That is deliberate: a template that opens with a finished ranking only invites you to agree or disagree with whoever made it, whereas an empty ladder makes you commit to an ordering of your own. Drag a tile onto a row, or on a phone tap the tile and then the tier you want. You can add rows for extra categories, rename the standard ones, and remove any entry you do not recognise — a list you can defend is more useful than a long one you cannot.
How to rank this Board Games board
Rank how fast the rules land first. A game you can teach in five minutes gets played twenty times; a game that needs a rules explanation video gets played twice. Then weigh replayability — does the setup change the decision space, or is every game the same shape? Third, judge table talk: the best games give people something to argue about that is not the rules. Finish by separating gateway games from heavy games. A heavy game is not better than a light one, and a list that rewards complexity will recommend the wrong game to most groups.
Using the board without over-thinking it
Most people finish a board like this in a couple of minutes and then reorder the middle rows for another ten. That middle is where the honest disagreement lives, so do not rush it: place the obvious top three and the obvious bottom three first, then work inward. If two entries still feel identical, that is a real observation — say so in a row note or a text tile rather than inventing a difference. When the ordering settles, export the PNG so the arrangement is saved somewhere permanent, and copy the share link if you want someone else to argue with it.
Ranking criteria used here
- how fast the rules land
- replayability
- table talk
Before you share it
Put your criterion in the board title, so a reader knows whether they are looking at a favourites list or an analytical one. If the subject changes with patches, seasons or releases, add the date. And remember the share link carries tier names, colours and the tile order — uploaded photos stay on your device, so export a PNG when those matter.
All 12 items in this template
Back to the boardCatanCodenamesTicket to RidePandemicGloomhavenAzulWingspan7 WondersDixitSplendorRiskMonopolyBoard Games tier list FAQ
Where does Monopoly belong?
Low, and the reason is worth writing down: long play time, player elimination and a rules set most people play wrong. It is the best calibration point on the board.
Should party games be included?
Yes, in a labelled row. They are judged on laughs per minute rather than on strategic depth, and that is a real criterion.
