Best Canadian Board Games

Board games offer fun entertainment on tabletops. Players move pieces on a special surface following specific rules. These exciting hobbies can create competition or cooperation, with players taking turns to meet certain goals. Board games vary from simple ones with easy rules to complex games full of advanced strategies that need hours to learn.

The top Canadian board games are enjoyable and strengthen social connections. They break from digital devices, promoting face-to-face interaction and improving critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Board games also help develop creativity, communication, and teamwork when players work together towards a common goal or compete in a pleasant atmosphere.

A captivating board game catches players’ attention by offering a fun and satisfying experience. With clear and concise rules, these games should be easy to understand while providing depth and difficulty that keeps players coming back. Additionally, boardgames offer replayability, allowing fans to play many sessions without boredom.

Let’s check out our list of the best Canadian board games.

What makes the best board game?

We’ll judge the best Canadian board games based on these four criteria:

Fun

A board game’s success hinges on the fun it delivers to players. Exciting mechanics, challenging decisions, and a satisfying experience should keep participants enthralled throughout the game.

A captivating game draws players back, spurring them to share their passion with pals and reminisce about the good times they shared. Fun-filled board games tend to gain a loyal fan base, with enthusiasts eagerly awaiting new editions and add-ons, ensuring the brand maintains a lasting market presence.

Complexity

Complex board games provide a stimulating and gratifying test for those who enjoy honing their abilities. Strategic rules, tactical choices, and polished gameplay mechanics contribute to a game’s depth.

If a game lacks difficulty, it may become dull; however, the right amount of intricacy offers endless opportunities for exploration, trial-and-error, and self-improvement. To stay competitive, board game companies must continuously improve and stretch complexity limits to provide an absorbing challenge for players.

Duration

The length of a board game is crucial as it affects how much effort and time players devote to a single play session. Being too short can lead to dissatisfaction.

On the flip side, overly long games might grow tiresome or intimidating. Finding the perfect duration relies on the game genre and target audience. Presenting various games with different playtimes can appeal to broader demographics, increasing a brand’s attractiveness.

Replayability

Replayability pertains to how engaging and new a board game experience remains with each session. This quality might stem from diverse sources like unexpected elements, adaptable game boards or divergent stories.

Despite numerous replays, a perpetually revitalizing board game is more likely to endure with faithful fans. By focusing on replayability, brands can create games that introduce novel challenges, strategies, and interactions in every round. This allows players to enjoy their top picks repeatedly.

List of best Canadian board games

1. Trivial Pursuit
2. Balderdash
3. Gift Trap
4. Eye Know
5. GridIron Master
6. Don’t Quote Me
7. Dieppe
8. Terakh
9. Crokinole
10. Nîn-Gonost
11. Haggis
12. The Quest of the Philosopher’s Stone

Trivial Pursuit

Top Canadian board game

Trivial Pursuit, a classic board game, was created in 1979 by Canadian inventors Chris Haney and Scott Abbott. This well-known game was first published by Horn Abbot Ltd before being acquired by Parker Brothers, and eventually, Hasbro. Trivial Pursuit gained popularity and became a cultural sensation. To date, it has been translated into 26 languages and sold in over 100 countries.

In Trivial Pursuit, players advance around a board by answering questions from various categories such as history, geography, sports, and entertainment. A correct answer rewards the player with a wedge of a pie-shaped game piece. The victor is the first player to collect all six wedges and correctly answer the final question. With more than 20 million copies sold globally, Trivial Pursuit is an established element of family game nights. It has seen several adaptations, including specialized versions for different countries, pop culture themes, and specific decades.

Trivial Pursuit remains a cherished board game that entertains families and friends for countless years. Its exceptional blend of knowledge and strategy allows for an engaging and thrilling experience. The game motivates players to learn various things while testing their knowledge in an enjoyable and social atmosphere. Its enduring popularity has led to numerous spin-off products such as video games, books, and mobile apps.

Balderdash

Canadian board game from Toronto

Balderdash, a board game crafted by Laura Robinson and Paul Toyne in Toronto, Canada, saw its debut in 1984. Over the years, it has garnered widespread popularity as an engaging party game. The crux of this game lies in the players’ ability to outwit one another using imaginative and plausible fabricated answers to trivia questions.

In Balderdash, players rotate roles, with one person becoming the dasher. This individual picks a word from a card and announces it to fellow participants. It is common for people to formulate phony definitions for this word which are then combined with the actual meaning. The dasher recites all the provided definitions, prompting the players to vote on the authoritative interpretation. Points are awarded for accurately identifying the true definition and successfully deceiving others into selecting concocted explanations.

This lively game offers a brilliant outlet for players to flex their creative muscles while engaging in trivia challenges and cunning deception. Balderdash’s unique gameplay experience promises hours of hilarity and amusement. Moreover, its replay value is exceptionally high due to the ease of incorporating updated words and definitions that keep each session fresh and exhilarating. It comes as no surprise that Balderdash has earned its spot as a timeless classic in party game collections.

Gift Trap

Most popular Canadian board game from Vancouver

Gift Trap, developed and published by Gift Trap Enterprises in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a board game designed to foster connections among its players. This makes it an ideal choice for parties or family gatherings. The company strives to produce games that are simple to learn yet challenging to master, and Gift Trap meets this criterion.

In this engaging game, players take turns presenting gifts to one another while scoring points based on how well their gifts are received. The exciting twist lies in guessing each other’s preferences before selecting a gift, adding an enjoyable layer of surprise and strategy. Additionally, Gift Trap features multiple rounds encompassing diverse categories and challenges, ensuring an exciting playing experience each time.

Gift Trap has garnered positive feedback for its inventive concept and captivating gameplay. It encourages social interaction and communication, making it a top pick for parties or game nights. With its uncomplicated rules and endless customization possibilities, Gift Trap can be enjoyed by players across all age groups and skill levels.

Eye Know

Canadian board game from Ontario

Eye Know is a captivating board game developed by the renowned Canadian game company, Wiggles 3D. It stems from Canadian founders Paul Berton and George Sinclair. With extensive experience in the toy and game industry, this dynamic duo established Wiggles 3D in 2001. They aim to craft games that seamlessly blend education and amusement. Their unique approach fosters learning and creativity in players of all ages.

In the imaginative world of Eye Know, players are captivated by images representing an array of categories, such as science, history, or pop culture. To excel in this game, one must correctly discern the category based on the image and answer a related question. Rewarding correct answers with points, the game ultimately crowns the player who has accumulated the most points at the end as the winner. Eye Know welcomes players from all walks of life with its diverse range of question types, from multiple-choice to open-ended queries.

This one-of-a-kind board game not only challenges players’ knowledge across numerous subjects but also presents an interactive experience that is both educational and enjoyable. Eye Know’s modular design provides unparalleled customization options: players can select from various category decks to fashion a game that perfectly suits their interests. With its engaging gameplay and compelling content, Eye Know is a delightful board game that promises entertainment and enlightening experiences for players of all ages.

GridIron Master

Best Canadian sports board game

GridIron Master is a wooden board game that cleverly merges gridiron football and chess strategic components. It was crafted by Brett Proud, Craig Proud, Paul Morin, and Jordan Sampson. First introduced in 2007 by Canadian company PHI Sports Games, the Canadian Edition of GridIron Master proudly holds a license from the Canadian Football League Players Association.

Suitable for ages ten and over, GridIron Master brilliantly blends football and chess artistry and strategy for an engaging experience. Included in the game is a precisely scaled football field serving as the playing board. You’ll also find two player benches, two sets of 20 player pieces, four flat-piece footballs, four football-shaped dice and more.

In a standard game, each quarter consists of two ball possessions for each team. For those who prefer a timed game, each half lasts one hour. Players are allotted three timeouts per half and must face a five-yard ‘Delay of Game’ penalty if they exceed twenty seconds to execute their next move.

Don’t Quote Me

Canadian board game from London

Don’t Quote Me, a creation of Wiggles 3D, is a distinct brand developed by the games and entertainment publisher located in London, Ontario, Canada. This renowned company specializes in crafting innovative board games that strike a balance between challenge and enjoyment. The Don’t Quote Me brand offers a collection of board games that dare players to pinpoint the source of renowned quotes originating from history, literature, and widespread culture.

Playing Don’t Quote Me involves participants drawing a quote card and reciting it out loud. As a result, fellow players attempt to determine the speaker and the context in which it was spoken. Accurate guesses earn points, and the first player to accumulate a specific number of points wins. Featuring an extensive selection of quotes from well-known historical figures as well as cultural references from movies, TV shows, and music, Don’t Quote Me entertains players from diverse backgrounds.

Don’t Quote Me presents an engaging and distinctive board game experience that encourages players to examine their knowledge of famous quotes from various domains. These include history, literature, and common culture. The game offers both entertainment and instruction, making it an ideal choice for family gatherings, classrooms, and social events. Thanks to its original gameplay mechanics coupled with a wide range of content, Don’t Quote Me holds a prominent place in Wiggles 3D’s repertoire.

Dieppe

Canadian wartime board game

Dieppe is a two-player wargame created by Stephen Newberg and released in 1977 by Simulations Canada. This game simulates the ill-fated Dieppe Raid by Canadian and British forces during World War II. Dieppe is designed to be played across six scenarios, aiming to earn the highest victory points.

Included with the game are a hex grid map, a rules booklet, 255 die-cut counters, and six scenarios. The game accurately depicts Operation Jubilee, the Allied raid on Fortress Europe. The raid ended in tragedy as most troops never left the beach and over half were wounded, killed, or captured. Gameplay spans ten turns, with each turn representing one hour of real-time action. The Allied player controls the landing forces, while the German player manages the defenders.

Game mechanics involve Allied bombardment, German reinforcements, Allied landing or withdrawal, German attack on landing units, first and second Allied movement, German bombardment, German phase, and victory points. All units possess zones of control that require opponents to halt their advance.

Terakh

Canadian strategy board game

Terakh was created by Canadians Terence Wong and Akhil Patel in 1999 and brought to life by Stoneplay in 2005. This game is set on a dynamic board composed of triangular panels and aims to have the last surviving player with the most powerful leader.

Terakh contains six units and a leader for each player. Assembling the board is up to the players, using panels featuring 16 triangular tiles each. The ultimate goal is to vanquish all opposing leaders on the battlefield. Throughout gameplay, players tactically deploy their pieces to shield their Elder, like chess pawns thwarting would-be attackers from checkmating their king.

Rolling an eight-sided die determines attack or defence scores for each player, resulting in the removal of defeated game pieces from the board. The highest roller using the eight-sided die begins their turn after everyone draws one Cast Card apiece.

Crokinole

Best Canadian wooden board game

Crokinole is a distinct board game with roots in Canada, specifically in Perth County, Ontario. This skill game is played on a round board with two or four participants. The board consists of several concentric circles. Players flick wooden discs, also known as crokinole chips, aiming to land them in the centre hole or within one of the outer rings. The goal is to accumulate points by landing your chips in high-scoring areas while knocking your rival’s chips out of the game.

Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, Crokinole can be played between two individuals or two teams consisting of two players each, taking alternating turns. Players flick their chips all over the board, and the one with the highest score at the end emerges victorious. There are various ways to enjoy this game, including singles, doubles, and round-robin competitions. With its appeal extended to individuals of all ages, Crokinole serves as an excellent means for family and friends to bond together.

Crokinole garners acclaim for its blend of skill, strategy, and chance. Nailing the right balance between precision and finesse when flicking the chips is crucial. Still, there’s also a significant strategic component to outwitting your opponent and hinder their progress. Circular board design and inventive gameplay mechanics differ delightfully from conventional board games. In a nutshell, Crokinole is a timeless favourite that has persisted through generations. It continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many Canadians and enthusiasts worldwide.

Nîn-Gonost

Canadian fantasy-adventure board game

Nîn-Gonost is a fantasy adventure board game published by Adiken, a Canadian game company. It uses a modular magnetic game board accompanied by miniatures along with their corresponding cards. Players are allotted a limit on the overall value of their miniatures before launching into a game, usually capped at 150 per player. This engrossing game unfolds on a modular magnetic dungeon board. The dungeon’s layout plays a crucial role since factors like line-of-sight, cover, and positioning impact combat.

Unfolding in turns, each player steers their miniatures, utilizing action points at their disposal for movement or engaging in melee and ranged combat. Movement revolves around character-specific run and walk speed, while melee combat relies on fight modifiers, duel dice, and fate dice. Ranged combat mirrors melee combat to some extent, featuring shooting modifiers, accuracy dice, and fate die.

Going beyond basic guidelines, every character possesses extra statistics including manna, strength, con, dexterity, per, wil, ctr, wtg, as well as specialized armor and weapon stats. Nîn-Gonost delivers an intricate and tactical gaming experience that demands meticulous planning and skillful execution to emerge victorious.

Haggis

Canadian card game

Haggis, a card game originating from Canadian Sean Ross and brought to market by Indie Boards and Cards, first appeared in 2010. Its original mechanics and strategy have contributed to its increasing popularity. The company has also released other well-known games, such as The Resistance and The Coup.

This trick-taking game accommodates two to three players, but entertains up to six using additional decks. Haggis players play cards in an ascending or descending sequence while adhering to the suit when feasible. Playing sets of cards of the same rank awards points. Wild cards, bombs and other distinct cards make the game more captivating and alter its direction. Rounds end once all players have depleted their cards and points are counted, typically taking around 30 minutes to complete.

The innovative elements woven into this game have been lauded – seamlessly blending traditional trick-taking aspects with contemporary strategic gaming. The incorporation of wild and special card types generates an intriguing degree of complexity that consistently engages players and makes each round refreshing.

Haggis’ distinct theme is rooted in the Scottish card game Cèilidh, which only enhances its charm. This card game has earned widespread recognition, including a Golden Geek Award for Best Card Game in 2010.

The Quest of the Philosopher’s Stone

Canadian medieval fantasy board game

The Quest of the Philosopher’s Stone is a board game first published in 1986 by the Canadian company Questone Marketing Inc. It transports players to a captivating medieval fantasy world featuring iconic locations such as Camelot, Atlantis, and Stonehenge.

In this game, players face various puzzles that range in difficulty. They navigate the board to acquire wisdom cards by correctly answering brain teaser questions from the Book of Challenges. These cards offer hints that form an alphabetical word connected to the game’s theme. The player who deciphers the word first emerges victorious.

Blending strategic thinking and puzzle-solving, The Quest of the Philosopher’s Stone offers a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. Its engaging medieval fantasy backdrop, adorned with knight, wizard, and mythical creature illustrations, contributes to a deeply immersive gameplay environment. With challenge levels spanning from easy to difficult, players can continuously develop their skills and enjoy replay value.