It has been a while since I wrote up a board game spotlight, probably because I have been spending too much time playing board game arena! I have covered digital gaming platforms before, but this one really blows the others away. It has become our go to way to play games. I am so excited that my thoughts are jumbling together, let's break it down!
What is Board Game Arena? It is a virtual board game collection that you can play online. You are going to find a lot of games you already know and have opportunities to find some new gems. Now, when I say you will find games you already know, I mean it! Unless you have never played a game before, you will find one. They have classic games like Hearts, Yahtzee, and Backgammon. There are great light games like Sushi Go!, 6 Nimmt!, and Kingdomino. For those that want a heavier game, you will find games such as Terra Mystica, Through the Ages, and Tzolk'in. This is a great way to try out games you have not played before. It basically gives you a well rounded game collection that you do not need to store, is constantly growing, and you don't even have to set up... and it's FREE!
It is pretty obvious that I like the site. You have probably gotten that by now. Other than having access to nearly 200 board games, what makes it so fantastic? Well, first, I am pretty pumped about the price. You can start an account for free. The free account allows you to play all the games, sort of. More than half the games are included in the free account and you can start up a game anytime you like. You can even play the paid account games, but you will have to wait for a table to open up. If you want to play with multiple devices in the same home, like us, you will need at least 1 paid account which is just $2 USD per month. It sure beats spending the whole evening binge watching Netflix.
Another feature I love is that you can play with anyone in the world. Sometimes only one of us wants to play. I can go online and start a room with anyone that wants to join in. I can invite my friends or family to play with me. Adam plays with our viewers on Twitch too. Check out the play with us page for times.
There are a lot of play options too. You can play a real time game in which you will have a timed turn. You can play real time in training mode with no timer but still playing the game all at once. There is the option to play a turn based game in which you will get a message when it is your turn and you may play the game over a more extended period of time. There is also arena and tournament play that require a bit more experience with the game. With the paid account you can also play hot seat on one device.
Board Game Arena has allowed us to have quality game nights with friends and family while we all sit at home in lock down. We have been able to spend time playing with them even though they are half a continent away. It has been a struggle to connect via zoom since it is entirely focused on conversation. Combining Board Game Arena with Zoom gives us a more natural meet up and connection.
You can earn points toward free months as you play too, including extra points for referring your friends. We would love for you to come play with us. Head to Board Game Arena (this is our referral link) and friend us. I am 18th Century Gamer and Adam is ANMgameschool. We would be happy to invite you to the table when we are playing!