You might be wondering why people would opt for small box board games when larger ones are usually more extensive and enjoyable. Well, for one, you might not have the storage space to keep multiple large board games. Smaller ones can conveniently be kept in cupboards or drawers.
Secondly, these are handy for traveling purposes. You do not want to carry extra weight, nor have items take up space in your luggage. Plus, if you are traveling on a bus with friends or chilling in a room, you can whip out a game and play. There is no need to set them up, and are easily playable in half an hour.
Below is a list of our top selected small box board games. Be warned; we will not be responsible for any fights breaking out during a game.
Contents
- 1 Best Small Box Board Games
- 1.1 Coup (The Dystopian Universe)
- 1.2 Citadels
- 1.3 Oink Games Deep Sea Adventure
- 1.4 High Society
- 1.5 Pandasaurus Games The Mind
- 1.6 Connect 4 Grab and Go Game (Travel Size)
- 1.7 Nine Tiles
- 1.8 Battleship Grab and Go Game (Travel Size)
- 1.9 Sorry! Classic Hasbro Game Road Trip Travel Edition
- 1.10 Pop-O-Matic Trouble Grab & Go Game (Travel Size)
- 2 Best Small Box Board Games Buying Guide
- 3 Frequently Asked Questions
Best Small Box Board Games
Coup (The Dystopian Universe)
For this game, you need to imagine you are a family head in an Italian state, and you need to ensure that your family has the most influence. It is recommended that this be played with 2-6 people; the more the people, the more roles can be occupied. The whole game can be finished in 15 minutes, so you can play multiple rounds.
In the beginning, you will have two coins and influence each, but with each player, you get unique abilities. The Duke allows you to take three coins from the treasury and stop another player from taking foreign help. You can pay the Assassin three coins to kill another character.
The Contessa can shield herself against assassination attempts. The Captain can steal two coins from other players and protect himself against robbery. Finally, the Ambassador can draw character cards for exchanging.
When it is your turn, you can either take one coin as income from the treasury, take foreign aid and get two coins, or pay seven coins and stage a coup so another player will lose influence.
Citadels
The main objective in Citadels is to become the new Master Builder. The Kingdom will only allow that if you construct magnificent structures that will stand tall.
The cards in the game have stunning visual representations, and the cast of characters is diverse. There a total of 9 characters and 12 districts. It is preferred that 2-7 individuals play, and a game on average can last about 45 minutes.
You will begin by having building cards. Each building either has a distinct ability separately or can be activated when paired with a character.
There are special characters involved that can perform unique actions. The Wizard can exchange building cards with opponents, the Assassin can neutralize a character for the whole of the game, and the thief can completely rob another player.
The game ends when one person has constructed eight buildings, and the player with the highest points becomes the Master.
Oink Games Deep Sea Adventure
Imagine you are on a boat in the open sea. You have two choices: dive in to collect treasure or go back towards your ship. Since the players have a limited oxygen supply, they will need to strategize where diving is most beneficial.
There are figures included in the set, which will be your characters, dice for rolling, and the tiles to determine the diving. The game is to be played by 2-6 people who should be more than ten years old.
The game has ruin chips that need to be collected over three rounds. When a player has their turn, they have to follow four steps. They can say whether they are going back or not. They can opt to use the air supply.
They can roll the dice and move ahead. Finally, they have the option to search for chips, where they can either do nothing, pick up, or place a ruins chip.
The game ends when the three rounds end or the air supply runs out. A person who goes back to the boat cannot return for that round. The person with the most points wins.
High Society
This game conducts an auction, where you can experience what it is like living an elite life. The game takes a total of 20 minutes to play and can have 3-5 players. Since bidding takes some strategizing, it is recommended that players be above the age of 10, who can comprehend their actions’ outcomes.
The goal of the game is to achieve the highest status. Out-bidding other players can acquire that goal. The higher the value of your possessions, the higher is your social status.
However, you need to keep a check on two things: you cannot be involved in a scandal, and you should not have the least amount of money at the end of the game. Both factors will make you lose.
Pandasaurus Games The Mind
This game will remind you of when your teacher forced you to be quiet, and you had to develop innovative ways to communicate with your friends. In the same manner, you need to remain silent through the game, cannot gesture, and need quiet signs to talk to other players.
A minimum of 2 players need to be present, and as players increase, you will have fewer levels. For example, with two players, you would need to complete 12 levels, but with three players, there will be ten levels, and so on.
According to the level you are on, you will receive that number of cards. If you are on level 4, you will have four cards and will need to discard your lowest one into the pile.
If no one has a card lower than the one you threw, the game will move on, but if someone does have a lower card, they will discard those, and you will lose a life. You also have a special shuriken that allows you to see every player’s lowest cards, and you can strategize accordingly.
Connect 4 Grab and Go Game (Travel Size)
You may have already come across this game at one point in your life. This is a compact foldable version that you can take along on your travels. This game is to be played by two players, and even younger kids can play this easily.
You have 21 yellow checkers and 21 red checkers. The purpose of the game is to stack your checkers so that four of them are in a line. This line can be horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. It is not as easy as it seems, as most attempts at stacking the checkers are apparent, and the other player will block you. You need to align your four pieces subtly.
Nine Tiles
This game is to be played by two players, where each player receives nine tiles each. The nine tiles are double-sided and have images on both sides. Each image is present three times in total for all the tiles. In each round, there is a picture revealed with nine images. This picture acts as the goal that the players have to achieve.
The players will set up their tiles in a 3×3 grid. To reach the goal, they will either flip or swap two tiles to match the goal shown. When the goal is met, the player gets the picture card, but they get the card facedown if the compilation was wrong. Two facedown cards result in losing the game.
Battleship Grab and Go Game (Travel Size)
I grew up playing battleship. The concept of taking down each other’s ships was such an excitement for all of us. If you hold the same sentiments and want to be hit with some nostalgia, this set would be perfect for you.
You will have two cases that can easily store your ships and pegs. You can fold them up and resume the game from where you left off. They are also very easy to carry.
Two players only play the game at a time and since there are small pieces involved, make sure small kids do not play. You will have red and white pegs, where you can use red pegs as hit and white as a miss, or vice versa.
There are ten ships; each player has a carrier, destroyer, cruiser, submarine, and battleship each. You call out letters and numbers to try to hit the other player and keep track of their ships’ placement.
Sorry! Classic Hasbro Game Road Trip Travel Edition
This is the same classic boardgame, only smaller and more portable. You can fold the case, and since the pieces click in place, you can restart games from the same placements. The game is played by four players, that have four pieces each. The parts are red, blue, yellow, and green. The primary objective is to get your pieces back home.
There is a stack of cards in the middle that gives you a number; that is the number you can move your pieces ahead on the board. There are some special cards, such as the “Sorry!” card through which the player can move to any place on the board and kill another player’s piece, so that player has to go back to the start.
There is also the slide card that allows players to slide in the spaces designated and even kill players on the way.
Pop-O-Matic Trouble Grab & Go Game (Travel Size)
Trouble’s objective is simple: you have four pegs each of different colors (green, blue, red and yellow), and you need to get all four pegs home. However, getting home is not so simple, as you need to move through the whole board.
While two players can also play by themselves, the game is more exciting with four players. You can bump each other’s pegs, and they will be sent back to the start. You have dice to roll that will give you the number to move ahead. The first player who gets all their pegs home wins.
Best Small Box Board Games Buying Guide
Board games are a fun activity to pass the time. They can also lead to bonding between the players, as with some games, you can team up to defeat other players. However, remember these are just games and not a valid excuse to cause a rift in the family or friends circle. Also, keep the following factors in mind before purchasing a small board game:
Duration – Most of these games will have a play time from half an hour to forty minutes. If you are looking for games that will end in ten minutes, only a few meet that condition. Hence, be prepared to spend some time on these, especially if you want to play multiple rounds.
Age – While the recommended age is mentioned on the boxes, generally, board games are played by people eight and above. Any younger, and they might not understand the rules of the game. Younger kids also might not be interested in making strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Play Small Board Games Alone?
Despite them being small, most of them still require a minimum of two players. Most of these board games do not have a storyline and are sequential games where one player acts after observing the player’s moves before.
The main objective in these kinds of games is to beat the other players and come out on top. It is no fun to beat yourself. Involve your family and friends for fun bonding times.
Are There Any Safety Considerations with Board Games?
As such, the only consideration you will need to keep in mind is that some of the pieces included in the game may be small. You should keep these pieces away from children as they can become a choking hazard.
You might also be more likely to lose these small pieces and then suddenly find them embedded in your feet while you are moving silently in the night. As painful as it might be, try not to scream, as people might be asleep.
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