The best board games for exactly three players 2025

Three monkeys have started a construction company, and the building plans are coming in fast! They must collaborate to complete their plans before time runs out.

This edition of the card game features sailors and aviators. Each set includes 336 cards, each with a description of a historical event on one side and the year it occurred on the other. Players receive nine cards and aim to arrange them in chronological order, while bluffing and challenging others' placements. The first player to discard all their cards wins, making it a fun and surprising experience for everyone involved.

Players send their goblins to collect toys and gemstones while earning points during and at the end of the game. Maurice is on their heels with his flashlight, and if a goblin gets caught in its beam, it will flee as quickly as possible. The player who skillfully avoids the light and collects the most points wins!

Many will participate, some will win, and everyone will laugh. Expect more randomness with a completely new card set that can be played alongside the original game or on its own. Watch out for sharks and cake—especially the cake!

Players engage in a trick-taking card game for three people, sacrificing cards from their hands to bid on the number of tricks they will complete. A standard deck is used, which is reduced in each suit from 6 to Ace, along with a wild card. Players earn points for each trick won and can declare their bids for bonus points at the start of the game.

Star Trek: Ascendancy brings the expansive universe of Star Trek to your tabletop, offering a deep strategy experience that allows you to control the iconic civilizations of the Star Trek universe: the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Star Empire. Engage in exploration, expansion, and conflict as you navigate through uncharted territories, interact with new life forms, and decide whether to pursue paths of peace or domination. This game is a must-have for Star Trek fans and strategy enthusiasts alike, featuring over 200 plastic miniatures and an ever-changing galaxy map that ensures every game is a unique adventure.

Triumph & Tragedy is a geopolitical strategy game for 3 players (also playable with 2) set between 1936 and 1945, focusing on the competition for European domination among capitalism (the West), communism (the Soviet Union), and fascism (the Axis). Players manage military, diplomatic, economic, and technological elements, aiming to achieve economic hegemony, technological supremacy, or military victory.

Players engage in a hilarious game featuring a life-sized inflatable character known as the Dude. They reenact various scenes, sports, or professions, while others must guess what they are depicting within a time limit. After four rounds, the player with the most points wins.

Players take on the role of wise owls, once known as "Philosophers of the Forest," now associated with the famous witch Minuit who demands resource gathering. In this cooperative game for 3 players, teams aim to achieve a high score by collecting "Otsukai cards," with the initial goal of reaching 25 points. Each game reveals 5 Otsukai cards, encouraging players to strategize for the highest victory points.

WobBally combines three games into one, featuring a tower with 98 unstable balls. Players test their skills and patience by tapping the balls into the tower, with the player causing it to collapse being eliminated. The game allows for three play options, including a solo mode.

Chimera is a three-player card game where two players team up against one. Players compete for points in multiple rounds by playing sequential pairs, trips, straights, and other card combinations. The game typically ends when a player reaches 400 points, though it can be played to different target scores.

Maria is a strategic board game set during the tumultuous period of the War of the Austrian Succession, offering a rich blend of military strategy and historical diplomacy. Designed primarily for three players, it casts them into the roles of the major powers of the time: Austria, France with Bavaria, and Prussia along with the Pragmatic Army. Utilizing a unique map that is divided into two parts—Flanders and Bohemia—Maria challenges players to navigate the complexities of warfare and alliance, demanding not just military might but also political sagacity to emerge victorious.

There are three factions in the game, each with its own victory conditions. The Rebellion must find and destroy the Emperor, who hides on one of his imperial bases. Players can choose to play as Rebels, the Empire, or Hutts, battling for dominance in the galaxy while featuring iconic characters like Luke, Han, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett. The updated game includes ships, cards, and power dynamics to reflect the Star Wars original trilogy, accommodating up to five players with two Death Stars and enough miniatures to represent each faction.

American Mah Jongg is a unique variant of Mah Jongg, most popular in North America and previously underrepresented in documentation. Originating in the 1920s, the game evolved with different house rules, and in 1937, the National Mah Jongg League standardized the scoring system. Players aim to complete hands listed on a scoring card by forming Pungs, Kongs, Quintets, and Sixtets from discarded tiles.

Hinunter in den Kaninchenbau invites you to tumble down the rabbit hole into the whimsical world of Wonderland. Embark on a fantastical journey alongside its quirky characters, where every minute counts to navigate the puzzles and peculiarities of this enchanting realm.

Test your quick reflexes and memory in this fast-paced card game full of musical chaos. Players must perform specific gestures when certain musician cards are revealed. Make a wrong move, and you'll collect the whole orchestra! The first player to get rid of their cards becomes the Maestro.

Top Promoter is a new card game for 3-5 players where the goal is to earn more money than opponents. Players strategically position their fighters for the big payday, increasing their chances of winning.

Pizza Theory is designed for exactly three players and features no randomness or simple moves, but the outcome of each round is unpredictable as each chef has their own idea of how to best prepare the food. Players place toppings on the board without placing them adjacent to their own, secretly choose a number, and then contribute their unique toppings to create various outcomes. The first player to place all 16 of their toppings on the board wins; in a two-player game, the third color's toppings are still used, and if they fill the board before either player can do so, both players lose.

Churchill places you in the shoes of one of the three iconic leaders during World War II - Churchill, Roosevelt, or Stalin - engaging in a strategic battle of wits and diplomacy rather than military might. This unique game focuses on the pivotal conferences that shaped the Allied strategy and post-war landscape, challenging players to negotiate, manipulate, and sometimes cooperate to advance their agendas.

Cards are illustrated with shapes and numbers. The game is simple; match the shape or number on your card to the one on the previous card. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

Strange and terrible things happen in Hawkins, Indiana. Enjoy a themed Monopoly game featuring the world of Stranger Things. It includes 80s-inspired tokens and unique cards like Walkie-Talkies and Flashlights replacing the traditional Community Chest and Chance cards.

Triest is a box card game where three players assume the roles of a thief, a merchant, or the city guard. Each role features its own unique deck and victory conditions. Players secretly select actions simultaneously, leading to conflicts in the streets and alleys of the bustling coastal city as they vie for power and wealth.

At first glance, it appears to be a racing game, but players actually score points by moving their pieces over raised and lowered sections of the track. Each turn, a player rolls the dice and moves one of their pieces forward by that number of spaces. When the leading piece lands on another piece, all pieces on that space are moved accordingly, potentially covering other pieces if they land on an occupied space. Scoring occurs whenever a piece crosses one of four scoring gates, awarding points based on the configuration of stacks. The game ends when three pieces reach the final scoring area, and the player with the most points wins.

Bring your cattle to Abilene while hoping your opponents end up with only your sick cows. If they acquire another one, it's time for a shootout between your cowboys. The player who successfully drives the most herds to Abilene and earns the most money wins. The original edition supports up to 3 players, while the Schmidt Spiele edition accommodates up to 6 players.

The Quartermaster General series now explores the nuclear era. Players embody one of three factions: the Soviet bloc, the Western bloc, or the non-aligned nations, each viewed as an enemy of the others. During their turn, players play cards to narrate the story of the Cold War, choosing whether to apply military force if espionage fails, but escalating tensions will decrease the penalties their opponents face for using weapons of mass destruction.

Skat is a traditional German card game for three players, played with a standard deck (excluding 2-6 cards). The game involves a complex bidding process to determine the solo player, who then chooses the type of game to be played in the second phase. Winning players score points based on the announced game type and modifiers, while losing players score double.

Players take on the role of one of three leaders in ancient Rome: Caesar, Pompey, or Crassus. Each leader seeks to dominate the others through military, political, or skill-based victories. The game consists of three phases: supply, movement, and action, and can be played with either two or three players, despite being designed for three. Victory is achieved in one of three ways: by being elected consul twice, conquering nine provinces, or attaining a skill level of VII in both competencies.

Die game is a dice game for three players aged 10 and up. Players move their wizard and apprentice pieces on the board to collect 7 different tarot cards from the depicted locations. To collect a card, a player must bring their apprentice and wizard to the same spot or duel another player if both wizards land in the same place.

Cosmic Eidex is an intriguing trick-taking game for three players, featuring a deck of 36 cards from 6 to Ace in four colors: hearts, lizards, ravens, and stars. Each player randomly draws a Cosmic character at the start, granting them a unique ability that allows them to break one game rule once during play. Players aim to score either the most or the least points, with victory points earned based on their performance in hands and the rules of the Cosmic powers.

Here I Stand: Wars of the Reformation 1517-1555 is a comprehensive board game that delves into the tumultuous period of the early 16th Century, encompassing the political, religious, and exploratory conflicts of Europe. It stands out for incorporating the actions of historical figures like Martin Luther, Henry VIII, and Suleiman the Magnificent within a 40-year span on a beautifully crafted map.