The best board games of the 1920s 2025

Players use metal miniatures in a two-player football game. Each player controls one field player and one goalkeeper, using a 14-sided black-and-white "ball" to determine possession. The ball's top color indicates who shoots next, and players take turns attempting to block shots with their goalkeeper.

Escalado was a popular English tabletop horse racing game from the late 1920s. Up to six players act as "jockeys," each with a horse, while one player serves as the bookmaker. Bets are placed on five colorful mechanical horses as they race over a vibrating track, with the player holding the most money after a set number of races declared the winner.

Players aim to empty their hands by playing the starting card onto a grid on the table. The quantity and color of a card determine whether and where it can be placed, allowing players to play multiple cards per round or strategically hold back any number of cards. The game starts with the red 11, which is reflected in the title.

Riichi Mahjong is a specific Japanese version of traditional Chinese Mahjong, distinct yet similar. Originating from the early 20th century, the game has gained worldwide recognition and has official tournament rules established by Mahjong associations.

A very old children's game has several variations and editions. Players roll dice to move their "caps" on the board. Landing on another cap or a stack allows a player to conquer that stack by placing their cap on it. The goal is to return conquered caps to the home base. The game ends when only one color remains active. In one version, the winner is the player who has conquered the most caps. In another version, the player with remaining active caps wins. This game was first published in 1927 and inspired many imitations.

Bridge, a classic and strategic trick-taking card game, stands as a testament to the evolution of card games over centuries. Utilizing a standard deck, Bridge is played by four players in two partnerships, blending skill, strategy, and communication as teams vie to outmaneuver each other through both the bidding (auction) phase and the play of the hand.

Pogs originated as a game played with milk bottle caps in Hawaii, and the term is derived from POG juice. Players start by collecting Pogs and at least one Slammer, adding an equal number of Pogs to a face-down stack. They take turns trying to flip the Pogs by throwing their Slammer, collecting any Pogs they successfully flip until no more can be added or they choose to withdraw.

Players compete to build a plastic bug by rolling dice to see which part they can add. The game was designed by William H. Schaper in 1949, making it the first to feature a fully three-dimensional, freestanding plastic bug. Similar games existed earlier, but they were primarily pencil-and-paper versions.