The best board games of the 80s 2023

Looking for a board game classic from the 80s? We have compared the best board games from the 1980s and listed them in an overview.

More lists from similar periods

If you are looking for classic games from other decades, you can find a list of the best games from other decades at the bottom of the page.

Additionally, we have created several more lists of card & board game awards:

The best board game classics from the 80s

In this overview, we've listed the best board games from the 1980s that you can 2023 still buy on Amazon:

This list was last updated on June 1, 2023. We compared 395 board games for this list and selected the top 30. There's also a print version for this list.
  1. Can't Stop

    All details for the board game Can't Stop and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Can't Stop
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 9+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  2. Survive: Escape from Atlantis!

    All details for the board game Survive: Escape from Atlantis! and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  3. Bausack

    All details for the board game Bausack and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 2.

    More details for Bausack
    • 2 - 8 Players
    • 15 - 45 Minutes
    • 7+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  4. Wizard

    All details for the board game Wizard and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Wizard
    • 3 - 6 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    🔥 Great price!7€ atAmazon.de
  5. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases

    All details for the board game Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases and similar games

    Nominated for 4 awards and won 3.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1985

    More details for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
    • 1 - 8 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
    👍 Good price!50€ atAmazon.de

    Video reviews for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases

    • YouTube Review for the game "Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  6. Ave Caesar

    All details for the board game Ave Caesar and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 2.

    More details for Ave Caesar
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  7. Der wahre Walter

    All details for the board game Der wahre Walter and similar games
    • 4 - 10 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • Immediately playable
  8. HeroQuest

    All details for the board game HeroQuest and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for HeroQuest
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    🔥 Great price!104€ atAmazon.de
  9. What the Heck?

    All details for the board game What the Heck? and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 7+ years old
    • Immediately playable
    🔥 Great price!8€ atAmazon.de
  10. Personal Preference

    All details for the board game Personal Preference and similar games
    • 2 - 16 Players
    • 40 Minutes
    • Immediately playable
  11. Taboo

    All details for the board game Taboo and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Taboo
    • 4 - 10 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  12. Labyrinth

    All details for the board game Labyrinth and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards and won 2.

    More details for Labyrinth
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable

    Video reviews for Labyrinth

    • YouTube Review for the game "Labyrinth" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  13. A la carte

    All details for the board game A la carte and similar games

    Nominated for 4 awards and won 1.

    More details for A la carte
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
    👍 Good price!40€ atAmazon.de
  14. Orchard

    All details for the board game Orchard and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Orchard
    • 2 - 8 Players
    • 10 Minutes
    • 3+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  15. Balderdash

    All details for the board game Balderdash and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards and won 1.

    More details for Balderdash
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  16. Take it Easy!

    All details for the board game Take it Easy! and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Take it Easy!
    • 1 - 8 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  17. Max

    All details for the board game Max and similar games
    • 1 - 8 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 4+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  18. Escape from the Hidden Castle

    All details for the board game Escape from the Hidden Castle and similar games
    • 2 - 8 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  19. Ligretto

    All details for the board game Ligretto and similar games

    🔥 Deal: 16% cheaper than the best Geizhals deal, likely for a short time only!

    More details for Ligretto
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 10 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
    🔥 Great price!6€ atAmazon.de
  20. Heimlich & Co.

    All details for the board game Heimlich & Co. and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1986

    More details for Heimlich & Co.
    • 2 - 7 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  21. You're Bluffing!

    All details for the board game You're Bluffing! and similar games

    🔥 Deal: 6% cheaper than the best Geizhals deal, likely for a short time only!

    More details for You're Bluffing!
    • 3 - 5 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    🔥 Great price!7€ atAmazon.de
  22. Fireball Island

    All details for the board game Fireball Island and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 7+ years old
    • Immediately playable

    Video reviews for Fireball Island

    • YouTube Review for the game "Fireball Island" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  23. SET

    All details for the board game SET and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 2.

    More details for SET
    • 1 - 20 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 6+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  24. Good & Bad Ghosts

    All details for the board game Good & Bad Ghosts and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Good & Bad Ghosts
    • 2 Players
    • 15 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
    🔥 Great price!5€ atAmazon.de
  25. Escape from Atlantis

    All details for the board game Escape from Atlantis and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  26. Scattergories

    All details for the board game Scattergories and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Scattergories
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  27. Dorada

    All details for the board game Dorada and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Immediately playable

    Video reviews for Dorada

    • YouTube Review for the game "Dorada" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Dorada" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  28. Slapshot

    All details for the board game Slapshot and similar games
    • 2 - 10 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  29. Shadows in the Forest

    All details for the board game Shadows in the Forest and similar games
    • 2 - 8 Players
    • 15 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  30. Animal Poker

    All details for the board game Animal Poker and similar games
    • 4 - 8 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable

Didn't find the game you were looking for?

We're positive that you'll find it in one of our other lists! To make the search easier for you, we split our website into different categories. The following board game categories will help you find the right list: