The best board games with historical background 2023

Looking for a really good game with a historical background? We have clearly listed the best historical parlor games.

What are games with historical background?

Board games with historical background are games that refer to a specific historical event (e.g. Cold War, French Revolution) or a historical person or character (e.g. Caesar, Al Capone, Jack the Ripper).

Distinction from "historical games"

"Historical games," on the other hand, are games that are no longer played today, or are played only in greatly modified form. Most of them have been handed down through literature or discovered through archaeology (e.g. the royal game of Ur).

Historical games should also be distinguished from classic card games or classic board games - these also show some age, but are still played today.

Other categories for historical games

In addition to the general list for games based on historical events, we further divided them below into several, more detailed historical categories.

List of the best historical board games 2023

This list was last updated on June 1, 2023. We compared 3364 board games for this list and selected the top 30. There's also a print version for this list.
  1. Similo

    All details for the board game Similo and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    More details for Similo
    • 2 - 8 Players
    • 10 - 15 Minutes
    • 7+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  2. Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

    All details for the board game Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
    👍 Good price!50€ atAmazon.de

    Video reviews for Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

    • YouTube Review for the game "Pandemic Legacy: Season 0" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Pandemic Legacy: Season 0" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Pandemic Legacy: Season 0" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Pandemic Legacy: Season 0" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  3. Undaunted: North Africa

    All details for the board game Undaunted: North Africa and similar games

    Nominated for 7 awards and won 2.

    More details for Undaunted: North Africa
    • 2 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  4. Undaunted: Stalingrad

    All details for the board game Undaunted: Stalingrad and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Undaunted: Stalingrad
    • 2 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  5. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures

    All details for the board game Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures and similar games
    • 1 - 8 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn

    Video reviews for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures

    • YouTube Review for the game "Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  6. Whitehall Mystery

    All details for the board game Whitehall Mystery and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  7. Architects of the West Kingdom

    All details for the board game Architects of the West Kingdom and similar games

    Nominated for 17 awards and won 5.

    More details for Architects of the West Kingdom
    • 1 - 5 Players
    • 60 - 80 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
    👍 Good price!68€ atAmazon.de

    Video reviews for Architects of the West Kingdom

    • YouTube Review for the game "Architects of the West Kingdom" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  8. Brass: Birmingham

    All details for the board game Brass: Birmingham and similar games

    Nominated for 13 awards and won 7.

    More details for Brass: Birmingham
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Brass: Birmingham

    • YouTube Review for the game "Brass: Birmingham" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Brass: Birmingham" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  9. Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan

    All details for the board game Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 180 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  10. Endeavor: Age of Sail

    All details for the board game Endeavor: Age of Sail and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 60 - 90 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Medium difficulty

    Video reviews for Endeavor: Age of Sail

    • YouTube Review for the game "Endeavor: Age of Sail" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  11. Commands & Colors: Ancients

    All details for the board game Commands & Colors: Ancients and similar games

    Nominated for 5 awards and won 2.

    More details for Commands & Colors: Ancients
    • 2 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  12. Pandemic: Fall of Rome

    All details for the board game Pandemic: Fall of Rome and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Pandemic: Fall of Rome
    • 1 - 5 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  13. Century: A New World

    All details for the board game Century: A New World and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 - 45 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  14. Twilight Struggle

    All details for the board game Twilight Struggle and similar games

    Nominated for 6 awards and won 5.

    More details for Twilight Struggle
    • 2 Players
    • 120 - 180 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  15. Commands & Colors: Napoleonics

    All details for the board game Commands & Colors: Napoleonics and similar games

    Nominated for 4 awards and won 1.

    More details for Commands & Colors: Napoleonics
    • 2 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  16. Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper

    All details for the board game Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  17. Mr. Jack Pocket

    All details for the board game Mr. Jack Pocket and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards.

    More details for Mr. Jack Pocket
    • 2 Players
    • 15 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  18. Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land

    All details for the board game Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land and similar games
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 20 - 90 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  19. Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done

    All details for the board game Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 40 - 60 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  20. Julius Caesar: Caesar, Pompey, and the Roman Civil War

    All details for the board game Julius Caesar: Caesar, Pompey, and the Roman Civil War and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  21. In Magnificent Style: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg

    All details for the board game In Magnificent Style: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg and similar games
    • 1 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  22. Condottiere

    All details for the board game Condottiere and similar games
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 20 - 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  23. Mr. Jack

    All details for the board game Mr. Jack and similar games

    Nominated for 7 awards and won 1.

    More details for Mr. Jack
    • 2 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 9+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    🔥 Great price!26€ atAmazon.de
  24. Letters from Whitechapel

    All details for the board game Letters from Whitechapel and similar games
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty

    Video reviews for Letters from Whitechapel

    • YouTube Review for the game "Letters from Whitechapel" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  25. 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962

    All details for the board game 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  26. Mystery Rummy: Al Capone and the Chicago Underworld

    All details for the board game Mystery Rummy: Al Capone and the Chicago Underworld and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 20 - 40 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  27. 1754: Conquest – The French and Indian War

    All details for the board game 1754: Conquest – The French and Indian War and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  28. SOS Titanic

    All details for the board game SOS Titanic and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    More details for SOS Titanic
    • 1 - 5 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  29. Vienna Connection

    All details for the board game Vienna Connection and similar games
    • 1 - 5 Players
    • 120 - 180 Minutes
    • 16+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    🔥 Great price!25€ atAmazon.de
  30. Brass: Lancashire

    All details for the board game Brass: Lancashire and similar games

    Nominated for 5 awards and won 1.

    More details for Brass: Lancashire
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Brass: Lancashire

    • YouTube Review for the game "Brass: Lancashire" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English

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: