Best Cheap Board Games to Grab Right Now
Some seriously good tabletop games are going cheap at Zatu right now, and a few of them are absolute no-brainers.
Board games have had a proper renaissance over the last few years, but the good ones still tend to cost a fair bit. So when a bunch of genuinely solid titles drop well below their usual prices at the same time, it's worth pointing that out. Here's what caught my eye from the current batch of deals at Zatu Games.
Wingspan
Wingspan is one of those games that quietly became a modern classic. You're building a nature reserve, attracting birds with different abilities, and chaining together satisfying little engine combos. It sounds gentle and it is, but there's real depth under the surface. If you've got friends or family who bounce off heavy strategy games, this is the one to convert them with. It's going cheap right now and honestly, even at full price it's worth it.
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is the smaller, more approachable entry point into the Gloomhaven universe. The full Gloomhaven box is enormous and intimidating. This one strips things back without losing what makes the system great, which is the card-based combat that rewards actual thinking rather than just rolling dice and hoping. It's a proper dungeon crawler campaign in a box. Currently on sale and well below what it's been going for. If you've been curious about Gloomhaven but didn't want to commit to the big box, now's the time.
Azul
Azul is one of the best abstract games made in the last decade. You're drafting coloured tiles and placing them on your board to score points. Sounds simple, and the rules genuinely are simple, but the decisions get surprisingly tense. It plays fast, it looks great on the table, and it works brilliantly with two players. One of the cheapest it's been right now. Grab it.
Cockroach Poker
Cockroach Poker is the chaotic little filler game your game nights probably need. It's a bluffing game about passing cards of gross creatures around the table and lying through your teeth about what you're handing over. Plays in about fifteen minutes, causes genuine arguments, and fits in a coat pocket. It's going cheap right now and it's the kind of game that gets pulled out constantly once it's in the collection.
Ticket to Ride: Europe
Ticket to Ride: Europe is the gateway game that got a lot of people into modern board gaming in the first place, and it holds up. You're claiming train routes across a map of Europe, trying to complete destination tickets before your opponents block you. It's competitive without being nasty, and it teaches really naturally. The Europe version adds tunnels and ferries which make it a bit more interesting than the original US map. Well below its usual price right now, and if you don't own a copy yet, this is a good moment to fix that.
Mysterium
Mysterium is a cooperative deduction game where one player is a ghost trying to communicate clues to the others through surreal, dreamlike vision cards. It's got a brilliant atmosphere and works really well with a mixed group including people who don't normally play board games. The art style is gorgeous and it plays differently every time. Currently on sale and worth picking up for something a bit different on a Friday night.
That's the picks I'd actually put money on from this batch. There are a few others in the sale worth a look too, including Scythe if you want something meatier and strategic. But the six above are the ones I'd grab without hesitation at their current prices. Check the live prices on site because these deals won't hang around forever.
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