Christmas Gift Ideas For Gamers: Board Games

Our next guide to help find Christmas gifts for the gamers in your life brings you a selection of gifts that all the family can enjoy at Christmas - board games!

We'll start with one of the most iconic board games of them all: Monopoly. There have been many video game themed editions of Monopoly over the years and they include classics such as The Legend of Zelda, Assassin's Creed, Pokemon and Sonic The Hedgehog. More recently, modern games such as Fortnite, Overwatch and Fallout have been given the Monopoly treatment. If you're thinking about picking up a board game for a video gamer this Christmas, there should be enough options for you to find one they'll love and, since just about everybody loves a game of Monopoly, it should be something that goes down well with the whole family!

There are too many editions of Monopoly to list them all here. You can of course have a look on Amazon or Google to find a particular set, but please also check your local independent shops to see what they have. You can find online shops and local shops in our directories.

One of the more recent video game licenses to enter the Monopoly world is Pac-Man, with the Arcade Pac-Man Monopoly set in which players play for points instead of money and play mini games on a mini Pac-Man arcade machine! Pac-Man fans can also find the recently released Pac-Man Board Game by Buffalo Games, where one player plays as Pac-Man while the other players play as ghosts. Each player gets a turn as Pac-Man and the player with the highest score wins!

Pac-Man is not the only retro game to make it into the world of board games; Mega Man and Doom have also had board games released. Mega Man: The Board Game was released by Jasco Games and 2-6 players choose a stage on which to complete challenges as they vie for victory. In Doom The Board Game, by Fantasy Flight Games, 2-5 players fight to save humanity from the evils of hell as they encounter various missions and battles.

From retro games to recent games, next we have a series of board games created by Steamforged, starting with Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game. This game sees 1-4 hunters seek to take down a quarry, encountering various foes and machines along the way. The game is played as a team but one hunter will emerge as the winner!

Another Steamforged board game is Devil May Cry: The Bloody Palace, in which 1-4 players take an iconic Devil May Cry character into the arena to do battle against a range of demons, with the highest scoring player declared the winner.

The battle continues with our next Steamforged entry, as you choose your class and do battle in a board game based on one of the most brutally difficult video games of all time: Dark Souls. The Dark Souls Board Game involves battling zombies, knights and soldiers and exploring dangerous locations to reclaim your humanity.

Did someone say zombies? Our last entry from Steamforged leaves you trapped in a zombie outbreak, working with up to three other players to escape Raccoon City. In Resident Evil 2: The Board Game, choose from four iconic Resident Evil characters as you enouncter various enemies, including the dreaded Lickers, in your fight for survival.

Let's retire from battle for the time being and look at something a little more relaxing! Minecraft: Builders & Biomes brings an all time classic to the table, pitting 2-4 players against one another as they build and mine their way to victory.

Tomb Raider Legends: The Board Game offers a slightly different type of competition, as Lara Croft competes against... herself! Up to four Lara Crofts embark upon a quest to find a hidden artifact in this game by Hobby Japan.

Monopoly is not the only popular series of board games to get the video game treatment; there have been a number of video games to enter the world of Risk, including Skyrim and Assassin's Creed. Both these editions are available now for two players to pit their wits in a game of strategic conquest.

Another entry from Fantasy Flight is the popular Fallout Board Game. This post-nuclear adventure game is for 1 to 4 players and involves exploring the map, fighting off enemies and building your survivor's skills on your way to victory. The Fallout Shelter board game is also available from Fantasy Flight.

Put your detective hat on... this might be a job for eBay!

Before we wrap up this list, there are a few board games which have not been around for a while but are worth a mention - if you can find them!

The first of our rarities is a board game based on classic puzzler Portal by Cryptozoic. Designed by Valve staff, the game is based on area control and cardplay, with players battling to win and prove that the cake was in fact no lie!

Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness is a board game which gives you the ultimate dilemma as you must choose which side to fight for; good or evil? A true gem if you can find it!

Next up in the rarity list is Bioshock Infinite: Siege Of Columbia. Produced by Plaid Hat Games, this 2-4 player game pits players in the roles of the Founder and Vox Populi factions as they seek to take control of Columbia.

Risk: Halo proved popular a number of years back but is now pretty elusive to find. It pits 3-5 players against one another in a strategic battle. And if this is your cup of tea, you might also want to have a look for the Halo Interactive Strategy Game - another rarity for Halo fans!

There are more board games which might be worth hunting for, such as Gears of War and The Witcher board games, plus Risk and board game versions of Starcraft. Have a search and you might find yourself a hidden gem!

Where To Buy

The board games in this article can be found at a range of online and offline retailers. You can find links within the article but we recommend that you check with your local independent retailers to see what they have in stock. You can find a range of online and offline retailers in our directories.