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The best board games Gateway

 

The best board games Gateway

Are you a fan of board games, but have had trouble attracting friends and family? Luckily for you, the transition games are here to save the day. Find the best Gateway board games for beginners and new players below.

What is the Gateway Game?

Gateway is a board game that is accessible to players who know little or nothing about the modern world of board games, which can easily spark their interest in a hobby. These games introduce mechanics and concepts in a simple way and are usually games you get first when creating a collection. 

Soon after graduating from the more complex and complex games, you’ll be the first to pull these out to encourage new players to join the cult cult night.

With these fun and easy transition games, you too can instantly turn your group of contestants and hipsters into players who roll the dice and set meeple.

Our best selections for the best Gateway games

Are you in a hurry? Check out our favorites below.

The best topic

Edition at the House on the Hill
Edition at the House on the Hill
The release isn’t the most technically solid game I’ve ever seen. But it is one of the most talked about, fun and easy to teach. I’ve never had an actor walk away from the table who wouldn’t think about how cool he is.

Best Wargame

Memories of '44
Memories of '44
Memoir ’44 is a simple and incredibly accessible war game that brings many of the basic concepts offered by more serious games. You will have a wonderful duel that, if all goes well, will lead to a bigger war between friends. 

Best overall

Catan Island
Catan Island
Catan has turned more non-players into players than any other game outside. It has sold millions of copies and I (no joke) played Catan awake for 3 days when I was first introduced.

# 1. Katan

Catan board game

Catan Island is a modern classic. This can be easily explained in about 15 minutes, and players always find something to view and analyze between turns, keeping all players and cell phones off the table.

On top of all that, it has variable board settings and a ton of different approaches that the player can use throughout the game. 

Catan is credited with pulling acting out of the clutches of Parker Bros ’ Monopoly and into the Renaissance gambling that we now enjoy. 

If you’re looking for a transition game and haven’t heard or played Catana yet, you can read my full review here or about all the amazing Catana extensions here .  

Catan Island
Catan Island
  • STRATEGY GAME: Trade, build and populate the island of CATAN in ...
  • FUN GAME WITH FRAGILE ATTACHMENTS REPEAT: Absolutely ...
  • BUILD AND / OR JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Whether you play as a family, ...

# 2. Lordship

Board game Dominion

Dominion is the best game with which you can introduce players to deck building games and mechanics. Not only is he one of the best deck builders, but he also excels at being the first. 

Deck makers are for those friends who are analytical, like to look at a problem from multiple angles, or who like to find weird solutions to problems.

In the Dominion, each player starts with the same set of 10 cards, and as the game progresses, players add or remove cards to create a stronger deck. 

The beauty of Dominion and deck builders is that no matter who you play with, each player will have a completely different deck by the end of the game. Two players could compete for the same strategy, but the way they are executed can be completely different. 

I’m a big fan of the Dominion and it was one of the first games I played when I started playing board games. Check out my in-depth review here and about all the exciting Dominion extensions here .

Dominion (second edition)
Dominion (second edition)
  • The 2nd edition contains updated cards, artwork and simplified rules
  • Tactical game for 2-4 players
  • 30 minute playing time

# 3. 7 wonders

7 wonderful board games for 6 players

Do you have those friends who play on tons of builders building video games ? Every time you play, are you excited to have the first gunpowder units just to find that they have already built their 10th nuclear reactor and are sending a bomb your way?

7 Wonders is one of the easiest board games to build civil society. There are quite a few and even a Sid Meier version of Civilization . They’re all great, but 7 Wonders has the cleanest user interface (user interface) and the strictest set of rules. It’s one of the easiest games you can jump into, and it always leaves players wanting more. 

There is even a version with two 7 Wonders players: duel this is great for a pleasant couple of night games.

7 wonders
7 wonders
  • For 3 to 7 players
  • 30 minute playing time
  • Great strategy game

# 4. Memories of '44

Board game Memoir '44

If you want to persuade some friends to enter war games , it’s probably best not to bury them in your collection of semi-finished Warhammer 40k miniatures, which cost more than a month’s rent. You need to make them easier. 

Memoir '44 is a beautiful springboard that you can give to your friends before trying to get them into the hardcore war game . 

The map and the battlefield are divided into 3 sections: left, right and middle. Actions and movements are based on maps and do a good job of simulating war chaos. It's a strict rulebook and a fantastic five-player game , so you won't have to convince a bunch of friends to join the dark side at once. You can only do this once at a time ... MWAHAHA.

Memories of '44
Memories of '44
  • Unique HISTORICAL GAME: In Memoir '44, players command hordes ...
  • STRATEGIC GAME: Deployment of forces through different commands ...
  • FUN FAMILY GAME: easy to learn and fast, Memoir '44 ...

# 5. Pandemic

Picture of the board game Pandemic presented

The pandemic introduces cooperative play and your opponent hands you an ass you can’t scream at after the game is over. 

A pandemic is almost every first experience with a pure cooperative game. Players take on different roles of the CDC Crisis Response Team, as 4 separate outbreaks are affected simultaneously around the world.

All players work together against the board to cure all 4 diseases before they get out of control and destroy humanity (premature, 2020). 

This means that each player wins or loses together; it is an “all or nothing” situation. I really like playing with players who are a bit shy at the table, and with extremely competitive players. Shy players usually take on the role, and ultra-competitive players learn to work together for the common good. 

Collaboration games are some of my favorites and Pandemic is by far the best introduction to the genre.

A pandemic
A pandemic
  • STRATEGY GAME: Players must participate in their ...
  • GAME COOPERATIVE: Only by working in groups will you keep ...
  • ACT TOGETHER AND SAVE HUMANITY: Four diseases threaten ...

# 6. Stone Age

Components of the Stone Age board game

The Stone Age is one of my favorite games to deploy workers . I’ve played her hundreds of times and introduced her to countless actors. 

Each player takes control of a tribe of prehistoric people. What you do with them is entirely up to you. Each player starts with 5 people (workers) and alternately places them in a specific location. Each location represents an action that players can perform, and there will always be more things you want to do, but never enough workers to do it. 

Another reason why I like the Stone Age as a transitional game is that there is no direct conflict. Players can block locations from other players, but there are no direct attacks or “gotcha” moments in the game. It’s about as clean a game for scheduling workers as you can find.

If you find that putting eggs on the board is your jam and you are looking for something more exciting, you can check out Water Masters , which is a D&D -inspired board game to accommodate workers. 

Stone Age
Stone Age
  • THE STONE AGE, A FASCINATIVE ADVENTURE IN THE PAST
  • 2 to 4 players
  • 60 minutes of play

# 7. Star Kingdom

Board game Star Realms

Before dropping hundreds of dollars on recovery packages trying to get your friends into a Magic: The Gathering tournament or a collectible card game (CCG), it’s a good idea to make sure they’re still playing. 

Star Realms is a space-themed card dueling game that gets rid of the "collector's" piece. Everything you need to play the game is available in one box for under $ 20 .

This is another amazing example of a deck building game and can be more easily explained and learned than Dominion. 

Star Realms pit players against each other as each player draws cards from a total set of 4 different races that offer completely different styles of play. The game offers a lot of variety and the opportunity for different strategies that will allow you to play for a long time.

Star Realms
Star Realms
  • Fun Incredibly rich yet easy to learn to play games
  • Portable The entire game is in a box that fits your ...
  • Expandable One copy supports 2 players Add additional copies for ...

# 8. Luxury

Great board game

Splendor has probably some of the easiest engine building mechanics I've ever seen, and is a great way to introduce more advanced games like Kosa or Terraforming Mars . 

The core of Splendor is a very simple engine mechanic, which means you buy things that give you the means to buy bigger things. It helps to make the components and artwork very beautiful. You won’t find many stories here, but you’ll find a fascinating game for new players and hours of fun. 

It is a perfect introduction and despite the size of the box it can be disassembled into an extremely small travel package size if you want to take it with you.

Splendor
Splendor
  • STRATEGIC GAME: Compete to build the most renaissance Europe ...
  • FUN AND FRIENDLY COMPETITION: Players compete to control the gem ...
  • COUNTLESS SCREENING APPENDICES: This strategy is fast and intuitive ...

# 9. Kingdomino

Board game Kingdomino

I’ve never been a really big Dominos fan for the longest time. They were usually something I just folded as a child and then knocked. It wasn’t until much later in life that I played the right game with them and it was a great way to relax.

Kingdomino is a game that uses the same mechanics as dominoes, but presents it in a bright and colorful way. Domino tiles become pieces of your kingdom and need to be aligned and adjusted to be able to maximize the score. 

It’s actually a really cool way to introduce yourself to a classic game if you haven’t played before, and a great way to get older generations into newer games. By connecting the classic mechanic in a new way, he bridges the gap between the two games. 

Kingdom
Kingdom
  • Strategy board game: Kingdomino is one of ...
  • Strategy game for family or adults: This fantasy game for 2 to 4 players ...
  • How to play: Kingdomino prepares cards and lays tiles ...

# 10. Ticket to ride

A ticket to set up board games

I had to play Brother's Ticket for the Ride and I know you don't know him, but that says something about the power of this game as a gateway. 

The driving ticket has hidden goals, strategic blocking and simple rules. This is a great combination for the transition game. Technically it’s a European style game but I honestly just like to showcase the potential of board games.

Most new players will have a very limited playing background, and Ticket to Ride provides insight into the world of board games in a very comfortable environment. If you went straight from Monopoly to Twilight Empire , you would run away screaming.

It looks nice on the table, has a constant flow and anyone can learn it quickly.

Ticket for Ride
Ticket for Ride
  • STRATEGY GAME: Create your own tracks across the United States in this ...
  • Fun adventure game: The ticket for the ride is a running train ...
  • MORE SCORING METHODS: Players collect tickets that ...

# 11. A small world

A small world board game

If the last game was played by a friend of yours who isn’t a Risk player , it’s time to step up and smash Little World. 

Little World is a funny fantasy cartoon game that puts pressure on your luck and area control right. No longer will that guy punch Australia waiting for the end of the game, but sooner you will get weird combinations of imaginative racial abilities and superpowers that allow players to break through the map and reign supreme. That is, until they become extinct and they have to start a new race.

This is a very forgiving game that is not taken seriously. You’ll soon find yourself and your new players how to skip tactically sound decisions for stupid, fun ones. Why choose fortified trolls when you could be a dragon hobbit? Always be a dragon. 

# 12. Carcassonne

Carcassonne board game

Carcassonne is a very simple tile-laying game that still manages to stay fresh every time I pull it off the shelf. It probably helps that there are about a million extensions for her, but even without them I play a ton of Carcassonne. 

Carcassonne is a game that can introduce players to the wider world of gaming without being scary or surprising. It shows how something as simple as dropping a tile on a map can lead to a number of outcomes that force players to watch not only their actions but also everything behind the table. 

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying “gotcha” or “take that” games, but if you want to introduce players to the wider world of Eurogames , then Carcassonne is what you’re looking for. 

With concepts such as winning points, conflict-free / blocking strategy, and game-wide planning, friends after a few Carcassonne games will ask you, "What's next?" And then you can break them Agricultural or electrical network.

Carcassonne
Carcassonne
  • STRATEGY GAME - PLAN YOUR WAY FOR VICTORY: Develop the landscape ...
  • ONE STEP IN TIME PLAYING ON THE TILE: Players complete ...
  • JACK OF ALL TRADES: Followers can take on many different roles ...

# 13. Takenoko

Takenoko board game presented

Takenoko is great for players who are interesting in board games but don’t really know where to start. 

At first glance, it is not so complicated. Lay some tiles, arrange the garden and watch the panda eat everything. Simple, right?

What makes this game a great transition is that it can be just as simple ... but it can also grow with players. When they have the basic rules down and in front of the belts two or two, the world starts to open up. It's as if Neo sees the source code in the matrix for the first time. Players will be able to start planning turns and calculate moves based on the board and their opponents.

This is a skill that many gamers take for granted. Looking to the future of the overall game is something we pick up over time, and Takenoko is actually very well designed so that new players learn these skills from the very beginning.

Takenoko
Takenoko
  • BAMBOO GARDEN GAME: Long, long ago, Emperor of China, in ...
  • UNIQUE AGRICULTURAL GAME: Can you grow bamboo on your plantation ...
  • STRATEGIC IMAGINARY GAME: You have to cultivate the land with ...

# 14. Camel Up

Camel Up board game

With this next one ... in races the camel of the race goes, ie. 

camel up is a competitive racing game in which players are spectators at a desert camel race. It’s a board game of chance with very little skill, but wonderful artwork, easy-to-learn mechanics, and a spitting dice pyramid are sure to become a popular family.

So grab your lucky dice and bet on the fastest camel in the country. Just watch out for both crazy camels - these crazy people are running back down the track and adding a whole new level of joy to the game.

# 15. King of Tokyo

King Tokyo's board game

This is a great transition game for kids . in King of Tokyo , each player turns into a huge monster that hits and kicks opponents to become the King of Tokyo. 

Players cast a series of dice that allow them to attack other players, gain energy (currency) or score winning points. It’s very quick to learn, artwork and a silly theme are great for fun dice rolling. 

It has elements for squeezing luck and introduces the mechanics of twisting and closing / locking. It is an extremely competitive and good game that helps the younger crowd learn how to gracefully win and lose. 

Honestly, who didn’t want to be a 50-foot monster raging around town?

King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo
  • For 2 6 players
  • 30 minute playing time
  • A new work of art by Regis Torres, illustrator of the King of New York

# 16. Sushi Go!

Sushi Go!  Board game

Fun, easy and cheap game , Sushi Go! perhaps actually the most endearing game that exists today. 

You and your friends can dine at one of the most modern new sushi restaurants in town. You’ve all skipped lunch, so you’re racing when you pass the best combination of sushi plates.

With beautiful works of art and simple mechanisms such as collecting kits and preparing cards, Sushi Go! will definitely become a new favorite game.

But beware ... these cards are so cute that you may never be able to eat sushi again.

Sushi Go!
Sushi Go!
  • Includes 108 cards
  • Game rules
  • Strengthens likelihood, visual discrimination and strategic ...

# 17. Forbidden Desert

Forbidden desert cheap board game

Your helicopter crashed in the middle of a barren desert and somehow your only hope is to find the legendary flying machine buried in the dunes. Best of luck!

Forbidden Desert is a cooperative board game in which players make decisions along with time (and don’t die of thirst) before a sandstorm erases everything. Banned Series ( Iceland , Desert, Sky) are fantastic and really collaborative games that really make it easier to introduce new players to board games.

Get ready to dig your friends out of the sand (a lot), share water and somehow try to find the pieces of the flying machine before time runs out!

Forbidden desert
Forbidden desert
  • Thirst for survival
  • 2 to 5 players
  • Play time: 45 minutes

# 18. Hanabi

Hanabi card game

Everyone loves fireworks! Unless you are one of the incompetent pyrotechnicians who completely mismanaged the screen settings. Now is the time to combine your performances and make sure the audience gets the show they came for.

Hanabi is a deduction and memory card game that is also cooperative. This game is sure to appeal to new players who want to dip their foot into the games with a fast, 20-minute game. Cooperative games are also a great way to introduce players to board games who may not like the idea of ​​strong competition. 

Hanabi marks all the boxes. Race the clock, build fireworks and launch rockets!

Hanabi card game
Hanabi card game
  • For 2-5 players
  • 2013 Spiele des Jahres game of the year
  • Playing takes about 20-30 minutes

# 19

A coup d'etat game

What do you do when the government is flooded with corruption?

Organize a coup, of course!

Coup is an elimination bluff game in which players use the special abilities of their cards to retrieve coins (called quests ) and eliminate the influence of opponents. The impact is in the form of two cards that each player receives. When you lose influence, your chances and abilities diminish.

Card games are ideal transitional games as they are small, compact and will not overwhelm new players with many bells and whistles. Coup is a short and sweet game in which you can lie to your friends, kill them one by one and reap the benefits. What could be better?

Coup
Coup
  • Age Mfg. Minimum: 120.0 months
  • For 2 to 6 players
  • Play in 15 minutes

# 20. Edition at the House on the Hill

Issued image in the form of a betrayal in a board game

We saved one of our favorites for last. Betrayal isn’t necessarily what comes to mind when you think of “transition game,” but it’s actually a great mid-size game that you can visit when you’ve struggled through this list. Medium size? Wow, I hear like a car salesman.

The House on the Hill Edition is a semi-cooperative / hidden board game in which actors immerse themselves in a B- Film horror film in which a group of Scooby-Doo-style characters enter a house with scarecrows together.

The basic game includes 50 scenarios, and each is completely different. 

The edition knits a story in 2 parts. In the first, players walk around the house and look around and explore . Haunt fired another. Players will read a scenario that depends on the rooms and objects revealed.

It catches every single horror trope you can think of in these 50 scenarios. Think of the ax maniac, the creepy kids, and even the evil cats. 

The betrayal was a little more complicated at first, but the actors told me straight out that they hated board games, and when they left the table, they couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful it was.

Edition at the House on the Hill
Edition at the House on the Hill
  • Tile after tile, terror after terror, build your mansion with scary houses ...
  • With 50 blood clotting scenarios, every trip to the house on ...
  • Players must work together to survive the nightmare.

Wrap-Up

Playing board games is both a fun activity and a wonderful means of social interaction. You think about strategy, you discuss options and just spending quality time. 

Involving family and close friends in casual board games can sometimes seem like an impossible task. And with some cleverly chosen transition games, you'll all be together in no time. 

What are your success stories about gambling? We would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

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