I’ll be honest – I’m not a big game player. My son is still kinda mad that we didn’t play more family board games when he was a child. But I never liked the feeling of working against each other.
We had a few cooperative board games, but they were mostly for young kids. I wish I had looked more into games like the ones on this list. Might try one on the kids’ next vacation from college!
These are the best cooperative board games if you would prefer not to play competitively. These games offer unique challenges that can only be completed by working together as a team. It turns out that playing board games is much more relaxed when players are not trying to take advantage of each other.
There are a lot of cooperative board games available, so it can be hard to choose which one to play. To help you choose, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorites. You’ll find games to suit all age-groups and skill-levels below.
We’ve found the best co-op board games and created a software that searches for discounts on these games every 30 minutes. To see the lowest price, just click the button next to each recommendation.
1. Pandemic
If you’re looking for an amazing co-op experience, Pandemic is the perfect game. It’s extremely challenging, and victory depends on how well you and your teammates communicate.
There are four deadly diseases that have broken out and you need to cure them before they overrun the world. The diseases spread quickly and become more dangerous over time, so you have to make every decision carefully.
This text is discussing the board game Pandemic, and how it is a blast from start to finish. It epitomizes good teamwork and is difficult, yet engrossing in a way few other co-op board games manage to be.
2. Betrayal at House on the Hill
Betrayal at House on the Hill is an excellent board game for adults and teens. It is creepy and unusual, but also provides an excellent adventure. The game scenarios are both scary and bizarre, and there are tasks to complete as you play. If you are looking for an exciting cooperative board game to play with friends, Betrayal at House on the Hill is the perfect choice.
3. Forbidden Island
Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss!
4. Unfathomable
If you want to make sure everyone stays on the edge of their seat, include some traitors in your story. Unfathomable does this to great effect, and the result is good. Monstrously good, you could say.
Although it is set in the Arkham Horror universe, Unfathomable manages to keep the same great gameplay that made Battlestar so popular.
You are all humans, trying to steer your passenger ship to safety whilst fending off Deep Ones. The ‘hybrids’ are bent on sabotaging the ship in secret. This means that you can’t trust anyone. And because teamwork is your only hope of winning, it’s a fun Catch 22 to wrestle with.
5. The Captain is Dead: Dangerous Planet
- Players: 2
- Ages: 14+
- Time: 60-90 minutes.
If you’re a teenager or older, you’ll love playing The Captain is Dead: Dangerous Planet. It’s a great board game for adults that captures the feel of classic Star Trek movies. Gather your friends and family to try out this fun game.
6. Horrified
Horrified is a great cooperative board game that is similar to stepping into a pair of comfy old slippers. It is packed with iconic horror characters such as Dracula and the Mummy. The game is also very innovative and will keep you coming back for more.
To stop the old-school boogeymen from murdering innocent people, you must destroy the monsters before they have a chance to feed. Although this may seem like a difficult task, it is possible. Each villain has a weakness that can be exploited in order to defeat them. For example, all of Dracula’s coffins must be destroyed before he can be killed by staking him in the heart. By using the specific strategy for each villain, you can manage to protect the innocent people without leaving them undefended.
The text is discussing the “trolley problem,” which is a situation where there is no clear right choice. The example given is that if Dracula is about to feast on one villager, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon has cornered more civilians, and you can only save one, then someone is going to die no matter what you do. The text concludes that this makes the game more interesting.
7. Mysterium
If you enjoying solving mysteries from the comfort of your own home, Mysterium is perfect for you. It’s a classic whodunnit, but with a twist – the murder victim is helping you solve their own death.
In this game, you play as a ghost who can only communicate through vision cards. These cards are deliberately vague, so it is up to the other players to figure out what they mean in order to track down the killer. This makes for an engrossing puzzle that will keep you busy.
Mysterium has a time limit where the ghost fades away and you can’t investigate anymore, so it’s important to work together quickly and efficiently to try and figure out who the murderer is. The time limit adds suspense and urgency to the game, making it one of the best cooperative board games.
8. Arkham Horror: Final Hour
- Players: 1- 4
- Ages: 14+
- Time: 30-60 minutes.
If you’re looking for a board game that will scare and entertain you and your friends, Arkham Horror: Final Hour might be the best choice for you. With its scary atmosphere and exciting gameplay, it’s sure to give you goosebumps. Try it out and see for yourself!
9. Hanabi
- Players: 2- 5
- Ages: 8+
- Time: 20- 30 minutes.
Named for the Japanese word for “fireworks”, Hanabi is a cooperative game in which players try to create the perfect fireworks show by placing the cards on the table in the right order. In this one, players cannot communicate with each other except for basic hints.
No one can see your hand of cards except for you, and you can’t tell anyone else what you have. It’s up to you to figure out how to arrange the fireworks correctly, without knowing what everyone else has.
10. Descent: Legends of the Dark
Descent: Legends of the Dark is a great roleplaying game because it has a companion app that helps with the complicated rules, so players can focus on enjoying the game.
The app provides a sense of mystery by dictating enemy placement and deciding what comes next in your story, which makes it feel more like a video game than anything else.
Although the combat is fast-paced, it is still enjoyable and challenging. The item cards and fatigue mechanic add depth to the gameplay, and the 3D cardboard terrain and 40 detailed miniatures make it even more fun.
11. The Captain is Dead: Dangerous Planet
In ‘The Captain is Dead: Dangerous Planet’, the player takes on the role of a redshirt, which is known to be a doomed situation. However, it is the only chance of survival. This is the third installment in the franchise, and it is a clever and compelling game. It is not necessary to have played the previous two games in order to enjoy this one. The game is a push-your-luck style cooperative board game with a lot of depth, and it is one of the best games of its kind from the last few years.
The commander of your away-mission has been killed in action. You must complete their quest and gather alien artifacts before you’re overwhelmed by the planet’s bug-like inhabitants. To collect all the artifacts, you’ll need to venture deeper into enemy territory. You must have top-notch tactics to get out alive.
Dangerous Planet is similar to many of the best co-op board games, such as Betrayal and Pandemic. It features a randomized board and becomes increasingly difficult over time. Therefore, it is a real test of skill that tabletop veterans will enjoy.
12. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Despite being almost 40 years old, Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is still a great co-op board game for adults. It is intriguing, engaging, and deeply challenging – perfect for amateur sleuths.
You play one of the Baker Street Irregulars, a group that tells Sherlock Holmes about everything going on in London. You have to solve numerous cases before Sherlock does. This is not easy, because the cases involve everything from curses to murders. You have to be prepared for anything.
The addition of a time limit creates a more intense and collaborative atmosphere as players work together to find clues in props and case files. The immersion into the story is increased, making the experience more enjoyable.
13. Back to the Future: Dice Through Time
Board game fans rejoice! In this lighthearted cooperative board game, players must put together a team to save the universe from Biff Tannen. Scattered throughout time and space are various items that Biff has stolen in the most outrageous case of littering ever. If players can’t find and put back all of the items, history is doomed. So cue the music and get ready for an adventure!
The board game Back to the Future: Dice Through Time is based on the film trilogy of the same name. The game board is split into four eras – 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015 – representing the time periods in the films. Players must navigate the board to retrieve every item Biff has stolen. They also have to clear beloved events from the movies (including Marty’s skateboard chase around the town square) while watching out for paradoxes that’ll end the game if they’re not managed. Oh, and two players landing in the same space will have dire consequences due to the rule that you should never, ever meet your past or future self.
The really fun part of the game is not the dice rolls which allow you to jump between time-streams, but the rule where you can ‘ripple’ dice through time. This allows you to leave dice for another player to use in a different era, which demonstrates how much more there is under the hood than Easter eggs.
14. Atlantis Rising
- Players: 1-7
- Ages: 10+
- Time: 45- 60+ minutes
If you’re looking for a great cooperative board game to play with your friends, Atlantis Rising is the perfect choice. In this worker placement game, you must gather resources and build a cosmic gate to save your people from Atlantis before it sinks into the ocean. The game includes different components and small artifacts to enhance your gameplay experience.
15. Aeon’s End
- Players: 1- 4
- Ages: 14+
- Time: 45- 60 minutes
Aeon’s End is a cooperative board game for couples that features dark themes and scary monsters. In this game, players must work together to take down a member of The Nameless. The goal is to stop the demon before it destroys the city.
