Tabletop games are great for people to come together and bond by having fun through cooperation or competition depending on the game they play. There are thousands of different board games to choose from, all with their premises, rules, stories, genres, and durations. While some players get scared off by the lengthy 𒉰game times written on the boxes of some tabletop games, others get excited because they know that they are in for a ride.

We've curated a list of some of the best tabletop games for you and your group to play for a long night of tabletop gaming. These games are all perfect for a lengthy night of playing your favorite board game with your favorite people.

Updated January 26th, 2024 by Kenny Kimberly: As the years have gone on, the tabletop genre has only continued to flourish, while the tastes of the average consumer have also shifted. We've come back to tidy up this list, recommend some different games, and fully endorse a few classics for you to enjoy the next time you and your friends are ready to dedicate the night to a tabletop game.

Best Versus Long-Term Tabletop Game
Settlers of Catan
Player Count
3-4
Age Recommendation
10+
Length per Game
60 Mins+
Publishing Co
Catan Studio 🍨
Weight
2 lbs

Catan has solidified itself as one of the best multiplayer versus games, but you'll want to set a few hours aside to play a full match. Games can take several hours, with ♍the time typically extending the more pla🍰yers you have, up to six.

Pros & Cons
  • Several expansions and offshoots to play
  • Can play with as few as two players
  • Suitable for up to six players

Catan has becomeꦍ one of the most populꦡar games for tabletop enthusiasts. You can find this game in several forms, including several online platforms, though some of these have performance issues. Our favorite way to play this game is through its classic tabletop form.

Speaking of classics, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Catan also has several𝕴 expansions and offshoots, such as Seafarers. These are excellent additions, but not completely necessary to the experience. In the base game, you'll compete against, cooperate with, and lie your way through a game on your way to completing certain objectives. You can play this game with as few as two players, or as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:many as six.

Best Expansion To An Existing Long Tabletop Game
Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion expansion box

Working as an expansion to Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion is a prequel to it story-wise. Players can use this as a standalone game, or p🌼air it with the original Gloomhaven fo🃏r a longer experience.

Pros & Cons
  • Functions as a prequel to Gloomhaven
  • Expands on the original release
  • Can be played as a standalone title instead of needing Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven fans may be surprised to see the offshoot Jaws of the Lion on this list, but it's a perfect choice for a long-session tabletop night. This game is playable on its own as a standalone title but shines best as an expansion to the original Gloomhaven.

Gl🐷oomhaven is suited to two or ✨more players. Once you get the hang of it, games will go a bit quicker. But even at their fastest, a full campaign will take at least an hour or two of focused gameplay.

Best Star Wars Tie-In Board Game
Star Wars Rebellion Tabletop Game
Franchise
Star Wars
Original Release Date
2016-00-00
Player Count
2-4
Age Recommendation
14+
Length per Game
3-4 hours

Ever wanted to rule the galaxy? Star Wars: Rebellion allows players to join the Rebels of the Imperials. Your choice decides your ꦍobjectives, but not how much fun you'll have.

Pros & Cons
  • Conduct guerilla strikes as the Rebels
  • Hire ruthless assassins as the Imperials
  • Beautiful, unique game pieces and miniatures

Star Wars fans and tabletop fans alike can join in with Star Wars: Rebellion. This game sets you into the Star Wars universe and gives you the choice of saving the galaxy from the cruel Empire, or𒉰 joining the Empir🌞e to find your place as the ruler over all.

Rebels will lead intense strikes against the Imperial forces, targeting their military facilities or the Death Star. The Imperials shift instead to hire bounty hunters and weed out the rebels, crushing them underfoot on their way to victory. No matter which side you pick, expect a game of three to 🐼four hours.

Best Version Of Pandemic
Pandemic: Reign Of Cthulhu

As a play on the original Pandemic, the Reign of Cthulhu release has functionally the same rules. Lovecraftian horror fans 💦will enjoy this game, assuming they don't mind repeated bouts of madness.

Pros & Cons
  • Punishingly difficult game means that unsuccessful playthroughs are quick
  • Faithful Lovecraftian adaptation
  • If you know how to play Pandemic, this game is easy to learn
  • Functionally the same to other Pandemic releases

Pandemic has achieved considerable popularity, but we're interested specifically in the Reign of Cthulhu offshoot. This game is fit for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:up to four players and follows𝐆 the same rules and gameplay as the original Pandemic Legacy, for the most part.

The main change is the theme of Lovecraftian horror. Fo⭕cusing on the task of closing four portals in the Lovecraftian townships, players have to calculate every move while every draw of the deck can bring them closer to madness.

Best Long-Form Mystery Tabletop Game
Mansions Of Madness

Mansions of Madness pits two to five players in a match, where one player aims to deceive and mislead the others. This🌠 long-form game's length depends on your deception skills!

Pros & Cons
  • Deceive your friends as the opposition
  • Work with your friends to solve a mystery
  • Suits 2-5 players

Madness isn't an uncommon theme in tabletop games, which hopefully isn't indicative of the stress that Mansions of madness can inflict. This quasi-cooperative board game sets two to five players mostly working together, though one player will work against the others. That player's job is to prevent others from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:solving a mystery.

One of Mansions of Madness's selling points is that it isn't purely pen-and-paper. Instead, players make use of an app that helps them control and deceive others. Games should take about two to three hours.

Best Card-Based Tabletop Game
Arkham Horror card game box

Arkham Horror is a card game classic for fans of long-form tabletops. You can enj🐼oy this game with six players or practice your skills solo.

Pros & Cons
  • RPG character-building elements
  • Can play solo
  • Suits up to six players

Still looking for the perfect horror game for you and your friends to play on a rainy night? Arkham Horror is a classic of tabletop games, but be careful - this game is reputable for being a bit challenging to lea♍rn.

Arkham Horror is more of a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:card game than a pure board game. It's cooperative for up to four players but can be played with only two, and even has compatibility for a solo player. Expect games to take an hour or two.

Best Game To Forge And Break Alliances
The 7th Continent card game box

In The 7th Continent, players are at the mercy of the heart of the cards. A randomised pile of action cards will choose your c𒊎hallenges, which can drastically lengthen or shorten the average game.

Pros & Cons
  • The draw of different cards can make the game shorter or longer
  • Can choose to cooperate with your friends as allies
  • Can instead play aggressively and cut off aid to your friends.

It isn't often that we see modern board games that are playable either cooperatively or solo. What's even rarer is the play duration on the box that states the playtime may vary from a mere five minutes to sixteen hours or more.

Although this variation may sound ridiculous, every playthrough is different since this game plays like a choose-your-own-adventure game in which you have to lift a curse. Don't be intimidated by the potential length of games. The 7th Continent has a saving system to let you pick up again from where you left off.

Quickest Setup For A Long Board Game
Descent: Legends Of The Dark board game box
Player Count
1 to 4
Age Recommendation
14+
Length per Game
2 to 3 hours 🐈

Descent: Legends of the Dar🍰k iཧs suitable for up to four players and takes about three to four hours to finish. An official app is necessary to help control the monsters and give a deeper immersion.

Pros & Cons
  • 3-4 hour playtime on average
  • Use the Descent app for better immersion and monster control
  • Needs an app to truly shine

Descent: Legends of the Dark is a newer entry💞 into the famous Descent franchise. In this iteration, players use an app to control monsters, set up the board, and more.

Legends of the Dark is streamlined for four players, but can work fine with♋ just one. Fourteen quests within the game create another 60+ hours of content, but a single playthrough should only take about three hours.

Best Civilization-Building Tabletop Game
Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn

While most of us know Sid Meier's Civilization franchise for its video game adaptation, the 1980 titan still stands up today. This iconic board game gives you sev💧eral hours to build up a civilization and conquer your nei൩ghbors.

Pros & Cons
  • Build up a civilization
  • An expansion allows up to five players
  • Affordable as far as modern board games go

The Civilization franchise is most known now for their virtual adaptation, but Sid Meier's original release has been one of the most influential tabletop games over the decades. Released in the '80s, this game has been lauded for being one of the first games to ever use a tech tree.

We've included A New Dawn instead of the vanilla version due to its ease for newcomers to pick up while still challenging veteran players. Suited for up to four players, it's also a bit quicker than the vanilla version, taking about two hours to finish a playthrough.

Best Modern Board Game Based On A Classic
Monopoly Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Edition

Given that both games are famous for taking ages, how long could a D&D-Monopoly hybrid take? This game also shifts the rules of Monopoly to focus less on capitalistic domi✃nation and more on ꦺdungeon delving

Pros & Cons
  • Reworks Monopoly's rules into a more cooperative experience
  • Rules are familiar for anyone that's played Monopoly
  • Perks based on your chosen character

Many people who have seen the Honor Among Thieves version of Monopoly have written it off as the hundredth rebranding of the classic capitalist board game. But this new version plays complet🌸ely different from the original, encouraging cooperation.

Players will choose their character and enjoy a list of traits from them. These traits allow you to help your teammates in t🃏he quest to explore the dungeons on the board. Once all are explored, the game ends, making the length of the game a party choi🐲ce.

FAQ

How Long Does A Tabletop Game Need To Be Long?

Most of the time, people refer to games that take two hours or more as a long game. Some can go up to four or six hours, while games past that are ty💖pically multi-session games.

Are There Long Single-Player Tabletop Games?

Yes! We've included several on our list, like the Arkham Horror card game.

Can I Break My Tabletop Campaign Into Sessions?

There's certainly no reason not to. Don't let time stop you from playing a long-form tabletop game. Break your campaign up into several sessions so you and your friends can play when it best suits you.

Next
168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Creepiest Board Games In 2024

Want to substitute your long tabletop campaign with something that'll leav🏅e your table shaking? Click here for⛎ the creepiest board games on the market.