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Introduction

There are many places to play games online, whether you want to play with other players at the same time like you would in a face-to-face game (real-time), or whether you want players to take their turns at their leisure, with games taking days/weeks (turn-based). This page lists sites that support multiple games, are free to play (some with premium features), and support at least English. See very bottom for list of where to play specific games online.

Most popular sites with large selection of free games

These will be the sites most players will want to start with. These websites offer access to a wide variety of games through webpage sign ups or apps and most allow playing games in real-time (everyone playing at the same time) or taking turns over days or weeks with notifications when it's your turn. These sites tend to have games that are the more popular games on BGG (compared to traditional games like chess/checkers; see Traditional Games section for that).
Site
Description
Selection of Popular Games Included (not complete list)
Board Game Arena
Over 400 games. Fairly easy to use site where rules are enforced by the game, supporting the most languages (45). Wiki: Board Game Arena
Carcassonne, 7 Wonders, Terra Mystica, Potion Explosion, 6nimmt!, Can't Stop, Kingdomino, Sushi Go!, Downforce, Stone Age, Hanabi, Puerto Rico, Seasons, Dice Forge, Takenoko, Race for the Galaxy, Saboteur, Clans of Caledonia, Love Letter, Through the Ages: New Story of Civ, Roll for the Galaxy, Jaipur, Tzolk'in, Lost Cities, Colt Express, Red7, Tokaido, Russian Railroads, Innovation, Incan Gold, For Sale, Werewolves of Miller's Hollow, Caylus, Perudo / Liar's Dice, Eminent Domain, Coloretto, Keyflower, Hive, Lewis & Clark, Tash-Kalar,
Yucata
Over 150 games, English/German. Interface a bit more complicated/dated. Wiki: Yucata
A Few Acres of Snow, At the Gates of Loyang, Attika, Automobiles, Bruges, Cacao, Can't Stop, Carcassonne: Hunters & Gatherers, Carpe Diem, Carson City, Egizia, El Grande, Fearsome Floors, Finca, Firenze, First Class, Glen More, Hawaii, Hey that's my fish, Imhotep, Jaipur, Kashgar, La Granja, Las Vegas, Luna, Macao, Machi Koro, Mystic Vale, Navegador, Oregon, Pergamon, Port Royal, R-Eco, Rajas of the Ganges, Red7, Roll through the Ages: Bronze Age, Russian Railroads, Saint Petersburg, Snowdonia, Stone Age, Terra Mystica, The Castles of Burgundy, The Palaces of Carrara, The Speicherstadt, The Voyages of Marco Polo, Thunderstone, Thurn and Taxis, Torres, Two by Two, Valletta, Vikings, Yspahan,
Boîte à jeux
Over 60 games, German/English/French. Interface a bit more complicated/dated. Wiki: Boîte à jeux
Agricola, Alchemists, Alhambra, Bruxelles 1893, Concordia, Castles of Bugundy, Dixit, Dungeon Lords, Dungeon Petz, fearsome Floors, Ginkgopolis, GIPF (many in the series), Kanban, Mykerinos, Myrmes, Rallyman, Torres, Trajan, Tzolk'in, Vanuatu.
BrettspielWelt
The original. More than 60 games. Originally an app that you download (they still have that, which feels antiquated now) but now also with a web interface. Some discrepancies between app and web versions, particularly around game creation/joining. Weird meta-game stuff that nobody understands. Wiki: BrettspielWelt
7 Wonders, 6 nimmt!,Bruges, Can't Stop, Carcassonne, Caylus, The Crew, Evolution, Power Grid, Hadara, Tally Ho, Helvetia, Imhotep, Imperial, Kingdom Builder, Kingsburg, Puerto Rico, San Juan, St. Petersburg, Settlers of Catan, Stone Age, Pillars of the Earth, Thurn and Taxis, Tichu, Vikings, Wizard.

Other Real-Time

Sites in this list mainly support playing with all players logged in and playing at the same time, like you would around a physical table. Some also support turn-based (over days/weeks).

Site
URL
Games
Boardspace.net
http://www.boardspace.net/
Over 100 games, mostly 2 player abstracts, but a good selection of Euros, word games, and multiplayer abstracts. The most popular multiplayer games are Euphoria, Viticulture and Container. Abstracts include Hive, the entire set of Gipf games, and a lot more you've probably never heard of. Come explore!
  • Almost all of the games have the option to play a robot.
  • Play from almost any platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and IOS are supported.
  • Current Boardspace.net Games
Days of Wonder
http://www.daysofwonder.com/
Ticket to Ride, Gang of Four, Queen's Necklace, Fist of Dragonstones, Memoir '44. Must buy games to play online.
Gravon
http://www.gravon.de
Very hard to use. Balloon Cup, Black Spy, Bridge, Carolus Magnus, Chess, Clans, Connect Four, Hyle, Mahjong, Malefiz, Mömmen, Mühle, Scarab, Stratego, Tichu, Tic-Tac-Toe, Twilight (19 Games Total)
Happy Meeple
https://www.happymeeple.com
Easy to use site for quick 2 player games. Cartographers, Lost Cities, Hanamikoji, Circle The Wagons, Keltis card game, Siberia Card, Glastonbury, Finito!, Migrato, Level X, Keltis Ór, Raging Bulls, HexRoller.
  • Tutorials for every game in 4 languages (English, French, German, Spanish)
  • 12 Strong AI for most 2-player games
  • A new line of solo games
  • A meeple world (metagame)
  • Chat, ranking lists, friendly community
Tabletopia.com
https://tabletopia.com/
Various games in a simulated 3D table environment like playing the real game. Currently, over 1500 games available.
Tabletop Playground
https://tabletop-playground.com/
A sandbox experience featuring deep customization and choice, play immersive tabletop sessions with friends, build new games using the powerful in-game editor and play custom-made games from the community.
Tabletop Simulator
https://www.tabletopsimulator.com/
A physics engine that simulates tables and game components so they can be manipulated in real time. There are free & paid options. Some games are user created, while others are put out by publishers. There are 1000s of games currently available.
Triqqy
http://triqqy.com
Small mix of euro (mostly older) and traditional games, e.g.: Tigris & Euphrates, Samurai, Through The Desert, Shipyard
VASSAL
https://vassalengine.org/
Java-based local app rather than in-browser (like Tabletop Simulator and ZunTsu). Focused on wargames but with a surprisingly eclectic collection of modules. Also supports turn-based mode.
ZunZtu
https://zuntzu.com/index.htm

Turn-Based

Sites in this list mainly support playing over days/weeks/months, with players typically logging to take one turn at a time (aka "turn-based"). Some sites also support real-time play (but are primarily turn-based). These sites also have relatively small number of games and/or interfaces which are not as modern/easy as the sites in the first section.
Site
URL
Games
18xx.games
http://18xx.games/
Both real-time and turn-based 18xx games with rule enforcement. Shikoku 1889, 18Chesapeake, 1846: The Race for the Midwest, and more, with additional games being added frequently.
MaBiWeb
http://www.mabiweb.com/
Mykerinos, Richelieu, In the Shadow of the Emperor, Gods, Kreta, UR, In the Year of the Dragon, Nations
Boardgamecore
http://play.boardgamecore.net
An online version of (mostly) Splotter games: Antiquity, Food Chain Magnate, Wir sind das Volk ! and The Great Zimbabwe (FCM and WSDV being playable real-time as well)
BoardGamePlay
https://boardgameplay.com
Rurik: Dawn of Kiev, The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire, The Artemis Project, The Great Race, Montana, Urbino.
Boardgames-Online
http://boardgames-online.net
A selection of Michael Schacht titles. Super old-skool website.
Bodogemu
https://bodogemu.com
Eclectic set of 16 mostly abstract (and obscure) games. All mobile friendly.
Little Golem
http://www.littlegolem.net
Several dozen classic (Chess, Go, Shogi, etc) and modern (Hex, Twixt, DVONN, TZAAR, etc) abstract strategy games, as well as a few word games.
MindSports
http://mindsports.nl/
Various abstract (and mostly obscure) games.
Rally the Troops!
https://rally-the-troops.com/
Mostly war games: 300: Earth & Water, Crusader Rex, Hammer of the Scots, Julius Caesar, Pax Pamir, Richard III, Shores of Tripoli, Wilderness War
SlothNinja Games
http://www.slothninja.com/
Mostly Indonesia. Also After The Flood, Confucius, Guild of Thieves, Tammany Hall
SpielByWeb
http://www.spielbyweb.com/
Old site with old games: Bus, Hacienda, Hoity Toity, Reef Encounter, Tikal, Wallenstein, Santiago
Wargame Room
http://www.mobileboardgames.com/
Strategy war games with leaderboards: Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, TwilightStruggle, Command & Colors Ancients, Up Front, 1989: Dawn of Freedom, Paths of Glory, Fire in the Lake
You Play It
http://www.youplay.it/
Blue Max, Cartagena, King Me!, VampiRing, Wooden Ships & Iron Men, Gonzaga.
YourturnMyturn
https://www.brettspielnetz.de/
Moved to a new host on September 2023 - Random collection of almost 50 games, mostly older/abstract but some euros, e.g. Tally Ho!, Lost Cities, Kahuna, Hey! That's My Fish! (Penguin), Scrabble, Triple Yahzee, etc.

Traditional Games

Sites in this list support games commonly referred to as "traditional games" or "parlor games".
Site
URL
Games
Grand Games
https://en.grandgames.net/online/
Chess, Draughts, Poddavki, Anti-chess, Checkers, Gomoku, connect6
Chess Variants
https://www.chessvariants.com/play/
Many chess variants.
Ludoteka
http://www.ludoteka.com/
28 Board Games and 17 Card Games
Mindoku
http://www.mindoku.com
Chess (and variants), Checkers (and variants), Entropy/Hyle-7, Go-Moku, Renju, Pente, Connect Four, Stack 4D, Othello, Sudoku, Podkidnoi/Durak, Lines of Action.
Papergames
http://papergames.io/
Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect 4, Gomoku, and Battleship
igGameCenter
http://www.iggamecenter.com
Over 100 abstract games.
PlayOK
http://www.playok.com/
About 30 various abstract/card games
BrainKing
http://www.brainking.com
Over 100 games and variants, predominantly things like chess, checkers, pente and variants.
GoldToken.com
http://goldtoken.com
Classic and modern board games with variants. A vibrant community of gamers. The Official game site for a number of associations.
ItsYourTurn.com
http://itsyourturn.com
Around a dozen traditional abstract games with dozens of variants.
Super Duper Games
http://superdupergames.org/
105 games, mostly abstracts, including Icehouse pyramid games (e.g. Homeworlds, Martian Chess, Pikemen, Volcano, Branches) as well as many other abstract games old and new.
the new amecy games
https://new.amecy.com/
Chess, Connect6, Hex, Amazons, Phutball, Twixt, Toguz Kumalak
lichess
https://lichess.org/
Chess and variants (Crazyhouse, Chess960, King of the Hill, Three-check, Antichess, Atomic, Horde, Racing Kings)
lidraughts
https://lidraughts.org/
Draughts and variants (Checkers, Frisian, Frysk!, Antidraughts, Breakthrough, Russian, Brazilian)
World Tafl Federation
http://aagenielsen.dk/
Variations of the Viking game of Hnefatafl including Tablut, Brandubh and Berserk Hnefatafl. Also Hex.
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