Best Economics Board Games: Ruining Friendships and Emboldening Cut-throats

Introduction

If you were born into the modern world, then chances are that you’re playing a game you never wanted to: Economics.

There’s an extensive extended definition for what it means, but it just means the systems people use to trade money and goods. They come in a few different flavors, but ultimately one thing holds true: It doesn’t matter where you are. If there’s a way for people to buy and sell items, there’s economics at play!

Unfortunately, my mother was never much for understanding economics on a macro level. Instead, she tended to focus on the tabletop level. In other words, she’s never been very good with money that wasn’t multicolored and packaged with an explicit set of rules. Conversely, she was always VERY good at economics board games.

Which she proved to me. Over and Over again.

She’d been playing them pretty much all her life. She’d amassed quite a collection by the time I was born, with some being decades older than she was. She grew up in a small farming community and was never exceedingly popular. Instead, she spent much time at home with her parents playing board games.

We just crossed what the “Last Days of School” for me were, and for the earliest years of my life, that ALSO meant it was time to gather around the table and play board games. So I’ve had quite the education in economics board games. I’ve played more of them than I care to count. They were never my favorite. Even so, I get nostalgic for them around this time of year.

Of course, being the age I am now and living in the world that I do, I’m left with a question:

Which of these games is the best?

Bottom Line Up Front

It’s Monopoly. Of course, it’s Monopoly. I don’t necessarily want it to be Monopoly, but it must be Monopoly. There’s a more nuanced reason in the list below, but ultimately, it comes down to how pervasive Monopoly is as a game. Love it or hate it, we’ve all played it, and sometimes it feels like we never stop playing it.

Criteria

How does one choose what makes an economics board game one of the best? In my case, I’m going to use the following four primary criteria.

Economics: – This may be the most important one, given the list we’re making today. However, it’s misleading. This ultimately refers to the value of the board game. It will get a better place on the list if it has a ton in the box or multiple ways to play.

Education: – Board Games should be fun, sure. But Economics board games have an extra opportunity. They can be fun AND educational. If a board job does a better job at demonstrating how to hold on to money, and the power it can have, then it will get a more valuable spot.

Accessibility: – Listen, Board games should be for everyone. If adults and children can easily understand a game, it deserves a reward.

Fun: – Now, THIS is the one I consider to be the most important. If a board game isn’t fun, it’s not really a game. It’s structured homework. If a match is more enjoyable and engaging than others, that will have more weight than if it better fits any of the previous criteria.

With no further ado, it’s time to choose a banker and open the vault:

Vegas Showdown

Publisher: Avalon Hill
Year Released: 2005
How Many Can Play?: 3-5
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 75 Min
Age Rating: 12+

I’m not a big fan of Vegas. It’s bright, it’s loud, and it’s obnoxious. But I’m given to understand that’s why some people love it.

Vegas Showdown brings the glitz and glamour of Sin City to your tabletop. In this strategic competition, players become tycoons, constructing their own extravagant casino resorts. With each turn, you bid on tiles, strategically placing them to maximize profits and attract high-rolling guests. It’s a game of cunning and calculated risks where every decision counts.

The stakes are high, just like a game of blackjack. Get ready to ante up, roll the dice, and aim for a winning hand as you build your way to fame and fortune in this casino shootout.

I put it at the bottom because I couldn’t resist going against the apparent dovetailing of “21”. Also, because I don’t much like Vegas, this too closely aligns with it for my own good.

Twilight Imperium

Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games
Year Released: 2017 (For the Fourth Edition)
How Many Can Play?: 3-6
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 240 Min+
Age Rating: 14+

Some settings are so well-known they’re almost impossible to escape. They cast their shadow over an entire genre and shape others that follow in their wake.

I’m not saying Twilight Imperium was ripping off Warhammer 40k, but I think the former fell under the latter’s shadow. Seventeen Factions vie for supremacy in a sector of space occupied by a previously strong intergalactic community. This game’s thriving economy is based on trading with your fellow players. Trading is one of the conditions for victory, but far from the only one. Conquest is an option!

This game is VERY Complicated. We had an older edition when I was growing up, and I bought one to play with my friends recently. It would get a better score if it could get finished in ONE sitting because I often need my kitchen table between game sessions.

Bulls and Bears

Publisher: Mario Fischel
Year Released: 1988
How Many Can Play?: 2-6
Currently Available?: No
Average Play Time: 60 Minutes
Age Rating: 11+

This game immerses players in the “thrilling” world of the stock market.

However, it’s worth noting that Bulls and Bears presents a simplified version of reality like any stock market simulation. The game captures the essence of trading with its fast-paced gameplay and unpredictable market fluctuations. You navigate the ups and downs of the financial realm and strategically buy and sell stocks to maximize profits.

It’s an entertaining experience, but it’s important to remember that the real stock market is far more complex and unpredictable. So, while Bulls and Bears offer a taste of the excitement, take its portrayal of stock trading with a grain of salt and conduct thorough research before making real-life investment decisions.

Seriously, though. This is great if you’re interested in a quick, easy-to-learn game!

Isle of Skye

Publisher:
Year Released: 2015
How Many Can Play?: 2-5
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 30-50 minutes
Age Rating: 8+

Isle of Skye transports players to the fascinating realm of old Scottish culture.

In this strategic tile-laying adventure, you become a chieftain tasked with constructing a thriving landscape of villages, farms, and monuments. Each turn, you must carefully evaluate the ever-changing market and value of the tiles to set prices and make the most lucrative trades you can.

Isle of Skye draws inspiration from the folklore of the region and uses those elements of cultural lore, creating a sense of wonder and immersion. From mystical creatures to legendary tales, the game seamlessly blends gameplay with the allure of ancient myths, allowing players to embark on a mythological journey while crafting their own strategic empire.

This is an excellent example of a game that blends mechanics and culture to make itself fun!

Deep State

Publisher: CrowD games
Year Released: 2019
How Many Can Play?: 1-5
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 45-75 minutes
Age Rating: 14+

The game may be ironic. What’s unironic is how much I love it!

Many might not call it an economic board game, but I would disagree. Technically speaking, this is a game about politics. The entire premise of the game is about buying and trading things. We’re just dealing in nonstandard “products” using a different currency.

(Also, anyone who doesn’t think politics and money goes hand in hand hasn’t been paying attention).

The game operates in three phases. The Action Phase, the Takeover Phase, and the Treaty phase. The first one is all about action, and it involves sending your people on different missions to acquire things in various sectors. In the “Takeover phase”, your agents make an attempt to take their targets over.

Then comes the Treaty phase, or as I call it, “The Wheeling-and-Dealing” phase.

This is where the heart of the game’s economic branding is, and it’s on the strength of this phase that Deep State takes the seventeenth spot.

Heard the News

Publisher: SimplyFun
Year Released: 2014
How Many Can Play?: 2-4
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
Age Rating: 12+

Another stock-trading game!

I prefer this one a little more than Bulls and Bears because it’s quicker, easier, and more accessible. Players read “News” from prewritten cards and make decisions about what stocks they’re buying and selling that turn. Then player check the back of the card, see which direction the stocks have gone, and calculate their profits and losses.

After ten rounds of this, players total up their profits, and the one with the most money wins!

Outpost

Publisher: Stronghold Games
Year Released: 1991
How Many Can Play?: 2-9
Currently Available?: No
Average Play Time: 150
Age Rating: 12+

The stars are the limit in this game. Literally.

You play as different colonies, struggling to survive on alien planets. There are no actual aliens, fortunately. Instead, players draw cards to proceed through three phases, slowly advancing their colonists after each phase. Different categories grow depending on the improvements made during the previous phase, and how well you did during the last phase determines how many upgrades you can buy for the next go around.

It’s not the most straightforward game to learn, but rounds can proceed pretty quickly after you have a handle on it. I didn’t play this one nearly as much as others, so I don’t have much more to say about it.

Bank it!

Publisher: SimplyFun
Year Released: 2010
How Many Can Play?: 1-4
Currently Available?: No
Average Play Time: 30 Min
Age Rating: 6+

This is an excellent game for kids!

I like this one because it teaches kids the value of money when it’s in the bank and the difference between an active and a passive income. It teaches young people the importance of working to save money. Players compete to be the fastest ones to have enough money saved to buy a new bank.

Unfortunately, other games aren’t much more complicated and do it better. So this one quickly started gathering dust in favor of some others.

Through the Ages

Publisher: Czech Board Games
Year Released: 2009
How Many Can Play?: 2-4
Currently Available?: An Updated version is!
Average Play Time: 120 Min
Age Rating: 12+

Take on the role of a leader and guide your nations through the ages!

Economic management is at the heart of this game. Players must balance resources, production, and technological advancements to build a thriving civilization. Every decision impacts the nation’s economic growth and development, from managing the workforce to investing in infrastructure and discovering new technologies.

The game introduces intricate mechanics such as resource allocation, trade, and scientific research, providing a realistic and engaging economic simulation. Players must carefully strategize to maximize their resources, acquire powerful cards, and outmaneuver opponents to gain an advantage.

Success hinges on astute economic planning and adapting to changing circumstances. It is a compelling choice for those who enjoy deep, strategic gameplay and the thrill of building a thriving civilization.

This is a great game, and the only thing holding it back is how complicated it can be from turn to turn!

Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valley

Publisher: Pressman Toy Corp
Year Released: 2018
How Many Can Play?: 2-4
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
Age Rating: 13+

Who hasn’t wanted to play a board game where you can die of dysentery?

With that obligatory joke out of the way: This is a great game. As you play, you build the board ahead of you by drawing and placing down tiles. Every player has a wagon representing them and their family en route to Oregon.

The name of the game here is resource management. There are a few actions you COULD do on any turn, but you can’t do all of them, so you have to plan carefully. The difference between when to move and when to hunt could be life and death. Your family doesn’t all have to make it, but the more who do, the better your chance to win the game.

My only problem is I find it pretty bleak. I don’t just say that as the Native American guy playing a board game about Manifest Destiny.

Scythe

Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Year Released: 2016
How Many Can Play?: 1-5
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 90-115 Minutes
Age Rating: 14+

The real star of this board game is the setting.

This takes place in a dystopian version of 1920s Europe, where diesel-powered mech suits were created in an effort to win the first world war. Unfortunately, they’ve now taken over most of the world, like an Art Deco Skynet.

Players pick one of five factions and spend their turns trying to one-up each other and the mysterious “Factory.” Players CAN choose to fight each other, but there are other roads to power in this game that don’t risk death or the massive loss of resources.

Different factions get different things to start, including different resources and starting positions and an individual secret objective to complete. The first player to complete six stars worth of objectives wins.

It’s complicated but not overly so. The complexity comes from how many decisions you can make. There’s very little luck in this game, as most things are based on player choice, and what’s not can often be mitigated with shrewd decision-making. It’s also well-designed, so the gameplay is really quick!

It also has a few expansion packs that cause the game to play differently. However, I have yet to play those, so I don’t feel as comfortable rating them.

Grand Austria Hotel

Publisher: Lookout Games
Year Released:
How Many Can Play?: 2-4
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
Age Rating: 12+

Grand Austria Hotel invites players to take on the role of hoteliers in Imperial Vienna.

With its intricate gameplay mechanics, it’s got a good blend of strategy and resource management. Players must carefully juggle multiple tasks, such as hiring staff, accommodating guests, and fulfilling their desires. The game’s dice-drafting system adds an element of excitement and decision-making as you strategically allocate your dice rolls to perform various actions. Every move counts in this game!

Grand Austria Hotel offers a profoundly satisfying gameplay experience, where meticulous planning and adaptability are crucial to becoming the ultimate hotel magnate in the opulent setting of historical Vienna. So it’s no surprise I’m not the best at it!

Cashflow

Publisher: Cashflow Technologies, Inc.
Year Released: 1996
How Many Can Play?: 2-6
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 180 Minutes
Age Rating: 10+

This is a game I mostly have good memories of.

It was theoretically designed by Robert Kiyosaki, the writer of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It claims gameplay can help people learn how to manage their money and “escape the Rat Race.” The big lessons from this game? Passive income is better than active income, and the best investment is usually property.

I wouldn’t say that’s “bad advice,” just not always practical for people who don’t start life in the modern world with a decent amount of capital.

My spouse and I bought it when we first tried building a business. We had a lot of fun playing it. I’d say it was more aspirational than educational, but it was simple enough we could teach the kids to play after they’d reached a certain age. Still, nostalgia got it this far on the list.

Ratrace

Publisher: Waddingtons
Year Released: 1967
How Many Can Play?: 2-6
Currently Available?: Very No
Average Play Time: 90 minutes
Age Rating: 9+

Speaking of the Ratrace…

This game is all about getting out of it as well. Every player starts as lower class and then does everything possible to advance in life. You move from the outer ring (lower class) to the middle ring (middle class) and then high society (the inner circle). You’ll face different challenges in each ring and different barriers to entry as well.

The game isn’t all about money, either. You need a certain number to get into the next ring, at which point they must be auctioned off. It involves a lot of acquiring cash, but a big part is the “status symbols” you try to win in every ring. The first player to get to $100,000 retires and wins the game.

I like this one more because it’s more honest about the amount of luck necessary. Also, status symbols are ultimately kind of pointless and pretty fleeting. If it was more available, it would have placed higher.

Pay Day

Publisher: Hasbro
Year Released: 1975
How Many Can Play?: 2-6
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 10 Minutes per month
Age Rating: 8+

What if we played Monopoly but made it more relatable?

That’s the fundamental premise of this game, and I think it really works! Before you begin to play, you decide how many months you want to play through and then do it. (I like to play twelve and make it an “Even Year.”)

You start with a set amount of money and try to make it to the next payday without taking out a loan. It’s pretty simple stuff and eminently relatable in the modern world. You have various bills and taxes to pay as you go and very little windfall most of the time. If you don’t have enough money to make it to the end of the month, you go into debt and start at a deficit the next month.

It’s fast-paced, quick to learn, and teaches a crucial lesson about how hard it can be to escape debt.

Class Struggle

Publisher: Avalon Hill
Year Released: 1978
How Many Can Play?: 2-6 Players
Currently Available?: No
Average Play Time: 90 Minutes
Age Rating: 12+

I only got to play this one a few times, but it deserves a place on the list for how daring it was in 1978.

There are two sides to the game. The Workers and the Capitalist. There are multiple workers, but the Capitalist controls almost everything but them. It’s up to the workers to work together to win the game. Because if they don’t, they lose.

I’m not prepared to speak on more profound subjects involved here. But the fact this game exists, with an in-depth explanation in the rulebook for how to use it to teach college students the power of cooperation and the dangers of letting big powers divide you, deserves some recognition.

Life

Publisher: Hasbro
Year Released: 1960
How Many Can Play?: 2-6
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 60 Minutes
Age Rating: 8+

This game shows you life can be led in different directions, and I really dig that. It also shows you that, at the end of the day, everything can get boiled down to a dollar amount. I don’t dig that as much, but it IS an important lesson to be learned. However, I will focus on the edition I’ve played the most: The Game of Life: Twists and Turns.

At the end of the game, it totals up life points instead of money. It’s still a resource, but it does show that while money is essential, it’s not everything.

You and other players make choices as you go through the board. You can fill up different tracks, including “Job,” “Family,” and others. Depending on your choices, you fill these different tracks, and then, at the end of the game, the included machine totals your life points, and the one with the highest total wins.

I like it because it’s still about economics but reminds you the point of life is to live it.

Munchkin

Publisher: Steve Jackson Games
Year Released: 2001
How Many Can Play?: 3-6
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
Age Rating: 10+

Okay. Hear me out.

This card game is more trying to replicate a TTRPG than any economic system. HOWEVER! It’s a game whose tagline encourages you to backstab your friends and steal their stuff. It’s literally encouraging you to be a cut-throat!

The gameplay loop is to draw different cards, kill monsters, and get more powerful. The first to a preset level wins.

The real economy, however, comes in learning how to hoard your cards for the right moment and, more importantly: When to help your friends and when not to. A very real amount of negotiation and cost-risk analysis goes into every turn of this game, and it shouldn’t be underestimated.

Anti Monopoly

Publisher: Anti-Monopoly Inc
Year Released: 1977
How Many Can Play?: 2-6
Currently Available?: Yes
Average Play Time: 120
Age Rating: 8+

I really hate Monopoly.

This game? Is all about punching that game in the groin repeatedly. So, of course, I love it! There are many reasons why, but some of it comes down to the fact that I’ve played with too many people who take it too seriously.

Choose to play as a Competitor or a Monopolist. The former has an easier first half, charging fair prices and dealing fairly with people, while the second has an easier last half. The mechanical difference comes down to the choices you make! Choose to be honest or Cut-Throat. It’s not harder to win either way, but one way makes everyone’s lives a lot easier.

(Also, if you don’t choose “Competitor,” I think you’re a doo-doo head.)

Monopoly

Publisher:
Year Released: 1935
How Many Can Play?: 2-8
Currently Available?: Very Yes
Average Play Time: “60-180 Minutes”
Age Rating: 8+

Ah, the Destroyer of friendships, the ruiner of relationships, and the scourge of family game night!

I hate this game.

I am not kidding. I Unironically Hate this Game.

So Why does it make the top spot?

For a couple of reasons: The first one is that it’s impossible to argue with its place in the cultural zeitgeist. This game is almost a hundred years old and shows no sign of slowing down. Everyone knows it. Everyone’s played it. Everyone’s going to continue playing it. I have to accept that.

But I don’t have to like it.

I don’t like it for several reasons. Including how far it got from the original spirit of the game. Elizabeth Magie first created this game as half of The Landlord’s Game in 1903. It had two modes of play, the one we’re all familiar with, the “Monopoly” Rules, and then the “Prosperity” Rules. It was meant to show the dangers of giving way to monopolies and letting the lust for greed dominate your life. It was acquired by Parker Brothers just after it acquired an intellectual descendent of The Landlord’s Game from a man named Charles Darrow.

The fact that Monopoly itself is now a multi-million dollar product earner, with literally thousands of variations, is the kind of irony that’s just painful.

Also, it’s too long, brings out the worst in people, and utterly ruins game nights. But everyone else seems to enjoy that.

Conclusion:

Economic board games are fun ways for us to learn at an early age. Mastering them may not prepare us for a better life, but they don’t hurt either! Economics is something that we all have to deal with.

I’ve played far more of them than I’ve ever wanted, and I like some more than others. Either way, they’re great for a quick escape occasionally and even the odd power fantasy. Speaking of which…

Does anyone want to play a game of Munchkin?

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What’s your Favorite Economics Board Game?

Answer: Munchkin! For the reasons, I outlined in Number Two.

Question: Do you know Monopoly doesn’t take THAT long if you play it “right?”

Answer: I’ve heard that before. I DO NOT CARE! I know how long it’s taken for me!

Question: What’s the best version of Monopoly?

Answer: Anyone that adds different play aspects to the game. I actually love the original Pokemon Monopoly! from the early two-thousands.

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Logan Boese

Logan is a board game-obsessed writer passionate about bringing a voice to the world of board games and helping others discover the magic of gaming. He enjoys sharing his love of games with his own children, playing everything from TTRPGs to more conventional board games together. He wantsto always be the kind of person who loves playing games, because it means he'll never get bored.