Best Brain Teaser Board Games
Board games can be a great way to enhance brain stimulation. Do you want games that will tease and torment your brain? If so, then you are in the right place!
Jump right into the fun and exciting world of riddles and puzzles that will annoy and excite you. Unsurprisingly, there are a huge number of brain-teasing board games on the market for both advanced players and beginners.
Get ready to explore the top 10 best brain teaser board games.
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Brain Teaser Board Games
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Best Abstract
Best 2-Player
Best Overall
#1. Azul
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30-45 min
Are you ready to take on the role of a Portuguese tile-laying artist in a royal palace? In Azul, players place their tiles on the playing board in patterns or complete sets. Wasting tiles results in losing points. The player with the most points is the winner.
The game can be completed when the horizontal line of the playing board is filled with tiles. This is a tactical game that includes constantly thinking of your next step, what tiles you are going to choose, and trying to reduce your waste.
#2. Timeline
Players: 2-8
Playing time: 15 min
Timeline is a card game based on historical events and inventions. Whether you want to brush up on your historical knowledge or want to prove to your friends that you are a true historian, this is the game for you. Players create a timeline starting with one card showing the object and the date it was invented, each player has a number of cards with objects (face up so as not to show the dates).
Players have to decide whether they think the object was invented before or after the card on the timeline and place it accordingly, when placed they can check, if correct they leave it on the timeline. If incorrect, the player must pick up another card. Compete to get rid of the cards the quickest. This game will test your knowledge, memory, and your ability to think fast.
#3. Hive
Players: 2
Playing time: 20 min
Jump into the world of creepy-crawly critters with Hive. It is made up of pieces resembling creatures, the creatures become the board throughout the game. The players are competing to fully surround the opponent’s queen, while also being conscious to protect their own queen. The player who totally surrounds the opponent’s queen wins the game.
Trying to both protect your queen and attack the other queen at the same time will challenge even veteran chess players. You’ll succeed by working tactically and ensuring that you are thinking before each move, as well as keeping an eye on your opponent’s moves.
#4. Magic Maze
Players: 1-8
Playing time: 15 min
Immerse yourself into the world of imagination with Magic Maze. Your goal is to rob the shopping mall to get equipment for your next adventure and escape without getting caught by security. Players have to get all the characters to their particular icon on the board in order to steal the equipment. Players then need to escape the mall before the timer runs out.
This game works on nonverbal cooperation, as communication is not allowed during the game. If all characters succeed in robbing the mall and escaping, all the players win together. Strategies such as eye contact and teamwork are important in this game. This can be frustrating but also fun and it can be exciting to see if your teammates will make the move that you need them to make.
Magic Maze#5. Blokus
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20 min
Blokus is an abstract strategy, tile-placement board game using Tetris-style pieces that are played on a board. Players compete to place all of their 21 pieces before their opponents can.
The game comes to an end when none of the players can use any of their pieces. Earn bonus points by using specific pieces at particular times throughout the game. Pieces of the same color can only touch off the diagonal corners of each other, making it more difficult for the players to use up all of their pieces.
Use critical thinking when placing the pieces and in deciding when to use what piece. If you use a piece at the wrong time, it could ruin the outcome later in the game.
#6. Carcassonne
Players: 2–5
Playing time: 30-45 min
Welcome to the Middle Ages in the French city Carcassonne, where players wander through the countryside gaining points for claiming monasteries, farms, roads, and cities. Carcassonne is a tile-placement game in which players use colored meeples to claim roads, cities, and more. Gain points by claiming these places, the winner is the player with the most points.
You can play tactically by joining the cities that other players have already claimed, this results in both players gaining points. Players must complete particular moves before they can gain the points such as surrounding the monastery with cards. You must not run out of your meeples or try to get them back if you have one. This game requires the use of good judgment and logic when placing your meeples.
If you’ve already played-out Carcassonne, check out our list of games like Carcassonne for a new challenge!
#7. Calico
Players: 1–4
Playing time: 30-45
If you like puzzle-type games and cats, then Calico is definitely the right option for you. Calico gives the players a chance to embrace their inner granny while sewing cozy quilts. The aim of the game is to create the most aesthetically pleasing quilt that will also attract the cuddliest cats.
Collect points by creating the necessary patterns and attracting the cats by their specific requests. These requests may be for the quilts to have different color patterns, different sizes, or shapes. Players need to pay attention so that their quilt hits the best criteria to attract those cats. The player with the most points and the comfiest cats at the end is the winner.
#8. Patchwork
Players: 2
Playing time: 15-30 min
Patchwork is also a quilt-making board game. This is a tile-placement strategy game, designed for two players. In Patchwork, players compete to create the highest-scoring quilt out of the pieces of cloth. Using buttons as currency, players must buy cloth for their quilt and when they have bought the cloth, players can move their pawn along the time track.
Players move the number of spaces that is equal to the time shown on the cloth. The player that fills their quilt board first is rewarded with 7 bonus points. The player who collects the most points between making the quilt and moving along the time track is the winner.
#9. Mindtrap
Players: 2–16
Playing time: 60 min
If you like to solve mysteries, puzzles, and riddles, then Mindtrap is definitely a game for you. It includes two teams (or two people) competing against each other to solve mysteries and puzzles. The winner is the first team or person to reach the end of the scorecard by correctly solving the questions.
Playing Mindtrap is a fun and challenging way to spend time with friends using logic and deduction. Give your brain some exercise with Mindtrap!
#10. Brain Games
Players: 3–6
Playing time: 30 min
Brain Games is based on The National Geographic Channel TV series of the same name. Your logic, vision, language skills, and physical coordination is challenged through either riddles or puzzles. Players must successfully complete challenges during the game, which can be head-to-head or solo.
As players move around the board, they’ll be faced with different categories and challenges depending upon where they land. Answer correctly and you’ll win a tile and a point. The player with the most tiles at the end wins. There are tons of different brain teasers and questions that will have you scratching your head.
Brain GamesWrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best brain teaser board games! These board games and card games will challenge any puzzle-lover and keep your brain on its toes. Have you tried any of the games on this list? Did we miss any of your favorite logical conundrums? Drop a comment below and let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
