Monopoly: Friends Board Game Review

OH. MY. GOD. After years of waiting, Monopoly finally came out with a Friends edition. I think we can all agree it’s here to make our days, our weeks, our months, and even our years. Isn’t that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic? If you are a Friends fanatic then this game couldn’t be any more perfect for you. Check out our full review of Monopoly: Friends the TV Series board game below.

Monopoly: FRIENDS the TV Series Edition

Brief Overview of Friends Monopoly

Friends Monopoly is a 2–6 player roll-and-move game. It takes the classic Monopoly and adds a fun PIVOTal spin from the Friends TV series. The game features many themed differences like buying moments from the show instead of properties and houses are now coffee mugs and orange couches. 

You’ll pay your Central Perk tab instead of paying taxes and instead of paying utilities, you’re paying Mr. Treeger. Apartment 19 and Apartment 20 cards replace the Chance and Community cards and the travel spaces are replaced by the friends’ modes of transportation. What better way to reminisce about this iconic show?

Unboxing Friends Monopoly

Looking at the box, you’re immediately greeted with 3 pictures of the iconic friends and the silhouette of the NYC skyline in the background. It’s so pretty it could make Rachel cry. The characters’ 6 epic tokens are displayed transparently through the front of the box. The back of the box gives a sneak peek and tells us more about the game. 

On the inside, you’ll find the tokens packed elegantly in an elegant display case. Next to the tokens is the board folded neatly above the rest of the components. The board and cash are adorned with beautiful Friends-themed artwork.

How to Play Friends Monopoly

If you’re familiar with the classic Monopoly game, as you should be, the rules and the objective are the same. If not, then you might want to crawl out from under the rock you’ve been living under and read on or click here for the classic breakdown.

Setup

Shuffle the Apartment 19 and 20 cards and place both decks on their corresponding spots. 

Players pick one of the tokens: Chandler’s sweater vest, Monica’s chefs’ hat, Ross’s dinosaur, Rachel’s handbag, Phoebe’s guitar, or Joey’s pizza. All tokens begin on the GO space. 

Each player starts with $1500 divided like so: 2 of each $500’s, $100’s, and $50’s, 6 $20’s, 5 $10’s, 5 $5’s, and 5 $1’s. 

After the Banker is selected, make sure they keep their funds separate from the bank. This player is in charge of all banking duties.

The Banker

The Banker pays all salaries and bonuses as well as collects all taxes, fines, loans, and interest from players. The Banker also auctions the price for all moments. If the bank runs out of the allotted money, the Banker can write out more money on paper. 

Gameplay

To decide who goes first, everyone rolls the dice and whoever rolled the highest goes first. Turns proceed clockwise around the board. 

During players’ turns, the dice are rolled and their corresponding token is moved clockwise around the board however many spaces that were rolled. 

If doubles are rolled, the player gets to roll again. If the player rolls doubles 3 times in a row, the player immediately goes to jail and does not collect the $200 if they pass GO. Any other time during the game, when a player passes GO, $200 is collected. 

Once a token is placed on a space, take the action as instructed unless the space is a moment. 

Buying Moments

When a player lands on an unowned moment, they have the option of purchasing it. If they don’t, the Banker holds an auction and sells the property to the highest bidder who then gets the Title Deed. 

If the moment is already owned, then the rent must be paid. Even with luck on your side, be ready to negotiate and trade your way to Monopoly.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• It’s a Friends-themed game. Need I say more?
• Playing with the right group of people with the right attitude can be fun, otherwise why else would you play? Am I right? 
• It helps teach kids how to count, trade, and negotiate.

Friends is one of the most iconic shows of our time and this game allows us to reminisce and laugh over the classic moments, after all, the show is a comedy. Playing with people who aren’t ping-pong competitive like Monica helps ease the tension as well. 

If you’re playing with children, it teaches them how to count, since they’ll have to count spaces that they rolled and count/subtract money. Trading and negotiating will come into play if they try to monopolize other properties of the same color. 

Cons:

• It’s a Monopoly game.
• This game makes you greedy.
• Can be long and drawn out, it can get tedious after the 2-hour mark.
• Been known to ruin relationships between friends and family. 

All of the Monopoly games are notoriously games we love to hate. They’re cutthroat and can bring out the worst in us. Especially after the game has dragged on for hours and patience is running thin. With the Friends edition, the randomness of the Apartment 19 cards, Apartment 20 cards, and dice rolls can quickly lead to a chaotic war zone with flipped tables and flying pieces. 

It doesn’t matter how much we may bond over Friends, we may not be friends after a game takes a turn for the worse. It’s all a “moo” point, but it doesn’t have to be. If you follow the rules and play the game how it’s meant to be played then the game won’t drag on and you may have a more pleasant experience.

Conclusion: Verdict?

Being an avid gamer and a Friends fanatic, this game is a necessity for my collection. I’ll admit I’m biased as I love all things Friends. I find the game has as much replay value as the show did and I’m embarrassed to admit how many times I’ve rewatched the series. However, if you’re as competitive as Monica and/or are prone to holding grudges, then no matter how much you love Friends, this might not be the game for you. 

Just like the other Monopoly games, friendships and families have been destroyed, so play at your own risk! Whapaa!

Monopoly: FRIENDS the TV Series Edition

We hope you enjoyed our Monopoly: Friends board game review. Are you a fan of Friends? Have you tried out Friends Monopoly yet? Drop a comment below and let us know what you thought of the game (and bonus points for your favorite episode too)!

Other FRIENDS Board Games

Other Versions of Monopoly (for every fandom)