There are plenty of reasons why even the most avid of board game aficionados might be seeking to play their favorite board games online during the next game night. Maybe the people you’re playing with live further away and can’t make it over to the host’s place. Or maybe you just don’t want to bother with cumbersome setup.

For whatever reason, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the best board games online. There are tons of apps and services that allow you routine access to some of the very best board games, such as the handful we’ve got below.

Settlers Of Catan

Settle The Online Frontiers

We’d bet you’ve come across this classic board game at a game night or two in your time, but if you’re looking to entertain your game night group online, you’re still safe to consider Settlers of Catan for your source of entertainment that night.

You can reach your ten victory points just as easily when playing Catan online with friends as you can in person. The rules remain the same as in the physical edition, and the digital cards and tiles make for easy replayability.

Kingdomino

Establish Domin(o)ion

If regular dominos (or any iteration of the game) doesn’t quite do it for you, then you and your friends might want to check out Kingdomino, which takes the classic domino gameplay and twists it into connecting terrain to form a kingdom of your own.

It’s plenty of fun in real life, slotting those matching terrain tiles together, but the experience isn’t dulled when you play online. With such a relatively easy setup, it’s equally as simple to get a game of Kingdomino going online.

Terraforming Mars

Interplanetary Internet Fun

It’s oddly futuristic to play an older board game, Terraforming Mars, online with your friends without needing to be in the same room as one another – the same way actually enabling human life on Mars feels futuristic to us right now.

But if you and your fellow interplanetary tycoons are playing from different corners of this planet, Terraforming Mars is a great choice for online board games. It’s available through a handful of the more popular board game subscription services, ensuring everyone has a chance to get their copy. It's the one time in this game you should care about an opponent's resources!

Carcassonne

Tile Placement From Afar

Sometimes, the simplest of board games really do make for the best online translations, and we’d love to point to Carcassonne as a prime example. You’ll play against your friends to place tiles and form picturesque settlements in the French countryside, each seeking to make yours the best it can be.

And while the game doesn’t require much in terms of setup in the real world, there are still plenty of reasons you might want to play Carcassonne online. Thankfully, the board game about careful tile placement translates well to the internet.

Mr. President

Save The Setup Time

We’d imagine it’s a very stressful, busy job being an effective world leader, and if you’re looking for a taste of the Oval Office, you and your friends might want to check out Mr. President if you can’t get to the Capital yourselves to see it in person.

You’ll play as the US president who must navigate tons of domestic leadership hiccups that you’ll figure out how to solve by playing a solitaire-like card game. Can you work through the conundrums of a first world leader with your friends online?

Pandemic

We Won't Judge If This One Feels Too Real These Days

We’d bet you did an awful lot of gaming online with your friends during the actual pandemic, but we can’t really blame you if the Pandemic board game didn’t quite make the cut during those “trying times.” If it did, though, you’ll know how good the online edition is.

There’s something oddly poetic about playing a game about careful distancing and solving an evolving disease with scientists across the globe with others at a distance, right? That’s the only element of realism we wish we’d gotten out of this game!

Ticket To Ride

Cities Have Never Been So Connected

Your friends won’t actually need a real Ticket to Ride over to your place if you’re trying to play this all-time classic board game about racing to visit the most picturesque destinations across the country – just hop online and play the digital version of this old-timey hit.

The in-person setup isn’t too grueling, but we always love having options for good online board games to play with friends if they’re actually in some of those far-off locales. Thankfully, this one translates to an online iteration pretty smoothly.

Dominion

Virtual Deck Builder With Solid Customization

Just because you and your friends will be starting with the very same decks when you bust out Dominion doesn’t mean you have to be playing Dominion in the very same place! If you’re looking for a good online board game to play with friends from a distance, establish Dominion over your home and play online instead.

Establish your Dominion in the game, too, and enjoy having a smooth time doing it. Who needs to bother with the actual cards for a card game on game night?

Frostpunk

Save The Hassle Of Physical Piece Management

Sure, the internet is probably among the first things to go in any realistic apocalyptic scenario, but if you and your friends still have connection and want to play Frostpunk online without all the setup, it’s still just as fun an experience digitally as it is physically!

You’ve still got the same resources to manage and buildings to construct, but you might find it to be a little easier if you don’t have to juggle all the pieces. Frostpunk is still on the proverbial table for game nights even if you’re gaming at a distance.

Gloomhaven

Sill Long, But Without The Setup Time

One of the most famously long board games, Gloomhaven can be a really daunting task to actually get set up on game nights. Thankfully, if you’re playing the game online instead of in person, you can spare yourselves some of that setup time with the digital version.

You can still hit all the same major beats like party management, resource collection, and so much more, and you’ll be able to do it online as seamlessly as you can in person. We won’t judge if you take a screenshot before you retire your older characters.