13 Board Game Statistics - All You Need to Know in 2023

Board games are an extremely popular hobby for people, both young and old. Traditionally, we played games like Monopoly or Cluedo to pass the time and come together as friends or family. Despite the boom in technology and video games, these classic options are still going strong. 

Today, we bring you some intriguing board game statistics that may stun you. There’s a lot you probably don’t know about the industry, so prepare to be amazed!

Fascinating Board Game Statistics

The following board game stats are some of the most impressive ones we discovered during our research: 

• The global board game market was worth around $7.2 billion in 2017.
• The board game market is expected to be valued at $12 billion in 2023.
• The board game industry is expected to reach $3.63 billion in revenue in 2023, up from $3.13 billion in 2022.
• There are over 140,000 board games on BoardGameGeek website.
• 57% of gamers in one survey admitted to owning between 1 and 25 board or card games.
• A sizeable 22% of gamers are willing to spend more than $1,000 on new games per year.
• Tabletop games held the highest market share of board games in 2020.
• Chess is the best-selling board game of all time in the US.
• Board games are especially popular amongst adults aged between 25 and 54.

How Many Board Games Are There?

Over 140,000 board games are available on the BoardGameGeek.

(BoardGameGeek)

BoardGameGeek is a website dedicated to board games and board game related content. However, there is no exact count of the number of board games in existence, as new games are constantly being invented and produced. 

General Board Game Facts

This first section of stats will showcase a few of the general trends within the board game industry. Let’s check them out: 

1. The board games market will grow by $4 billion in the next four years.

(PR Newswire)

Board games continue to be extremely popular in homes across the country. This fact showcases just how many of them are sold each year and how big the industry really is!

2. The average gamer owns between 1 and 25 board games.

(PrintNinja)

One survey of numerous gamers discovered that 57% of them own between 1 and 25 board or card games in their homes. 22% have between 26 and 50, and 10.9% own over 100!

3. The pandemic increased the popularity of board games.

(Deutsche Welle)

Deutsche Welle reported that the global board games market grew by 20% in 2020. The pandemic restrictions are cited as a key factor behind this popularity increase. We had to buy something to keep ourselves entertained, right?!

Board Game Industry Statistics

The board game sector is a lot bigger than you might think, and these interesting stats tell a lot: 

4. Board game industry revenue will reach $4.67 billion by 2026, up from $3.13 billion in 2022.

(Statista)

The total revenue in the board game industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.81% from 2022 to 2026. Board gaming revenue is estimated at $2.86 billion in 2021, up from $2.15 billion in 2020.

5. The global board game sector is expected to be worth $12 billion in 2023, up from $11 billion in 2022.

(Statista)

The global board game market was valued at $10.1 billion in 2021, up 19% from $8.5 billion in 2019. In 2018 and 2017, the market value was $7.8 and $7.16 billion, respectively.

6. The global board game market size is predicted to reach $37.82 billion by 2030.

(Verified Market Research)

The board game market size was $13.33 billion in 2021 and it's expected to grow with a CAGR of 12.29% from 2021 to 2030.

Board Game Demographics

Who is actually playing board games? We’ve found some demographic stats that tell us more about the market and who’s most likely to purchase these games again and again: 

7. 38% of female respondents found board games enjoyable.

(Statista)

When it comes to board game popularity statistics, Statista found that nearly 40% of female respondents think board games are enjoyable to play. By comparison, only 29% of male respondents said the same. 

Ironically, the same survey discovered that more men than women found board games “somewhat enjoyable”. 

8. Gen Z finds board games more enjoyable than other generations.

(Statista)

Perhaps one of the most telling board game stats regarding demographics. Research has found that 38% of Gen Z find board games really enjoyable to play – by far and away the largest percentage of any generation surveyed. 

However… 

9. Board games are most popular amongst people aged 25 and 54.

(Meeple Mountain)

Despite Gen Z finding them more enjoyable than most, board games are still mainly played by people aged between 25 and 54. This could mean one of two things. Either a) they play them and don’t enjoy them, or b) the younger generation plays less frequently. 

Board Game Sales Statistics

When looking at board game facts, it’s always interesting to see some sales figures. We’ve picked out some of the key findings:

 10. 22% of gamers spend over $1,000 on board games per year.

(PrintNinja)

A really shocking stat that tells us a lot about board game industry trends. It seems people are willing to spend a lot of money on high-quality games if it makes them happy. 

11. Chess is the best-selling board game of all time.

(The Richest)

Commanding over 3 million sales every year in the US, chess is easily the best-selling board game of all time. The success of the popular Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit further helped these sales!

12. Gamers purchase five to ten new games per year.

(PrintNinja)

One of the most interesting tabletop gaming statistics indicated that 41% of gamers surveyed by PrintNinja purchased between five to ten new games or expansion packs every year. Even more surprising, 27% of respondents purchased over 30!

13. Tabletop games held the highest market share of 67% in 2020.

(Pipe Candy)

Of all the games within the board games market, tabletop games command the highest market share in sales. Over two-thirds of games in the industry fall under this category. 

Wrap Up

Generally speaking, the above figures showcase significant growth in the board game market, with more and more people buying and playing these games than ever before. Sales are up, and forecasts predict they’ll keep on rising.