Best gifts for board game lovers 2024
Put some suggestions on the table.
The festive season has once again rolled around and so has the panic to find the best Christmas gifts for board game lovers.
Getting them another board game might be an option – whether they love co-op games or two-player games – but, then again, they could already have a large number of titles stacked on the shelves. If so, why not get them something that they’d be able to appreciate outside of more board games?
Best gifts for board game lovers
- Cuddly Catan-themed plush toys
- Hangable Scrabble game
- Board game bag
- Leather backgammon set
- Board game bucket list scratch-off board
- Board game ornaments
- Board Game Survival Kit
- Dicebreaker board game shirts
- Root-themed drink coasters
- Personalised Catan token holders
- Board game postcards
These gift ideas are ideal for people who enjoy tabletop gaming – from tasteful art pieces to fun ornaments to new ways for them to play. With these gifts, your friends, family and loved ones will be able to enjoy a newly found appreciation of board games.
Here are some of best gifts to get board game lovers under the tree this year.
Cuddly Catan-themed plush toys
Revealed at the very beginning of 2021, these adorable cuddly plush toys are personified versions of the classic resources found in the beginner board game Catan. The two sheep - one is a reference to the robber token in the game - seem fairly straightforward. The other toys in the collection are rather more bizarre, but no less cute. A smiley log, brick, ore and wheat are also featured, paying homage to the elements players need to build their various settlements, roads and cities in Catan.
If your friend, family member or loved one happens to be a big fan of the beloved board game, and especially of any of the specific resources in the game, then a ‘Catanimal’ plush toy could be exactly what they’re looking to put on their pillows. Alternatively, you could even get one for a friend or family member’s child to play with, preparing them for the board game sessions to come.
Buy a cuddly Catan-themed plush toy from the Catan Shop
Hangable Scrabble game
The writing’s on the wall
It can be hard to find time to sit down and play a board game when we lead such busy lives, which is why this hangable Scrabble game makes for the perfect gift.
Rather than finding the box, unpacking the pieces and forcing everyone to sit down, you can play Scrabble whenever you walk past this interactive decoration. Not only does this board look stylish, it can be used to play a full game of Scrabble in the most unique, asynchronous manner.
Don’t let the madness of every day stop your friends and families from playing board games by getting them this hangable Scrabble game.
Buy a hangable Scrabble game from Etsy.
Board game bag
As any board game enthusiast knows, besides trying to convince people to play with you, the hardest thing about the hobby is having to lug your games around without the luxury of a car. Which is why this travel bag that’s designed to carry board games is the ideal gift for people who regularly like to share their tabletop titles with others. Featuring two large inside padded compartments, as well as an outside compartment that’s perfect for smaller games, this game travel bag should make friends and family’s board game lives much easier.
Besides the handle at the top, the bag also comes with a larger shoulder strap and a trolley sleeve to enable users to attach it to their wheelie suitcases, making it more than suitable for taking on a tabletop holiday or using to carry home goodies from conventions - I know we certainly could have used one for our trip to Essen Spiel 2021. Sometimes the best gifts are the most practical ones.
Buy the board game bag from Amazon UK
Leather backgammon set
Give the gift of a classic game
Backgammon is a nearly 5,000-year-old board game that has two players attempting to get their pieces back to their respective sides of the board.
Besides being a genuinely fantastic two-player board game, this backgammon set presents a very nice-looking portable game that’s easy to pack up and take with you wherever you go. Made with materials like leather and metal, this isn’t your ordinary travel version of a tabletop title.
Introduce this classic board game to some backgammon newbies or remind someone how much they love it by getting them this portable and sophisticated version.
Buy a leather backgammon set from Amazon.
Board game bucket list scratch-off board
Finding suggestions for new board games to play can be tricky, especially if you’re new to the hobby and don’t know what’s good. Other than perusing the many board game lists right here on Dicebreaker, getting someone a poster covered in suggestions for new games to play is another option. This 100 board games bucket list is a stylish way of encouraging friends and family to try out some games they may not have experienced before - from family favourites like Cranium to hidden gems like Bang! or Cash ‘n’ Guns.
Every time that they manage to play a game featured on the board games bucket list, they’ll be able to have the satisfaction of scratching off its panel on the poster to reveal a neat little image evoking the title underneath. Not only is this a great decoration for a board game lover’s abode, it’s also an excuse to get them to play the games you like that are featured on the poster as well - so it’s a win-win situation.
Buy the board game bucket list scratch off board from SpinningHatGifts at Etsy.
Board game ornaments
Don’t leave these hanging
As long as you have a Christmas tree up, it doesn’t matter when you hang new things onto it. Which is why it’s perfectly acceptable to get tree ornaments as a Christmas gift – they get put right to use!
This collection of six tree ornaments is ideal for any board game lover as they’re based on some very recognisable titles published by tabletop titan Hasbro, including The Game of Life, Twister, Candy Land, Operation and Battleship.
Get something for board gamers to show off their love for the hobby with this set of tree ornaments.
Get these board game ornaments from The Jolly Christmas Shop.
Dicebreaker board game shirts
Gift something to your friends and family that’ll let them openly display their love of board games with one of our three brand new T-shirt designs. Featuring a nice selection of colours and fonts, this t-shirt will help your loved ones declare their passion for the hobby in a suitably fashionable and comfortable way.
The t-shirts feature a collection designs to help show off your love of board games to others. Whether you want to engage in conversation about Indie RPGs with the "Ask Me About Indie RPGs" T-shirt, or you want to declare that you're not an Orc or a Vampire but a board gamer then the check-list T-shirt will do a great job at clearing it up.
Buy the Dicebreaker board game shirts from the Dicebreaker store.
Board Game Survival Kit
We all know someone who picks the same colour piece every time. Maybe they even get a little irate if someone takes their favourite, or the game of the day doesn’t even have that colour. Fear not, these super cute little accessory sets may be the answer to preventing fisticuffs at the gaming table! They come in a variety of colours, I just picked purple for the picture because it’s the best, obviously.
In addition to preventing chromatic affrays, the Board Game Survival Kit is just handy to have, especially for someone who frequently travels to games. Not sure what’s on the cards? Just throw the tin in a bag and every eventuality will be covered. As well as the colour selection, the kits have a bunch of contents options at different price points, though even the most tricked out tins won’t break the bank, making this a perfect stocking stuffer if you have lots of people to buy for.
Buy the board game survival kit from AtikinGames at Etsy.
Fun board game lover T-shirt
All tabletop gamers understand the struggle
It’s a fact that, to some people, board games can be like tattoos – once you have one, you immediately want more.
That fact is openly acknowledged via this particular T-shirt, which calls out all those tabletop gamers who have far too many board games piling up in their house. This shirt is extremely relatable for anyone who loves board games - and could potentially help its wearer find other likeminded individuals.
Let your friends, family and loved ones have some fun with this silly board game lovers T-shirt.
Buy the fun board game lover T-shirt from Etsy.
Root-themed drink coasters
Relax from the woodland war
Root remains one of the most beloved board games of the last decade. Its lasting appeal owes a lot to its artwork created by Kyle Ferrin.
The adorable birds, mice, foxes and other forest creatures drawn by Ferrin are instantly recognisable by most board game lovers these days. This collection of 10 drink coasters each feature a different piece of art inspired by Ferrin’s work from Root and are incredibly cute.
Fans of Root or just great tabletop artwork will appreciate receiving these coasters as a gift.
Buy the Root-themed drink coasters from Etsy.
Personalised Catan token holders
Give those buildings the respect they deserve
Catan remains one of the most popular board games played today, so it’s likely that your board game-loving family members, friends and loved ones have a copy.
You can fancify their version of Catan by adding a few of these nifty personalised holders for Catan pieces. These holders are designed to keep the various player settlements, cities and road pieces all neatly held in a container that features the name of whoever owns them.
Any name and/or title can be included on this token holder – allowing for some great in-jokes between regular Catan players.
Buy personalised Catan token holders from Etsy.
Board game postcards
Incentivise some travel
Board game artwork can be incredibly beautiful and should be celebrated as such.
This collection of postcards each feature artwork inspired by the art found on some of the best board games around, such as Wingspan, Ticket to Ride, Viticulture, Terraforming Mars and Spirit Island.
Board game lovers who enjoy a bit of travelling as well as tabletop gaming will enjoy these postcards, with the option to pick from up to 20 different designs.
Whether for display or use, board game lovers will find this group of tabletop-inspired post cards undoubtedly charming.
Buy board game postcards from Etsy.