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20 Best 5 Player Board Games

20 Best 5 Player Board Games

Are you looking for a fun five player game to play with your kids? New to board games and want a good fun five player board game to kick things off? Have you moved past Ticket to Ride and want a new challenge? Or are you looking for a crunchy game with strategic depth for your advanced board gaming group? We’ve got your back – without further ado, here is our list of the 20 best 5 player board games, broken down by family-friendly games, fun and easy games, medium games and advanced games.

Our Top Picks – Best 5 Player Board Games

Our Top Picks: Forgotten Waters

Best 5-Player Board Game to Play Remotely: Forgotten Waters

Welcome to the world of Forgotten Waters, a thematic, semi-cooperative choose-your-own adventure full of humor, beautiful art and a diverse cast of interesting characters. With the remote assistant, you can host games with your favorite people, no matter where they live!

 

Our Top Picks: King of Tokyo

Best Board Game For Players of All Ages: King of Tokyo

If you’re looking for a competitive but fun and highly entertaining game for players of all ages, King of Tokyo is the name of the game!

 

Our Top Picks: Ticket to Ride: Europe

Best 5-Player Board Game to Introduce to Newbies: Ticket to Ride: Europe

The Ticket to Ride franchise is a classic gateway game. It continues to introduce new gamers to the world of board games, yet is a game that many experienced board gamers continue to enjoy.

 

Our Top Picks: 7 Wonders

Best Civilization-Building Board Game for 5 Players: 7 Wonders

As a game with decent strategic depth that plays well with large groups in a reasonable timespan, 7 Wonders is a rare beast. Though it is a light game, 7 Wonders can be a really fun game for both novice and experienced gamers alike, with plenty of strategic depth. 

 

Our Top Picks: Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Best Dungeon Crawler for 5 Players: Star Wars: Imperial Assault

The Rebel Alliance is desperately fighting against the Empire’s seemingly unlimited resources. In this one-versus-many epic battle, one player will take on the role of the Empire while the remaining players work together as the Rebel Alliance.

 

Our Top Picks: Twilight Imperium

Most Epic 5-Player Board Game: Twilight Imperium

Twilight Imperium is an impressive 4X game that seamlessly blends together exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination. Grand storytelling, cosmic conflict on a large scale, and strategic actions are what make Twilight Imperium such an epic space opera. 

 

Our Top Picks: Power Grid

Most Cerebral 5-Player Board Game: Power Grid

If your group enjoys “thinky” network-building, auction and/or resource management games with very few elements of luck, Power Grid is a great pick.

Family-Friendly Games

Point Salad

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Point Salad

All About the Veggies

Players: 2-6 // Game time: 15-30 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group

Move over, UNO! Point Salad is a fast-paced competitive card game with modern, brightly colored cards. It’s hard to believe so much entertainment comes in such a small (and affordable) package. 

Play with your food without making a mess or encouraging bad manners! You’ll create a salad by collecting sets of vegetable cards. Get the ideal combination of carrots, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, lettuce and onions and earn points.

Point Salad is somewhat of an inside joke. A tongue-in-cheek reference to the board game term “point salad,” which refers to games that are designed to allow players to earn points in many different ways. And yes, you can score in lots of different ways in Point Salad

The best part? The game is easy to learn and pick up. As in most quick games, luck is important, but the game has plenty of strategy to keep players of all ages and abilities entertained. Each decision you make truly matters.

Who This Game is For

Point Salad is great for all kinds of groups. Bring it to the table if you’re a family with young kids who don’t mind a little friendly competition, looking for a quick game to play with a larger group, or a gaming group looking for a new “filler” game to play before diving into more meaty games.

Buy Point Salad on Amazon

King of Tokyo

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: King of Tokyo

Quick Fun Monster Bashing

Players: 2-6 // Game time: 30 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: IELLO

If you’re looking for a competitive but fun and highly entertaining game that doesn’t take itself seriously, King of Tokyo is the name of the game!

You’re a mutant monster, robot or alien trying to win the prestigious title of King of Tokyo. This can only be done by remaining the last monster surviving, or by being the first player to earn 20 victory points. Battle your way to victory.

King of Tokyo is deceptively simple and oh so much fun. Each turn, you roll six dice over three successive rolls. Each die has six symbols that allow you to earn a certain number of victory points (VPs), earn energy, heal or attack. In each throw, you can choose to keep or discard a die to achieve your desired action. Buy special cards with energy that give you fun abilities and attacks. 

Since you have two ways to win, victory is never out of reach for anyone. If you have a big VP lead, you have a target on your back and the game is a nailbiter. Can you survive? More often than not, the game devolves into a rollicking, hilarious battle between players. 

Who This Game is For

King of Tokyo features lots of player interaction and is fun for gamers of all ages and abilities. The luck of the roll and the special cards keep both experienced gamers and kids / casual gamers on equal footing. 

Buy King of Tokyo on Amazon

King of Tokyo: Power Up! includes an adorable (but formidable!) new monster – Pandakai, a giant panda bear. This expansion increases replayability by adding a few new variants and eight Evolution cards for each monster. The evolution cards provide special abilities, which are sometimes permanent.

Celestia

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Celestia

Gorgeous Steampunk Adventure

Players: 2-6 // Game time: 30 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Quick Simple Fun Games

Board an awesome flying ship with your fellow adventurers to start your journey. An updated version of Cloud 9, Celestia is a beautiful game with a delicious steampunk theme. 

You and your fellow adventures are working together to travel as far as possible in the realm of Celestia, so you can discover and gather treasure beyond your imagination! The ship will move from low-numbered cities to higher numbered cities throughout the game. One player is designated the captain, and this will rotate to other players after each round. 

The captain can’t get off the ship while it still has other passengers. The catch? The captain rolls the dice each round, revealing the hazards the ship is facing. Each passenger will choose if they’ll stay on the ship or get off and get treasure and points from the current city. Treasures become more powerful, so your goal is to stay on the path as long as possible. 

There are two big pros to this game:

  1. The cover art, components and cards are beautiful and modern. This is a game you’ll WANT to take off the shelf and play! 
  2. Celestia is a semi-cooperative game, but generally in a friendly and good-natured way. Though there are some competitive “take-that” cards, players are usually provided a soft landing. 

Celestia is a fun game for a group. You may just find yourselves laughing out loud when the captain crashes the ship or someone plays an awesome power card. Pro tip – you can make the game longer if you like by increasing the 50-point winning objective!

Who This Game is For

This is a great game to play with kids or casual gamers. The theme and artwork are attractive and will be a game your kids want to play. Celestia is also a good game for families who struggle with competitive board games, as the friendly, good-natured feel of the game should keep everyone smiling throughout the game.

Buy Celestia at Barnes and Noble

Mysterium

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Mysterium

Spooky Murder/ Mystery Game

Players: 2-7 // Game time: 42 minutes // Age: 10+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Asmodee

Welcome to Mr. MacDowell’s mansion in the 1920s! Mr. MacDowell has detected a supernatural presence (a spooky ghost) in his new residence in Scotland. 

Your goal in Mysterium

Help the ghost remember how they were murdered. One player will take on the role of the ghost, and everyone else is a medium. Each game turn represents one of 7 hours that the mediums have to make contact with the ghost and unlock an old mystery.

The challenge? 

The ghost can’t talk, and communicates with the mediums through visions (illustrated cards). Mediums need to work together to crack the case. But you can only communicate with each other in limited ways. You have 7 hours to get to the bottom of the ghost’s murder. Each hour represents a turn. You will guess who the suspect is, then the location of the crime and finally, the weapon!

If even one medium is unsuccessful at deducing the ghost’s murder before time runs out, the ghost dissipates and the mystery is forever unsolved. 

Mysterium is similar to Codenames and Dixit, where the fun is in determining other player’s interpretation of images (dreams in Mysterium). After the game, you’ll have fun discussions with players exclaiming “Oh, why didn’t I see that?!”

Who This Game is For

Anyone looking for a fun G-rated, family-friendly game! Mysterium is especially good around Halloween, as it’s one of the best board games for 5 players out there. Dim the lights, put on some spooky music and get your favorite people together for a fun game night!

Buy Mysterium on Amazon

In the Hidden Signs expansion for Mysterium, new signs have emerged. Turns out, the case has not quite been cracked! Can you bring peace to the ghost? The expansion comes with 78 beautiful cards with new suspects, places and objects.

Get six new characters, locations and items in the Secrets & Lies expansion so you can crack the case once and for all! The expansion also comes with 18 story cards, which can replace the object cards and provide a more challenging dream interpretation experience.

Small World

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Small World

Fun Fantasy World Conquest Game

Players: 2-5 // Game time: 40-80 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Days of Wonder

Welcome to Small World, where you struggle to gain control of regions in a bright and colorful fantasy world that’s too small for everyone! In this short game, you are rapidly playing through time as civilizations decline and new ones arise. With your pick of 14 fantasy races and 20 different powers, you’ll have fun cycling through different combinations as you aim to control regions on the small map. 

The ultimate objective? Get the most victory points! Fight for territory control with a little friendly competition. Even when a player is kicked out of their territory, it’s not too brutal – they get to keep their units and can even reclaim their territory!

Gameplay is simple and intuitive. The most important decisions on your first turn consist of picking a race, abilities and the number of units you can conquer regions with. 

From that point on, on each turn you can:

  1. Withdraw as many of your units from regions as you want
  2. Place your units on adjacent regions to conquer them, or place your race in decline
  3. End your turn by picking up your gold and redistributing your units in your controlled territories

Just keep in mind that Small World is a combat game that is doable for folks who normally hate combat, but maybe not quite enough for combat-loving gamers to sink their teeth into. The same goes for strategy – there is plenty of strategy for folks new to board games but the strategic depth may not be quite as satisfying for experienced gamers.

Who This Game is For

Small World is that perfect “next step” game, for families or players who have had their fill of games like Ticket to Ride, Catan, Carcassonne or King of Tokyo. If you want something more strategic, but still fun, light and easy to master, Small World is a great option. This is a great accessible game for experienced gamers to play with their favorite kids and casual gamers. 

Buy Small World on Amazon

We strongly feel that Small World is a complete game by itself. Adding expansions can increase the amount of things to keep track of during set-up and gameplay. However, if you have played Small World a lot and are looking for some variety, here are our favorites:

Get four new maps (one for each player configuration) to battle ruthless pirates in the River World expansion.

Play with seven new races and powers as well as additional map space to battle over in the Sky Islands expansion.

Tired of getting board games that ignore more than 50 percent of the human race? Us too! Remedy that in Small World with the Grand Dames of Small Worlds mini-expansion, which includes 3 female races (and at least one woman of color).

Fun and Easy Games

Our fun and easy game picks are easy to learn and teach. For the most part, these games are kid-friendly and great to play with the family. So what sets them apart from our family-friendly picks above? These light and quick board games are ones that adults will often gladly pick up and play, with or without the family. They are games that are easy to pick up but offer real strategy at a higher player count.

7 Wonders

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: 7 Wonders

Quick Civilization Building Game

Players: 2-7 // Game time: 30 minutes // Age: 10+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Asmodee

Welcome! You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities in the Ancient World. Build your city over three ages and establish one of the 7 great wonders of the world, which will transcend the ages! 

The rules in 7 Wonders are simple – in each, the game starts with seven cards that each player will take turns choosing. Players will reveal their cards, pay or collect resources, and do other business. Then the process starts anew until each player has six cards in play, when the game moves to the next age. Rinse and repeat!

Though the rules are straightforward, it can take some time to master the icons on the cards (the player reference is your friend!) and get used to the scoring system. It can also take a few plays to master your strategy in 7 Wonders. There are a lot of ways to score, from building your military presence to developing commercial routes. It’s easy to learn but not so easy to master. As with any game with strategic depth, there will be a bit of a learning curve. It’s well worth it, as you get to play an excellent civilization-building game with 3-7 players in just half an hour!

Who This Game is For

Gamers looking for a game with decent strategy that plays well with large groups in a reasonable timeframe know 7 Wonders is a rare beast. Even with the complex scoring and the icons, this game is a great game to teach new gamers. For a light game, 7 Wonders has long-staying power for experienced gamers- it has a tremendous amount of strategic depth. 

Buy 7 Wonders on Amazon

Expansions are not a necessity, as the 7 Wonders base game is a complete game. If this game is something you truly enjoy and you want just a little more depth, the expansions are totally worth it! In our opinion, the Cities and Leaders expansions are well-designed expansions you will want to play with every game!

The Cities expansion allows up to 8 players, adds a number of cards and other interesting elements, and allows for team-based play. The Leaders expansion adds a new dimension to 7 Wonders with 36 Leader cards, a new Wonder and adds 6-gold tokens. 


If you love a good nautical theme, the Armada expansion adds a world of naval elements and strategy that we love.

Ticket to Ride: Europe

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Ticket to Ride: Europe

Quick Train Network Building Game

Players: 2-5 // Game time: 30-60 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Days of Wonder

Build the biggest, far-reaching train route in early 20th century Europe! While still a fun game that is easy to learn and teach like the original Ticket to Ride, Ticket to Ride: Europe adds new gameplay elements via a new approach to tickets and the addition of tunnels, ferries and stations. 

On your turn, you can perform one of the following actions:

  1. Pick up more tickets
  2. Pick up more train cards
  3. Build a station
  4. Build a route

The competitive level of this game varies depending on your playing styles. Ticket to Ride: Europe is one of the best 5 player board games you can find, but it can be highly competitive, with all five players blocking routes. On the other end of the spectrum, you can have a nice mellow game where everyone does their own thing. The game plays well with both playing styles.

The Ticket to Ride franchise is a classic gateway game and has introduced a lot of new gamers to the world of board games. However, it is so simple and yet oh-so-fun that many experienced gamers find it fun and addictive too. We highly recommend Ticket to Ride: Europe as it adds an extra layer of complexity over the original and plays well at 5 players.

Who This Game is For

Ticket to Ride: Europe is a light, quick game that gamers of all ages and experience levels can enjoy!

Buy Ticket to Ride: Europe on Amazon

Ticket to Ride: Europe is the epitome of a classic gateway game, and there are a LOT of expansions and versions. You can’t go wrong with the standalone Ticket to Ride, Ticket to Ride: First Journey and Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails or expansions like Ticket to Ride: Nederland, Ticket to Ride: United Kingdom or Ticket to Ride: Japan & Italy. All of these versions and expansions accommodate 5 players!

Citadels

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Citadels

Medieval Fantasy City Building Game

Players: 2-8 // Game time: 30-60 minutes // Age: 10+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Asmodee

Citadels has been considered a classic light board game since its debut in 2000. We’re talking about the 2016 edition here, which includes the original but refined Citadels base game, the Dark City Expansion, new characters and new building districts. 

At its base, Citadels is a role selection game. Acquire gold and construct buildings in various colors to earn victory points and win the game! Each round, you will hire a new character to help you achieve your objectives. Your pick affects how much money you can get and how you can build up your district. Some characters specialize in messing with the other players in this competitive game, and there are a few take-that abilities. 

Players will take turns secretly picking a character. Turn order is determined by the number on your character card. On your turn, you will 1) play your character’s special ability; 2) earn gold or draw building cards; and 3) construct one building, which costs money (optional). End of game bonuses are rewarded for constructing eight buildings and having buildings in all five colors. Your game of Citadels is over at the end of the round when a player builds their eighth building!

Who This Game is For

The gameplay in Citadels is simple enough for new and casual gamers but provides enough strategic depth for experienced gamers to have fun too. We love how you can change roles, skipping from character to character in order to succeed.  

Buy Citadels on Amazon

The King's Dilemma

20 Best 5 Player Games: The King's Dilemma

Game of Thrones-esque

Players: 3-5 // Game time: 45-60 minutes // Age: 14+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Horrible Guild

Negotiate, vote and bid to make your royal house the most powerful in the Royal Court in the Game of Thrones-esque The King’s Dilemma. You are members of the King’s inner circle. Will you steer your kingdom into war, famine or anarchy to benefit your house? The state of the kingdom is in your hands, as you bargain with and bribe your players. 

The King’s Dilemma is a legacy board game, and will give you a one-of-a-kind immersive experience that you’ll be talking about years from now. Though The King’s Dilemma is competitive, players work hand-in-hand to create a good gaming experience – you choose your own adventure and navigate the game’s branching storylines together. 

Players will make permanent changes to the game by placing stickers on the board and other elements, and permanently removing cards. Stickers, cards and secrets will be unlocked when you hit certain milestones. The game is played through multiple sessions that last 45-60 minutes. 

Who This Game is For

If you love the idea of an interactive, story-rich game of bribing and negotiation (like what you can find in the Game of Thrones universe), this is a great game for you. You’ll have to be okay with making permanent physical changes to a game, though! It’s also important to pick the right gaming group for the King’s Dilemma (and any legacy game). Someone needs to be willing to be the moderator and help guide your group through the rules. Your players need to be: 

  • Reliable and able to consistently meet for multiple sessions
  • Interactive and engaging to ensure a fun experience
  • Willing to debate moral issues
  • Able to not take the game too seriously (ultra-competitive players can kill the mood)

Buy The King’s Dilemma on Amazon

Forgotten Waters

20 Best 5 Player Games: Forgotten Waters

Whimsical Nautical Adventure

Players: 3-7 // Game time: 2-4 hours // Age: 14+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Plaid Hat Games

Welcome to the world of Forgotten Waters, a thematic choose-your-own adventure full of beautiful art and a diverse cast of interesting characters. You are all pirates sailing together on a ship, with your fates entwined. The game is semi-cooperative, as everyone needs to work together to survive against all odds (starvation, storms, shipwrecks galore). However, your character also has their own personal goals and stories. Your adventure unfolds over five different play scenarios! 

Forgotten Waters is a game that doesn’t take itself seriously. One of the first things you do is fill out creative Madlibs-like text prompts setting the stage for a fun narrative experience full of laughs. 

Then… Everyone has just 40 seconds to pick an action! Who knows what happens when you “talk to sea critters,” “talk to the crew,” or “sail”? Just don’t take your time, as there is a threat meter – you’ll collectively lose the scenario if it hits the threshold. At the end of the game, all players that have unlocked three or more character story elements are considered winners. 

Forgotten Waters is a hybrid game, meaning it relies on an app. The app is well-designed and will give you the story, tell you how to set up, time your actions and keep tabs on your group’s progress. Just pull it up on your preferred device (computer, tablet, phone) and play!

Who This Game is For

Anyone looking for a great game to play in person or remotely with your favorite people. The gameplay is straightforward and provides a fun, ultra-engaging experience for players of all levels and ages as one of the best 5 player board games you can buy, but is not so simple that your strategy is irrelevant.

Buy Forgotten Waters on Amazon

There’s a remote assistant that allows you to play Forgotten Waters remotely with your favorite people. Just have everyone go to the web app and start up a video chat so you can interact with each other! The player who owns the game can show better, larger video of the actual maps and game elements.

Medium Games

Our medium best 5 player board games are a little more complex than our family-friendly and fun and easy game picks. These games have more strategic depth and complexity than our light game picks, but aren’t so complex that you need to spend hours learning the rules and setting up the game. They’re a great step up from your favorite light game, especially if you have limited time and headspace to learn new games.

Risk: Legacy

20 Best 5 Player Games: Risk: Legacy

Futuristic Legacy Wargame

Players: 3-5 // Game time: 60 minutes // Age: 13+ // Difficulty: Medium

Publisher: Hasbro

In Risk: Legacy, you represent one of five futuristic factions on a new Earth clone. Your goal?

World domination

You fight to dominate every territory and destroy your opponents! The game board is divided into 42 territories, all with their respective boundaries, terrain and other unique features. You can gain control of territories in a variety of ways, including capturing enemy bases, forming alliances, or attacking other players outright.

This is a game of tactics. May the best military mind win! 

Risk: Legacy is the original legacy board game and is responsible for the birth of the legacy genre. You’ll make permanent changes as you progress through this remake of a classic wargame, including opening sealed components, tearing cards and placing stickers on the game board. Just find a group committed to multiple gaming sessions and get ready to have some serious fun!

Who This Game is For

Risk: Legacy is for anyone looking for a fun but not overly complex wargame for 5 players of all skill levels. Risk, war and battle tactics fans will all love this game.

Buy Risk: Legacy on Amazon

Betrayal at House on the Hill

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Betrayal at the House on the Hill

Haunted House Adventure

Players: 3-6 // Game time: 60 minutes // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Medium

Publisher: Avalon Hill Games, Inc.

Welcome to your very own choose-your-adventure B-Horror movie-esque tabletop game! You are one of six strange -ahem, let’s say unique– characters working together to explore a haunted house, room by room. As you explore and sweep away the cobwebs, you build the layout of the mansion, collecting items and experiencing spooky happenings. Once you roll the hands of fate, the haunt is on! You’ll draw from one of 50 haunt scenarios and find out that….

there’s a traitor in your midst. 

Who will prevail? 

Who This Game is For

Folks looking for a fun spooky party game with a focus on experience and exploration rather than game mechanics. Think of Betrayal at House on the Hill as a fun storytelling experience you can share with players of all skill levels.

Buy Betrayal at the House on the Hill on Amazon

There is plenty of replayability with the Betrayal at the House on the Hill base game, but if you are a big fan, the Widow’s Walk expansion is well worth it. The expansion comes with a whole new floor (the roof), 50 new haunts, 20 new room tiles and a bunch of new cards and tokens that will breathe new life into the base game.

Sentinels of the Multiverse

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Sentinels of the Multiverse

Comic Book-esque Card Game

Players: 2-5 // Game time: 30-60 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Medium

Publisher: Greater Than Games

Looking for a cooperative card game for 5 players with an immersive theme? Look no further than Sentinels of the Multiverse

You are about to enter an epic battle with the most sinister villains in the multiverse! Will you survive? 

While there is no official comic book / graphic novel canon for this game and its heroes, the game is incredibly thematic. You’ll find yourself drawn into this bold new world full of complicated heroes with intriguing superpowers.

Each player plays as a hero, with a fixed deck of 40 cards. All players work together in this cooperative game, playing cards against the villain(s) in play and the environment deck. You’ll find yourselves interacting a lot to get through battle, in this fun and fast-paced game.

Out of the box, you get a lot of content for a reasonable price. Sentinels of the Multiverse is highly replayable, as you have a ton of villain and hero combinations right out of the box. 

Who This Game is For

If you enjoy fantasy leagues or sports teams, this is going to be up your alley! In Sentinels of the Multiverse, you’ll mix and match superhero strengths to combat villain weaknesses with one of the fastest, best card dealing games around.

Buy Sentinels of the Multiverse on Amazon

The Sentinels of the Multiverse base game comes with plenty of replayability. However, the expansions add new heroes and villains to help mix it up. Our favorite is the Oblivaeon expansion, which brings to the table a new series of epic battles- you’ll pit yourself against multiple villains as you play through a series of quests. This expansion is lengthy and not something you’ll bring to the table often, but is well worth it, as you’ll get five genuinely interesting and fun new characters.

Lords of Waterdeep

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Lords of Waterdeep

Fantasy City-Building Game

Players: 2-5 // Game time: 1-2 hours // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Medium

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Welcome to Waterdeep, the City of Splendors! 

In Lords of Waterdeep, the City is secretly run by the Lords of Waterdeep. You are one of the powerful masked Lords of Waterdeep seeking to wrest control of the City (and its riches galore!) from your fellow lords. 

As you move through the game, you will explore the game’s expansive map by sending out your agents and adventurers to find riches for you. You’ll earn rewards and perks as you move through different locations in the game, from recruiting new adventurers, constructing buildings, earning gold and collecting or playing quest / intrigue cards. The game is highly strategic, as only one agent can be at a certain location at one time. 

At the end of eight rounds of double-dealing, you tally up your points. The player with the most points wins!

Who This Game is For

Folks looking for a mid-weight competitive game with strategic depth at 5 players will have no need to look further. Lords of Waterdeep is great for family game night, as it is competitive in an “oops, did I step on your toes?” kind of way and not in a “full-out war” way.

Buy Lords of Waterdeep on Amazon

Lords of Waterdeep is a lot of fun on its own as one of the best 5 player board games available, but if you’re looking for an expansion, we recommend the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion, which adds a good layer of skullduggery!

Charterstone

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Charterstone

Legacy City Building Game

Players: 2-6 // Game time: 45-75 minutes // Age: 14+ // Difficulty: Medium

Publisher: Stonemaier Games

Congratulations! The Forever King has chosen you as one of six citizens with the honor of colonizing the unchartered lands beyond the Kingdom of Greengully.

In Charterstone, you will utilize your unique set of skills to build, support and expand your new charter town. Charterstone is a legacy game, which means that you will make permanent changes to the game and unlock boxes, secret components and new layers of rules through twelve rounds of play. 

Charterstone features high-quality game components, beautiful artwork, a light but enjoyable narrative, and interesting legacy and worker placement game mechanics. 

The fun in Charterstone is in uncovering new elements while also making real strategic decisions that will affect your charter long-term. Although the game is competitive, you have free reign to focus on exploring and building your charter town (versus being fixated on winning).

Who This Game is For

Fans of worker placement games will love the added legacy game mechanics. This is a terrific legacy game for any number of players, but it shines when you bring five players to the table!

Buy Charterstone on Amazon

The Charterstone game board is double-sided. If you want to run through the legacy game a second time, you can – just pick up the Recharge Pack, flip the board over to reveal a blank game map and you’re set!

Advanced Games

The advanced best 5 player board games are all about the “crunch.” Our top picks below have advanced game mechanics and deep strategy. If you’ve moved past your usual favorite board games and want more of a challenging experience, look no further. Here are five advanced 5 player games that are sure to bring you hours of fun.

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Space Skirmish Miniature Game

Players: 1-5 // Game time: 1-2 hours // Age: 14+ // Difficulty: Advanced

Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games

Star Wars: Imperial Assault takes place after the Rebel Alliance destroys the Death Star. You are right in the middle of a full-out Galactic Civil War, where the Rebel Alliance is desperately fighting against the Empire’s seemingly unlimited resources. 

In the campaign mode of Imperial Assault, up to 5 players will participate in a series of battles in this dungeon crawler, one-versus-many style. One player will take on the role of the Imperial Forces, while the remaining players will work together to defeat the Empire. As members of the Rebel Alliance, you’ll get to take your pick of unique characters developed specifically for the game, including Jyn Odan and Gaarkan the Wookie. Players will participate in a series of increasingly desperate battles over multiple gaming sessions throughout the campaign.

Imperial Assault is a great combination of theme, strategy, tactical depth and component quality. The miniatures are incredibly detailed and include a massive AT-ST miniature!

Who This Game is For

Star Wars fans from all galaxies will enjoy the immersive theme and gameplay in Imperial Assault!

Buy Star Wars: Imperial Assault on Amazon

There are a lot of expansions for Star Wars: Imperial Assault that add new campaigns, miniatures, map tiles and/or cards. Our favorites are: Twin Shadows, Return to Hoth and Jabba’s Realm. Figure packs are great for adding your favorite Star Wars character, from R2-D2 and C-3PO and Han Solo to Princess Leia!

Rising Sun

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Rising Sun

Diplomatic Direct Conflict Miniature Game

Players: 3-5 // Game time: 90-120 minutes // Age: 14+ // Difficulty: Advanced

Publisher: CMON Limited

In Rising Sun, you will navigate feudal Japan as you make alliances, bluff and negotiate your way to victory. You are the leader of one of five clans, each of which has unique abilities. 

In Rising Sun, you will experience feudal Japan like never before. There are an infinite number of ways to gain advantage and win the game. We love the details here – you can worship the Kami to gain favor, conduct diplomatic negotiations through tea ceremonies, and build reputation in a world where honor is paramount (and advantageous!).

While Rising Sun isn’t a traditional head-on battle like the typical wargame, the game’s battles are waged through a unique mix of honor, politics, homage and battlefield smarts. Players will appreciate the game’s brilliant multi-layered strategic gameplay.

Who This Game is For

Players looking for a nuanced board game will appreciate Rising Sun’s historical and immersive theme. It’s one of the best 5 player board games for a reason. Folks who enjoy games with bluffing and negotiating will enjoy this game. However, take note – this is not the game for pure wargamers, as the tactics of the game are interspersed with other elements.

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The Dynasty Invasion expansion brings two new clans, 27 new, highly detailed miniatures and 7 lucky gods (clan-specific monsters) to the table. This expansion is a great way to add more variety – learn more about the special abilities of the two new clans, and how to defeat the new Gods. If you’re lucky enough to find a Kickstarter edition of Rising Sun for a reasonable price, you’ll snag the Kickstarter exclusive Daimyo Box, which also gives you the Fox clan and ten new monster minis to play with.

Concordia

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Concordia

Strategic Ancient Roman Economic Game

Players: 2-5 // Game time: 100 minutes // Age: 13+ // Difficulty: Advanced

Publisher: PD Verlag

Looking for a classic game with plenty of strategy and very little luck? Concordia is the game for you. It’s all up to you and your strategic skills!

In Concordia, players will guide their very own Roman dynasty near the Mediterranean Sea. Your goal is to grow your Roman dynasty and earn the most victory points in order to win the game and lord it over other players, as any proper Emperor would!  

Concordia is a thinky game, where every decision is meaningful. Once you have some experience under your belt, the game’s complexity fades away and you realize it’s not too cerebral (read: your brain won’t hurt too much). This and the condensed but clear rulebook make Concordia a great game to teach to players of all levels. 

Everyone starts with the same deck of cards, which allow you to choose actions during the game and represent victory points at the end of the game. As you move through the game, you will acquire new cards and abilities. Although Concordia is straightforward and easy to learn and teach, it can take a few play-throughs to master the game’s strategy. Pro tip – the game recommends tallying scores in the middle of the game. We recommend foregoing that and just adding up the scores at the end of the game to keep it simple.

Who This Game is For

Folks looking for a thinky euro game to play with players of all levels will love this game, as long as you don’t mind that the theme isn’t the draw here (it is an Euro game, after all).

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The Gallia & Corsica, Venus, and Balearica / Cyprus expansions for Concordia each add two new maps as well as new rules and/or other elements to bring more variety to the base game.

Twilight Imperium

20 Best 5 Player Board Games: Twilight Imperium

Fantasy Flight Games

Players: 3-6 // Game time: 4-8 hours // Age: 14+ // Difficulty: Advanced

Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games

In Twilight Imperium, you are the leader of one of seventeen factions. You will maneuver, trade, borrow and capture your way through the galaxy – with space lions, no less!

Twilight Imperium is an impressive 4X game that seamlessly blends together exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination. Grand storytelling, cosmic conflict on a large scale, and strategic actions are what make Twilight Imperium such an epic space opera. 

Twilight Imperium is a classic wargame but oh-so-much-more. The gorgeous artwork and detailed minis add to this high-production gaming experience. For all of its complexity, though, Twilight Imperium is fairly easy to learn and teach. The hard part is keeping track of all of the elements and mastering your approach to victory.

Just be sure you set aside plenty of time – Twilight Imperium is a massive immersive game. Hours will have passed before you know it. The good news? While the game may not hit the table very often due to the length of the game, you’ll remember your playing experience vividly and look forward to your next Twilight Imperium adventure. The game is highly replayable, as each game is different due to the variable gameboard and the vast amount of factions you can choose to play. 

Who This Game is For

Anyone looking for an absolutely epic game to spend hours (that just melt by) with your favorite group of people will love Twilight Imperium, as long as you don’t mind head-to-head competition and combat.

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Power Grid

20 Best 5 Player Games: Power Grid

Power Grid Network Building

Players: 2-6 // Game time: 2 hours // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Advanced

Publisher: Rio Grande Games

You run a power company. Your objective is simple – supply the most cities with power. Unlike games like Twilight Imperium and Rising Sun where there are infinite ways to earn points, there is only one in Power Grid: grow your network. However, the game has a lot of strategic depth. Every decision you make is meaningful. 

So how does this work? You’ll claim pre-existing routes between cities to connect them. Then you have to bid against each other to buy the power plants to energize your cities. Easy-peasy, right? Nope! You need to ensure you have the raw materials to power your plants, while retaining enough resources to continue to expand your network. 

But being the first to buy power plants or build a strong network isn’t a direct path to victory in Power Grid. Once you’ve purchased a certain number of plants, more efficient plants become available. With every turn, you have to make crucial decisions- do you want to take a step closer to allowing your opponents access to superior equipment or keep them straggling (strategically, mind you) behind the pack?

Pro tip – the game can be a little math heavy, especially towards the end. Don’t be afraid to use your phones or calculators to keep the game moving. 

Who This Game is For

If you enjoy “thinky” network-building, auction and/or resource management games with very few elements of luck, Power Grid is a great option for a 5 player game.

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There are a ton of expansions available for Power Grid. We like the regional expansions like Northern Europe / United Kingdom & Ireland, China / Korea, and Australia / Indian Subcontinent. With these expansions, you get new maps and modified rules/ special conditions for each region’s unique power needs. For instance, Australia doesn’t have a single connected power network, so it costs more to connect to cities. Each expansion gives you new elements to address in your quest to build the best power grid!

That’s a Wrap!

Our top twenty picks of the Best 5 Player Board Games include family-friendly, fun and easy, medium and advanced picks. Whether you want to play a five-player game board where heavy reliance on luck puts everyone on equal footing (King of Tokyo), or want complete strategic control in your board games (Power Grid or Concordia), you’ll find the game you’re looking for here.

Every group and every individual has different preferences. When looking for the right game, we encourage you to think about the age, experience level and attention span of your five-player group. 

Beyond that, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

  • Do we need a game with an immersive theme?
  • Can our group handle direct competition?
  • How much time do we want to spend playing board games in one sitting?

The key thing is to consider your group dynamics and choose a five player game that fits the group’s playing mentality. Choose some fun snacks, cozy socks and you’re off to the races!

Good luck, and remember: have fun!

Header Photo Credit: Thanks, Stonemaier Games! cc

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