We firmly believe that all you need to enjoy a game is the game!
That being said, board game accessories can be a great investment. The best board game accessories can:
- Help decrease game set-up time
- Speed up gameplay
- Provide a more thematic feel
- Add some bling
- Establish the mood for each game
- Transport games for off-site game nights
On our end, we love getting board game accessories to optimize our gaming experience. For example, one of our favorite tabletop game accessories is a simple shelf liner for playing modular board games like Catan and Gloomhaven (one of our top legacy and dungeon crawl board games).
Because everyone has a different budget, we’ve organized our favorite recommendations into High and Low options. High recommendations are the top-of-the-line ultimate board game upgrades. Low recommendations are lower-budget picks that provide a similar experience to the more expensive upgrade.
There is something for every budgets on our list, from essentials such as game playmats and game organization to fun board game upgrades like metal coins.
Our Top Picks – Board Game Accessories and Upgrades
Card Protection & Organization
High
You can buy a 5 pack set of Ultra Pro deck boxes on Amazon or at your local game store. Each deck box will fit 70-80 sleeved standard cards.
Low
We recommend Mayday Games mini Euro card sleeves and Ultra Pro standard card sleeves to protect your cards.
Dice Organization & Upgrades
High
This highly customizable handmade dice tower from Oakhart Gaming on Etsy is sleek, clean and well-crafted. The dice tower folds horizontally within the tray for easy storage.
Low
Forged Dice Co. makes a wallet-friendly but good-looking folding dice tray. They come in a variety of colors and textures.
Component Organization & Upgrades
High
Customized inserts like The Broken Token insert for Gloomhaven are a great all-in-one solution for large, complicated games.
Low
Hand-crafted items like these stackable board game token trays (with bagging funnel), handmade crochet component bowls, and storage bags with fun meeple fabric are both fun and reasonably priced.
Game Stabilization
High
You can get game mats designed specifically for your game, like this Machi Koro game mat.
Low
Shelf-liner is a low-cost solution to stabilizing your game. You can get it basically anywhere, from your local drugstore to Amazon.
Resource Upgrades
High
For the ultimate game experience for Euro games like Catan, this Euro token set by Mayday Games is the ticket. It includes a wooden token storage box and comes with farmers, animeeples (animal meeples!) and various resources.
Low
If you’re creative, you can find budget-friendly resources for your favorite game. For example, in Wingspan, you can get laser-cut food resource tokens that will upgrade your game experience for a reasonable price.
Game Transportation
High
The designers of this board game backpack have thought of everything. You can stack a number of bulky games and zip up your dice, card games and other accessories in dedicated pockets.
Low
The use of Cajon musician bags to transport games is one of the open secrets in the board game world! You can buy a 20 x 12.5 x 12.5 padded duffle-style Cajon bag (with a two year warranty!) for a very reasonable price.
Table of Contents
Great Board Game Accessories and Upgrades
Component Organization & Upgrades
Muffin Pans |
Shallow Bowls |
Cupcake Liners |
Counter Trays |
If you can only get one accessory, we highly recommend that you focus on component organization. Having your components organized cuts down on the time you spend sorting through pieces. So you end up with quicker gameplay and shorter set-up and tear downs. Sign us up for anything that cuts down the work and lets us focus on the fun!
Game organization is highly personal. People use a wide variety of tools. From thrifted or new muffin pans, shallow bowls and silicone cupcake liners to counter trays (with a lid!) for sorting your game pieces during play.
Here are our recommendations by category.
Cards
Deck Boxes. With these, you’ll be ready to play your favorite game in a jiffy when you’re out and about. Whether you’re going camping or on a picnic date, you’re set.
High
You can buy a set of these deck boxes on Amazon or at your local game store. Each deck box will fit 70-80 sleeved standard cards.
Low
We love using plastic crayon boxes as deck boxes. They’re super affordable and have held up well so far. We got ours from Staples in-store, and they’re flip-top and stand vertically. Although these crayon boxes aren’t exactly the same, they function similarly and are stackable.
Sleeves. A lot of the great board or card games out there are an investment. That’s why we like to protect our cards. We sleeve our cards for games like Gloomhaven and Star Realms so they’ll last over many sessions.
High
Ultra Pro has a fun fine art series with a variety of fun designs like their water lilies sleeve pack. If you’re looking for an all-in-one sleeving solution for Gloomhaven, there is a great option on Amazon.
Low
We recommend this 400 pack of mini Euro card sleeves and this 100-pack of standard card sleeves. One 400 pack of mini Euro card sleeves and 200 standard card sleeves were enough to get us started with Gloomhaven. They’ve held up well, fit well and are easy to shuffle.
Dice
Dice Trays. Contain your dice rolls so they don’t roll off the table or knock over your gamepieces!
High
These dice trays on Etsy are vegan and come in rawhide, black, blue and gray. You can buy them plain or printed with fun designs like the Druid and the Ranger. They’ll even print a custom design of your choice!
If you’re going for a more thematic option, Forged Dice Co.’s scroll dice tray and rolling mat is a stylish pick. You’ll zip up to 14 polyhedral dice, pop your scroll in your bag or on your shelf and are ready for your next gaming session.
Low
Forged Dice Co. also makes a wallet-friendly but good-looking folding dice tray. They come in a variety of colors and textures, including purple and yellow.
Dice Towers. Impress your gaming friends with a fun dice tower! You can find one in all shapes, sizes and colors. And you’ll make sure everyone’s roll is 100 percent random.
High
This handmade dice tower from Oakhart Gaming on Etsy is sleek, clean and well-crafted. The tower is extremely customizable. You can opt for a 10” or 7” dice tower in various finishes, from an economical poplar to spendy walnut. You can even choose whether you want the tray to be felt lined or bare wood. The dice tower folds horizontally within the tray for easy storage. The shop also sells heavy duty handcrafted leather straps for storage and travel.
Low
With this instructables tutorial, you can DIY your very own dice tower with just a few supplies. For a partially DIY project, this birdfeeder dice tower is a fun tool to use with Wingspan.
If you want a wallet-friendly ready-to-go option, this castle dice tower is a fun accessory.
Components
High
Customized inserts are a great solution for large, complicated games. You can get some great customized game inserts for your favorite game from places like The Broken Token and Gaming Trunk. We drooled over The Broken Token insert for Gloomhaven but decided to take a cheaper, DIY approach. You can buy the Broken Token insert for Compact Card Games like the Lord of the Rings Card Game and expansions.
Just keep in mind that you’ll have to assemble the game inserts.
This handmade dice bag is awesome and will fill most of your dice storage needs! The bag has multiple pockets to hold several sets of dice. You’ll be able to easily grab the dice you need. If you want something to take a single dice set to an off-site game night, this dice travel tin is a sturdy and attractive option.
Low
At the very base level, all you need to organize your games are:
- Rubber bands to secure things together
- Plastic jewelry zip bags or snack bags to sort and store game pieces
- Shallow containers to sort and store game pieces for use during game play
These are things you can find easily via local stores and thrift stores.
If you’re looking for more game-specific or eco-friendly / reusable options, here are a few:
|
1. Game Trays |
2. Handmade Bowls |
3. Storage Bags |
4. Drawstring Bags |
Game Stabilization
Game Mats. Game mats provide a stable surface for your game playing. They’re particularly helpful with modular games like Catan and Gloomhaven. A good game mat makes it much harder for you to accidentally knock the table and your game along with it. They range from purely functional to providing ambience.
High
You can get a game mat that was made just for your favorite game. Or you can go for a thematically appropriate game mat. Here are just a few examples:
 1. Machi Koro Game Mat |
 2. Splendor Game Mat |
  3. Battle Game Mat |
  4. Battle Grid Game Mat |
For an even more customized option, you can buy a customized game overlay. You can find some great options on Etsy like this acrylic overlay for Azul and this Wingspan overlay board.
Low
Shelf-liner is a low-cost solution to stabilizing your game. You can get it basically anywhere, from your local drugstore to Amazon. You can also use similarly branded products like drawer liner and rug liner. If you want to stabilize components on your game board (like traps and boulders in Gloomhaven), poster putty is a good low-cost option.
Coins Coins Coins!
Coins. Most games come with cheap cardboard coins. Metal coins or chips can upgrade your gaming experience.
High
The metal coins for Scythe have set the gold standard for metal coins. Since they have currency values printed on them, they’re easy to use with any game that uses currency. Some other great options are The Broken Token Agra metal coins and these metal gold and silver pirate coins.
Low
Poker chips are widely popular for gaming parties. They come in large quantities, the nicer ones feel good to the touch, and they’re bundled in a nice portable silver box. While they can be pricey, you get more for your dollar than with the specialized metal coins above.
Resource Upgrades
Resources & Scenery. Eurogames like Catan rely heavily on resources. In games like Targi, Wingspan and Splendor, resources function as currency. Upgrading the currency and other components from the original cardboard components can really level up your gaming experience.
High
For the ultimate game experience for Euro games like Catan, this Euro token set by Mayday Games is the ticket. It includes a wooden token storage box and comes with farmers, animeeples and various resources. You can also get a game-specific upgrade like an 80-piece set of European Wingspan birds or these realistic resources for Scythe. If you are a Gloomhaven or Dungeons & Dragons fan, this full scenery pack is drool-worthy. The kit includes everything you need to upgrade the cardboard scenery, from columns, logs, coffins / sarcophagi and barrels.
Low
If you’re creative, you can find budget-friendly resources for your favorite game. For example, in Wingspan, you can get laser-cut food resource tokens that will upgrade your game experience for a reasonable price. In Splendor, plastic gems are an economical upgrade that you can find at your local craft store.
Other Board Game Extras
Dice & Meeple Upgrades
Dice Upgrades. Upgrading from the basic in-the-box dice can elevate your gaming experience.
High
This colorful game night pack comes with 25 multicolored translucent four-sided dice and five leather felt-lined shaker cups. Great for hosting game nights with large groups and multiple games!
If you’re looking for a more customized dice set, we’re drooling over this handcrafted rainbow glitter polyhedral dice set on Etsy.
Low
Upgrade your RPG gaming experience with seven colorful polyhedral die sets: d4, d6, d8, d10 0-9, d10 00-90, d12 and d20. With one purchase, you get a durable 70-piece set of every type of polyhedral die you could need.
Meeple and Player Piece Upgrades. One of the most fun ways to upgrade your board game experience is to buy new meeples or player pieces. There’s something for everyone, whether you want to have more color options or a customized option for your favorite game.
High
If money is no object, go for high-end meeple upgrades for your favorite game. You can buy colorful fish meeples for kid-friendly Oceans and adventurer tokens for Lords of Waterdeep.
Low
This 100-meeple set will give you meeple options in 10 different colors, including pink and purple. This is a fun, low-cost upgrade that will give you more color options than your basic meeples! You can also buy game-specific meeples for a reasonable price. Buy a wooden farmer set for Agricola, an adorable meeple upgrade kit for Everdell or a character meeple set for Pandemic Legacy: Season 1.
Lighting
A color-changing light bulb can help set the mood for your gaming session, whether you’re playing an RPG game or your favorite thematic game.
High
The Philips Hue system is the gold standard for automated lighting systems. Though pricey, the White and Color LED Smart Button Starter Kit gives you everything you need to get started setting the mood. We use ours for our gaming sessions and to customize lighting in our living room. Our hub and bulbs are over 8 years old and still work like a dream.
Low
If you don’t need an integrated system of smart lights, you can buy a single Philips color changing LED bulb. These bulbs don’t require a Hue hub, just a WiFi connection and their WiZ app. If you want to forego the app for tech-free game nights, you can buy a remote operated color changing LED lightbulb on Amazon for a reasonable price.
Other Board Game Upgrades
Custom-Made Board Games. If you want a premium experience, you can order or make a custom-made game board for your favorite game.
High
We are so tempted to buy this colorful custom-made Settlers of Catan game board. The board comes with interlocking edges so your game doesn’t shift during play, elevating your Settlers of Catan play sessions.
Low
Making customized surfaces for your board game is a great way to upgrade in style. They’re cheaper than a full custom-made version, to boot! For example, you can get a 3D printable file for a custom Scythe topographic surface on Etsy.
Player Boards & Screens. Player boards can help organize each player’s components and cards for games like Gloomhaven and Terraforming Mars. Privacy screens are great for providing each player with privacy in hidden component or objective games like Isle of Skye or Archipelago.
High
Though a bit pricey, Kaiyoot game shields are colorful, modular and fold flat. They were funded via Kickstarter and are still accepting orders.
Low
If you are looking for a lower-price DIY option to the Kaiyoot game shield, you can buy their print and play PDF pattern for making the shield with cardboard. You can also buy game-specific player boards for games like Terraforming Mars and Gloomhaven.
Game Transportation
A good game bag is essential when you’re hosting an off-site game night or are just bringing your favorite games on vacation! We personally love to play board games on camping trips. Just hold the s’mores and hot chocolate until after your session!
High
The designers of this board game backpack have thought of everything. You can stack a number of bulky games and zip up your dice, card games and other accessories in dedicated pockets.
For less money, get a water-resistant backpack / duffle bag designed for board games. The bag is 20” x 12” x 12”- perfect for 12” x 12” games.
Low
Cajon musician bags are the perfect size for your board games. Since they’re designed to protect expensive music instruments, they’ll provide good padding for your board games. This is one of the open secrets in the board game world!
You can buy a 20” x 12.5” x 12.5” padded duffle-style Cajon bag (with a two year warranty!) or a padded convertible duffle / backpack Cajon bag for a very reasonable price.
If you want to go the handmade route, Two Pips Design on Etsy makes a large 14” x 14” board game tote bag. The best part? You can get your bags in a fun meeple print or dice print.
That’s A Wrap!
And that’s our list of recommended board game accessories! We could honestly write an infinite amount of recommendations, but we have to stop somewhere.
There are so many great board game accessories out there. We haven’t even discussed game items specific to RPGs (role playing games)! Or fun household items like thematic coasters and engraved glasses. Or the big one – board game shelves!
We hope we’ve given you some good ideas of what gaming accessories will help upgrade your game nights. Again, you don’t have to invest a lot to improve your organization and speed up setup / takedown and gameplay. But of course, if you have the resources and you want to bling out your game experience, there are a lot of fun board game accessories out there!