1970s Games: Best Board, Card And Video Games

Mastermind and Connect 4 at home, Uno and Top Trumps in the pocket, Space Invaders in the arcade.

Below: the board games of the 1970s, the card games people played, the video and arcade games of the era, and how games actually got played at home.

Handy for a themed party, a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what someone played growing up.

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Shop greetings cards Look back to 1970 Look back to 1971 Look back to 1972

Cards, prints and badges, made by us

Funny and warm greeting cards, art prints and pin badges, printed in the UK. We do not sell games - this guide is free to read, print and copy.

Congratulations greeting card for a boss promoted to police inspector, with text Congrats Boss Promotion to Inspector. Congrats, Boss! Promotion to Inspector Card £3.87 Minimalist white greeting card featuring bold 'World's Best Boss' typography in a clean black font. World's Best Boss Greetings Card £3.87 See You Later, Alligator (Funny Good Luck Card) See You Later, Alligator (Funny Good Luck Card) £3.75 'Rock On' hand gesture good luck card, ideal for a new job or congratulations. "Rock On" Good Luck Card £3.87

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Board games of the 1970s

  • Mastermind (1971) - the code-breaking game with the coloured pegs, a huge UK seller.
  • Connect 4 (1974) and Downfall (1977).
  • Hungry Hippos (1978) and Buckaroo (1970).
  • Escape from Colditz (1973), devised with a real escaper, Pat Reid.
  • Dungeons & Dragons (1974) - the start of roleplaying as a hobby.

Card games of the 1970s

  • Uno (1971), invented in Ohio and slowly becoming the family card game.
  • Top Trumps (1978), from Dubreq, played in every playground in Britain.
  • Cheat, Chase the Ace and Pontoon for family nights.
  • Whist drives still running in village halls.
  • Cribbage and crib boards in every pub.

Video and arcade games

  • Pong (Atari, 1972) - the game that started the industry.
  • Space Invaders (1978) and Asteroids (1979) - the arcade boom proper.
  • Atari VCS/2600 (1977), the console that made cartridges normal.
  • Binatone TV Master (1976) - the Pong clone that plugged into British tellies.
  • Simon (1978), the electronic memory game with four coloured lights.

How people played

  • The television became a games machine for the first time, which caused a lot of family negotiation.
  • Top Trumps made games portable and swappable - a pack in the blazer pocket.
  • Arcades moved from piers to town centres and stayed open late.

Years covered in the 1970s

  • 1970 - England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970
  • 1971 - Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971
  • 1972 - Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972
  • 1973 - Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973
  • 1974 - Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974
  • 1975 - Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975
  • 1976 - The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976
  • 1977 - Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977
  • 1978 - Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978
  • 1979 - The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979
  • That is every 1970s year we have written up so far: 1970 to 1979.

How to use this

  • Themed party: pick one board game and one card game from the list and have both out on the table.
  • Quiz round: read a game and ask for the decade, or read the year and ask for the game.
  • Reminiscence: ask what was under the tree one Christmas. Games get remembered better than clothes.
  • Anyone born in 1970 turns 50 in 2020, 60 in 2030 and 70 in 2040.

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Found your words? Now find the card

Shop greetings cards Look back to 1970 Look back to 1971 Look back to 1972

How to write it so it lands

  • Release years matter: a game can be invented in one decade and only reach British shops in the next.
  • For a party, pick a game people can join halfway through. Nobody wants to start Monopoly at ten o'clock.
  • Boot sales and charity shops still turn up the original boxes, usually with one piece missing.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What board games were popular in the 1970s?

Mastermind (1971) - the code-breaking game with the coloured pegs, a huge UK seller. The full list above covers the rest of the decade's boards.

What card games did people play in the 1970s?

Uno (1971), invented in Ohio and slowly becoming the family card game. The card games section above has the others.

What video games came out in the 1970s?

Pong (Atari, 1972) - the game that started the industry. The section above lists the arcade, console and computer games of the era.

Do you sell games?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This guide is free to read and free to copy - charity shops and second-hand sites are the best place to find the older games.

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