2020s Games: Best Board, Card And Video Games

Lockdown put the board back on the table, and Wordle got the whole country doing the same puzzle.

Below: the board games of the 2020s, 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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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 2020s

  • Cascadia (2021) and Wingspan, the calm, pretty end of the hobby.
  • Wavelength (2019) and Just One (2018), both party games that work with mixed ages.
  • Pandemic, which people either played constantly in 2020 or refused to own.
  • Jigsaws, which sold out nationally in the first lockdown.
  • Monopoly, Cluedo and Scrabble, still the ones in the cupboard.

Card games of the 2020s

  • Exploding Kittens and Dobble, the two easiest games to get a family playing.
  • Uno, with the arguments about stacking +2s now a national issue.
  • Here to Slay (2020) and other quick, illustrated card games.
  • Pokemon cards as a collecting boom again, with prices to match.
  • Whist, cribbage and rummy, which have outlasted everything else on this page.

Video and arcade games

  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), the lockdown game.
  • Among Us, released 2018 and enormous in 2020.
  • Wordle (late 2021, bought by the New York Times in 2022) - one puzzle, once a day, everybody.
  • PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (both November 2020), and two years of trying to buy one.
  • Elden Ring (2022) and Baldur's Gate 3 (2023).

How people played

  • Lockdown quizzes on video calls turned every family into a quizmaster for a while.
  • Games became a way of keeping in touch, not just a way of passing an evening.
  • Physical and digital sit side by side now - the same house plays both in one week.

Years covered in the 2020s

  • 2020 - Lockdown, clapping on doorsteps and a year nobody needs reminding of. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2020
  • 2021 - Another lockdown, then a summer of football and reopening. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2021
  • 2022 - The Platinum Jubilee, the death of the Queen and three Prime Ministers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2022
  • 2023 - The coronation, Barbenheimer and 'Last Christmas' finally getting to number one. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2023
  • 2024 - A July general election, the Olympics in Paris and Gavin & Stacey signing off. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2024
  • 2025 - The Lionesses retained the Euros and the Oasis reunion filled the stadiums. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2025
  • That is every 2020s year we have written up so far: 2020 to 2025.

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 2020 turns 50 in 2070, 60 in 2080 and 70 in 2090.

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Found your words? Now find the card

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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 2020s?

Cascadia (2021) and Wingspan, the calm, pretty end of the hobby. The full list above covers the rest of the decade's boards.

What card games did people play in the 2020s?

Exploding Kittens and Dobble, the two easiest games to get a family playing. The card games section above has the others.

What video games came out in the 2020s?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), the lockdown game. 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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