The nation's favourite board game has been revealed - and no, it's not Monopoly (guess again!)

Sarah Handley
·3-min read
Mum playing board game on the floor with her two children.
Mum playing board game on the floor with her two children.

When it comes to keeping the family entertained, you can't go wrong with a board game. While your festive period might have been filled with rounds of the best Christmas board games, new research has determined the nation's favourite board games, including nostalgic classics such as Guess Who, Cluedo and Snakes and Ladders. But the game taking the top spot is probably not the first one you would think of.

Monopoly might be a firm family favourite across the UK, even if every game descends into a squabble (if that happens in your family, it may be because you've been playing Monopoly wrong). But according to research undertaken by entertainment experts at VSO, Monopoly doesn't take the top spot as the UK's favourite, but it's actually another classic board game, dating back to the 15th century, that nabs that position.

What is the nation's favourite board game?

According to VSO's research, chess is the UK's favourite board game, based on the average number of monthly searches in the UK. Chess takes the top spot with 550,000 average monthly searches, more than nine times the search volume for the board game in the second spot - Cards Against Humanity, with 60,500 searches per month.

Monopoly ranks joint fourth on the list, with 6,600 monthly searches, alongside Mousetrap and Risk, one of Prince William's favourite Christmas traditions. Other popular games that round out the UK's favourites include nostalgia ridden classics like Battleship, Articulate and Game of Life. You can take a look at the full list below.

Young boy thinking about his next move when playing chess
Young boy thinking about his next move when playing chess

If you want to start playing chess with your family, you can pick up a chess set for less than £20, like this magnetic and foldable set from Amazon. To really help your kids understand the game, there are also plenty of kid-friendly books on the topic, including Chess for Kids: My First Book to Learn How to Play and Win by Yora Rocks, which is also available from Amazon.

VSO's research also revealed which cities were the most board game obsessed with Belfast coming out on top, with an average 225 searches for board games per 10,000 people, followed by Manchester (207), Leeds (158), Glasgow (139) and Birmingham (129).

Aside from board games, we've got a great list of cheap things to do with kids, easy crafts for kids or indoor activities for kids that are perfect for rainy days.

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