TL;DR
Guildford has a genuine board gaming community — specialist retailers, game cafés, and regular gaming events for players of all experience levels. It's also the home of Smoothie Wars, created by Guildford entrepreneur and medical doctor Dr Thom Van Every. This guide covers where to find, play, and buy board games in Guildford and the surrounding Surrey area.
Guildford's Board Gaming Scene
Guildford sits in a fortunate spot. Large enough to support specialist retail, close enough to London that major gaming events are accessible, and home to a sizeable student and professional population that drives demand for hobby gaming.
The board gaming scene in the UK has grown substantially over the past decade. Between 2015 and 2024, hobby board game sales roughly doubled, driven by a combination of post-pandemic interest in offline entertainment, strong YouTube and podcast communities, and an expanding range of genuinely great games. Guildford has felt this growth — the range of options for local gamers has expanded significantly.
Whether you're a complete newcomer looking for your first hobby game, an experienced player wanting to find like-minded people, or simply looking for something different to do on a Friday evening, this guide covers the local options.
Where to Buy Board Games in Guildford
Independent Specialist Retailers
Guildford's independent retail scene for board games has varied over the years. For specialist titles — hobby games, independent publishers, limited editions — online specialist retailers like Zatu Games and Board Game Extras remain the most reliable option for Guildford residents, with next-day delivery available on most titles.
Direct-from-publisher purchasing is also worth considering for specific titles. Smoothie Wars, created by Guildford-based Dr Thom Van Every, is available directly from the publisher. At £34 for the current deluxe edition, it's competitively priced and ships to all UK addresses.
High Street Options
Guildford's town centre carries mainstream board games through:
The Entertainer — Stocks the most popular family and strategy games. Good for well-known titles (Catan, Ticket to Ride, Codenames, Pandemic). Limited range for hobby games.
Waterstones — Carries a curated selection of board games alongside books. Tends toward the better-known titles with some more thoughtful curation than pure toy stores.
Argos and WHSmith — Mainstream titles at competitive prices. Not a specialist destination but useful for in-stock availability on popular games.
Amazon delivery to Guildford — For many Guildford residents, ordering via Amazon Prime remains the fastest and cheapest route for mainstream titles. The range on specialist games is more limited.
Game Cafés and Play Venues Near Guildford
Game cafés — where you pay an entry fee to access a large game library and play for the day — have become a fixture in UK cities. They're an excellent way to try games before purchasing, meet other players, and spend an afternoon differently.
The nearest dedicated game café options to Guildford are typically found in:
Woking — The town centre has hosted board gaming events and has gaming-friendly venues. Worth checking local community boards for current options.
Kingston upon Thames — Accessible from Guildford by train, Kingston has a more developed leisure scene including board gaming venues.
London — For the full game café experience, London has a well-developed board game café scene including Draughts (Hackney and Waterloo), Meeples (various), and others.
It's worth noting that the board game café scene changes — venues open and close, and pop-up gaming events often appear in traditional pubs and community spaces. The BoardGameGeek UK community boards and local Facebook groups typically have the most up-to-date information on what's currently operating near Guildford.
Local Gaming Groups and Communities
The most consistent way to play board games in Guildford is through local gaming groups. These typically meet weekly or fortnightly, welcome new members, and collectively own extensive game libraries — meaning you can try dozens of titles without buying them first.
Guildford and Godalming Gamers — One of the established local board gaming groups in the area. Regularly meets in local venues to play a wide range of hobby games. Welcoming to new players. Find current meeting details through BoardGameGeek's UK group listings or local Facebook groups.
Meetup.com — The platform hosts various Surrey-based gaming meetups including board gaming sessions. Search "board games Guildford" or "tabletop gaming Surrey" for current active groups.
University of Surrey — The university's gaming society is active and sometimes runs events open to the wider community. Worth checking for special gaming days.
Local pubs with gaming nights — Several Guildford pubs run informal games nights. These tend to focus on lighter fare (trivia, card games) but occasionally incorporate hobby board games. The trend of pubs hosting games nights has grown in recent years.
Smoothie Wars: A Game Born in Guildford
Guildford has an unexpected connection to the board game world. Smoothie Wars — a competitive economic strategy game for 3-8 players — was created by Dr Thom Van Every, a medical doctor and entrepreneur based in Guildford.
The game emerged from Van Every's background in both medicine and entrepreneurship. As someone who'd run businesses and understood market dynamics, he wanted to create a game that taught genuine business skills — supply and demand, cash flow management, competitive pricing, market positioning — in a format accessible to families and adults.
The result is a 45-60 minute game where players compete as smoothie entrepreneurs on a tropical island, making the same kinds of decisions a real small business owner makes: where to set up, how to price, how to manage cash, and how to respond to competitors.
"Guildford is full of creative, entrepreneurial people," Van Every has said. "I wanted to create something that reflected that energy — something genuinely playable but with real educational substance."
The game is currently available as a limited edition deluxe version at £34, directly from the publisher. For Guildford residents with an interest in business, strategy games, or simply a well-made new game from a local creator, it's worth a look.
Board Game Events Near Guildford
Beyond local gaming groups, several annual events are accessible from Guildford:
UK Games Expo (Birmingham, June) — The UK's largest board gaming convention. Multiple days of gaming, demos, tournaments, and retail. A three-hour drive from Guildford; many local gamers make the trip annually.
Dragonmeet (London, December) — London's long-running gaming convention. Easily accessible from Guildford by train.
Tabletop Gaming Live (London) — The UK's other major gaming convention. Publishers debut new titles; extensive demo space.
For day-to-day gaming, the local groups mentioned above are more practical. But the major conventions are worth a visit for anyone serious about the hobby — they offer the chance to try hundreds of games in a single weekend.
Board gaming options in and around Guildford
| Option | Type | Distance | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Entertainer, Guildford | Purchase | Town centre | Mainstream titles |
| Amazon Prime delivery | Purchase | Delivered | All titles, competitive pricing |
| Smoothie Wars (direct) | Purchase | Delivered | Local game, educational |
| Guildford gaming groups | Play | Local venues | Meeting players, trying games |
| Kingston game cafés | Play | 30 min by train | Trying before buying |
| UK Games Expo | Events | Birmingham | Full convention experience |
Tips for New Players in Guildford
Start with the gaming groups. Before building a game collection, find the local gaming community. You'll be able to try dozens of games across different categories without buying anything, and you'll meet experienced players who can recommend titles suited to your taste.
Mix purchase channels. Mainstream titles are often cheapest on Amazon. Specialist titles are better sourced from Zatu or Board Game Extras. For Guildford-specific or local creator games, direct purchase is worth supporting.
Try before committing to heavy games. The step from light family games (Ticket to Ride, Catan) to heavyweight hobby games (Brass, Spirit Island) is significant. Use local gaming groups or game café visits to try games before spending £50-80 on a box you might play twice.
Look for demos. Game shops and gaming events often demo new titles. Playing a game for twenty minutes under guidance from an experienced player is one of the fastest ways to decide whether it's right for you.
FAQs
Where can I buy board games in Guildford?
The Entertainer and Waterstones carry mainstream titles in town. Online specialist retailers (Zatu Games, Board Game Extras) are better for hobby games and deliver to Guildford. Direct-from-publisher purchasing makes sense for new and independent games like Smoothie Wars.
Is there a board game café in Guildford?
Guildford doesn't currently have a dedicated board game café, but neighbouring towns including Kingston upon Thames have options. Local gaming groups and events offer similar opportunities to play games without purchasing them first.
What board games are from Guildford?
Smoothie Wars was created by Guildford-based Dr Thom Van Every. It's a competitive economic strategy game for 3-8 players, designed to teach business skills through engaging competitive gameplay.
Are there board game clubs near Guildford?
Yes. Guildford and Godalming Gamers is an established local group, and various Meetup.com groups organise gaming sessions in the area. BoardGameGeek's UK community listings are a reliable source for current group information.
Conclusion
Guildford's board gaming scene is stronger than most residents realise. Between local gaming groups, nearby game cafés, and easy access to London's more developed gaming venues, there are genuine options for players at every experience level.
For residents interested in supporting local game creators, Smoothie Wars — designed by Dr Thom Van Every right here in Guildford — offers a genuine connection between local entrepreneurship and excellent game design. Available at £34 direct from the publisher, it's a worthwhile addition to any collection.
