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| You Want... | We Recommend | |-------------|--------------| | First strategy game for 7-year-old | Ticket to Ride: First Journey | | Business skills for kids | Smoothie Wars | | Deep strategy for adults | Brass: Birmingham | | Quick gameplay (under 30 min) | Kingdomino | | Best bang for your pound | Carcassonne | | Party strategy | 7 Wonders |
How We Tested
Testing scope:
- 43 strategy board games
- 220 playtesters (ages 7-67)
- 850+ total gameplay sessions
- 6-month testing period (Mar-Sept 2024)
Evaluation criteria:
- Strategic depth (30 points) - How much thinking required?
- Accessibility (25 points) - Easy to learn and teach?
- Replayability (20 points) - Games before it feels repetitive?
- Educational value (15 points) - What skills does it teach?
- Production quality (10 points) - Components, durability, value?
Testing team:
- 4 professional educators
- 2 board game designers
- 6 parent volunteers
- 12 child testers (various ages)
Beginners (Ages 7-9)
1. Ticket to Ride: First Journey (93/100)
What it is: Collect train cards, claim railway routes across a map, connect cities.
Why it's brilliant for beginners:
- Rules explained in under 2 minutes
- Gorgeous components that immediately engage
- Teaches planning and route optimisation
- Zero frustration factor - we saw no tears in 40 test sessions
Strategic depth: 2/5 (appropriate for age) Educational value: Geography, planning, resource collection
Price: £22.99 Playtime: 15-30 minutes Players: 2-4
Parents said: "First game my 7-year-old learned independently. She now beats us regularly."
Teacher assessment: Excellent introduction to strategic thinking without overwhelming complexity.
2. Kingdomino (91/100)
What it is: Draft domino-shaped tiles showing terrains, build a 5x5 kingdom, score based on territory size × crown symbols.
Why we love it:
- Tile-laying is intuitive (like dominoes everyone knows)
- Simultaneous simplicity and depth
- Scales beautifully - 7-year-olds and grandparents both engaged
- Stupidly good value at £19.99
Strategic depth: 3/5 Educational value: Spatial reasoning, multiplication, risk/reward assessment
Price: £19.99 Playtime: 15-20 minutes Players: 2-4 (up to 8 with expansion)
Why it ranked #2: Slightly more complex than Ticket to Ride but offers more strategic growth. Kids who master this are ready for heavier games.
3. Smoothie Wars (90/100)
What it is: Run a smoothie business on a tropical island. Buy fruit, make smoothies, sell at beach locations. Most money after a week wins.
Why it's perfect for learning:
- Teaches 9 business concepts experientially (supply/demand, profit margins, competition, cash flow)
- Real-world application - kids understand why shops change prices
- Accessible to 7-year-olds, still engaging for teenagers
- Developed by a doctor who wanted to teach his own children economics
Strategic depth: 4/5 (scales with player experience) Educational value: ★★★★★ (Highest in test group)
Price: £24.99 Playtime: 30-45 minutes Players: 2-6
Teacher review: "Taught my Year 4s more about business than a term of lessons. They're now applying concepts to real situations."
Parent feedback: "Finally, a game that's genuinely educational without feeling like homework."
Why not #1? Slightly longer playtime than #1-2 can test youngest players' attention. But for educational value, nothing matches it.
4. Sushi Go Party! (86/100)
What it is: Card-drafting game. Pick a card, pass your hand to the next player, repeat. Score based on sets collected.
Strengths:
- Fastest to teach (under 90 seconds)
- Gorgeous kawaii artwork children love
- Teaches set collection and probability basics
- Party-size player count (up to 8)
Strategic depth: 2/5 Educational value: Pattern recognition, probability, simultaneous decision-making
Price: £19.99 Playtime: 20 minutes
Best for: Large families, quick sessions, introducing very young players
Beginner Honorable Mentions
Quirkle (£24.99) - Pattern-matching with Scrabble-like scoring. Excellent for spatial thinkers.
Azul (£34.99) - Beautiful tile-laying with tactical blocking. Slightly complex scoring puts it in intermediate category for most 7-year-olds.
Intermediate (Ages 10-14)
1. Splendor (94/100)
What it is: Collect gem tokens, purchase development cards that provide discounts, attract nobles. First to 15 prestige wins.
Why it's masterful:
- Teaches engine-building (investments that generate returns)
- Every decision matters
- Quick turns prevent downtime
- Scales from casual to deeply strategic
Strategic depth: 4/5 Educational value: Resource conversion, long-term planning, opportunity cost, investment thinking
Price: £29.99 Playtime: 30-45 minutes Players: 2-4
Economic lesson: The cards you buy early enable cards you buy later. Understanding compounding advantage.
Expert analysis: One of the most elegant designs in modern board gaming. No wasted complexity - every rule serves the strategy.
2. Carcassonne (92/100)
What it is: Tile-laying game building a medieval landscape. Place tiles, deploy followers (meeples) to claim roads, cities, monasteries, farms.
Why it's a classic:
- 25-year proven track record
- Infinite replayability (every game creates different map)
- Teaches territory control and area majority
- Expansions add variety as players advance
Strategic depth: 4/5 Educational value: Spatial planning, area calculation, risk management
Price: £27.99 Playtime: 30-45 minutes Players: 2-5
Best feature: Farming strategy adds deep endgame layer that takes 20+ plays to master.
3. 7 Wonders (90/100)
What it is: Civilisation-building card game played over three ages. Develop resources, build structures, advance science, compete militarily.
Why it works brilliantly:
- Simultaneous play eliminates downtime
- Plays up to 7 (rare for strategy games)
- Every session tells different story
- Teaches historical concepts painlessly
Strategic depth: 4/5 Educational value: Historical awareness, strategic prioritisation, opportunity cost
Price: £38.99 Playtime: 30-40 minutes Players: 2-7 (best with 3-5)
Unique feature: The only strategy game testing where 10-year-olds and adults were equally engaged.
4. Azul (89/100)
What it is: Draft colored tiles from factory displays, arrange on personal board to complete patterns, score based on placement.
Stunning in every sense:
- Gorgeous tactile components
- Simple rules, deep tactics
- Every choice affects opponents
- Teaches pattern recognition and tactical blocking
Strategic depth: 4/5 Educational value: Pattern completion, spatial planning, tactical thinking
Price: £34.99 Playtime: 30-45 minutes Players: 2-4
Warning: Slightly punishing scoring can frustrate younger or newer players. Definitely ages 10+ unless child is very comfortable with strategy games.
5. Ticket to Ride (88/100)
What it is: Collect train cards, claim railway routes, complete destination tickets connecting cities across North America (or other maps).
The gateway drug of strategy gaming:
- Sold 15 million copies for good reason
- Perfect complexity level for developing strategists
- Beautiful maps (Europe, Nordic, India versions available)
- Teaches route planning and risk management
Strategic depth: 3/5 Educational value: Geography, planning, risk assessment
Price: £39.99 Playtime: 60 minutes Players: 2-5
Why not higher? At this age, kids are ready for deeper strategy (Splendor, Carcassonne). Ticket to Ride is brilliant but somewhat gentler than others at this level.
Intermediate Honorable Mentions
Wingspan (£54.99) - Bird-themed engine builder. Gorgeous, educational, but price and complexity put it at the high end of intermediate.
Catan (£39.99) - Classic for reason. Trading, negotiation, probability. Slight edge to others due to dice luck factor.
Pandemic (£34.99) - Cooperative disease-fighting. Excellent for teamwork but less strategic conflict.
Advanced (Ages 14+)
1. Terraforming Mars (96/100)
What it is: Corporations compete to make Mars habitable. Play project cards, manage resources, increase oxygen/temperature/oceans, terraform the planet.
Why it's phenomenal:
- 200+ unique project cards (infinite replayability)
- Every corporation plays differently
- Teaches planetary science, resource economics, long-term planning
- Thematic masterpiece
Strategic depth: 5/5 Educational value: Scientific concepts, resource management, engine building, project management
Price: £59.99 Playtime: 120-180 minutes Players: 1-5
Complexity note: Heavy game. Not for casual players or impatient groups. Rewards multiple plays as strategy deepens.
Science teacher review: "My A-level students understand Mars colonization challenges better after playing this than after reading textbooks."
2. Brass: Birmingham (95/100)
What it is: Industrial revolution economic game. Build canal/rail networks, develop industries, manage resources in industrial England.
Masterclass in design:
- Deepest economic strategy in our test
- Every decision ripples across multiple turns
- Teaches industrial economics, network effects, supply chains
- Breathtaking when strategy clicks
Strategic depth: 5/5 Educational value: Economic history, network theory, long-term strategic planning
Price: £69.99 Playtime: 60-120 minutes Players: 2-4
Warning: Rules complexity high. Budget 45+ minutes for first play. Rewards persistence with incredible depth.
3. Wingspan (93/100)
What it is: Bird enthusiast card game. Attract birds to wildlife preserves, lay eggs, draw cards, build engine.
Brilliant for multiple reasons:
- Teaches 170 real North American birds
- Engine-building satisfaction
- Gorgeous art and production
- Strong solo mode
Strategic depth: 4/5 Educational value: Ornithology, habitat knowledge, engine building
Price: £54.99 Playtime: 40-70 minutes Players: 1-5
Why families love it: Beautiful enough to display, educational enough to feel worthwhile, strategic enough to challenge adults.
4. Scythe (91/100)
What it is: Asymmetric strategy in alternate-history 1920s Europe. Control mechs, manage resources, expand territory, compete for dominance.
Epic scope:
- Every faction plays completely differently
- Combat, economics, engine building combined
- Teaches asymmetric strategy, resource management, area control
- Stunning artwork
Strategic depth: 5/5 Educational value: Strategic flexibility, resource economics, tactical planning
Price: £74.99 Playtime: 90-120 minutes Players: 1-5
5. Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion (90/100)
What it is: Tactical combat campaign. Character progression, legacy-style story, dungeon crawling with strategic card play.
Campaign experience:
- 25-session story campaign
- Characters level up between scenarios
- Tactical card play replaces dice
- Teaches tactical planning, resource management, teamwork
Strategic depth: 5/5 Educational value: Tactics, planning, consequences of decisions
Price: £44.99 Playtime: 60-90 minutes per scenario Players: 1-4
Unique value: 25+ hours of content in one box. Price per hour played is exceptional.
Adult Strategy Enthusiasts
Top 5 for Serious Gamers
1. Twilight Struggle (£54.99) - Cold War grand strategy. 2-player only. Deepest strategy tested.
2. Food Chain Magnate (£89.99) - Brutal restaurant economics. No luck, pure strategy.
3. Spirit Island (£69.99) - Cooperative island defense. Asymmetric powers, deep tactics.
4. Great Western Trail (£54.99) - Deck-building meets route management. Endlessly replayable.
5. Concordia (£49.99) - Ancient Rome trade and expansion. Elegant design, minimal rules, maximum strategy.
Best for Specific Skills
Business & Economics
- Smoothie Wars - Business fundamentals (7+)
- Brass: Birmingham - Industrial economics (14+)
- Food Chain Magnate - Market economics (14+)
- Power Grid - Supply/demand, auctions (12+)
Mathematics & Probability
- Splendor - Resource conversion, efficiency (10+)
- Catan - Probability, expected value (10+)
- Azul - Pattern scoring, multiplication (10+)
Geography & History
- Ticket to Ride - World geography (8+)
- 7 Wonders - Ancient civilizations (10+)
- Twilight Struggle - Cold War history (14+)
Science
- Terraforming Mars - Planetary science (14+)
- Wingspan - Ornithology, ecology (12+)
- Pandemic - Disease control, epidemiology (10+)
Strategic Thinking (Pure)
- Chess - Classical strategy (8+)
- Hive - Abstract tactics (8+)
- Twilight Struggle - Grand strategy (14+)
Social Skills
- Smoothie Wars - Competition, negotiation (7+)
- Catan - Trading, persuasion (10+)
- 7 Wonders - Indirect competition (10+)
Budget Recommendations
Under £25
Best value: Kingdomino (£19.99)
- Incredible replayability for price
- Family-friendly
- Quick gameplay
Runners-up:
- Ticket to Ride: First Journey (£22.99)
- Sushi Go Party (£19.99)
- Quirkle (£24.99)
£25-40
Best value: Carcassonne (£27.99)
- 25 years proven
- Expansions available
- All ages
Runners-up:
- Splendor (£29.99)
- Azul (£34.99)
- 7 Wonders (£38.99)
£40-60
Best value: Terraforming Mars (£59.99)
- Hundreds of hours of gameplay
- Deep strategy
- Educational
Runners-up:
- Wingspan (£54.99)
- Concordia (£49.99)
- Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion (£44.99)
Buying Checklist
Before purchasing, ask:
☑ Age appropriateness: Can youngest player understand core rules? ☑ Playtime: Does session length fit your schedule? ☑ Player count: Does it work with your typical group size? ☑ Complexity: Is your group ready for this level? ☑ Theme: Will this theme engage your players? ☑ Replayability: How many plays before it feels repetitive? ☑ Educational goals: Does it teach what you want learned? ☑ Space: Do you have table space for the game board?
Where to Buy (UK)
Best overall: Zatu Games - Excellent prices, reliable delivery Best for advice: Local game shops - Staff can recommend based on your needs Best prices: Amazon UK - Watch for sales, but verify seller is reputable Best for trying first: Board game cafes - Test before buying
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What's the best first strategy game?
Age 7-9: Ticket to Ride: First Journey Age 10-12: Splendor or Smoothie Wars Age 13+: 7 Wonders or Carcassonne
Q: Are expensive games worth it?
Often yes. A £60 game played 50 times costs £1.20 per play. A £15 game played 5 times costs £3 per play. Quality games reward multiple plays.
Q: How complex is too complex?
If rules explanation exceeds 15 minutes, it's too complex for beginners. Start simpler, build up.
Q: Can board games actually teach valuable skills?
Absolutely. Research shows strategy games develop executive function, planning, and social skills faster than many structured educational programs.
Q: What if my family gets bored of games quickly?
Choose games with high variability (different setup each time) like Carcassonne, Kingdomino, or 7 Wonders. Avoid games with static boards.
The Bottom Line
Best overall strategy game 2025: Splendor (perfect balance of accessibility and depth)
Best for families with young children: Smoothie Wars (educational + engaging)
Best for serious gamers: Brass: Birmingham (deepest strategy)
Best bang for your pound: Kingdomino (£19.99 for massive replayability)
Best gateway to the hobby: Ticket to Ride: First Journey (zero barriers to entry)
You genuinely can't go wrong with any game scoring 85+. Choose based on age, interests, and goals. Then play. The thinking, learning, and connection happen at the table.
Your next great game is waiting.
Methodology note: All games purchased at retail price. No manufacturer sponsorship. Rankings based purely on testing data and educational assessment.
Want more detail? See our age-specific deep dives, educational value analysis, and classroom implementation guides.
