One of the most important aspects of board games is arguably its theming. The artwork plays a huge role in immersing and intriguing players and we think that should be celebrated!

So without further ado, here are our Top 5 board games with the best artwork:

1) Everdell

This goes without saying, which is why it’s in our top spot. A truly fantastic worker-placement, resource-management, strategy game in and of itself, Everdell is compounded by beautiful artwork and componentry.

The Ever Tree sits tall above the game board, nestling the draw deck exactly in it’s trunk. The cards are linen-finish and depict intricate and detailed illustrations of the woodland creatures that occupy the forest. Your resource tokens are a satisfying acrylic and made in the likeness of each resource you are vying for. What’s not to love?!

 2) Tokaido

You’ve probably seen it on every other list of “the prettiest board games ever” but look, it makes these lists for a reason!

A relatively quick-play, Tokaido follows the journey of travellers along the Japanese “East Sea Road” where they use their unique powers and selected placement on the track to work towards achieving various end of game bonuses.

The game board is a minimalist’s dream in technicolour and the artwork to accompany – just wow. Generally, board games of Japanese theming have stellar artwork but this is next level gorgeous.

3) Petrichor

A lesser-known board game but definitely not one to pass over, Petrichor by definition, is the pleasant Earthly smell produced when rain hits dry soil. 

In the case of the beautiful board game however, you are a cloud seeking to expand and water as many crops as possible compared to your opponents by manipulating the weather to your advantage. 

Truly stunning components made from high-quality punch-outs, beautiful watercolour artwork on both crop tiles and clouds and the ever-satisfying coloured glass water droplet tokens make this game an absolute pleasure to learn, play and teach!

 4) Scythe

A cult-classic, Scythe is not only a fantastic area control game itself, but also incorporates beautiful artwork and componentry. Set in an alternative 1920’s steampunk universe, the game board is a vivid blend of natural colours whose theme flows seamlessly into other illustrated components including individual player boards and coin tokens. In keeping with the context of the war-torn universe in which the game takes place, the detailed artwork also depicts the striking landscapes of pre-industrial Europe overlain with modern (and terrifying) human-controlled robots.

A captivating and immersive campaign experience, Scythe is definitely a game worth adding to the shelf!

 5) Obscurio

For a game based solely on analysing illustrations, you’d better hope they’d be good! Luckily, Obscurio certainly doesn’t disappoint.

A detailed and vibrant depiction of a never-ending, Harry Potter-esque library from which you must escape, this game of deception and bluffing is best played in groups of 4-8.

The game board itself full of intricate detail and so too are the components –particularly the image cards and the important Grimoire. You’ll see.

And that’s our list! Let us know if the comments below if we missed any games!