Rolling the dice on fun with family and friends can take on a whole new level of excitement when board games enter the picture.
Finding the perfect game for an exact number of players can be hard, which is why in this article we have picked the best board games for 5 players.
Join us as we delve into our top picks for the best five-player board games that guarantee to make your game nights unforgettable.
- Players: 3-4 (5-6 with extension pack)
- Ages: 10+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: Medium
Catan is a game of strategy, where players collect resources and use them to build roads, settlements, and cities on their way to victory. The game board is variable, making each game a little different from the next.
Although the base game is ideally suited for up to four players, an extension pack allows the inclusion of up to six players, making the competition more challenging and interesting.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 10+
- Play Time: 45 Minutes
- Complexity: Medium
In Forbidden Desert, a thematic sequel to Forbidden Island, players take on the roles of brave adventurers who must survive the arid conditions of a desert and uncover a legendary flying machine buried under an ancient city.
The game’s cooperative mechanics and increasing difficulty level as the sandstorm intensifies keep players engaged and challenged.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 7+
- Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Carcassonne is a tile-placing game where players draw and place a tile with a piece of southern French landscape on it. The tile might feature a city, a road, a cloister, grassland or some combination thereof, and it must be placed adjacent to tiles that have already been played, in such a way that cities are connected to cities, roads to roads, etcetera.
The game shines at five players as it creates more competition for key areas on the board.
- Players: 2-8
- Ages: 8+
- Play Time: 20-30 Minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Camel Up is a quick, fun and light betting game in which players bet on five racing camels, trying to determine which ones will land on top.
The dynamics change significantly with five players, leading to more unpredictability and excitement. The game is a great choice for family gaming nights.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 8+
- Play Time: 40-80 Minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Small World is a zany, light-hearted civilization game in which players vie for conquest and control of a board that is simply too small to accommodate them all.
With a diverse roster of races and special powers, every game is a unique adventure in this world of limited space.
- Players: 3-6
- Ages: 12+
- Play Time: 1 Hour
- Complexity: Medium
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to build their haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating a new thrilling game board every time.
The game is designed for three to six people, each of whom plays one of six possible characters.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 8+
- Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Century Spice Road is the first in a series of games that explores the history of each century with spice-trading as the theme for the first installment.
The game is incredibly easy to learn, yet full of depth and tactical play.
- Players: 2-8
- Ages: 10+
- Play Time: 20-60 Minutes
- Complexity: Medium
Citadels is a game of nobles, intrigue, and cities for two to eight players, where each player vies to become the kingdom’s next Master Builder by constructing the most impressive medieval city.
- Players: 2-6
- Ages: 12+
- Play Time: 2 Hours
- Complexity: High
Power Grid: Recharged has all the strategy and fun of the classic first edition, but adds some updates that improve the (already great) gameplay.
Players mark pre-existing routes between cities for connection and then bid against each other to purchase the power plants.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 13+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: Medium
Dead of Winter is a meta-cooperative psychological survival game about surviving through a harsh winter in an apocalyptic world.
The group dynamics and potential traitor element are accentuated in a five-player setting, making each decision vital and potentially game-changing.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 14+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: High
Star Wars: Imperial Assault is a strategy board game of tactical combat and missions for two to five players, offering two distinct games of battle and adventure in the Star Wars universe!
At five players, one takes the role of the Empire with the others being iconic rebels, leading to an intense and strategic gameplay experience.
- Players: 2-6
- Ages: 8+
- Play Time: 30 Minutes
- Complexity: Easy
King of Tokyo is a game for 2 to 6 players where you play as mutant monsters, rampaging robots, or even abominable aliens battling in a fun, chaotic atmosphere.
- Players: 2-7
- Ages: 10+
- Play Time: 40 Minutes
- Complexity: Medium
In Mysterium, one player takes on the role of the ghost and over the course of a week, tries to lead the investigators to their culprit.
The game’s cooperative, yet challenging nature becomes more pronounced at the higher player counts.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 8+
- Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Ticket To Ride is a cross-country train adventure where players collect cards of various types of train cars that enable them to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America.
The competition gets heated with five players, as the available routes can quickly dwindle.
- Players: 1-5
- Ages: 17+
- Play Time: 1-3 Hours
- Complexity: High
Nemesis is a semi-cooperative game where you and your crewmates must survive on a ship infested with hostile organisms.
To win the game, you have to complete certain tasks and return back to Earth alive.
- Players: 3-6
- Ages: 8+
- Play Time: 30 Minutes
- Complexity: Easy
Dixit is a beautifully-illustrated game of creative guesswork, where your imagination unlocks the tale.
In a five-player game, the storytelling becomes even more interesting and varied, with more perspectives contributing to the unique narrative experience.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 14+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: High
Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a board game in which one player takes on the role of the treacherous overlord, and up to four other players take on the roles of courageous heroes.
The game truly shines with a full complement of five players, making each delve into dangerous dungeons a grand adventure.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 12+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: High
El Grande is a classic game of strategy and intrigue where players take on the roles of Grandes in medieval Spain. The gameplay involves cleverly maneuvering your state and claiming the king’s favor. A five-player game brings more strategic depth and competition, making it a highly engaging game for strategy game lovers.
- Players: 1-5
- Ages: 12+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: High
In Terraforming Mars, you control a corporation with a certain profile. Play project cards, build up production, place your cities and green areas on the map, and race for milestones and awards!
- Players: 3-6
- Ages: 14+
- Play Time: 4-8 Hours
- Complexity: High
Twilight Imperium is a game of galactic conquest in which players take on the role of one of seventeen factions vying for galactic domination through military might, political maneuvering, and economic bargaining.
With five players, the game becomes an epic battle of strategic diplomacy and warfare, making it ideal for those who enjoy intense, long-form games.
- Players: 3-5
- Ages: 12+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: Medium
In Cosmic Encounter, each player is the leader of an alien race. The object of the game is to establish colonies in other players’ planetary systems.
The game is notorious for its zany characters and interactions, with the dynamics shifting significantly in a five-player game.
- Players: 2-7
- Ages: 10+
- Play Time: 30 Minutes
- Complexity: Medium
In 7 Wonders, players get hands of cards, pick those that will help them build their city and pass the rest to their neighbor. The game shines at five players, with the drafting mechanics allowing for diverse strategies and interaction.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 14+
- Play Time: 2-3 Hours
- Complexity: High
Fury of Dracula is a thematic horror adventure game where one player assumes the role of Dracula while the others become hunters trying to defeat him.
The game is great with five players as Dracula’s movements and the hunters’ pursuit create an intense, thrilling experience.
- Players: 2-5
- Ages: 12+
- Play Time: 1-2 Hours
- Complexity: High
Puerto Rico is a high-powered economic game with players producing goods to ship out, or to keep for points at the end of the game. With five players, the competition to choose the best roles becomes more intense, with strategic depth and player interactions at their peak.
Source: Tabletop Gaming News
