Overhyped Board Games That Aren’t Actually Worth Playing

27 July 2025

7

overhyped-board-games-that-aren’t-actually-worth-playing — Overhyped Board Games That Aren’t Actually Worth Playing

The world of board games has really exploded in the last decade or so. And with that popularity, the space has become fiercely competitive. We’ve seen quite a bit of innovation, and what was new and exciting just a few years ago can feel oddly outdated now. There are quite a few games that used to dominate a niche, but have since been supplanted by better, more nuanced games.

A split image of Settlers of Catan, Wingspan, and Azul.

Everybody makes mistakes, especially these. Here are some board game rules that pretty much everybody gets wrong at one time or another.

I am going to cover a wide berth of popular games, ranging from more casual experiences, to some of the more hardcore titles. I’ll also be targeting a few board games that have become common punching bags in board game discourse. However, if you are here to see me dump on Catan or Ticket To Ride, it ain’t happening. Being simple isn’t enough to make this list, and I think those games still serve a purpose.

8 Scrabble

Less About Vocabulary And More About Memorization

Scrabble

Scrabble is a word game for 2-4 players, and one of the most iconic tabletop games out there. You must use what tiles you draw to make words and score points.

I know this is a favorite among many, but I can’t help but hate Scrabble. Many see Scrabble as an elevated game for people with a big vocabulary and an even bigger brain, but the truth is that Scrabble doesn’t reward those who have a large vocabulary; it encourages you to learn specific words that will allow you to more easily place the more troublesome letters. I’m not saying having xylyl in your vocabulary is a bad thing, but I don’t think you are breaking it out in casual conversation. Or ever – outside of Scrabble, that is.

Xylyl are isomeric monovalent radicals derived from the three xylenes by way of removing a hydrogen atom. Now you know. I certainly didn’t before Scrabble.

And the game itself? At a glance, it appears to be luck-based. You can get stuck with some truly awful letters. But while luck is a factor, getting good at Scrabble is more about managing your letters and saving them for the moment when you can pounce on a triple word score square. There is some counterplay and board management involved, of course, but the more you play, the more samey every match will become. Scrabble is the type of game that sounds great at first, but the more you play it, the more you see it for the shallow experience it truly is.

7 Cards Against Humanity

Corporately Approved Rebellion.

A Cards Against Humanity card deck, sits atop a table of black and white game cards.

Type of Game: Card-based party game
Age Recommendation: 17+

Cards Against Humanity is one of the most popular card games in the world. It relies on 6–8 players using twisted humour to complement the card on the table. The player who makes the horribly-funniest combination wins the round and takes the card. Things get dark pretty quick, so you might not want your kids to play this one.

Game Duration: 30-90 minutes
What’s Included: 500 white cards, 100 black cards, rules booklet
Number of Players: 4-20+
Designer: Josh Dillon, Daniel Dranove, Eli Halpern, Ben Hantoot, David Munk, David Pinsof, Max Temkin, Eliot Weinstein

There are a million games that let you make edgy, transgressive jokes. All of these games most certainly know what they are doing. There is an implied wink and a nudge. However, with Cards Against Humanity, the wink and the nudge factor doesn’t exist, as the answers have already been provided, and their intent is crystal clear. You just need to mix and match.

It can still be good for a laugh, especially if you have particularly funny people to play with, but you’d almost certainly have a better time playing any game that allows you to write your own answers in. Just pull up any Jackbox games pack and play anything off of it. Quiplash, in particular, provides a similar but better experience.

6 Monopoly

You Love To Hate It, But Not To Play It

Monopoly

Monopoly is a classic board game for 2–6 players. It revolves around buying properties, earning money, and trading with other players to make you the richest in town. The last player to go bbankrupt wins the game.

We all know Monopoly. We’ve all played it. I think it is fair to say that it has become a widely disliked game within the community for its lengthy play time, focus on luck, and how tedious it can be for the losing players. Yet, it is still among the most popular board games in the world. There are aspects of Monopoly I like. I just think there are better games that scratch a similar itch. Ticket to Ride and Catan, as an example, take less time to play, feature alternate methods to win, and, in general, make for a less painful evening.

The game cover for The Game of Life depicts a family of four smiling at the camera while in front of the game board and all its pieces.

Before technology was at our fingertips, we played hours and hours of these iconic 90s board games.

Or even better, if you are willing to venture into the realm of video games, play Fortune Street or Culdcept. Fortune Street is basically straight Monopoly, but with a variety of map arrangements and the ability to invest in properties. Culdcept takes all of Fortune Street’s innovations and adds deck building and monster battling into the mix.

5 Tales Of The Arabian Nights

Tales Of A Pretend Board Game

I think Tales Of The Arabian Nights is a super-fun experience. I own my own copy, and I have no interest in ever selling it. So, then, why is it on this list? Well, partly as a public service announcement. If you are picking up Tales Of The Arabian Nights to play a board game with friends, you run the risk of being horribly disappointed. There is no game here.

I’ve heard people compare Tales Of The Arabian Nights to Betrayal at the House on the Hill and Gloomhaven. My god. What a way to set people up for failure!

Tales Of The Arabian Nights is a shared choose-your-own-adventure dressed up to look like a board game. You get objectives, sure. But you have very little say in what happens during your adventure. While you make choices, the results are completely randomized. To enjoy it, you can’t “play” the “game” looking to win. You need to see it as a story-crafting social activity. I’ve played Tales Of The Arabian Nights with people who were not ready for how little game was involved. Some of these people had a very bad time.

4 Gloomhaven

Its Moment Has Passed

Gloomhaven

Player Count: 1-4 players
Age Recommendation: 14+

Gloomhaven is a tile-based tabletop RPG for 1–4 players. Players must pick a character and embark on various adventures across the land. The game follows traditional tile-based mechanics, but on hexagonal tiles. Crawling through dungeons, defeating mobs, and bosses earns you experience points you can use to level up your character.

Length per Game: 60-120 minutes per session
Franchise Name: Gloomhaven
Publishing Co: Cephalofair Games
Brand: Gloomhaven

If you hear people talking about overrated games, Gloomhaven tends to make the list. On one hand, I think that is a bit of a bummer. When Gloomhaven first released, I thought it was awesome. I had a friend who Kickstarted it, and when it launched, a bunch of us got together to play it. I believe he had multiple revolving games going. We all had a great time! However, in the intervening years, two things happened: Frosthaven and the Gloomhaven video game were released.

If you are going to play one of these quasi-RPG campaign board games, Frosthaven just builds on everything in a wonderfully elegant way. It adds an extra level of difficulty, there is more content to play through, and there is just more variety in general. Now, while I have played Gloomhaven since Frosthaven was released and enjoyed it, I did so while playing the digital version. It just takes care of all the busywork and makes life so much easier. At this point, I honestly can’t imagine playing the board game version of Gloomhaven. It just feels like it has been replaced.

3 Disney Villainous

Carried Almost Exclusively By Its Theme

Disney Villainous Treacherous Tides Box Art.

Type of Game: Card-Based Strategy
Age Recommendation: 10+

Villainous is a strategy board game from Ravensburger that puts players in the roles of iconic Disney villains, from Maleficent to Cruella de Vil. There are several expansions available that expand the roster, all with the aim of ruling the Disney lands.

Game Duration: 40-60 minutes
Brand: Disney / Ravensburger
What’s Included: Base Game: 6x Boards, 6x Villain Movers, 180 Villain Cards, 90x Fate Cards, 84x Tokens, 1x Cauldron, 6x Reference Cards, 6x Villain Guides & Instructions.
Number of Players: 2-6
Designer: Prospero Hall / Wonder Forge

Disney Villainous is the game I have heard the most about in recent years. I was actually shocked to see how old it is, as I feel like it just came out a year ago or so. I was into it the first time I gave it a go, but it wasn’t long before I felt like I knew exactly what Villainous was at its core: Munchkin with more steps.

Prince John, Gaston, and Lady Tremaine from Disney Villainous

It’s time to be nasty with the best expansions for Disney Villainous.

Now, as I indicated at the top of this list, I like Munchkin. However, Villainous having more steps doesn’t really affect the way the game plays on a fundamental level, other than having more things to keep track of, that is. It feels like needless faff. Additionally, the titular villains having their own unique decks and win conditions only serves to limit the types of scenarios you’ll encounter in a session. I just feel like everything that makes Villainous unique also makes it worse.

If you are drawn to Villainous because of the theme, then I suspect that you’ll enjoy yourself well enough. The art is great, so I imagine hardcore Disney fans will be thrilled. But if you hate Munchkin, it seems unlikely that Villainous will win you over based on the strength of its gameplay.

2 Blood On The Clocktower

An Expensive Version Of That Free Game That Everyone Loves

I honestly just don’t understand why some people are so enamored by Blood On The Clocktower. People will point to the large number of roles and the enhanced role of the storyteller, but these are elements that have been introduced into Werewolf through the many variations that exist. And, generally, those games are either free or retail on the cheap side.

Which isn’t to say that Blood on the Clocktower is bad. I think it is a nicely balanced version of Werewolf. However, I also think that the elements people praise can be easily added to the classic variation of werewolf. It just feels like too much money to spend on a game that has existed for decades and has been refined dozens of times over.

1 Arkham Horror

The Real Horror Is The Setup Time

Arkham Horror

Arkham Horror is an in depth card based RPG. Players must choose a character, and venture into a world filled with mystery and Lovecraftian horrors. This card game requires advanced knowledge of RPG mechanics as players must perform skill checks and upgrade their character’s skills over the course of the game. It can be played with a single player, but it will turn out to be a relatively short game.

I am specifically referencing the 2nd edition of Arkham Horror, I have not played the 3rd edition. I know some people have said that it streamlines the game, but I can’t really speak to that myself.

I used to love Arkham Horror. However, while I was a frequent player of Arkham Horror for years, three aspects slowly started to dominate the experience for me…

The setup time is lengthy.
It isn’t pick-up-and-play friendly.
There is a heavy reliance on luck.

It is easy to be memorized by the atmosphere of Arkham Horror, which is consistently excellent. That’s what pulled me in back in the day. However, at some point it becomes obvious that for all the monster fighting, companion collecting, and exploration, there is such a heavy element of luck that you may as well be rolling dice while listening to a Lovecraft audiobook.

Furthermore, Arkham Horror has spread its tendrils out, and manifested in a number of different, better games. Eldritch Horror is a more mechanically sound game, while Arkham Horror: The Card Game streamlines the experience smartly.

For the record, Eldritch Horror has some of the same problems as Arkham Horror, but to a lesser degree. It also balances being a game better, in my opinion.

Screenshot taken from the trailer for Gatlopp Hell Of A Game with the bored, angry, and side eye emojis added.

These are the players that suck the fun out of the evening.