Five co-op board games to start your game night

Not every table wants a winner and a pile of losers. Co-operative board games sit everyone on the same side, working together against the game itself — which makes them brilliant for mixed groups, families and anyone new to the hobby.

Gateway to campaign

If you are just starting out, look for a short rulebook and a clear shared goal. From there the genre scales up fast: legacy and campaign games carry a story across many sessions, with the board changing as you go and decisions that stick. It is a very different feeling to a one-and-done evening.

What to look for on the box

Check the player count and the play time printed on the side — a game built for two plays very differently at four. Weight (how heavy the rules are) matters too: a filler you can teach in five minutes is a different night to a three-hour epic. We list all of that on each product page so you can match the game to the group.

Have a browse through our board games — there is something there whether you want a quick co-op filler or a full campaign to sink a winter into.