None of these games says “for 3 players” on their boxes, but they seem to have been designed with this odd number in mind.
At least, that is the consensus of BoardGameGeek as the perfect player count.
It may be due to the scarcity of available actions, the time between turns, or just a random celestial fact that make it work better this way.
But the data is there: Not only are the games listed below the best in the hobby but also, they are more enjoyable with 3 players on the table.
If you are a hardcore board gamer, this is the definitive list you will need to build your perfect board game collection.
Contents
Top 7 Best 3 Player Board Games for Advanced Gamers
7. On Mars (2020)
| Designer | Vital Lacerda |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Playtime | 120 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Worker Placement, Set Collection, Area Influence |
Like all games from Vital Lacerda, On Mars is a visual delight from the moment you open the game box.
It can only be topped with the pleasure to play through it, at least once you understand the flow.
In this Worker Placement, you get to play workers in one of the two map areas on the sides and resolve the respective actions, while developing technologies and colonizing key areas of the mars surface on the center of the board.
The game has variable missions to set from game to game, and that gives a sense of playing different games each time.
One thing we really liked from the game is the urge to do certain actions at the right time, not too soon, not too late.
6. A Feast for Odin (2016)
| Designer | Uwe Rosenberg |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Playtime | 75 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Worker Placement, Set Collection, Grid Coverage |
If this great, Viking-themed monster is considered a heavyweight, is because of the humongous options available to do on your turn, depending on the number of workers you want to spend each time.
But the iconography is really simple to understand and the non-boring repetition comes to the rescue.
The “Tetris” part, where you store treasures in form of polynomials, gain victory points, and ensembling a resource engine, adds enough deepness to the experience.
In this game, players gather resources to build ships and embark on pillage missions and gain the favor of the chieftains. All while amassing a great number of treasures and items.
5. Great Western Trail (2016)
| Designer | Dennis K. Chan |
| Players | 2-4 |
| Playtime | 115 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Deck Building, Hand Management, Set Collection |
Finally! you can fulfill your dream of becoming a Cattle trader in the far USA west! A dream we didn´t know we have until we played The Great Western Trail.
In this game, each player has to ship their cattle from Texas to Kansas and sell it when it´s more valuable.
In order to achieve victory, players shall hire staff along the way such as cowboys for their herd, craftsmen for their buildings, and engineers for improving the railroad.
Anyone outside your table may think the gameplay seems long, but if you are playing it, you won´t feel the passing of time.
4. Too Many Bones (2017)
| Designer | Josh J. Carlson, Adam Carlson |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Playtime | 90 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Cooperative Game, Deck Building |
A High-risk high-reward dice-builder RPG ready to prove wrong all those cooperative-game haters.
Too Many Bones is an adventure where you must open your way through the difficulties the story throws you.
First, you have to overcome the 8-12 challenges (in form of battles) to prove your worth until the final boss encounters, collecting as many bones as you can.
The narrative arc will put interesting decisions that may change (for good or bad) the advance of your party.
This is a must-have if you are dice and an RPG enthusiast.
And the stories are so well constructed that even looking at your friends playing is a wholesome experience.
3. Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization (2015)
| Designer | Vlaada Chvátil |
| Players | 2-4 |
| Playtime | 120 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Action Points, Bidding |
If any board game simulates the building civilization experience is Through the Ages.
During a game of Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization, players must build their civilizations by managing resources, developing technologies, choosing the best leaders, crafting wonders, and reinforcing their military power.
Through the Ages uses card drafting as its main mechanic. Players then use them to play either wonders, leaders, or technology, and the longer they are in play, the easier it is to draft them.
Make sure to advance your scientific research, gather food to grow and maintain your population, and acquire resources needed for the buildings to use every new technology to make progress in the game.
All of these while also building military power, to avoid becoming easy prey for other players, so balance is the key to success.
A complete game for the hardcore audience.
2. Kanban EV (2020)
| Designer | Vital Lacerda |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Playtime | 120 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Worker Placement, Action Points, Hand Management |
Another Vital Lacerda game on this top. We admit it, we are Lacerda fans!
Who else can implement an industrial manufacturing technique (kanban is the concept of giant luminous boards in factories) and transform it into one of the best heavy-weight board games ever created?
Kanban EV is the reimplementation of the old Kanban (2014) and it is also our favorite “worker placement” with tons of options to choose from, always relying on resources and time management.
It also has two difficulties represented on two sides of the board, where Sandra, the factory manager, can be less or more “productivity focused”.
In our opinion, is the best Lacerda game… for now.
1. Gloomhaven (2016)
| Designer | Isaac Childres |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Playtime | 90 Minutes |
| Mechanics | Cooperative Game, Dungeon Crawler, Legacy Game, Hand Management |
Currently the #1 game on BoardGameGeek’s rankings, Gloomhaven is a legacy dungeon crawler that features over 100 stages (including some for 1 player) with different objectives (many are “kill all enemies”).
Its boss fights have been very acclaimed.
This game is a legend.
A dungeon crawler that has deterministic fighting and hand-management and deck-building mechanics, experience to improve your characters, others you have to withdraw, and more.
As we already mentioned, its extensive campaign is something difficult to beat.
The amount of content that this game has is what led it to topple Pandemic Legacy Season 1, which had been at the top of the BGG for quite some time.
This is a must-have if you are a fan of strategic RPGs!
——————-
Are you looking for a lighter or shorter experience? check this out:
Top 7 light complexity games for 3 players
Gateway Games – Our Top 5 Games for Starters
Do you plan to play a few medium games in a row?
Top 7 medium-level games for 3 players
Are you planning your next 4-player experience?
Best 4 Player Board Games – Top 15 Board Games For All Difficulties
Last Updated on 17/10/2022 by ARU