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Are the board games you are playing becoming a little too competitive? Is there always a ruthless butting of heads between you and the other players as you all scramble to win the campaign or collect enough points to emerge victoriously?
Then it is time to try a cooperative board game!
Cooperative board games are an excellent way for you and your friends to fight side by side to overcome challenges and work together. At the end of the game you either all win or all lose.
The board games I have picked below are what I believe to be the best cooperative board games. They are games that will immerse the players, be challenging enough to keep things fun and most importantly make sure all players have a role to play.
The Top 10 Best Cooperative Board Games
1. Pandemic
Players: 2 – 4
Duration: 45mins – 60mins
Time to Learn: 10mins – 15mins
Pandemic was one of the first cooperative board games released and it has paved the way for the genre. The core mechanics that Pandemic introduced have become fundamental to most of today’s cooperative board games and it is by far one of the most fun to play – they have even released a legacy version of the game, which for a while was the No.1 rated board game in the world (this position has since been taken by Gloomhaven).
The premise of the game is that there is an outbreak of diseases that happens simultaneously around the globe. The diseases are spreading and are threatening to wipe out the Earth’s population.
The fate of humanity relies on stopping the spread of disease, and that’s where the players come in.
You and the other players need to work cooperatively as a team of scientists, doctors and other specialists to stop the virus from spreading and eradicate it for good – before everyone dies.
Each player chooses a character that is unique and has different abilities. Everyone in Pandemic has a role to play and there are different strategies to defeating the game using ALL players strengths to your teams advantage.
The game is very challenging and in order to win, players need to work together closely and strategize as a team.
Gameplay
The game starts with a virus outbreak in 9 major cities in the world. Players choose their characters and the game begins.
Each turn, players get to decide how to utilize four actions available to them.
1. Moving across the map by car or plane;
2. Constructing research facilities;
3. Treating diseased patients;
4. Providing knowledge to the rest of the team about how to cure diseases.
Because each player has their own unique abilities and there are multiple choices for each player per turn. The planning and cooperative nature of the board game really starts to shine.
You will find a huge amount of theory crafting and strategy debate during turns about how exactly the players should combine their abilities in order to give the team the best shot at winning.
This creates a sense of teamwork and collaboration between players and if you can pull of a win it’s an awesome feeling!
In order to cure a disease, you need to get 5 cards of the same colour to a research facility. While this sounds simple enough, each player only gets a maximum of 7 cards in their hand.
Again – players have to work together to trade, decide when to discard and manage each of their cards appropriately.
I mentioned earlier that the game is hard right?
After each turn – more cities become infected making things a whole lot harder to deal with. Mismanage a few plays and things can really snowball out of control. There is also a card that can cause all cities that have been cured… to be reinfected.
Oh, and the rate of infection speeds up as the game progresses.
Pandemic is really challenging – and that’s what makes it so great as a cooperative board game. When you win as a team, you really do feel like you accomplished something… and it can only be done if your whole team works together.
Pros:
- The first cooperative board game that put this genre on the map
- The game is super intense – suspense will keep every player on the edge of their seat
- Incredibly easy to learn – VERY hard to master
- Requires all players input to be successful
Cons:
- It’s hard to win – the difficulty of pandemic is very high.
- Generic cube pieces represent diseases in the game.
2. Betrayal at House on the Hill
Players: 3 – 6
Duration: 60mins – 90mins
Time to Learn: 15mins – 20mins
Betrayal is a horror themed cooperative board game, that will have players working together to explore a haunted house.
Like Pandemic, Betrayal really builds an intense atmosphere in the game that increases as the game progresses – players start the game calm and slowly become more and more on edge.
It is such a unique and fun board game to play. It is a brilliant game for new players to the board game scene and like Catan, it is a gateway game that will have them hooked in no time!
While not technically a ‘pure’ cooperative board game – it’s cooperative enough that it deserves a spot on this list. Because it really is just that good.
Gameplay
The game takes place with players taking on characters that are mysteriously drawn to a creepy old mansion. The game begins when each player takes a step through the front door.
It’s hard to provide details of the game play without ‘spoiling’ the game for you. I will try to keep things as vague as possible, while explaining what you can expect in the game.
Players progress through the game by moving through the house. It becomes very clear that something is off as strange events and appearances start to become known. Each new room you enter will have a different ‘experience’
If you are a fan of horror movies. You know what I’m talking about.
Players will progress through the house, finding items, weapons, secret passages and more. The idea is to prepare your character as much as possible in preparation for ‘the haunt’.
Up to this point the game is completely cooperative. All players enter the mansion with the same story. You chat carelessly about what you are experiencing and what you find… until the haunt.
Now I said at the beginning the game wasn’t ‘purely’ cooperative and this is where things start to drift off course a bit. After ‘the haunt’ it appears that someone you thought was your friend, might actually be a traitor (BETRAYAL!!!). But who is it? How will you find out who it is before they get you?
Things suddenly get a lot more tense…
Betrayal is a brilliant game. The theme, game play and tense situations in the game are excellent. I love the haunt mechanic. The fact that all players work together at the beginning and then have a traitor in the mix is awesome and makes betrayal the ultimate mix of a coop board game and a hidden identity board game.
Pros:
- Unique board every single playthrough
- Soft timer
- A LOT of scenarios
- The traitor mechanic is genius
- Theme is A+
Cons:
- Can be slightly unbalanced
- Terrible stat tracker
- Low quality minis
3. Zombicide
Players: 3 – 6
Duration: 60mins
Time to Learn: 10mins
BRAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIINNNS!
If you have seen any zombie movie ever. Then you know the theme for Zombicide.
The players take on the role of survivors during a zombie apocalypse. Each survivor has their own unique set of skills and abilities that they can use to fight off the incoming zombie hordes.
But – in order to survive, the players need to work together and use each other’s strengths and weaknesses strategically to survive to the end.
Gameplay
Zombicide is a fast-flowing cooperative board game where players take turns to perform actions to either move across the board, fight or search for weapons all while trying not to be eaten alive by Zombies.
Players start the game with a frying pan, and must franticly search for a better weapon and supplies to be able to fight off the undead which start to spawn faster and faster the deeper in the game the players get.
Combat in the game is handled by throwing a six-sided dice – so there is an element of randomness.
Zombicide feels like a typical hack and slash, but that doesn’t make it easy at all. I mean if you get lucky and find a shotgun early on – exploding zombie heads becomes a whole lot easier…
But be careful – if you shoot into a room with both zombies and a survivor, you will always shoot the survivor first.
There is no worse feeling than killing one of your friends because you were a bit too trigger happy.
When players get to the mid game – things really start to ramp up with zombies that constantly spawn in massive waves. It can become overwhelming very quickly.
Players have to work as a team to make it to the end game – and there is some luck involved with clutch rolls that can level your character or help you learn the skill you need to give you an edge.
Overall the game is a lot of fun and a great all-round coop board game. If you want to play an arcade style game or just feel like massacring zombies, then this is the game for you!
Pros:
- Very easy to learn
- Most people are fans of the Zombie apocalypse theme
- The board is modular – allows for variation and replayability
Cons:
- Making mistakes early on can cost a player their life
- Randomness with dice rolling
- Searching mechanic is not the greatest
4. Mysterium
Players: 3 – 7
Duration: 40mins – 60mins
Time to Learn: 20mins
Mr Conrad MacDowell has just moved into his new house in Scotland. Straight away he feels uneasy in the house. As if… something is there… watching him.
Suspecting a supernatural presence. Mr MacDowell gathers the prominent psychic mediums around world to investigate what could be lurking in his house and if they find something – communicate with it to see what it wants.
A magnificent séance is held on Halloween – where the land of the living and land of the dead become intertwined for one night.
The mediums are able to make contact with a supernatural force!
It is found to be a ghost of a former servant of the house that came to an untimely demise during a masquerade party held at the house.
Mr McDowall wants to solve the mystery of the Servants murder and rid his new house of this dark presence. But there is limited time – Halloween is almost over….
Welcome to Mysterium – which in my opinion has one of the coolest and unique board game themes!
Gameplay
Much like the game Clue/Cluedo – Mysterium is a game where players need to solve clues and puzzles in order to solve the mystery of the servants’ murder and rid Mr MacDowells house of the supernatural presence before time runs out.
Each player plays as a different psychic medium. The mediums need to use clues in the form of visions that appear before them in order to reconstruct the events of the night that lead to the servants’ murder.
Each medium has a different set of facts they need to uncover (which are different to the other players).
Players are slowly handed out vision cards by the ghost – guiding them towards identifying the ‘weapon’, ‘place’ and ‘suspect’ of the murder.
These vision cards are essentially puzzle pieces – they come with no words – but incredibly detailed artwork.
Players then need to talk among each other and try to interpret and solve the puzzles presented to them by the ghost.
Discussion will go along the lines of:
“I got an injured elk limping out of a forest, a man entering the mouth of a fish and a man riding a unicycle. What did you get?!”
The game relies on coordination between players, being able to describe things the other players can’t see and problem solving.
At the end of each round – players lock in their guesses and the ghost tells each player whether they were correct or wrong.
Pros:
- Great theme
- Unique and fun cooperative play
- Games are quite fast (45mins on average)
- Artwork of the game is magnificent
- Replayability
Cons:
- There is a bit of wait time for mediums
- Rules can be overwhelming at first
- Some cards are a lot harder to work out when paired than others
5. Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 120mins – 180mins
Time to Learn: 20mins – 30mins
Mansion of Madness is an excellent horror themed fully cooperative mystery board game.
The game is unique in the fact it uses a mobile app to enhance the game and act as the ‘host’.
The app is able to be downloaded on an iPhone, android, PC or tablet. It will keep the time of the game, where characters are and what they find while playing.
I first covered the game in detail when I wrote my article on the best dungeon crawl board games but have included it here, because in terms of cooperative gameplay it is one of the best.
Gameplay
Mansion of Madness is an incredibly quick board game to set up because of the mobile app. Essentially arrange a few decks of cards, start the app and away you go.
The base game comes with four base scenarios, with other scenarios able to be purchased through the app as a DLC.
The different scenarios put the players in the minds of investigators who need to solve mysteries in the ‘Lovecraftian’ themed city of Arkham.
Players need to explore the mansions, alleyways and nooks and crannies of the city to discover items, clues and perform actions around their surroundings. All while trying to survive the different enemies you will encounter.
The game is cooperative in the fact that, while each player has their ‘turn’, players are encouraged to communicate different ideas and work together in order to solve the mystery of the scenario.
The different scenarios vary in difficulty – with some focused purely on solving the ‘mystery’ and others focused more on staying alive!
Winning and losing depends solely on the cooperation, planning and problem solving of the players as a team. The game has elements of luck, but this will only affect the game if the investigators are not positioned strategically on the board.
Pros:
- Unique mechanics – wound system and randomness
- App controls game and adds atmosphere
- Cool Lovecraftian theme
- Easy set up
- Replayability
- Open world feel
- The game is fast-paced
Cons:
- Scenarios take longer than stated time
- Game takes up a bit of space on a table
- Would be awesome if more dice came with the game
6. Gloomhaven
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 120mins – 180mins+
Time to Learn: 30mins – 45mins
Another game which appeared in my best dungeon crawl board game article and as mentioned above is currently the no.1 rated board game in the world (according to board game geek).
Gloomhaven is one of my favorite games to play during a marathon game night with friends.
If you like fantasy themed cooperative games with legacy mechanics or Dungeons and Dragons, then Gloomhaven is the perfect game for you.
Based on a personal Dungeons and Dragons campaign, Gloomhaven was developed into an incredibly deep and well thought out role playing board game.
Players need to work cooperatively to progress their characters and play to each other’s strengths during skirmishes and scenarios in the game.
Gameplay
Each player chooses a starting character at the beginning of the game. These characters all have different traits and abilities.
The game is unique to other cooperative and dungeon crawl board games in the fact that combat uses action cards instead of dice.
Everything in the game is determined by these cards, from attacking, moving, looting, casting skills – everything. And it works really really well.
Players are thrown into the game – which is fairly open world and acts like a ‘choose your own destiny’ book. All choices made at the start of the game will affect things later on – so there is tonnes of replay value as no game is ever going to be the same.
Players in the game work together cooperatively as a group to explore dungeons, clear and loot ruins and fight huge bosses.
There are also rules about how tactics can be discussed that will keep players engaged and engrossed in the game.
If you like roleplaying games – this is the ultimate cooperative board game for you.
Pros:
- Unique card system
- Multiple hours of gameplay
- Game is incredibly immersive
- Classes are unique and have different abilities/play styles
- The game is balanced
- The rules are clean and easy to read and understand
- Loads of different enemy types keeps the game interesting
- Replayability
Cons:
- Enemy AI could use a bit of a tweak – movement is very simple
- The game can feel grindy
- NOT FOR NEW GAMERS
- Game takes a decent amount of time to set up
7. Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Players: 2 – 6
Duration: 10mins
Time to Learn: 5mins
If you don’t have much free time and want a really quick and fun cooperative board game then Escape: The Curse of the Temple is a great choice.
The game is exactly like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark – players take on the role of adventurers who have entered a temple and need to escape with a special relic.
Now just because the game is quick… doesn’t mean it won’t leave you leaving the table with a cold sweat and adrenaline pumping.
Why? The game is played in real time. There are no turns. It’s all go from the start. There is a 10min timer and you either ALL get out of the temple as a group or are lost forever!
Gameplay
Players start with a player token that is placed in the centre of a temple board (the safe room).
Players move around through different areas of the temple – adding rooms as they move and activating gems along the way in order to find the exit and get everyone out.
Player actions are dictated by rolling a set of 5 dice with custom faces. Each player gets a set of dice.
The dice have symbols on them that dictate whether a player can move into a certain room (e.g if the room next to a player has two green torches – the player must roll this before being able to enter the room).
There are also mechanics that lock certain dice out of play – requiring a special roll to unlock them again.
Are you seeing why this game can be super intense yet?!
Players essentially create the temple as they play – placing down room tiles as they move about the temple (interconnecting doors).
This provides for endless replay value – no game is ever the same.
In order to win – players must activate certain gems in temple rooms, find the exit and then get every single player out.
If 1 player is left in the temple… game over.
Pros:
- The game is fast
- Replayability
- Unique mechanics
- Adrenaline pumping intensity
- Super easy to learn
Cons:
- Requires players to be really efficient and roll dice fast
- No time for strategy
- Players who dislike fast gameplay will not like it
8. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Players: 1 – 8
Duration: 120mins
Time to Learn: 10mins
Everyone knows the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes!
Now let’s see if you as a team can beat him at his own game…
In Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective you play as aspiring detectives – the Baker Street Irregulars.
When you start the game, you are presented with 1 of 10 mysteries to solve. It is up to you, the players, to follow the clues through Victorian London in order to solve the case.
This game is a brilliant cooperative game. It will have all players scratching their head – much like an escape room board game… the puzzles can be very difficult to solve.
This is one of the best deduction board games I have played – and if you enjoy solving puzzles, it is one you just have to add to your collection!
Gameplay
Each game revolves around a casebook, which contains clues and information you’ll unlock the further in the case you and your friends get.
The casebook is divided into scenes that feature a different part of the case. You start a scene and are essentially let loose as a team to investigate clues and move across London into areas like the ghettos, pubs and upper echelons of Victorian day London.
The game has a very open world theme and is very challenging at times. You choose which suspects to interview, how to track down witnesses, choosing whether there are holes in alibis and finally who you think did the crime.
There are so many twists and turns in the game that will leave you and your friends really wondering if you are on the right track or chasing a rabbit down a hole.
When you finally decide you think you know whodunnit – you meet with Sherlock and he will explain how he solved the case.
If you solve the case correctly with fewer leads than Holmes – you win the game!
Pros:
- Great theme
- The writing is fantastic and really engrosses players in the story
- Clues can be found EVERYWHERE
- The game is open world
Cons:
- Sherlock is almost impossible to beat
- Lots of reading
- With 4+ people the game can take a while with everyone discussing their ideas
9. Forbidden Island
Players: 1 – 4
Duration: 30mins
Time to Learn: 5mins
Made by the same guy (Rob Daviau) who designed Pandemic. Forbidden Island takes place on an…. Island.
Players need to work together to find 4 treasures that are located on an island that is slowly sinking into the sea before they are lost forever.
The game has amazing artwork and miniature pieces and huge thick tiles. The game is almost overproduced for a quick 30min play through board game.
The game is really fun to play and is really a great cooperation board game.
Gameplay
At the start of the game each player is assigned a randomly selected character role. Each role comes with a special ability and dictates the colour you will be playing on the board.
The game is turn based with each player having their own turn where they can perform up to 3 actions being:
- Move;
- Collect Treasure;
- Shore up a sinking tile;
- Pass a treasure to another player (on the same tile as you).
Each players actions are changed by their special ability (e.g the explorer can shore up cards diagonally. All other players can only shore up horizontally and vertically).
Players play through the game and strategically need to work together in order to collect all treasures and manage the rising waters – all cards held by the players are held face up so all players have 100% of the information all the time.
To win the game, players need to collect all four treasures and move all players to the fools landing location on the board and play the ‘helicopter lift’ card.
Pros:
- Great game to play with young kids
- Fast game duration
- Awesome artwork and production quality
- Most games are touch and go and very tense
Cons:
- Can be repetitive
- Very simple mechanics (may not appeal to veteran gamers)
10. Robinson Crusoe
Players: 1 – 4
Duration: 90mins – 180mins+
Time to Learn: 15mins – 20mins
Fan of survival games?
You will love Robinson Crusoe. The game is one of the ultimate survival board games – but also is one of the best cooperative board games out there.
The game focuses on the survival of the players who start the game shipwrecked on a deserted island.
You and your friends will need to focus on getting the necessities (food, water, shelter and warmth) but also learn through exploring the island certain ‘mysteries’ the game might throw at you (did someone say cannibals?).
The game comes with six scenarios to play through – each being very different to the last with unique objectives and mysteries.
Gameplay
When starting the game – like most cooperative board games, players choose a character each that has a role to play in the game (carpenter, cook, explorer etc).
Each player has their own traits, different starting equipment and motives for the game.
The game has six phases being:
- Event
- Morale
- Production
- Action
- Weather
- Night
In order to perform actions – players roll dice. The actions are things such as building, gathering, exploration. The dice will let you know if your action is successful or not.
The appeal of Robinson Crusoe is that the game is completely up to the players how to play.
Just fought off a ravaging bear from your camp? Do you move? Rest and get morale up? Its completely up to you and your choices affect the future of the game.
If one player dies – the whole team loses. So cooperation and teamwork is the key to mastering the game.
Pros:
- Endless Replayability
- Unique characters play very different
- 6 different scenarios to play through
Cons:
- The game is very hard and unforgiving
- NOT FOR NEW GAMERS
Final Thoughts
Cooperative board games are becoming increasingly popular during board game nights – where board games are traditionally very competitive, it is a welcomed difference to play on the same side as your friends for a change.
The above list is what I believe are the top 10 best cooperative board games released today. Each game is unique and has different mechanics, themes and gameplay that draws players in.
There is a game for every cooperative board game lover in the list.
