Global Study Reveals the Countries That Love Board Games the Most

Board games have long been one of the world’s favourite social pastimes, but new global research by Playiro.com reveals that enthusiasm for tabletop gaming varies sharply from country to country.

Using a combination of Google Trends search data, population figures and Meta audience estimates, the study analysed which nations show the strongest overall interest in board games and tabletop gaming culture. Each country was assigned a Board Game Obsession Score from 0 to 100, making it possible to compare gaming enthusiasm across 104 countries worldwide.

The results place Taiwan firmly at number one, with a Board Game Obsession Score of 89.7. That is 16.8 points higher than second-placed Chile, making Taiwan the clear global leader for board game passion.

The United Kingdom ranks 24th globally, recording a score of 39.7. While still placing comfortably in the upper quarter of countries analysed, the UK trails several fellow English-speaking nations including Canada (48.4), United States (41.9) and Australia (41.8).

Taiwan leads a Latin American-heavy top 10

Taiwan’s first-place finish is followed by several Latin American nations, highlighting the region’s strong appetite for social and competitive tabletop games.

The top countries in the study are:

1. Taiwan – 89.7
2. Chile – 72.9
3. Costa Rica – 70.2
4. Spain – 67.2
5. Hong Kong – 63.1
6. Mexico – 60.9
7. Georgia – 56.0
8. Argentina – 54.5
9. Puerto Rico – 53.4
10. Uruguay – 53.4

This mix of East Asia, Europe and Latin America suggests board gaming popularity stretches across cultures, but is especially strong in Spanish-speaking markets.

United Kingdom ranks 24th worldwide

The UK’s score of 39.7 places it just behind Australia (41.8) and USA (41.9), but ahead of many European nations including:

• France – 28.5
• Italy – 27.1
• Sweden – 21.4
• Norway – 20.7
• Germany – 18.2

This indicates that board gaming remains highly popular in Britain compared with much of continental Europe.

Dungeons & Dragons dominates the global rankings

The research also examined which tabletop title is most popular in each country by comparing search interest between four major games:

• Dungeons & Dragons
• Magic: The Gathering
• Warhammer
• Star Wars: Legion

The standout winner was Dungeons & Dragons, which ranked as the favourite game in 89 of the 104 countries studied.

Among the countries where Dungeons & Dragons comes out on top are Taiwan, United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Magic: The Gathering ranked first in several notable nations including:

• Chile
• Costa Rica
• Spain
• Germany
• Japan
• Switzerland

Star Wars: Legion only led in Libya, making it the rarest country-specific favourite in the dataset.

Lowest-ranking nations for board game interest

At the opposite end of the rankings, several countries recorded comparatively low search and audience interest in tabletop gaming.

The five lowest-scoring nations were:

1. DR Congo – 0.6
2. Uganda – 1.0
3. Ethiopia – 1.4
4. Tanzania – 2.7
5. Angola – 3.1

Many of the lowest-ranked countries were located in Africa, reflecting different entertainment markets, internet behaviour and audience trends rather than a lack of gaming culture itself.

A global hobby that continues to grow

Taken as a whole, the findings show that board games remain a genuinely global hobby, with enthusiasm stretching from East Asia to Europe, North America, Latin America and beyond.

Whether through fantasy adventures in Dungeons & Dragons, strategic deck-building in Magic: The Gathering, or classic social game nights, tabletop gaming continues to connect players across borders and generations.

Below is the full ranking of countries included in the Playiro study: