Global Study Reveals the Countries That Love Board Games the Most

Board games have long been a universal pastime, but a new global analysis conducted by Playiro.com reveals that enthusiasm for tabletop gaming varies dramatically across the world.

Using a combination of Google Trends search data, population statistics and Meta audience figures, the study examined which countries show the strongest interest in board and tabletop games. Each nation was assigned a Board Game Obsession Score from 0 to 100, allowing researchers to compare the relative popularity of the hobby across more than one hundred countries.

The results show a clear leader. Taiwan ranks first globally, achieving a Board Game Obsession Score of 89.7, comfortably ahead of every other country included in the research. The East Asian nation also stands out for its particularly strong interest in the card game Uno, which emerges as the country's most popular tabletop title.

Latin America also features prominently among the most enthusiastic gaming nations. Chile (72.9), Costa Rica (70.2) and Mexico (60.9) all rank near the top of the global list, reflecting a strong culture of social gaming across the region.

English-speaking countries show strong interest

Several major English-speaking markets also rank relatively high in the global study.

The United States records a Board Game Obsession Score of 41.9, with chess standing out as the country’s most popular tabletop game.

Canada ranks slightly higher at 48.4, where Uno emerges as the favourite, reflecting the strong popularity of casual card games.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia scores 41.8, but differs from most countries with Warhammer as its most popular tabletop game.

The United Kingdom records a score of 39.7 and, like Australia, also favours Warhammer over classics such as chess or draughts.

Chess remains the world's dominant board game

Across the dataset, one game clearly stands above the rest: Chess.

The research shows that chess is the most popular board game globally, ranking first in 61 of the 104 countries analysed. From Europe to North America and large parts of Africa and the Middle East, the centuries-old strategy game continues to dominate the tabletop landscape.

Other games appear more regionally concentrated. Draughts (checkers) leads in several countries, while Uno performs strongly in places such as Canada, Denmark and Norway. Meanwhile, Warhammer stands out as the most popular tabletop game in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

A global snapshot of tabletop culture

Taken together, the findings provide a rare global snapshot of how tabletop gaming culture differs across continents.

Countries in Latin America and East Asia dominate the top of the rankings, while several European and Middle Eastern nations fall closer to the middle of the table. At the lower end of the scale, countries such as DR Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia show comparatively low search interest for board games overall.

While the reasons behind these differences vary – from cultural traditions to internet search habits and audience demographics – the research highlights one clear trend: tabletop games remain a global phenomenon, continuing to bring players together across generations and borders.

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