Alternatives to Board Game Arena

A browser platform for playing licensed board games online with friends or players worldwide. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

  • Board Game Arena

    A browser platform for playing licensed board games online with friends or players worldwide.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Board Game Arena.

  • Tabletopia

    An online sandbox for playing more than 2,500 board games in the browser, on Steam or Android.

    FreeProprietaryAndroidWeb

    Tabletopia offers over 2,500 board games in the browser, on Steam or Android, but uses sandbox play where players handle the rules themselves rather than enforced rules.

  • Tabletop Simulator

    A physics-based sandbox for playing and building board, card and tabletop games online with others.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    Tabletop Simulator is a paid physics sandbox for Windows, macOS and Linux with Workshop content, where rules are not enforced unless a game is scripted.

  • VASSAL

    An open-source engine for building and playing digital versions of board games and card games.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VASSAL is a free open-source engine for Windows, macOS and Linux with over 3,200 community modules, supporting live play or play by email and Discord.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.

  • Lichess

    A free, open-source, ad-free chess server for playing, solving puzzles and studying chess online.

    FreeOpen sourceWeb

  • Roll20

    A browser-based virtual tabletop for playing pen-and-paper role-playing games and board games online.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

  • Owlbear Rodeo

    A browser-based virtual tabletop for running tabletop role-playing sessions with maps, tokens and fog.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb