Best iPhone and iPad board game adaptations

Board games go far beyond Monopoly. More advanced digital board games can turn any get-together — or quiet night in — into an easy, portable way to play with friends and family across iPhone, iPad, and Macs.

The holidays are a great time to get friends and family together for food and fun. That’s why we’re compiling a list of the best iPhone and iPad board games.

All of these titles work on iOS and iPadOS, and for anyone who owns an M-series Mac, you’ll be able to play them on macOS as well. Many of these titles also support remote play, allowing you to play with loved ones who may not be nearby.

Sagrada

A personal favorite in at least one AppleInsider staffer’s house, Sagrada is a dice-drafting game that charges players with attempting to build stained glass windows. It’s easy to pick up and somewhat difficult to master, and it falls into the category of “you’re playing the course moreso than the other players.”

Like the physical game, digital Sagrada has multiple play modes to select, including pass-and-play, cross-platform multiplayer, solo, and campaign modes. Many reviews applaud the game for its touch controls, calling them intuitive — which we’d have to agree with.

Sagrada is a bit more expensive, but we think it’s worth checking out. You can grab it from the App Store for $9.99.

Sagrada doesn’t have any in-app purchases (IAP) at this time, so what you see is what you get.

If you’d rather pick up a physical copy of Sagrada you can snag the base game for $35.74 at Amazon. There are plenty of physical expansions to pick up, including Sagrada: Passion, Sagrada: Glory, and Sagrada: Life, each available for $19.95.

Sagrada Artisans, the newly launched spin-off game is available, too, for $74.95.

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a railway-themed board game published for the tabletop in 2004. The game has a relatively simple non-collectible resource deck mechanism, with players attempting to complete railways connecting one city to the next, also selected randomly from a separate deck.

Ticket to Ride

You can snag Ticket to Ride from the App Store for a scant $4.99, and there are several paid expansions in the game available for separate purchase.

Ticket to Ride also has a physical copy you can grab from Amazon for $29.99. There are numerous versions like the old-west themed Ticket to Ride: Legacy and the beginner-friendly Ticket to Ride: First Journey.

Dune: Imperium

Dune: Imperium is a digital adaptation of the popular deck-building and worker-placement board game set in the Dune universe, letting you compete for control of Arrakis against AI or human opponents. The app is a great adaptation, as it streamlines setup, rules, and scoring, but still feels enough like the physical game to keep it engaging.

Dune: Imperium

There are multiple difficulty levels, online matchmaking, and expansions, and it’s perfect for solo players, too. It tops our list as the most expensive game, coming in at $10.99, but it’s also one of the highest rated on our list.

There are two IAP packs to pick up, too. This includes Rise of Ix and Immortality, both priced at $9.99.

Snagging the Dune: Imperium board game from Amazon will run you $51.43. There’s also the much-loved Dune: Imperium – Uprising standalone spinoff, which costs $54.99.

Castles of of Burgundy

As with other strategy games of its kind, Castles of Burgundy makes players take the role of aristocrats buying land in Medieval France. Tiles purchased by players all serve a specific role as you attempt to take control of the board.

Castles of Burgundy

The game features online and offline multiplayer with multiple people. You can also assign AI players to play alone. The game works asymmetrically and will let each player take their turn as they want to.

Castles of Burgundy is $8.99 on the App Store. Two additional map packs are available as IAP, each priced at $2.99.

If you’re interested in grabbing the physical copy, Castles of Burgundy is available on Amazon for $49.66.

Terraforming Mars

Terraforming Mars takes a sprawling board game and turns it into a pocket-sized sim where you oversee a corporation trying to reshape the Red Planet. It feels true to the original while handling the resource math, card chains, and board updates behind the scenes.

Terraforming Mars

The mobile interface focuses primarily on gameplay legibility, giving you quick access to card text, project costs, and the changing planetary map without feeling cramped. Solo challenges, async multiplayer, and optional expansions round out the package, making it easy to play long, intricate sessions at your own pace.

You can pick up Terraforming Mars for $8.99.

Terraforming Mars has a few IAP bundles that you can pick up. This includes two promo packs and three expansions, each priced between $2.99 and $4.99.

The physical board game for Terraforming Mars is available on Amazon Amazonis & Vastitas expansion for an additional $24.99.