Cheap board games under £20
Last checked 29 October 2026
Quick answer: That's Not a Hat (about £7), Flip 7 and Hanabi (about £9 each) and Push (about £10) are the cheapest here, and they're all card games. For tiles on the table, Kingdomino (about £18) and its kids' version Dragomino (about £16) are the picks. Every game here was about £18 or less at UK shops when we checked on 29 October 2026.
You don't need to spend £40 to get a game that actually gets played. Everything here was selling for under £20 at UK shops when we checked, and six of the ten were £12 or less. Most come in small boxes, but they're proper games: a family tile game and its kids' version, four co-ops (everyone wins or loses together), a two-player trading game and a few card games that work with a crowd. Prices jump about in the run-up to Christmas, so treat ours as a guide rather than a promise.
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1. Kingdomino
Pick domino-style land tiles and fit them into your own little 5-by-5 kingdom. Matching landscapes score points.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £17 (checked 9 Nov 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: The most game for the money on this list. Bruno Cathala's Kingdomino won the 2017 Spiel des Jahres (Germany's big game of the year award). You pick domino-style land tiles and fit them into your own 5-by-5 kingdom, and matching landscapes score. The clever bit is the picking order: grab a great tile now and you pick last next round. It's 2 to 4 players, 8 and up, about 15 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Kingdomino (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 9 November 2026.
2. Just One
Everyone writes a one-word clue to help one player guess a mystery word, but any clues that match get cancelled out.
- Players
- 3 to 7 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £17 (checked 2 Nov 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: A co-op word game that suits nearly any group. Everyone writes a one-word clue to help one player guess a mystery word, but matching clues get cancelled before the guesser sees them, so you've got to be helpful and a bit different. Repos Production's current box has 550 new words. It's 3 to 7 players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes, and very easy to teach.
Check price on Amazon for Just One (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 2 November 2026.
3. Flip 7
Flip cards one at a time and bank your points before you turn up a number you already have. Get seven different numbers and you score a bonus.
- Players
- 3+ players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £9 (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Eric Olsen's push-your-luck card game was nominated for the 2025 Spiel des Jahres, and it's one of the cheapest things here. Flip cards one at a time and stop before you turn up a number you've already got. Seven different numbers ends the round with a bonus. It's 94 cards, 3 or more players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Flip 7 (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
4. That's Not a Hat
A memory and bluffing card game about regifting. Pass a face-down gift on and say what it is. The next player accepts or calls you out, and a wrong call costs a penalty point. Lowest score wins.
- Players
- 3 to 8 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 10 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £7 (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: The cheapest game on the page and a lot of laughs for the price. Kasper Lapp's game is about regifting: pass a face-down gift on, say what it is, and the next player has to accept it or call you out. Your memory goes surprisingly quickly. 110 cards, 3 to 8 players, 8 and up, about 10 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for That's Not a Hat (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 26 October 2026.
5. Push
Push-your-luck in a small box. Flip cards into rows, then grab a row before a colour or number repeats. Go too far and you get nothing, and the die can knock a whole colour off your pile.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £10 (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Ravensburger's little push-your-luck game. Flip cards into stacks, and stop before a colour or number repeats or you get nothing. Even when you stop, a roll of the die can knock a whole colour off your pile. 120 cards and a die, 2 to 6 players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Push (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 27 October 2026.
6. The Gang
Co-op poker with no betting. Without talking, you each take a chip ranking how good you think your hand is, then reveal. Get the whole order right three times before three alarms.
- Players
- 3 to 6 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £12 (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: Co-op poker with no betting, from John Cooper and Kory Heath. Without talking, everyone takes a chip that ranks how good they think their hand is, then you reveal and hope the order's right. Get it right three times before three alarms go off and you all win. It's 3 to 6 players, 10 and up, about 20 minutes. It takes a little explaining if nobody's played poker.
Check price on Amazon for The Gang (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 20 October 2026.
7. The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine
Co-op trick-taking (everyone plays a card and the highest takes the lot) across 50 missions. The team wins or loses together and can barely talk about their hands.
- Players
- 3 to 5 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £12 (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: Thomas Sing's co-op trick-taking game (everyone plays a card and the highest takes the lot) won the Kennerspiel des Jahres (the German award for more involved games) in 2020. You work through 50 missions together while barely being allowed to talk about your cards. It's 3 to 5 players, with a two-player variant in the rules, 10 and up, about 20 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 2 November 2026.
8. Jaipur
Two market traders swap and sell spices, silk and gems. Camels let you grab several cards at once, which is where the tricky choices come in.
- Players
- 2 players only
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £16 (checked 9 Nov 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: The two-player pick. Sébastien Pauchon's Jaipur has you trading spices, silk and gems in a market, and camels let you grab a handful of cards at once. Sell three or more of a kind for a bonus token, but wait too long and your rival cashes in first. It's 2 players only, 10 and up, about 30 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Jaipur (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 9 November 2026.
9. Dragomino
The kids' version of Kingdomino. Match landscape dominoes to win eggs, and hope there's a baby dragon inside rather than an empty shell.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 5+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £16 (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: For younger children. It's the kids' version of Kingdomino, from Bruno Cathala and Marie and Wilfried Fort. Match the landscapes on your dominoes to win dragon eggs, then find out whether there's a baby dragon inside or just an empty shell. It's 2 to 4 players, 5 and up, about 15 minutes.
Check price on Amazon for Dragomino (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
10. Hanabi
Hold your cards facing outwards so everyone can see them except you, then trade careful hints to build a firework display together.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Approx. street price
- About £9 (checked 2 Nov 2026)
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: Antoine Bauza's Hanabi won the Spiel des Jahres in 2013 and still costs less than a takeaway. You hold your cards facing out, so everyone can see your hand except you, and the team trades careful hints to build a firework display together. 60 firework cards, 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, about 30 minutes. It takes a little explaining.
Check price on Amazon for Hanabi (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 2 November 2026.
Looking for something small for a stocking? Our stocking filler games are all card and dice games. For the main present, see the best board games for Christmas, or board game gifts for board game lovers if they already play. Want more card games? Try our card games page.
How we choose and check
We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Prices are approx. street prices: what the game was selling for at UK shops when we checked (29 October 2026 and 2 November 2026 and 9 November 2026), rounded to the nearest pound. They move around a lot, especially near Christmas. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.