It is no longer a secret that the corona pandemic has spurred the sale of board games. Like the entire toy industry, game publishers are recording significant increases in sales. Board games are popular in times of lockdown, quasi-lockdown and contact restrictions. Christmas is now approaching - and board games will traditionally be on the rise again.
Board games, card games and the like will end up under the festively decorated fir tree again this year. This has now become a tradition - this year the corona effects and the Christmas business could multiply into a mega-book: the already strong increase in demand for board games is likely to increase significantly again in view of the festive season. The popularity of board games can be recognized, among other things, by the search volume of the price comparison websites.
Board game boom: lower at a high level
“Idealo.de” recently updated its appropriate theme for the year. The chart presented suggests a jump in demand from the end of October - this has already been the case in the past two years. 2021 shouldn't be any different. Overall, demand at Idealo was slightly lower than in the two previous years, and the spring highs in particular did not materialize this year. Nevertheless, board games are still popular. In the summer months, interest hovered around the level of the year 2019 and 2020.
However, there was a crash in the most popular board games: While “Pandemic” was still one of the most sought-after titles during the 2020 lockdown, interest in the work by Z-Man Games or Asmodee decreased significantly. Instead of being in the top 10 of the most popular board games, Pandemic is now in the top 50. Anyway. Overall, the users of the Idealo comparison platform will at least demonstrate taste in 2021.
You will also find the “usual suspects” among the most popular board games of the year with titles like Skip-Bo, Phase 10 or Scrabble, but there are also guaranteed fun like MicroMacro Crime City by Johannes Sich and Pegasus Spiele or The Adventures of Robin Hood by Michael Menzel and Kosmos Made it into the ten hottest games. The front runner might be more surprising Idealo ranking be: cuddle duel.
Apparently, the longing for togetherness is great in times of the pandemic. The "erotic board game for adults" leads the top 10, with some Internet users expressing their dissatisfaction with the shipping alone: the packaging in transparent film is criticized. Some customers were obviously embarrassed.
Far less surprising are the placements of the classic card game Wizard (6th place), Skip-Bo (5th place), Uno Minimalista (3rd place), and Phase 10 (7th place) - all of them impress with simple rules and quick access, so they primarily speak to casual gamers on.
Azul, the game of the year 2018, is already proving to be a kind of modern evergreen. Of all the top 10 board games, several will probably make it under the Christmas trees and on the gaming tables on and after the holidays. It is not uncommon for people to give away what suits their own taste or what has become popular on the market. In addition to brand classics, these are often those board games that have won an award over the course of the season: game of the year, expert game of the year, Child's play of the year or the winner of the German Game Award.
The trend towards parlor games is good for the industry, but also good for the players themselves. Board and card games have proven to be popular leisure activities in times of the corona pandemic - and some casual gamers with ambitions will ultimately make the leap to become a frequent player . Then more complex board games and longer game rounds await, but at least as much fun.
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Cuddly Duel Board Game for Adults In the area of...* | 24,30 EUR |
* = Affiliate link/advertisementAs an Amazon Associate, we earn money from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through one of the links, we receive a portion of the purchase price as commission. This doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps support our website. Last updated on September 13.11.2025, XNUMX / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. Images from Amazon PA API.
