Board Games Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2023-2028

Board Games Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2023-2028

The global board games market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.27% from 2022 to 2028

MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Strategic Product Introductions

The market is driven by the entertainment value associated with the products, and innovation in product portfolios is one of the crucial factors to sustain in the industry. Consumers' tendency to switch to various board game products has significantly increased in the past five years. Innovation plays a significant role in the board games market that runs on a tight margin. The industry has seen a lot of innovation by vendors, such as increased technology use as vendors incorporate digital components into their games to enhance the gaming experience. Vendors are focusing on introducing new themes & mechanics to create distinct and engaging experiences. For instance, "Wingspan" is a board game that features birds and their habitats, and "Gloomhaven" is a game that combines elements of role-playing games with tactical combat.

Rising Number of Board Game Cafes

With the increasing number of game cafés worldwide, businesses have drawn many buyers in the past few years. These game bars and cafes have been phenomenal success and have achieved tremendous global prominence. Board game cafes are quite common in western European countries such as the UK, France, and the North American region. Board game cafes are places where people play games and simultaneously engage with other gamers. Owing to their increasing popularity, certain cafes and shops also provide snacks and drinks during games. The increasing popularity of board game cafes is helping manufacturers to understand the kind of games that appeal to the larger section of players. This, in turn, helps vendors cater to customers' requirements, thus ensuring the steady growth of the board games market.

INDUSTRY CHALLENGE ANALYSIS

Market Disturbance Tariffs & Trade Slumps

One of the major challenges for the global board games market is the impact of global trade wars and tariffs imposed across borders. Factors such as reduced access to credit, job losses, bankruptcies, low consumer confidence, and other macroeconomic factors significantly impact the demand for board games. The economic impact of changes in trade relations between the U.S. and other countries, including the U.S. and China, or a new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or even changes in the EU, such as the Brexit outcome, can have a significant impact on the financial status of major vendors such as Hasbro and Mattel.

Certain political trade tensions prevailing across the globe are a cause of concern for certain manufacturing industries. For instance, the trade war between the U.S. and China (two big industries for the board games market) is raising tension among printers across the globe having direct or indirect trade relations with these countries. There is a possible risk of further escalation and retaliatory actions between the two countries.

SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS BY PRODUCT

The puzzle type dominated the global board games market and generated a revenue of over USD 6.9 billion in 2022. The segment focuses on the jigsaw, 3D puzzles, slider puzzles, Rubik’s cubes, and other brain teasers. Following puzzle games, tabletop games market was the second largest revenue generator, holding a share of over 23% in 2022. Tabletop board games are gaining popularity as these games force people to interact, thus making the bond stronger. The industry has witnessed a spurt in demand for various tabletop board games. While preschool kids are more interested in chance-based tabletop board games, strategy-based board games are witnessing higher demand among grade-schoolers, teenagers, and adults. Tabletop games are effective in developing cognitive skills in children.

Segmentation by Product

• Puzzles
• Tabletop Board Games
• Collectible Card Games
• Card & Dice Games
• Miniature Games
• RPG Board Games

INSIGHTS BY THEME

The educational board games segment dominated the global board games market with over 41% share owing to the higher penetration of puzzles among end-users. The educational board games segment is expected to witness significant demand in the years ahead, owing to the ability of such games to develop basic preschool skills. Color matching, identifying letters, alphabets, numbers, counting, identifying shapes and patterns, developing fine motor skills, and strategic thinking skills, among others, are some of the key offerings of such games.

Segmentation by Theme

• Educational Board Games
• Strategy & War Board Games
• Fantasy Board Games
• Sports Board Games
• Others Board Games

INSIGHTS BY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL

The offline segment accounted for the highest market revenue, with over 54% industry share in the global board games market in 2022. However, due to the rising internet penetration worldwide, the offline segment will face strong competition from the online segment in the future. Many retail players such as Walmart, Costco, Sears, Best Buy, and Target stock and showcase products in their retail outlets, leading to higher visibility of these games in the industry during the forecast period. However, the online board games market segment is witnessing high traction from the US and other European countries, particularly Germany and the UK. Sales from the online channel is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 13% during the forecast period.

Segmentation by Distribution Channel

• Offline
• Specialty Stores
• Mass Market Players
• Other Stores
• Online

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

North America dominated the global board games market, accounting for a 28.88% share in 2022. The board games played in North America are different from European board games. Americans prefer to play board games based on the luck factor with extra focus on defeating opponents. However, American-style board games are less fun as the players can be easily eliminated from the game. Thus, American board games do not fully engage the players. Therefore, the region is witnessing high demand for Euro-style board games. For instance, European strategy games such as The Settlers of Catan or Catan have carved inroads into the U.S. board games market in the recent past.

Segmentation by Geography

• North America
• US
• Canada
• APAC
• China
• India
• Japan
• Indonesia
• South Korea
• Australia
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Thailand
• New Zealand
• Vietnam
• Europe
• UK
• France
• Germany
• Russia
• Italy
• Sweden
• Norway
• Spain
• Denmark
• Switzerland
• Iceland
• Latin America
• Brazil
• Mexico
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Rest Of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• UAE
• Egypt
• Turkey

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Competition in the board games market is highly intensified due to the influx of several local players. Products have witnessed a significant push in popularity, mainly among residential users. Product development in the board games market requires less investment than in other markets, such as mobile gadgets, video games, and others. This influx has also tightened the profit margin for global players. Product counterfeiting, especially for card and dice games, has turned industry dynamics complex for big commercial players.

Key Company Profiles

• Asmodee Group
• Hasbro
• Mattel
• Ravensburger

Other Prominent Vendors

• Asmadi Games
• Bezier Games
• com
• Buffalo Games
• Clementoni
• CMON
• Disney
• Funko
• Games Workshop
• Gibsons Games
• Goliath Games
• Grey Fox Games
• IELLO Games
• Indie Boards and Cards
• INI
• Epoch Everlasting Play
• Imago Group
• Kamings Trade
• Learning Resources
• Lifestyle Boardgames
• Loony Labs
• Ludo Fact
• Melissa & Doug
• MindWare
• North Star Games
• Orchard Toys
• Panda Game Manufacturing
• Pegasus Spiele
• Piatnik
• Reaper Miniatures
• Rio Grande Games
• Schmidt Spiele
• Spin Master
• Spontaneous Games
• Sunsout
• Surprised Stare Games
• Talicor
• Trend Enterprises
• Ultra Pro International
• University Games
• USAOPOLY
• Winning Moves Games
• WizKids
• Zobmondo

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. How big is the board games market?

2. What is the growth rate of the board games market?

3. Who are the key players in the global board games market?

4. What are the key driving factors in the board games market?

5. Which region dominates the global board games market?