20 Thematic Board Games to Play During Your Quarantine
Most people expected to spend the day wearing green, drinking green beer and playing St. Patrick’s Day board games. Instead, we are all cemented in front of the TV and devices awaiting the latest COVID-19 news from the Center for Disease Control. We are living in an unprecedented time now as restaurants, stores, theme parks and schools close down. But I like to find the bright side in every situation and there is one here. Like it or not, people will be spending more time indoors to help “flatten the curve” and that means tapping into some ideas for family bonding.
I’ve had more non-board-game people ask me about games in the past few days than I’ve had ask in the past few months. We invite people to learn about new board games because there is a lot of variety available. Of course, it seems kind of fitting to incorporate some virus-themed games into the quarantine time. This list gives you plenty of options! As a bonus, these offer a perfect opportunity to use games for teaching about the science or concepts behind the current pandemic!
After the Virus
After The Virus is a cooperative deck builder in which you and your friends band together to survive and complete different missions. The 15 included missions form a storyline if played in sequence, but don’t expect to survive that easily because the zombies will attack you in ever increasing numbers! Your deck is invaded by more zombies each time it is reshuffled, so you need to search the area deck for useful weapons and other things to help you. To manage your deck and play area well is critical if you are to complete the mission before you are overwhelmed by the zombies!
Anti-Virus
A virus has found its way into one of your cells. Can you get rid of it before it multiplies? The cell (represented by the game board) has very little space, but you have to move the molecules (the colored counters) which stand in your way as you try to get rid of the virus (the red counter). Put the pieces in the start positions set out in the chosen challenge. Work out the right order of moves you’ll have to make with the molecules to free up the only space you can use to get the intruder out. 5 levels of increasing difficulty are available to allow players of all ages to play the game. Beware, this game is contagious: it can spread… the joy of playing. Use it to sharpen up your neurons.
Dr. Microbe
Help Dr. Microbe complete her research with your tweezers, a petri dish, and the colorful microbes. Using logic, race your fellow scientists to figure out which microbes are missing from the incomplete challenge card and snatch them up fast! Find the answer using this key: the superbug must always be a different shape and color than the other three microbes in your dish. Be the fastest scientist in the lab to impress Dr. Microbe and win!
Gurms
A light-strategy tile placing game with a contagiously cute theme, Gurms is the perfect cure for the bored family blues! Players pick one of four different pawns and take turns placing tiles one at a time in an attempt to complete as many of their character’s symbols as possible. Score additional points for groupings of the same symbol. Each character has its own color, making for vivid and lively gameplay that the whole family will enjoy. These Gurms want to take over your table, and even the high quality tin can’t contain them!
Infection
Infection is based on the famous and infamous, diabolically challenging microbe puzzle from The 7th Guest computer game. This beautifully designed tabletop game consists of a quality 15” x 11” roll-up board, 49 double-sided microbes, 5 anti-bodies (for optional board re-configuration), a black velvet drawstring pouch and instructions. It’s a game that anybody can learn to play in minutes but spend a lifetime mastering and will be a great addition to any tabletop strategy game collection.
Microbz
Watch out! microbz are invading. Throw the dice and mash the corresponding microbz card for the win.If this card is near an opponent, steel it before they can protect it.8th: The longer the game lasts, the greater the amount of cards on the table.But be careful, the rules change each turn – Look out for the top of the pile to find out the challenge to achieve.A fast-paced game requiring an accurate touch.
Pandemic
You and your team are the last defense standing in the way of deadly diseases that threaten the world! From designer Matt Leacock, Pandemic is a cooperative game of teamwork for two to four players.
Pandemic: 10th Anniversary Edition
From designer Matt Leacock, Pandemic is a cooperative game of teamwork where an elite team must work together to keep four deadly diseases at bay. Assemble your team to discover the cure, stop the spreading diseases, and avert a global disaster. Celebrate a decade of curing diseases with the game that started it all. This beautifully-rendered anniversary edition of Pandemic includes a custom metal box, all-new art with a vintage aesthetic, large ID cards, plastic figures, and plenty of wooden pieces. Can you save humanity?
Pandemic: Contagion
You are the disease. There is no cure! For too long has the human race assaulted diseases. For too long has mankind found cure and other means to eradicate them from the planet. Now, the diseases are fighting back and humanity doesn’t stand a chance! Will you be the disease that exterminates humanity? A new, non-cooperative game in the Pandemic line! Become one of the diseases in this new game that reverses the roles and where you must now try to annihilate the human race.
Pandemic: Hot Zone North America
In Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America, players work together against the game to discover cures for three deadly diseases that threaten the continent.
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
The world is on the brink of disaster. In Pandemic Legacy, your disease-fighting team must keep four deadly diseases at bay for a whole year. Each month will bring new surprises, and your actions in each game will have repercussions on the next. Will you let cities fall to the diseases? Will your team be enough to keep the viruses at bay for a whole year? Craft your own unique Pandemic experience with Pandemic Legacy.
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2
The world is on the brink of disaster. In Pandemic Legacy, your disease-fighting team must keep four deadly diseases at bay for a whole year. Each month will bring new surprises, and your actions in each game will have repercussions on the next. Will you let cities fall to the diseases? Will your team be enough to keep the viruses at bay for a whole year? Craft your own unique Pandemic experience with Pandemic Legacy.
Pandemic: The Cure
Pandemic: The Cure, a dice-based version of the popular Pandemic board game, sets up in less than a minute and plays in 30 minutes. As in the board game, four diseases threaten the world and it’s up to your team to save humanity. You and your team must keep the world’s hotspots in check before they break out of control, while researching cures to the four plagues. Players roll dice each turn to determine the actions available to them.
Read our Pandemic: The Cure Game Overview!
Plague Inc.
Plague Inc: The Board Game is a strategic game of infection, evolution and extinction for 1-4 players lasting 60-90 minutes. Each person takes on the role of a deadly disease competing against their friends in a battle to be the first to infect and wipe out the world!
Based on the bestselling video game ‘Plague Inc.’, with over 100 million players worldwide, Plague Inc: The Board Game takes the best elements of the original and crafts them into a sleek tabletop experience which is totally different every time you play.
Strain
This game is infectious family fun. It is easy to learn, fast moving and looks great. No science knowledge is needed to play. You must evolve, adapt, and outsmart to build the mightiest micro-organisms. Use your resources to add powerful organelles, infect opponents with Viruses and harness Chain reactions to achieve big victory!
The Omega Virus
You are a highly-trained Commando bound for the besieged BattleSat1. Hidden within its 24 Rooms is an insidious threat to Planet Earth: The Omega Virus. You have 35 minutes or less to find and destroy it.
Viral
You have just infected a patient. Your objective is to mutate and take over the host’s organs. Choose your strategy carefully, though, because other players’ viruses are sure to get in your way! If too many viruses are present in an organ, a CRISIS occurs and the IMMUNE SYSTEM will surely wipe out your infection! VIRAL is a 2-5 players competitive board game in which each player controls a virus that is growing inside of a human body.
Read our Viral Board Game Overview!
Virulence
Virulence is a blind bidding game where players take on the roles of viruses, competing to infect a host cell. Players use their bidding hands to win (replicate) viral components cards in order to either score points, or to build the strength of their virus (their bidding hand) increasing their odds of winning critical bids later in the game.
Read our Virulence Card Game Overview!
ViRUS
A frightening virus, Virus Q, is spreading in the major cities of the planet. Infected people and animals change rapidly, becoming horrible bloodthirsty and almost unstoppable creatures. Our only hope is to find the zero patient and the place where everything originated. There, perhaps, we can find an antidote and return the hope to the dying humanity. But not everyone agrees. There are those who want to take advantage of the chaos and terror in order to gain power and establish a new form of government, trying to maneuver and control the monsters generated by the virus. A cure would ruin their plans forever.
Virus!
Warning: the fun is contagious! Protect your organs while attacking others in this easy to learn card game. Place a virus on another player’s organ card, or use a medicine card to cure your own organs. The first player with a clean bill of health wins! For 2-6 players, ages 8 and up.
Read our Virus! Card Game Overview!
We’ve included links to purchase the games on Amazon and have them delivered right to your door. Of course, we also want to encourage you to reach out to your local game store to see what options they have for curbside pickup or delivery. As we all shelter in place, let’s make the most of the situation and when we come out on the other side, it’s our hope that people who haven’t played games in a while will have a new appreciation for the positive impact they can have on our lives.
What do you plan to do during the quarantine?
These games are perfectly themed for the Coronavirus quarantine. The list is a perfect match for my zombie apocalypse film list. Are you coming out with a list of those? I’d love to see if there is one I have yet to discover.
You’ll have to let us know if you’ve tried any of these games. We won Pandemic the other day and it was a good feeling! LOL Are you looking for a list of apocalypse films or a list of apocalypse games?
games all fitting of the times that we are going thru hopefully you come out the winner
like the good old days board games and games in general are great at passing the time
These games do sound interesting. Any other time, I would want to play doctor and try and win playing these games; but for me, at this time, I would want to do do something to take my mind away from viruses and such!
I never knew there were so many “virus” games! I don’t know if I want to play a game that reminds me of a horrible time!! Now there is a new virus I don’t want to spend my money on these games. I’d rather give to the food banks, etc. Maybe the creators of these games can share their profits? I seen zombie movies and I don’t like them!!