Best Disney Board Games: A Whole New World

Disney has been on our screens for as long as many of us can remember, and everyone has their favorite characters and films. Maybe you love the Disney Princesses, or perhaps you’re a fan of the sidekicks. Maybe you prefer the live action films, or perhaps you’re sticking to the animated classics. No matter how you connect with Disney, we have compiled a list of the best Disney board games that allow you to enjoy your favorites in fresh and exciting ways. These games are perfect for creating quality time with family and friends, making them ideal for various gatherings and events.

Because there are so many fantastic options to choose from, we’re limiting this list to Walt Disney Studios movies – as the likes of Star Wars and Marvel Games warrant their own list!

What are the Best Disney Board Games?

Disney Animated

Forget playing as characters, how about being the puppet master by being the animator?

By: Prospero Hall Players: 2-4 Time: 40-80 minutes

Disney Animated has a unique take on a Disney game, where you’re not playing as Disney characters, nor really even with Disney characters, but instead you’re playing as Disney Animators. It’s a cooperative game that seems to wholly respect the animators, with photographs sprinkled in its rule books of the real locations. You’re working together to produce five classic Disney movies – Snow White, Fantasia, Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmatians, and Aladdin.

Players will be immersed in the magical world of Disney, creating their studio and the best movie storyboard using gorgeous imagery, but of course you’ll need to meet the deadlines. You get the really satisfying opportunity to place the heroes of the animation, who are on top of clear plastic, on top of the backgrounds to set them into the scene. However, it’s not as easy as you might think, as the villains won’t go down without a fight, and they’re going to try to rush your deadlines…

The game is unsurprisingly really pleasing to look at, it uses distinct colors and utilizes and supports the simple artistry of the original animations. In playing it, you can almost feel the scenes taking place, you can picture the villains trying to stop you – you might be an animator in this game, but really, you’re crafting your story. There’s a level of strategy that makes the age recommendation for it 10+, but we’ve played this with younger ages with just a little more help – after all, it’s a cooperative game anyway!

Disney Lorcana

A Disney game on tabletop – but not like you’ve ever seen before!

By: Ravensburger Players: 2-6 Time: 45 minutes

Disney Lorcana is a trading card game that has had a phenomenal impact on the gaming landscape, and indeed, how we see our favorite characters from across the Disney universe. Whilst ultimately a card game, though there is some variation to that in newer structured releases (more on that in a moment), it has cemented itself as a favorite game for many gamers and Disney lovers alike.

The story of Disney Lorcana is that Lore is being lost from Lorcana, and you, with a great imagination, have been summoned to The Great Illuminary to quest to find the Lore. You’re doing so with glimmers (which are the cards themselves), which thematically are characters that are glimmers of the original movie characters, sometimes simply with new artwork, and sometimes the characters are whole new versions of themselves. As an example, the second set, called Rise of the Floodborn, told the story of the glimmers meeting magical ink – and Cinderella becomes Stouthearted, now encased in armor and ready for battle. For Disney fans, it’s an incredible way to get beautiful artwork and explore Disney history through its characters and lore. The game also includes Disney trivia elements that span Disney’s history, making it enjoyable for fans of all ages. The creators of the game clearly love Disney, and its artistry is not just impressive, but respectful. It’s also full of hidden Mickeys and little easter eggs for other cards or future sets.

Not just a princess now, Cinderella is a hero and a knight.

What really makes Disney Lorcana have the impact that it does however, is the fact that the gameplay is so good. It’s a notch more complicated than Pokémon, but not as complicated as the likes of Magic: the Gathering, meaning younger children can play with some initial support, and adults can dive right in. You’ll play down cards as ink, which is your currency to play more cards. You can then choose to challenge, quest (to gain Lore, where first to 20 Lore is the winner), or anything else your cards allow you to do. Just keep an eye on your opponent, so that they don’t sabotage your plans, but you do theirs!

Whilst trading card games can be controversial in the gaming industry, because of the balance between collecting, expenditure for deck building, and cost, you could enjoy Disney Lorcana simply from the pre-built decks that are put out with each new set, alternating which you play, and only adding to it if you want to. If you want to start somewhere though, check out our next pick.

Disney Lorcana: Gateway

 

Not sure where to start? Gateway is where you need to be.

By: Ravensburger Players: 2 Time: 30-60 minutes

Disney Lorcana: Gateway is the closest to a board game we’ve seen of this trading card game, but it is a both a fantastic Disney game and way to learn how to play, especially for younger audiences. Players start with a heavily reduced, pre-built deck, and play with just a few cards to begin with. They then pass through gates, collecting more cards with perhaps an extra mechanic to learn. Each gate ascension sees you learning something new you need to know about the game, adding cards to your deck, until you reach the end with a complete deck and the knowledge of how to play with any deck. You’ll find then you have the knowledge and opportunity to build your own, focusing on your favorites. And yes, a Hei Hei deck is both amusing, and plausible!

 

Disney Villainous: Disney Villains

Your introduction to evil is perfectly encapsulated in Disney Villainous.

By: Ravensburger Players: 2-4 Time: 50 minutes

Much like Disney Lorcana, Disney Villainous is a Ravensburger made board game, and frankly it’s one of the very best. Whilst it would be easy to make child centric Disney games – and certainly, Disney did so for years – Ravensburger have made Villainous as a core hobby board game, making it deeply strategic, and incredibly fun. It asks the question of what would happen if Disney villains could have another go at victory, and leaves you to play out how that would work.

Players select a Disney villain from any within the Disney Villainous set of games, as they’re all interchangeable. Each villain has their own agenda – so Prince John of Robin Hood wants power in the form of coins, but Hades of Hercules must free the titans. Whilst each player is trying to do different things, they’re also trying to prevent each other from winning. They do this through the hero deck, a set of cards unique to the villain, that generally sees the heroes of their story offering some kind of disruption they must then overcome.

The game features many favorite Disney characters in villainous roles, making it very tactical with a lot to keep an eye on and victory incredibly satisfying. It’s great for those who want to play with these characters. Once again, it’s a game made by huge Disney fans, evidenced immediately in the characters selected for inclusion in the expansions. It’s not often we get to see The Horned King, Rattigan, or Lady Tremaine acknowledged, yet all three are across Villainous expansions and standalones. When you think Disney board games, you should think Disney Villainous.

Disney Mickey and Friends Food Fight

This board game is a race to clear your plate – but with Disney characters!

By: The Op Players: 3-5 Time: 10-20 minutes

On the lighter end of the gaming spectrum, Disney Mickey and Friends Food Fight is a bright, frenetic game that adds a Disney twist to the traditional food fight, making it perfect for playing with adults and children alike. It uses the new style of Mickey Mouse animation and is inspired by the short “No Service!” in which some of the Fab Five launch into a huge food fight. While you’re not flinging actual food, you’re going to want to fling what you’ve obtained off your plate as quickly as possible.

You play by rolling dice simultaneously, which will tell you what, and how much of that food (cardboard tokens on a plate like player board) you should throw, and which direction you’re going to throw it in. One of the reasons this game is so great is that much like a real food fight, it becomes a real task to know exactly what’s happening with everyone else, as you’ll be too busy gleefully flinging your own items onto someone else’s plate to pay enough attention to how others are doing. An empty tray and three Mickey Medals see you the victor.

It’s bonkers, fast fun, which is much less strategic and more focused on playing quickly and in a silly way. It’s recommended for ages 6 and over, where admittedly it does incredibly well, but it works just as well on a family game night early in the evening. A lot of fun in a small box!

For more fun gaming for ages six and up, we have curated a list of the best games for six year olds.

Disney Sidekicks

It’s time for Disney sidekicks to step up to rescue the heroes!

By: Spin Master Games Players: 2-4 Time: 40 minutes

One of the best Disney board games is Disney Sidekicks, which puts those much loved non-main characters front and center. The game was a surprise from a board game designer named Eric Lang, who at the time, had made a name creating intricate, high strategy board games full of miniatures, described as ‘heavy’ games – admittedly somewhat for weight, but more to do with relative complexity. After leaving a big game studio, he announced work on Disney Sidekicks, and has since worked on family focused games. That makes it an exciting game for hobby board gamers and Disney fans alike.

In Disney Sidekicks, the villains have locked up the heroes, and it’s up to the sidekicks to cooperatively rescue heroes, and defeat the villains. Players get a choice between Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King), Tinker Bell (Peter Pan), Abu (Aladdin), Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast), or Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty). There are associated miniatures to represent your characters, which is lovely to see when you’re playing a game like this – and attempting to paint them can be a serious but mindful afternoon, or a bonkers art session with the family. Regardless of how your characters look, you’ll need to defeat the villain, but each villain is different, meaning you’ll need to figure out how exactly you want to play.

As a Disney board game designed for the whole family, ultimately Disney: Sidekicks is a lighthearted game with an opportunity to play with and showcase some under-appreciated characters, all running within about 40 minutes.

Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition)

Can you save the land from the darkness that looms?

By: Ravensburger Players: 2-4 Time: 45 minutes

Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls is the newest entry into the Disney board game world, and one which was designed and illustrated by an entirely female team. It’s labelled as the Disney edition, but equally is the only edition, and whilst it’s described as having roleplaying elements, which can put some people off, in reality, it’s more a fun board game with a good narrative. Whilst it’s been positioned interestingly, it’s the brilliant Disney game underneath that’s earned it its space on this list.

Players are trying to stop darkness (shadows of Disney villains) from falling across the land, and so must traverse the board to complete objectives and stop the darkness before it spreads. Much like the Haunted Mansion board game captures the spooky essence of the Disney attraction, this game brings the thrill of stopping Disney villains to life. You can play as Moana, Violet (from the Incredibles), Maid Marian, and Belle, with miniatures of these characters, dedicated card decks with their own abilities, all on a modular board that can change with additional games. You have a limited timeline, represented by the cards you have to succeed, which adds a sense of urgency. However, while you might be rushing, the whole game is cooperative, so you’re not alone!

Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls draws a lot of comparisons with another title from the same publisher called Horrified, which has a similar feel and audience, but relies on classic monsters instead of shadows of villains. With the popularity of Horrified, we’d expect this new Disney game will only get more and more popular than it already is.

Conclusion

 As the board game industry has grown, so has the audience Disney has sought to appeal to, and as a result, we’ve seen what feels like an explosion of Disney games that aren’t simply mass produced cheap games for children. Now we’ve got the choice of nuanced, strategic games that tap into the parts of Disney we love and often do something new and exciting.

We can still play these games with children, but we can play them amongst adults too, sharing the excitement of indulging in our favorites, and embracing the nostalgia with friends and family alike. The best in Disney board games right now is here in this list, but we can’t wait to see what’s coming up in future!

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FAQ: Disney Board Games