Legacy board games take you and your group on a unique and competitive experience with an ever-changing game that spans multiple campaign-style rounds. Although it feels rather unconventional, you will find yourself destroying game elements, tearing cards to pieces and adding stickers to your board on your path to success. The most cooperative games leave you with a distinctive end-game board unlike any other player's.
Whether you are looking for a game for 2 players, 5 players, 6 players, couples or families, you're in the right place. We've ranked a list of the best Legacy board games from Amazon, including legacy classics such as Betrayal Legacy, the Pandemic Legacy Board Game and Ultimate Werewolf Legacy, to get you started on your game as soon as possible.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of Legacy board games available and understand how our ranking was determined.
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Z-Man Games | 2 ![]() Cephalofair Games | 3 ![]() Avalon Hill | 4 ![]() Stonemaier | 5 ![]() Thames and Kosmos | 6 ![]() Plaid Hat Games | 7 ![]() Hasbro | 8 ![]() Pandasaurus | 9 ![]() Ravensburger | 10 ![]() Bezier Games |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Pandemic Legacy - Season One | Gloomhaven | Betryal Legacy | Charterstone | My City | Seafall | Risk Legacy | Machi Koro Legacy | The Rise of Queensdale | Ultimate Werewolf Legacy |
Features | Save the World From the Pandemic Over the Course of an Entire Year | An Enormous Game With Immersive Story and Strong RPG Elements | A Paranormal Adventure Legacy Game for Fans of All Things Horror | A Co-op Building Experience That Spans 12 Chapters but Is Easy to Pick Up | A Simple to Set Up, Award-Nominated Game With City Construction at Its Core | A Unique Gaming Experience to Set Sail on the Open Seas and Explore Unseen Lands | The Classic Board Game With a 15-Part Campaign That Opened the Door to Legacy Gaming | A City-Building Peaceful Legacy Experience With a Re-Playable Final Board | A Game of Strategic Play That Compels You to Go Head-To-Head Against Friends | A Social Deduction Come Legacy Quest That Allows up to 16 Players in 2 Teams |
Price | £66.10 | £101.97 | £77.42 | £92.42 | £26.30 | £55.84 | £77.42 | £46.71 | £58.12 | £60.31 |
Mechanics | Card management, medical | Deck building, card driven, battle | Tile placement, dice rolling | City building | City building, tile placement | Exploration, civilisation | War, dice rolling | Dice rolling | Dice rolling, worker placement | Bluffing, social deduction |
Play Time | 60 minutes | 60 - 120 minutes | 45 - 75 minutes | 45 - 75 minutes | 30 minutes | 120 - 180 minutes | 60 minutes | 30 - 45 minutes | 46 - 60 minutes | 60 minutes |
Complexity | Medium | Heavy | Medium | Medium | Light | Medium heavy | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Size | Medium | Extra large | Large | Large | Medium | Large | Large | Medium | Large | Small |
Players | 1 - 4 | 1 - 4 | 3 - 5 | 1 - 6 | 2 - 4 | 3 - 5 players | 3 - 5 | 2 - 4 | 2 - 4 | 9 - 16 |
Age Rating | 13 + | 14 + | 12 + | 14 + | 10 + | 14 + | 13 + | 10 + | 12 + | 13 + |
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A legacy game is designed to permanently change over multiple sessions, asking you to add to the board and tear up cards – and when a character dies, they never come back. Typically, these games don’t offer any scope to be replayed afterwards due to the lasting effects made during your crusade, but some newer games have specialised systems that allow you to use your final board for future games.
As the name suggests, the legacy element is the core mechanic of these games, but this hasn't stopped designers from incorporating some of your favourite elements to make games exciting and engaging. Whether you're a fan of tile placement, city building, die rolling or deck building, make sure to check out the mechanics to get a game that appeals.
Buckle up those seatbelts and get yourselves ready for a challenge, as legacy board games are no quick affair. It takes multiple sessions of hard work to complete the overall objective, and they're a big investment in time and socialising, so ensure everyone is prepared for the test ahead.
The full games are split into separate segments, which take you on a testing journey to keep negative lasting effects to a minimum and to work together to succeed as much as possible. Charterstone is a great example of a long-lasting game, as the developers suggest it takes around 60 minutes to complete one of its 12 chapters.
Much like board games in general, you'll find hundreds of guidelines that you need to follow to successfully play a legacy game. The popular website BoardGameGeek has easily broken down the complexity of each by including a community rating which refers to the ‘weight’ of the rule book – this ranges from light to medium-light, medium, medium-heavy and heavy.
Rule books can be confusing and time-consuming, and legacy games don't shy away from this culture. Some games start you off with core guidelines to help you play a successful contest, but blank segments hint at new rules to be added when certain in-game events happen, when cards are drawn and when games are won. Looking up the complexity level will ensure you end up with something challenging but fun!
If you like a game with a challenge, try out one of these escape room board games!
It's well known that many board games require a lot of tabletop space to fit the board, your individual playing elements and useful game pieces that need to be kept to hand. Legacy games are no exception and often come as a curse with the plethora of additional bits and bobs that keep your experience packed with excitement.
The notorious 10 kg box weight of Gloomhaven, for example, gives you some indication of what a massive and bulky game you have ahead of you. The game includes 95 scenarios, 1500 cards and a ton of plastic pieces that you need to always have access to, so making sure you have a playing surface big enough for this is key in keeping you off the floor for hours at a time.
Legacy games are a fantastic board game genre for you to pick up and play with your friends, family or gaming group. The exciting events that unfold throughout your campaign pull your team closer together as your scratch your heads to work out the best course of action to take.
While typically designed for up to four players, newer and larger games allow you to expand your team and add extra power to the adventure ahead. If you’re a solo player reading this and worrying that there isn’t a game for you, you’re incorrect! A handful out there only require a minimum of one player, so you can enjoy the epic quests without a group.
If you love cooperative board games, take a look at our top 10 list of the best!
Legacy games will take you on a long-lasting journey that can be great family fun, with groups of all ages taking position around the table and playing their part. This doesn’t always mean that games are appropriate for younger audiences, however, as there are factors to think about before picking your family's next big operation.
The theme is important to think about as some games include adult content with swearing and graphic artwork. The abundance of rules to get your head around can also be off-putting to younger people who want to focus more on the gameplay. Games are developed with a recommended age, so it's key to consider this when picking for families.
mybest UK product recommendations are reviewed and curated by our writers in-house. We focus on in-depth research and analysis of product reviews to carefully select the best products available for the best prices.
£66.10
Mechanics | Card management, medical |
---|---|
Play Time | 60 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Medium |
Players | 1 - 4 |
Age Rating | 13 + |
£101.97
Mechanics | Deck building, card driven, battle |
---|---|
Play Time | 60 - 120 minutes |
Complexity | Heavy |
Size | Extra large |
Players | 1 - 4 |
Age Rating | 14 + |
£77.42
Mechanics | Tile placement, dice rolling |
---|---|
Play Time | 45 - 75 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Large |
Players | 3 - 5 |
Age Rating | 12 + |
STM700
£92.42
Mechanics | City building |
---|---|
Play Time | 45 - 75 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Large |
Players | 1 - 6 |
Age Rating | 14 + |
691486
£26.30
Mechanics | City building, tile placement |
---|---|
Play Time | 30 minutes |
Complexity | Light |
Size | Medium |
Players | 2 - 4 |
Age Rating | 10 + |
£55.84
Mechanics | Exploration, civilisation |
---|---|
Play Time | 120 - 180 minutes |
Complexity | Medium heavy |
Size | Large |
Players | 3 - 5 players |
Age Rating | 14 + |
A53010000
£77.42
Mechanics | War, dice rolling |
---|---|
Play Time | 60 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Large |
Players | 3 - 5 |
Age Rating | 13 + |
PAN201904
£46.71
Mechanics | Dice rolling |
---|---|
Play Time | 30 - 45 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Medium |
Players | 2 - 4 |
Age Rating | 10 + |
£58.12
Mechanics | Dice rolling, worker placement |
---|---|
Play Time | 46 - 60 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Large |
Players | 2 - 4 |
Age Rating | 12 + |
BEZUWLG
£60.31
Mechanics | Bluffing, social deduction |
---|---|
Play Time | 60 minutes |
Complexity | Medium |
Size | Small |
Players | 9 - 16 |
Age Rating | 13 + |
A legacy board game is a game that is completed through a series of chapters. The mechanics, rules and components change based on the player's choices and the outcome of each chapter, meaning at the very end, you're left with a completely unique playing board.
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