Looking for the best online board games to try out with friends? The biggest advantage board games have over video brethren is that you can reach across the table to give your friends a slap when they inevitably betray you. Naturally, therefore, you might assume that online board games have little to offer if you can’t throttle a dear friend moments after they claim victory.

While the physical aspect – slaps included – may be absent, browser-based board games are still a great way to get your favourites to the (virtual) table more often. Handily, they also come without the pesky need to host other folks in your home, so you can save on snacks, drinks, and the effort of tidying up after. On top of that, the best online board games are also much faster to set up and you can play with AI if you’re a mate or two down. In case you’re not all that fussed about using browser-based clients and are just looking for some of the best PC board games on Steam, then we have a separate list for those.