The Sims is one of gaming’s biggest cross-over hits, appealing to a wide audience of fans of all ages and demographics. Soon, the series will be playable in a whole new way with the official The Sims Board Game, which adapts the life management gameplay of the video games into a replayable tabletop experience for 2-5 players. The game technically launches for $20 on August 15–though Target is already shipping orders, so there’s a chance you could get it early if you grab it there. Preorder are also open at Amazon, and orders will start shipping next week. $20 is much cheaper than we usually see for similar board games based on other board games. Given the popularity of The Sims, we expect this will be very popular and could sell out, so be sure to grab a copy while you can.
$20 | Releases August 15
While The Sims Board Game is not a one-to-one adaptation, fans will recognize the game’s familiar visuals and life-sim-style gameplay. The board game is designed for 2-5 players, each of whom takes on a personality and goal to achieve. Players then explore a gameboard that looks like an iconic The Sims neighborhood, draw cards representing various life events they must respond to, and collect “SIMbols,” with the goal being to be the first to collect enough SIMbols that match their specific life goal.
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The Sims Board Game is just one of the latest video games to get a tabletop adaptation. Board games based on video games have become quite popular in recent years, and you can find everything from crunchy, rules-heavy adventure games, RPGs, and skirmish wargames, to easy-to-play card games and family-friendly board games based on a long list of video game properties at Amazon.
Some notable choices that could pair well with the upcoming The Sims Board Game include Monopoly Arcade Pac-Man Edition, which puts a retro Pac-Man spin on the classic Monopoly board game, and even comes with a working mini Pac-Man arcade cabinet. You can even grab a board game version of Tetris, or snag one of the many Mario, Minecraft, and Pokemon games aimed at younger players. Pokemon Labyrinth is a great choice if you’re looking for a more puzzle-focused game, which tasks players with exploring a shifting maze to collect various Pokemon. There are also co-op card games like Minecraft: Portal Dash and Minecraft Explorers, where players work together to survive in Minecraft’s world in a whole new way. And for Mario fans, there’s the Super Mario Adventure Game DX, which is designed to recreate the platforming gameplay of the video game series as ball obstacle course puzzles.
For something more complex, you can grab big games based on popular RPGs like Elden Ring: The Board Game, The Elder Scolls: Skyrim – The Adventure, The Witcher: Old World, and more. These games combine the complexity of tabletop RPGs and tactical combat games with the streamlined presentation of adventure board games to create rich analogue adaptations of their source material. Many also include detailed sculpted miniatures that you can use as display pieces, or even use them in other tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons.
If you’re looking for ways to bring competitive video games to your table, check out some of the player-versus-player games available like Halo: Flashpoint or Gears of War: The Card Game, both of which ship with everything you need to play right in the box. These are just some of the numerous tabletop games based on video games available now. Be sure to check a full round-up at Amazon.
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