12 Bizarre Board Games from the Past You Won’t Believe Existed
Some board games from the past were so strange that it is hard to believe they were ever made.
- Daisy Montero
- 4 min read
Some board games make sense. Others leave you wondering what the creators were thinking. A few had good intentions but turned into disasters, while some were just plain weird. These games did not just fade away. They become odd relics of a time when almost anything could be turned into a board game.
1. The Landlord’s Game
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Before Monopoly, there was The Landlord’s Game, designed to warn people about the dangers of unchecked capitalism. Ironically, it was later rebranded into the very thing it criticized. The original version had two rule sets: one that rewarded monopolies and another that encouraged fair wealth distribution.
2. Ghettopoly
CruiseAmerica on Wikimedia Commons
Ghettopoly was a Monopoly knockoff that was offensive on every level. It used crude stereotypes. It was meant to be satire but missed the mark entirely. The backlash was so strong that most copies were destroyed, making it a rare (but infamous) collector’s item.
3. Public Assistance: Why Bother Working?
Ripen11 on Wikimedia Commons
This game forced players to navigate life on welfare, but instead of being educational, it leaned into harmful stereotypes. The goal was to avoid working while collecting the most government aid. It was widely criticized and remains one of the most politically charged games ever made.
4. The Sinking of the Titanic
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Turning a real-life tragedy into a family game is already questionable, but this game made it worse by turning survival into a competition. Players had to rescue passengers while collecting supplies as if the Titanic disaster was just another adventure. The insensitive theme did not age well.
5. Trump: The Game
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Marketed as a high-stakes business game, this one flopped hard. The rules were complicated, and the game felt more like a gimmick than a strategy challenge. It was briefly re-released in 2004, but people were still not interested.
6. Bed Bugs
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Players used tiny plastic tweezers to catch bouncing “bed bugs” before they could escape. The chaotic gameplay made it frustrating rather than fun. Although it was marketed toward kids, the idea of a game about bed bug infestation was a hard sell.
7. Don’t Wake Daddy
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It was a board game where players had to sneak around without waking up a plastic, spring-loaded “Daddy” figure. The sudden jump scare of the dad waking up made it more of a stress test than a fun game. Despite its weird premise, it was oddly popular in the ’90s.
8. Mystery Date
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This game had players picking outfits to match their ideal date, which would be revealed when opening a small plastic did not match. If it wasn’t a match, you would be stuck with a “dud” date. It has been criticized for promoting outdated ideas about dating.
9. Happy Days Game
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Based on the hit TV show, this game had players collecting cool points while avoiding uncool situations. It tried to cash in on the show’s success, but the gameplay was so basic that even fans lost interest fast. It was a strange attempt at turning a sitcom into a board game.
10. The McDonald’s Game
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It was a fast-food-themed board game where players had to build their own McDonald’s empire. While it sounds fun, the gameplay was tedious and repetitive. It felt more like an advertisement than an actual game.
11. Go to the Head of the Class
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It was a school-themed trivia game where players advanced by answering academic questions. The problem? The questions were outdated even when the game was new. It was a classroom nighttime disguised as entertainment.
12. The Campaign for North Africa
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Known as the most complex board game ever, this war strategy game took over 1,500 hours to play. It was so detailed that even water rations for soldiers had to be calculated. Few have ever completed it, making it more of a challenge than an actual game.