Purpose-built gaming tables make tabletop gaming quicker, easier, and more enjoyable, with built-in board game-focused features like card holders; storage bins for dice and accessories; cup holders to prevent spillages; and ingenious ways of transforming back into regular dining tables. Sadly, they don’t tend to come cheap – and nobody should drop thousands on a luxury table they know nothing about – so we’ve created this guide to the best ones we’ve found.
Board game tables are a serious upgrade for the discerning tabletop gamer. Sure, nabbing the best board games of the year is a must; the best couples board games make a great date night; and organising your collection with nifty board game storage solutions will streamline each session – but if you really want to invest in your gaming experience, a board gaming table is the ultimate choice.
We’ve compiled this list of the best gaming tables to save you some effort in picking out the ideal piece. Every table on this list is designed with some flavour of tabletop gaming or hobbying in mind, whether that be an easy card game, a sprawling strategy board game, or a miniature wargame like Warhammer 40k.
The best gaming tables to buy are:
- Geeknson Megan – overall best table we’ve used
- Wyrmwood Prophecy – best luxury gaming table
- Allplay Jasper – best midrange gaming table
- Folding jigsaw table – best multi-use table
- Folding card table – best cheap, flexi option
- Folding poker table – best for casino games
- Chess table – best decorative pick
- FAQ – how to choose a gaming table
1. Geeknson Megan
The best all-round gaming table
Let’s start strong, shall we? Relative to price, the Geeknson Megan is the best gaming table we’ve seen so far. Many board game tables either strive for extreme, ultra-customisable luxury – at the price of a brand-new car – or they strip back quality and features to achieve a price point that’s almost comparable with regular furniture.
With its bestselling Megan table, UK firm Geeknson aims straight down the middle between those two, and the result is something very impressive. Geeknson kindly sent us one to test, so we can go into a bit of detail here.
The Megan is a rock-solid, hardwood oak construction (in your choice of three stain finishes) that looks and feels much closer to the tables above it in the price stakes than it does to cheaper models. As you can see (and would expect), it’s got a big, sunken play area with a bouncy fabric layer for gaming, and an all-around external metal rail system, from which you can hang all manner of pricey but beautifully made attachments, from mug holders, to DnD dice towers, to Dungeon Master stations.
To pause the game for dinner, a set of thick, oak ‘leaf’ boards slides over the top and dovetails together to create a handsome, flat table surface – Geeknson has even trademarked its own ‘Keep Dry System’ that uses watertight edge-linings between each plank to prevent any spilt drinks from leaking through onto your games.
The leaves are heavy and bulky, and taking them off is no joke – but, if you’ve got an extra $304 (£250), you can get a nifty vertical storage box to stand them in while you’re using the gaming surface.
Generally, these are features we’ve seen before on high-end gaming tables – but where the Megan’s magic really sets in for us is all the little extra details, and how beautifully they work together.
First and foremost, as well as the external metal rail, the Megan has an ingenious wooden ‘lip’ rail running all the way around the edge of the interior game space, which does double duty. It’s a marvellous card holder we never knew we needed – but Geeknson also makes adorable little acrylic bins that hang off the internal rail just like the wooden accessories on the outside.
You can fill ‘em with tokens or dice, and slide them to wherever they’re needed. It sounds like a little thing, but, with the biggest board games, you’ll have tokens coming out of your ears; a convenient way to keep them organised and accessible, without obstructing the main play space, is a serious boon.
The kicker? Loads of the Megan’s wooden accessories have perfectly sized slots for these acrylic bins – so you can easily transfer a box of tokens from the table rail, to someone’s side desk, to a shared side counter, and so on. It’s mega-satisfying.
Price-wise, the Geeknson Megan medium (roughly five feet by three feet) starts at $2,741 (£2,250). The Large version we tested (six feet by four feet) starts at $2,983 (£2,450).
That’s less than half the price of the mighty Wyrmwood Prophecy, making it an affordable choice in its field, though US gamers also need to figure in the hefty $1217 (£1,000) cost to deliver to the states.
Rivals like Natural20 and Free Bird make comparable models, but they start at $3648 (£2,995) and $4069 (£3,340) respectively – and, since both are also UK based, you can expect transatlantic delivery to tack on at least a large three-figure sum there too.
Geeknson’s always developing new gaming table designs, of course – it successfully funded its latest model, the Gwen table, on Kickstarter in May 2023. If we get the chance to test any more out, we’ll let you know whether they merit a spot on this list.
2. Wyrmwood Prophecy
The best luxury gaming table
Let’s climb a few rungs higher up the price scale. Gorgeous, classic, and maybe even infamous, the Wyrmwood Prophecy is perhaps the ‘definitive’ gaming table. Boasting all the bespoke features you could ask for in a luxurious handcrafted package, this premium option will cater to every one of your tabletop needs.
While other tables might include a sunken play area that can be covered for storage, the Prophecy cuts out the middleman with its hand-cranked lift mechanism. Play a game on the table’s flat surface, before lowering the central play area and covering it.
Your game will sit safe and sound until you’re reading to lift the lid, crank up the play area, and resume the game, right where you left off. It means you can play on a flat surface without having to awkwardly reach into the recess while being able to keep everything in one place when you’re done.
Additional accessories can be attached to the table’s perimeter, too, using a magnetic rail system. Add cup holders, dice trays, card shelves, or a ‘master shelf’ to accommodate your GM screen and tabletop RPG books. You can even customise the Prophecy with a gridded, wet-erase battlemat, or an acrylic overlay that lets you annotate maps and notes.
This table, however, is as expensive as it sounds. After placing a $7,000 (£6,245) deposit, you’ll have to shell out extra for its various customisable gubbins. Available in a range of wood and fabric options, this is a table for those who really love convenience, and have the wallet to match.
3. Allplay Jasper
The best midrange gaming table
On the more affordable end of the spectrum sits the Allplay Jasper. Solid and straightforward, it boasts all the most important features of a gaming table. A sunken play area lets you set up games and play to your heart’s content, knowing no dice will make a daring exit off the table, and no careless knock will send your game pieces skittering over the edge.
If you’re pressed for space, the Jasper‘s optional ‘table topper’ can be placed over the recess, transforming your gaming space into an ordinary dining room table at your convenience. The idea is for the table to double as your gaming station and dining area, saving space and faff.
Except this isn’t a normal table. Customisable cup holders, wine glass holders, interior wing shelves, and dark walnut or natural finish will make it stand out from your average piece of four-legged furniture.
The interior play area is wide enough to accommodate the biggest games, and not so deep that you’ll be straining your neck as you crane over to get a look at the action. Coming in at $799 (£713), and an additional $419 (£374) for the topper, this won’t be covered by your loose change, but it’s a much cheaper option than our first two picks – and the basic functionality of leaving your games mid-way through without any packing up could be enough to make it worthwhile for you.
4. Jigsaw table
The best multi-use gaming table
Now we’re getting into the generic, Amazon offerings for those on a more normal budget – starting with this jigsaw table. Even if you won’t be fitting together little pieces of shaped cardstock, they offer a good size playing area that will cater to most popular board games, and feature convenient storage draws for game components.
This wooden jigsaw table, priced at $269 (£180) fits the bill. Its large playing area is certainly big enough to hold any two-player game you’ll be placing down, and even party games can comfortably fit across its area. Its green felt top is a little unnecessary for board gaming purposes, but won’t do any harm – it might even help with games of Jenga.
The storage trays are what really make this work as a gaming table. Large enough to fit dice, pens, paper, or even packs of cards, this jigsaw table might just become your next Pokémon TCG playing area.
Made from sturdy wood, and sporting a raised lip around its perimeter, it might be designed for puzzles but it has all the essential features for a solid gaming table. Plus, fold-down makes it portable – whether you’re taking it around a mate’s or shoving it behind the sofa. Handy.
5. Folding card table
The best cheap, versatile gaming table
If you won’t be playing sprawling board games that cover vast areas, or are after a portable solution that can be set up and taken down in a jiffy, a folding card table is a solid bet. Their smaller area will fit nicely in a tight spot, folding legs make them portable, and their flat, square surface means they can usefully function as a dining table if you’re looking to hit two birds with one stone.
This affordable folding card table ticks all the boxes. With its metallic legs, vinyl top, and slim profile, it won’t win any awards for aesthetic vitality, but it is more than serviceable. Many of the best card games will fit snugly on this surface.
Most importantly, it’s sturdy, comfortable, and just as suitable for playing Magic: The Gathering as opening up a mid-size eurogame.
And the $79 (£75) price isn’t bad at all, in our books. You won’t be getting any bells or whistles, and you’ll have to look for another board game storage solution if you want to neatly organise your games. But for those after a straightforward option on which you can game without having to worry about dinner interrupting you, this is a good pick.
6. Folding poker table
The best casino gaming table
Whether you’re looking to throw down a few chips, or are after a large table surface to cover with board games, this folding poker table is a brilliant option. Their size is great enough to accommodate even the biggest Gloomhaven or Frosthaven dungeon, and their elliptical shape keeps every player in on the action.
This folding poker table may not look like much, but there’s a lot of utility under its felt. Cup holders around its edge can be used for cold brews and handfuls of meeples alike, and its ridged card holder in the centre also doubles as a useful token store.
Sure, the divided green felt wouldn’t pass muster in a poker game, but when you’re trading in Catan, who cares what’s under the board?
Folding legs might not be the most attractive choice, but if you need an inexpensive table to throw dice or play cards, this $216 (£157) option should see you right. And who knows, maybe you’ll kindle a newfound interest in poker.
7. Chess table
The best decorative gaming table
A well-known classic, there’s never a bad time to suggest a game of chess. Having a chess table ensures you always have a space in your home to play. As far as gaming tables go, this is a small but fairly versatile option – you’re not going to fit War of the Ring or Twilight Imperium on its surface anytime soon, but it’s perfect if you want to play smaller classic board games, try a quick card game, or even learn how to play chess for the first time.
This Amazon example passes muster with us – it’s on the cheaper side compared to more ornate-looking options, at $139.98 (£115.84) but it’s also got a polished, classic feel. If you’re after a wider range, however, be sure to check out our guide to the best chess tables.
If you lift up the top, there’s storage for your pieces – and a backgammon board on the other side. Who doesn’t want two games in one when it comes to gaming tables?
8. FAQ – how to choose a gaming table
If you’re in the market for a board gaming table, there’s a heck of a lot of choice and an extremely wide range of prices to navigate. And, if you’re planning on splashing the cash on a serious table, you should be absolutely sure what your needs and preferences are first, in order to make a smart, future proof decision. Furniture is a big deal, y’all – gaming furniture doubly so.
Here are some key questions you should ask yourself when shopping for a gaming table:
How many people do you want to be able to play?
There’s simply no point investing in a vast, 12-seater surface if your plans mainly include just you and your partner playing two-player board games every other evening. Likewise, if you’re hoping to run massive tabletop RPG sessions for a party of eight, a 3.5-foot-square chess table ain’t gonna cut it.
Think carefully about the maximum player count you want to be able to accommodate at your table, and limit your search accordingly.
What types of games do you normally play?
Tabletop games are becoming an ever more diverse species, and different board game types can take up wildly different amounts of space. Not only that, but each variety or genre of game can require an entirely different type and configuration of play surfaces, and benefit from different features and accessories in the table you’re using.
If you mainly play one-on-one trading card games, you may not need a huge play area, but you might get extra value from a tabletop printed with playmat markings, or extra areas to the sides of the board for your sideboard of cards; deck boxes; counters and tokens; or other bits and bobs.
If you want to play full-sized miniature wargames, you’ll need to take careful note of the official battlefield sizes to use in each game, and ensure the tables you’re looking at can accommodate that. But you should also consider features that might help with keeping your dice, cards, rulebooks, and other accoutrements to hand, safe, and easily accessible.
Being mindful of the range of games you want to accommodate will really help you narrow down the options here.
How much space do you have available?
This is a pretty obvious one, but, if you’re anything like as excitable as we are about buying new things, it’s probably a useful reminder: you need to be very sure of exactly where your table is going to be used, and how much space is available there.
If you’ve got a massive game room, palatial dining room, or cavernous garage where an eight-foot-by-six-foot monster tabletop will fit with miles to spare – well, good for you. Crack on. For the rest of us, any customised gaming surface needs to fit comfortably within our existing living space – and that means taking /very careful/ measurements of the whole space before you go shopping.
When you’re doing so, remember you also need to take into account the seats – be they chairs, benches, bar stools, whatever – because it would not be a very fun time if you dropped thousands on the perfect table, only to find there’s no room for anyone to sit down!
If you’re limited on space overall, or your gaming area is a multi-function space in your home, you should definitely consider folding tables that can be collapsed and put away when not in use. Alternatively, of course, many gaming tables can also be used as, er, regular tables. Which brings us to…
Do you need to use your table for non-gaming purposes?
One of the real clinchers for many people buying gaming tables these days is knowing their purchase isn’t purely a custom-made hobby item, but also functions as perfectly usable, regular household furniture, and won’t stick out like a sore thumb in your living room, dining room, kitchen, or wherever.
A huge, many-drawered, RGB LED-lit, wifi-enabled gaming table with a horizontal 60-inch OLED TV in the tabletop, a built-in sound system, smoke machines, dice towers embedded for every seat, and an animatronic goblin assistant named Neil would be fantastic for game nights – but not so great for dinner parties with your friends, neighbours, or members of the PTA.
So, you need to decide if your table is going to have to do double duty between games and dinner/coffee/working from home.
If so, the solutions come in two flavors:
- Tables whose gaming features are subtle, unobtrusive, or even removable – like a coffee table with extra drawers, attachments, or pop-out trays
- Tables with a sunken gaming space that gets covered over when it’s time to use the table for non-gaming needs. Typically, this is done with either a detachable, hard, one-piece tabletop that sits over the game surface, or with a series of interlocking wooden ‘leaves’ (planks) that slide in over the top to form a solid tabletop, hiding away the games underneath.
Both have their advantages. The former is simpler, normally cheaper, and requires less effort to transition between ‘modes’ – while the latter introduces the truly magical option of saving your game; you can leave the game in progress, cover it over for dinner and come back two hours (or weeks) later to pick up where you left off.
Thinking carefully about which is going to work best for you will really focus down on how you really want to use your table and how it’ll fit into your home life.
Do you need to be able to transport your table?
This is a simple one, but it’s worth taking into account: if you move around a lot, or want to be able to take your table to family and friends’ houses for game nights, it stands to reason one of your top priorities will be portability.
At a stroke, this rules out the most luxurious and expensive tables on the market, all of which are heavy, wooden, extremely stationary bits of kit. But there is a surprisingly wide and growing range of collapsible and transportable gaming tables out there, suitable for a variety of different game types and player counts.
If this is you, think about your personal requirements and the limitations they place on your options before you start – there’s no use falling in love with something that you’ll end up leaving behind when you go on trips, and not being able to use.
What kind of visual look and features do you want your table to have?
Only once you’ve considered all those more boring practicalities should you move on to the sexier bit of your selection process: how do you want your table to look, feel, and operate?
We won’t give you too much guidance here: you know (or should discover for yourself) what materials, styles, and colors of furniture you like best – and it won’t take you much shopping around to see the bewildering array of optional extras, accessories, and plugins available for many gaming tables on the market, from phone chargers to drinks fridges.
Just keep your budget in mind and think through exactly how each aspect of the table is going to be used and enjoyed – don’t let yourself slip into paying mega bucks for a shiny extra that’ll end up in your closet gathering dust. That said, enjoy choosing the perfect table for you! All being well, it’ll be with you for a lifetime, so falling in love with it is no bad thing.
If you’re fitting out your home for tabletop gaming perfection, you should also check out our guides on the best display shelves for miniatures, and the top lego storage solutions money can buy.