Crawl forward if you are looking for the best animal board games, because that is what we are going to give you. Everyone loves animals and board game designers are not blind to this. There are many strong animal presences among all sorts of board game genres. For this list, we focused mainly on games that focused on doing something with or for animals. There are many games out there that have animals in them but do not belong here. This is our list of the 10 best animal board games.
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#10 | Zooloretto
We kick off the list of the best animal games with one about trying to fill a zoo with the best mix of animals in order to attract the most visitors. You need to breed and nourish small, large, wild, and exotic animals through set collection and tile collection to thrive and ultimately win. You might have too many animals and no more room for them, plan accordingly. For 2 – 5 players, games run about 45 minutes each.
FOR MORE: Zooloretto Page | Games Like Zooloretto | Buy Zooloretto on Amazon
#09 | Evolution
In Evolution, you adapt your species in a dynamic ecosystem where food is scarce and predators lurk. Traits like Hard Shell and Horns will protect your species from Carnivores, while a Long Neck will help them get food that others cannot reach. With so many different ways to evolve your species, every game becomes a different adventure. An easy choice for the list of the best animal board games. For 2 – 6 players, games run around 1 hour each.
FOR MORE: Buy Evolution on Amazon
#08 | Bärenpark
Bärenpark takes you into the world of bears, challenging you to build your own bear park, trying to make it as beautiful as possible while efficiently using all the space you have. If you are looking for a solid tile drafting and grid placement game, this is the title on the list of the best animal board games for you. Place strategically to get set bonuses like animal houses and completed construction. For 2 – 4 players, games run 30 – 45 minutes.
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#07 | Dominant Species
Dominant Species is a game on the list of the best animal board games that abstractly recreates a tiny portion of ancient history: the ponderous encroachment of an ice age and what that entails for the living creatures trying to adapt to the slowly-changing earth. Through worker placement and area control, you need to build up your empire and crush others as the Dominant Species. For 2 – 6 players, games last roughly 2 – 4 hours.
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#06 | Everdell
Everdell makes the list of the best board animal board games because it is a dynamic game of tableau building and worker placement that takes you deep in the forest with all the magical critters. There is a lot going on, you are drafting spots, playing cards, preparing for the future in this dynamic strategy masterpieces. Do yourself a favor and check this one out. For 1 – 4 players, games run 40 – 80 minutes.
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#05 | Root
Root is one of the titles on this list of the best animal board games that can get pretty intense but is very balanced. You are one of four different races found deep within the forest and you are all fighting amongst yourselves for forest supremacy. You might be someone strong and logical like the cats or someone mysterious that is small in numbers but nimble like the Racoon vagabond; regardless, everyone has their pros and cons. For 2 – 4 players. games last 60 – 90 minutes.
FOR MORE: Root Page | Games Like Root | Buy Root on Amazon
#04 | Caverna: The Cave Farmers
The follow up to Agricola is also an amazing game that can stand alone on its own merit. You are the bearded leader of a small dwarf family that lives in a little cave in the mountains. Through classic worker placement mechanics, you cultivate the forest in front of your cave and dig deeper into the mountain. A peaceful game that makes a great choice for the list of the best animal board games. For 1 – 7 players, games last 30 – 210 minutes.
FOR MORE: Caverna: The Cave Farmers Page | Games Like Caverna: The Cave Farmers | Buy Caverna: The Cave Farmers on Amazon
#03 | Wingspan
You could play a game where you just look through the 100s of beautiful unique bird cards in this game about growing and supporting a bird sanctuary. Luckily for you, there is an amazing medium engine builder behind all this great content and artwork. You have only a few simple choices to make each round, but they have big and far-reaching effects. This is not just a great game about birds or animals, it is one of the best strategy games out there. For 1 – 5 players, games last 40 – 70 minutes.
FOR MORE: Wingspan Page | How To Play Wingspan | Wingspan Review | Games Like Wingspan | Buy Wingspan on Amazon
#02 | Great Western Trail
Great Western Trail makes the list of the best animal board games because it is the epic saga of herding cattle back and forth between Texas to Kansas City. You need to build up an operation to accomplish this which is done through deck building and area movement. This is a big game with high intensity, but a great one at that with hours of fun available. For 2 – 4 players, games last roughly 75 – 120 minutes.
FOR MORE: Great Western Trail Page | Games Like Great Western Trail | Buy Great Western Trail on Amazon
#01 | Agricola
Agricola is royalty in the best animal board games space. Animal breeding has never been so fun in this iconic worker placement game designed by the great Uwe Rosenberg. Draft the right actions to either build up the infrastructure of your individual farm or bring animals like cows and sheep into it for them to breed and grow. For 1 – 5 players, games run 30 – 150 minutes.
