When it seems like most of the world’s board games and card games are made for 2 or 4 players, it can be hard to find the right games that are ideal for 3 players to play. Oftentimes, it’s awkward and doesn’t play as well. So, what are some fun games to play that have good playability with exactly 3 people? Well, lucky for you, there are actually plenty of board games and card games that are perfect for 3 players; you just need to know where to look.
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BOARD GAMES FOR 3 PEOPLE TO PLAY
Here are the top board games for 3 people to play, including some popular games and classics as well as more modern games you may not have heard of yet.
1. SETTLERS OF CATAN
- EXPLORE THE ISLAND OF CATAN: Settle the uninhabited island of Catan by gathering...
- STRATEGY AND COMPETITION: Compete with 2-3 opponents to expand your settlements...
- TRADE, BUILD, AND SETTLE: Use brick, wood, wheat, ore, and sheep to construct...
Catan is one of the best board games out there for 3 players. While you can play this board game with up to 4 players (or more if you get the extension), it is just as playable with just 3 people. If you have played board games before, you’re likely already familiar with this ultra-competitive game. In this game, players fight over territory and resources in order to become the first player to gain 10 Victory Points. You can gain these points by gathering resources, building settlements, and building roads to connect them all.
2. PANDEMIC
- STRATEGY GAME: Players must work together playing to their characters' strengths...
- COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME: Only through teamwork will you keep the world safe from...
- WORK TOGETHER AND SAVE HUMANITY: Four diseases threaten the world, and your...
Pandemic is one of our favorite indoor games for adults, but kids as young as 8 can play this game. This is a cooperative and strategic board game, perfect for those who are sick and tired of the constant backstabbing present in more competitive board games. In this game, players work together to stop deadly viruses from spreading. To do so, players will move around the different cities in order to test infections and build research stations.
3. CARCASSONNE
- INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGY: Experience the timeless allure of "Carcassonne," a...
- SIMPLE YET ENGAGING: With intuitive rules—place tiles, deploy meeples, score...
- BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS: Immerse yourself in the game's enchanting world through...
One of our favorite family board games, Carcassonne is a beginner-friendly game that kids as young as 7 can play. Similar to Catan, this board game involves building roads and cities. However, in this game, players must draw and connect tiles made up of different landscapes. These tiles must be connected in a way that makes sense. And once you place a tile, you can put one of your meeples on top to score points. While this may sound relatively complicated, it’s a super easy game to get the hang of once you play.
4. YAHTZEE
- Dice-rollin' battle game
- Includes 5 dice and shaker
- Yahtzee comes with 100 score cards
Yahtzee is a great game to play for 3 players in basically any setting, including while camping or at a sleepover. To play, take turns rolling five dice. The five dice must be rolled in a way to get maximum points on your Yahtzee sheet, which requires you to sum up the numbers on the dice in a specific way. For example, if, on your sheet, you still need 3s and you roll three 3s and two other numbers, you have scored 9 points by counting just the 3s.
However, after rolling the five dice once on your turn, you can roll as many of them as you want two more times in order to get the best chance of getting a specific number you want. So, in this example, if the three 3s and two other numbers was your first roll, you could roll the other two dice up to two more times in order to get as many 3s as possible.
5. THE QUEST FOR EL DORADO
- ARTISTIC DESIGN: Refreshed version of The Quest for El Dorado with new art from...
- ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE: Designed for 2-4 players, perfect for age 10 and up -...
- USER-FRIENDLY: Comes with high quality, easy to understand instructions for a...
The Quest for El Dorado is a deck-building game in which players search for an ancient golden city in South America. This game has endless replayability, as you can decide which route to take, whether you go as a Scout, Photographer, or Pro Plane. There are over 100,000 different layouts, so 3 players could play this game for hours on end! The objective? Become rich once you find the Golden City!
During the game, you’ll play cards from your hand to move across the terrain, but don’t forget to plan ahead to buy new cards, as it can get super competitive and strategic.
6. RUMMIKUB
- With more than 55 million units sold, Rummikub is one of the world's...
- Players take turns placing numbered tiles in runs or groups, Rummy style - the...
- Fast-paced, easy gameplay is ideal for people of different ages to play together
Rummikub is one of the best board games for 3 people to play if you’re a big fan of rummy card games but looking for something a little bit different. You can Rummikub similarly to a standard rummy game, except you play with tiles. There are four different colored tiles in this game, ranging from numbers 1 to 13, including two joker tiles. Players start with 14 tiles and try their best to get rid of all their tiles by creating melds of sets or runs. A set is 3 or more tiles of the same rank but in all different colors, whereas a run is 3 or more tiles in the same color in consecutive order.
7. CASCADIA
- AWARD WINNER: Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year 2022. American Tabletop Award...
- FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN: exciting strategy board game with family mode for new...
- EASY TO TEACH AND LEARN: elegantly simple gameplay, teach in 2 minutes, plays in...
Looking for a relatively simple board game for 3 players? Try Cascadia. In this puzzle board game, players must place tiles to attract wildlife. This is a strategic board game in which you piece all the puzzles together in a way that makes sense and pair the habitat tiles with the wildlife tokens you get. Earn as many points as you can by fulfilling wildlife goals and creating the largest habitats.
8. TICKET TO RIDE
- FAST-PACED STRATEGY: Race to build your train routes across iconic American...
- COMPETITIVE FUN: Challenge friends and family in a 2-5 player game, where every...
- COLLECT TRAIN CARDS: Strategically gather train cards to claim routes and earn...
One of our favorite 2 player board games, which you can also play with 3 (or more) players, is Ticket to Ride. In this fast-paced and strategic board game, players compete against each other to create railway routes. Throughout the game, gain points by completing routes and connecting cities across the continent. But beyond simply ruthlessly expanding your train empire, you should be strategic about your routes so that you can score bonus points, which may help you win.
CARD GAMES FOR 3 PEOPLE TO PLAY
So, what if you don’t want to buy a whole board game for 3 people to play? Don’t worry; we’ve also got some fun card games for 3 players. These games only require a single deck of cards and can lead to hours of fun.
9. CRAZY EIGHTS
Crazy Eights is a classic card game you’ve likely played in the past. The goal of the game is to get the lowest score by discarding the cards in your hand. All players start with 5 cards. Players take turns discarding and drawing cards, and can only discard if the suit or number of the card on the top of the discard pile matches one of the cards in their hand. As you might be able to guess from the name of the game, 8 is a wild card, meaning you can put it down whenever you want! The player who puts down an 8 can also choose the suit of the next card to be put down.
10. OLD MAID
Old Maid is one of the best easy card games for kids that even adults will enjoy. No matter your age, the rules are simple and easy to play. But first, if you don’t have an Old Maid-specific deck, you’ll need to remove three Queens and both Jokers from the deck. The remaining Queen in this modified deck is the Old Maid card.
The objective of the game? Don’t get stuck with the Old Maid card! Deal out all the cards face down to all 3 players and have players make pairs with all their cards. Once no one has any pairs left, it’s time to start playing. The dealer fans out all their cards for the player on their left, who must pick a card. Then, that player does the same. Continue making pairs as they appear. Whoever is left with the Old Maid card is the loser.
11. GO FISH
If you have a deck of cards lying around and 3 players desperate to play a fun card game, one of the first games you might think of playing is Go Fish. To play this easy card game, deal out 5 cards to each player. Then, players try to create “books” of 4 cards in the same rank. To collect the right cards, players will take turns asking players for a specific rank of card. If that player has cards in that rank, they must hand them over. If they don’t, they’ll tell the player to “go fish.” Whoever creates the most books wins.
12. CAMBIO
One of our favorite card games for 3 players is cambio, also called four-card golf. This is a memory game that you’ll want to play for hours on end, as it involves a lot of sabotage and hilarity. In this game, players start with four cards face down in front of them. They can only look at the bottom two cards to start. Then, players swap out cards, draw new ones, and sabotage other players by stealing their cards based on the cards they draw on their turn. The goal? Get the least amount of points possible!
13. BLUFF
For another hilarious card game for 3 players, try Bluff! The goal of this game, like many others, is to get rid of all of your cards. To start, deal out all the cards to the 3 players. Then, the first player starts by putting down one or more cards in a particular rank. Now, the next player must put down one or more cards of that rank face down on the table as well. And the third player does the same. But here’s the thing! If you don’t have anything, you can lie. But be careful, as someone may challenge you. If you are caught, you have to take all the cards. If someone wrongfully challenges you, they must take all the discarded cards.
14. RUMMY
We love a good rummy game, and one of the best rummy card games to play for 3 players is none other than the original rummy. In classic rummy, deal the 3 players 7 cards each. Then, take turns creating melds. Melds can be made up of sets or runs, just like in Rummikub above. Whoever gets rid of all of their cards by melding all of their cards onto their own melds or any of the other melds (including those of other players) on the table wins.
15. SLAPJACK
Wrapping up our list of the best games for 3 people to play is an absolute classic card game everyone loves: Slapjack. The rules are simple. Just slap the Jack when it appears on the discard stack. To play, distribute all the cards to the 3 players and have them in a stack face down. Then, players take turns taking the top card of the deck and flipping it face-up in the middle of the table. Whenever a Jack appears, everyone must race to slap it. The first player to do so wins all the cards. The player who wins all the cards wins the game.
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