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We lead stressful lives which are full of competition. This stress over a long term has a negative effect on our lives. What if we had a way to distress by cooperating rather than competing? Cooperative games help us do exactly that.
You can relax and play cooperative games with friends and family. It helps you to improve your health and live a longer life. It is a well-documented fact that when you relax and enjoy life, you live longer. Italians live longer than their counterparts because they spend more time with family and friends.
Best Cooperative Board Games
We have listed the 5 best cooperative board games you below:
- Pandemic Legacy
- Sentinels of the Multiverse
- Mysterium
- Freedom: The Underground Railroad
- Escape: The Curse of the Temple
We have mentioned below the main features in a quick comparison chart for you to decide on the best cooperative game for you.
| Image | Title | Price | Buy | Age | Playing Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Top | Pandemic: Legacy Season 1 (Blue Edition) | Buy Now | 13 and above | 60 Minutes | |
 | Greater Than Games Sentinels of The Multiverse: Definitive Edition | Buy Now | 8 and above | 30 -60 Minutes | |
Top | Mysterium | Buy Now | 10 and above | 60 Minutes | |
 | Freedom - The Underground Railroad | Buy Now | 13 and above | 120 Minutes | |
Top | Escape Big Box 2nd Edition Family Board Game | Buy Now | 8 and above | 10 Minutes |
Pandemic Legacy
Pandemic is the game that made cooperative games famous. The main hallmark mechanics of cooperative games started with Pandemic Legacy like allocating action points to giving unique abilities to player roles. It also brought in a lot of expansions and spinoffs. Even with the competition, Pandemic Legacy continues to be the most revolutionary and best game among the virus-eradicating cooperative games.
The Pandemic Legacy takes all the main rules of the original Pandemic and then increases the time duration to allow you to play the adventure into many sessions as you continue to prevent epidemics and cure diseases.
This version has a unique rule set which keeps you alert. The rules will make you rip your cards, sticker the game board and alter the physical components of the game.
Checkout our review of Pandemic Legacy Season 2!
The Plot
The Pandemic Legacy is a cooperative game that has permanent consequences. It is based on the original hit Pandemic. You, as a player, will be a member of the Center for Disease Control. You will have to travel across the globe and treat, prevent, research, and cure pandemics which mysteriously pop up.
It is a fun game which is challenging and will bring out the best in you and your friends and family playing the game. The choices which you will make and the consequences are the core features of this game.
You will have cities collapsing due to the pandemic and the characters will succumb to their diseases. When this happens, you and your team will have to make permanent choices which will affect the rest of the sessions of your Pandemic Legacy. Who must you save? Whom will you have to give up on? Will you reach the end? The uncertainty of the game and the decision making, make this cooperative game so interesting.
Pros
- Excellent rule set
- Your choices create permanent consequences which will impact future sessions.
Cons
- You have to play each session with the same players until the game ends.
Specifications
- Players: 2-4 players
- Age: 13 years and above
- Playtime: 60 minutes
- STRATEGY GAME: Players must work together playing to their characters strengths as they plan their strategy of eradicating the diseases before they overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. A truly cooperative game where you win or lose together.
- COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME: Only through teamwork will you keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics. Your team must work together and plan carefully to stem the tide of infection while working toward finding the cures.
- PLAY OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR: Pandemic Legacy begins like the original Pandemic, but soon morphs into something more. Pandemic Legacy has a story arc that occurs over the course of a year. Each passing month brings new objectives, new challenges, and even new rules.
- THE STORY EVOLVES AS YOU PLAY - YOUR DECISIONS CARRY OVER FOR THE NEXT GAMES: Actions have consequences from one game to the next as you strive to avert global disaster. Trigger certain events and you’ll unlock tools that reveal strategies for dealing with each new problem. These developments have a direct impact on the game itself. There are many paths to follow.
- STRIVE TO SAVE HUMANITY IN THIS EPIC ADVENTURE: It starts simply. A virus tougher than the rest. Nothing your team can’t handle. But as January turns to February, things take a turn for the worse. This is no ordinary virus. The world is on the brink of collapse. The coming year will determine the fate of humanity. Gather your team and prepare for a campaign full of epic twists and evolving gameplay.
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Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition
Sentinels of The Multiverse: Definitive Edition is the best cooperative board game when it comes to the superhero genre. You will have to take the role of a superhero and clash with the four game-controlled villains. You must team up with other superheroes and destroy the villains. It is a game that is very streamlined and very addictive. If you are a superhero fan, you will love this game. This is a game which the “Big Bang Theory” characters will go crazy over. If you connect with them, you will love this game.
As a player, each one of you will have an opportunity to choose to be one of the ten heroes and fight against one of the four villains. You can choose from any one of the four dynamic situations. This is the enhanced version which 36 divider cards. There is one card for each hero, environment, and villain. There are cards with both expansions and promo characters. The game has a 20-page rulebook with diagrams, instructions, a guide and heroes and villains bios.
The Plot
Like superhero comics, there is a mad scientist who has the world hostage with the help of his bizarre inventions. There is an alien warlord who comes from a galaxy far away and has brought his army of minions to take over our planet. There is a giant robot that destroys major cities on the coast.
Pros
- Superhero comic book genre based
- Four interesting super-villains to destroy
- Four different dynamic environments
Cons
- At every turn, there has to be a group vote so everyone has to constantly pay attention and not only when their turn comes up.
Specifications
- Players: 1-5 players
- Age: 8 years and above
- Playtime: 30-60 minutes
- Sentinels of the Multiverse is back, and better than ever!
- With all-new art, notably streamlined mechanics, and new stories to experience, this is the award-winning cooperative comic-book card game you’ve been waiting for!
- Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative game in which each player controls a Hero, using their powers, abilities, and wits to work together with their fellow Heroes and save the world!
- Product_Type: Tabletop_Game
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Mysterium
Mysterium Board Game is a very captivating game which combines psychic mediums with solving murders. One player who has to play the ghost has to guide the rest of the players who are supposed to be psychics. They need to solve who has committed the murder, with which weapon and at what location. The ghost uses beautifully illustrated cards to help the team decipher the clues. Along with being a great cooperative game, it is an excellent game for a party, especially a late night one.
The basic premise of this game is that the players are investigators who are psychic and are trying to solve a murder mystery. It is something along the lines of Sherlock Holmes but much more fun as there are ghosts and psychics involved. If you enjoy murder mysteries, then you will love this game.
The Plot
In Mysterium, the players of the game have to work together to solve a crime. There will be a ghost player who knows all the true facts of the murder but is not allowed to spill the beans to anyone. The ghost player can only communicate to the rest of the players using illustrated cards. This is along the lines of dumb charades. The clues are meant to point towards the correct location, weapon and the suspect so that the case will be solved. The game has a lot of components and the gameplay is very interesting and captivating.
Pros
- Best in the murder mystery genre
- Excellent components and gameplay.
Cons
- If you don’t choose a good player to be the ghost, it sometimes gets frustrating to understand and decipher the clues.
Specifications
- Players: 2-5 players
- Age: 10 years and above
- Playtime: 60 minutes
- MYSTERY BOARD GAME: A horrible crime was committed on the grounds of Warwick Manor thirty years ago. Now the mansion is haunted by the ghost of the murdered servant and it’s up to a group of psychic investigators to get to the bottom of the mystery.
- COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME: One player takes on the role of the victim (who is now a ghost) and the rest play as psychics. Over the course of the game, players work together to solve a mystery by psychically communicating with the victim. The ghost tries to lead psychics to the correct culprit.
- INTERPRET VISIONS TO SOLVE MYSTERIES: Each player investigates a case assigned to them to determine who the actual murderer is. Psychics receive numerous visions from the ghost with clues. Can they determine the weapon, location and killer, or will a violent criminal pull off the perfect murder?
- HIGH VARIABILITY: Dozens of different suspects, weapons and locations ensure no two games are the same! LOOKING FOR A NEW CHALLENGE? Expansion sets are available (Expansions require base game to play).
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This family and adult board game can be played with 2 to 7 players. The average playtime is 45 minutes.
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Freedom: The Underground Railroad
Freedom – The Underground Railroad is a game which will have a lot of resonance in the United States. It is basically a game where you as players work together to free the slaves along the Underground Railroad. This game is a portrayal which is historically accurate of the abolitionist movement that happened in the United States. It manages to tackle and address deep themes while also being an excellent and entertaining game.
The Plot
You as the players will have to work together to increase support for the freedom movement. You will have to help slaves who have escaped to run away and evade the slave catchers. You will have to chart their course of freedom. It is an excellent opportunity to get the feel of working with historical figures of the 19th century on a very noble effort.
The cooperative game has a very strong focus on the historical aspect of the movement and has a lot of educational value.
Pros
- Historically accurate
- Brings history to life on your table
Cons
It can seem slow and the game runs a bit longer than expected but since you are having fun and learning at the same time, it’s worth it.
Specifications
- Players: 1 to 4 players
- Age: Ages 13 and above
- Playtime: 120 minutes (2 hours)
- A cooperative game which requires players to use teamwork to raise funds, free slaves, and end slavery in the United States.
- Through game play, players learn about the important historical figures, political agendas, and crucial events that unfolded in America between 1800 and 1865.
- Deluxe package includes the Freedom Wooden Pawns Set.
- Winner - Cooperative Game of the Year, Winner - Best Game Theme, Winner - Most Innovative Game and more
- 1-2 hour play time, 1-4 players, 13+
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Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Escape is a very fun and exciting game. If you like the “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” genre, you will love this game. You along with your friends are stuck in a temple that is cursed. You have only ten minutes to get out of the temple along with your friends. There are many interesting twists and turns to the game like having to explore rooms that are booby-trapped, finding jewels, and fighting your way out of curses. There are fun conditions like playing without speaking, playing with a handicap of having your hand on top of your head, and losing any dice that may fall off the table.
The Plot
You need to work together to all get out of the temple; you have to get your friends out who are stuck, as a group works together to share the dice. If you do so in ten minutes you will or else you have to restart the game.
It comes with an excellent soundtrack that is available as an MP3 download or on the CD. You need to beat the clock and get out while helping each other.
Pros
- Fast and exciting: The game is very fast, exciting and engaging. You will love to play it, especially if you like the Indiana Jones or the Lara Croft genre.
- Great Soundtrack: The soundtrack adds a lot of enthusiasm to the game and your excitement levels increase due to the soundtrack while playing the game.
Cons
- 10 Minutes: Though you can play the game again when it is over, generally the game gets over very fast.
Specifications
- Players: 1 to 5 players
- Age: 8 and above
- Playtime: 10 minutes
- Family dice game
- Cooperative & very interactive game
- Real time adventure
- Easy to learn
- Playing time: 10 minutes
- 2 to 5 players
- Escape is played in real time, with all players rolling dice and taking actions simultaneously
- The real time aspect is enhanced by a soundtrack to be played during the game
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Conclusion
If you’re looking for a way to relax and relieve stress, turn off the TV and find some friends. Cooperative board games are perfect for this because they help people cooperate rather than compete with one another. You’ll be on your toes as you try to beat the game together!
Whether it’s Pandemic Legacy, Sentinels of the Multiverse, Mysterium or Freedom: The Underground Railroad – there is something here that will fit all tastes. We hope our list has helped make your decision easier when choosing which cooperative game to buy next! And don’t forget about Escape: Curse of the Temple if you like puzzles (or don’t have much time). Don’t worry though – we’ve got plenty more recommendations in store so stay tuned.
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