The best Monopoly game: The ultimate list for everyone

Monopoly is a stone-cold classic. It’s a board game seen in households the world over, and finds its way onto the table whenever the chance arises. Whether it’s a festive family gathering or a rainy Sunday, Monopoly is a verified favourite - and it’s no surprise why. It’s a game full of drama, stocking up the fire of competition in even the most placid of players.

Monopoly is the game to play if you want to see Nanna lose it at your cousin over £5 rent, your Mum joyfully bankrupt your Dad, or your little brother displays a frightening amount of power over property rights. Friend and family connections come under a real strain playing Monopoly, and it’s just something we can’t get enough of.

But, for all the drama, it’s also a game that brings people together. In an increasingly digital world where watching TV and making TikToks keeps everyone’s eyes locked on screens, it’s a real pleasure to come together of a game of Monopoly and spend some quality time together.

The best Monopoly games shortlist:

• Monopoly Original - The classic choice

• Monopoly Junior - Best for kids

• Monopoly + Monopoly Madness on Nintendo Switch - Best for parties

• Monopoly Deal Card Game - Best for travel

• Monopoly The Mega Edition - Best for hardcore fans

• Monopoly Christmas Edition - Best for the festive period

• Monopoly Voice Banking - Best for easy playing

• Monopoly Builder - Best wow-factor

• Monopoly Cheaters Edition - Best for starting family feuds

• Jump to our round-up of the best-themedMonopoly games

Though it has a surprisingly complicated history - which you can read more about at the bottom of this page - the game we today recognise as Monopoly first reached shop shelves in 1935. Since then, hundreds of twists on the game have been released, from simple location-themed releases, like Monopoly Winchester Edition or Monopoly London Underground Edition, through to more comprehensive reimaginings, such as Monopoly Cheater’s Edition or Monopoly Builder. The result of these releases is that there are now more ways to play Monolopy than ever before. But which is the best Monopoly?

Below, we’ve rounded up our favourite Monopoly games. There are those that are the best Monopoly games for parties or Christmas gaming, through to those that simplify the rules for kids or complicate things for hardcore fans. Here are our picks of the best Monopoly games:

The Best Monopoly Games

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Looking for more family fun?

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The best-themed Monopoly games

This one is a tricky one, mainly because there are so many to choose from. There’s a good chance that if you like something, be it a place, TV show, football team or franchise, there is an edition for you. But here are a few of our favourites:

Can you get a customised Monopoly board?

There is a version of the official Monopoly game called My Monopoly which lets you print out various customised properties based on in-jokes, holidays and similar. However, there are more robust customisation options available via Etsy. These made-to-order boards are unofficial takes on the Monopoly game-style, albeit with maximum personalisation.

The two highest-rated custom board games on Etsy (the UK version of the site) at the time of writing is Custom-opoly Board Game from TheDiceGuys and Custom YourOpoly Game from DanuKatesDesigns.

Why is it called Monopoly?

A monopoly is where one person, company or entity has control over or ownership of the majority of a market. The aim of the Monopoly board game is to become this figure of monopoly - to own everything on the board, including all the other player’s cash. No one wins the game by sharing!

Who invented Monopoly?

Monopoly was invented by Charles Darrow or Elizabeth Magie, or both, depending on who you ask. Ready for a history lesson?

Monopoly in its earliest form was created by Elizabeth Magie in 1903, a progressive feminist living in Washinton, DC. Originally called “The Landlord’s Game”, it included two sets of rules - one anti-monopolistic, and one monopolistic (a.k.a the rules we now all know). The game also had the iconic jail, but also a poor house and points of taxation. Players earned $100 for passing go - a representation of the wages earned for a day of labour.

The Landlord’s Game was patented and released and gained favour amongst the middle-classes. Eventually, around 1935, it was played by Charles Darrow, who was impressed and saw some potential. Darrow reworked certain elements of the game and sold it to the Parker Brothers board game company (which is today a subsidiary of Hasbro). This version is pretty much the version we all recognise as Monopoly. When asked about how he thought up the game, he would claim it to be an “unexpected and illogical” idea.

Darrow is largely credited as the creator of Monopoly and received royalties for the sales of the game throughout his life, with Magie receiving limited notoriety. There are still arguments to this day over who truly deserves the credit - it’s a story that’s mixed up with lots of patent claims and arguments, and it’s all surprisingly controversial.

You can read more about Magie and Darrow in Mary Pilion’s 2015 book, The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game.

William Lobley is a Deputy Editor and reviewer for What's The Best, specialising in technology and outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.

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