Remember the good ol’ days when we used to gather in a circle to play UNO cards or Donkey? Now that we’re all grown up, it doesn’t mean we have to forgo the fun in our lives and become sad working adults. Everyone needs a break once in a while so here are 10 places where you can play board games in Singapore, in no particular order.
1. Battle Bunker
Located at Bugis+ and West Coast Plaza, Battle Bunker isn’t “just a place” to play board games.
Battle Bunker aims to create a community where everyone can enjoy games, so you can even visit this place alone and the friendly staff will introduce you around. If your group is unsure of how to play a specific game, they will help you with it as well. The store often hosts events that you can take part in, so stay tuned to their website.
At Battle Bunker, the games are separated into two categories, namely board games and party games. The rates for board games are S$10 + 1 drink per pax, and you get to choose one game to play till the store closes. These board games are usually large detailed games such as the Game Of Thrones board games. The rates for party games are a drink on top of S$10/h per pax, and you can switch the games any time you want. These games are usually small games that can be completed quickly such as Cards Against Humanity.
Price: S$10/game/person (board games) , S$10/hour/person (party games) , on top of a drink S$2/S$2.50
Operating hours: 12pm – 11pm/late (Bugis+) , 11am – 10.30pm/12am (West Coast Plaza)
Battle Bunker: 201 Victoria Street, Bugis+, #03-16/17, S188067, 154 West Coast Rd, #B1-05 West Coast Plaza, Singapore 127371 | Website | Tel: 6509 4011, 6265 6331
2. Gamersaurus Rex
Gamersaurus Rex is a board game venue at Upper Thompson that specialises in hosting miniature war games, but you are not limited to that. You can enjoy board games here as well, for S$5/hour.
Gamersaurus Rex offers something special in the form of a yearly membership that only costs S$10. Members can enjoy 12% off on the board games there, as well as free space rental every day of the week.
At Gamersaurus Rex, each day of the week has a different theme of board games, and there are tournaments and challenges scattered across the months as well, so it may be a good opportunity for you to learn new board games.
Price: S$5/hour
Operating hours: 1pm – 11pm daily
Gamersaurus Rex: Gamersaurus Rex, 259A, Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574386 | Website | Tel: 8693 1060
3. Experience Point
If I do not mention this place, you would probably have missed it. Experience Point is a board game venue hidden away in Lavender.
From the outside, Experience Point looks very inconspicuous. Opening their single front door will lead you to a room, and you must then figure out how to get to the actual gaming area via a secret door. I could tell you how to get in, but where’s the fun in that?
Experience Point boasts over 200 games ranging from cards to traditional board games to pen and paper games. You can play them for S$4 per hour or S$12 for a whole day. If you are a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, you may be pleased to find out that Experience Point has its own story content for you to take part in.
Price: S$4/h, S$12 for a whole day
Operating hours: 6pm – 11pm (weekdays) , 12pm – late (weekends) . Closed on Wednesdays
Experience Point: 803 King George’s Avenue, #02-190, S200803 | Website | Tel: 9183 1725
4. Settlers Cafe
Settlers Cafe is Singapore’s first-ever board game cafe, and if you are looking for a place to eat or drink while playing board games at the same time, you’re looking at the right place.
Settlers Cafe has a selection of over 600 board games for you to choose from. You can play games concurrently while eating or drinking for two hours, with dining or drinking packages. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you can enjoy a free extension of your gaming hours up till 10.30pm.
Located at Clarke Quay, Settlers Cafe is a good place go if you are looking to unwind with your friends over board games and dinner. To all my Muslim friends out there, don’t worry as the food is all halal certified. Settlers Cafe does not have a halal certificate because it serves alcohol. You can even ask to see the halal certificates for the food items.
Price: Varies with the package, refer to their website
Operating hours: 6pm – 11pm (Tuesday to Thursday) , 2pm – 2am (Friday and Saturday) , 2pm – 8pm (Sunday)
Settlers Cafe: 39 North Canal Road, S059295 | Website | 6535 0435
5. coffeemin
coffeemin is not a traditional board game venue, so don’t expect a whole lot of board games as compared to the other items on the list. The place is filled with sofas and long wooden tables, creating the appearance of a home and not a cafe. And that’s what coffemin aims to do- to be a home away from home.
Inside, you’ll find an assortment of board games as well as video games. You can have access to anything inside at S$6.50 for the first hour on weekdays and S$8.50 for the first hour on weekends. Each subsequent 10 minutes will then cost S$1, up till S$30 when you can then stay for a whole day. The food and drinks are free flow as well.
coffeemin is a great place if you are not just looking for board games, but a place to chill out with your friends over the course of the day without doing the same activity continuously.
Price: S$6.50 for the first hour (weekdays) , S$8.50 for the first hour (weekends) , S$1 for every subsequent 10 minutes, up till S$30
Operating hours: 11am – 9.30pm
coffeemin: 277 Orchard Road, Orchard Gateway #02-01, Singapore 238858, 180 Kitchener Road, City Square Mall #02-29, S208539 | Website | Tel: 6677 7631/3159 0760
6. Team Board Game
Team Board Game aims to be a place where people can access board games easily, hence they import most of their board games directly from the US. This results in them having a unique selection of games.
Renting a table at Team Board game costs S$3/hour/person, and you can enjoy as many of their board games in your time there. They have over 1000 board game products, so why not challenge yourself to go through all of them?
If you are looking to try out a new and unique board game before purchasing it, this is the place for you as some of the games sold here are not available elsewhere.
Price: S$3/h/person
Operating hours: 12pm – 9pm (Tuesday to Saturday) , 12pm – 5pm (Sunday)
Team Board Game: 16 Arumugam Road, #06-07, LTC Building D, S409961 | Website | Tel: 9856 2565 (SMS and Whatsapp only)
7. Sunny Pair O Dice
If immersing yourself into Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games is your kind of thing, head on down to Sunny Pair O Dice, which hosts such games almost every day.
With a well-curated calendar, you can check which day may be best for you to visit this store at Alexandra. Don’t worry, newbies are invited as well.
Price: Depending on game, contact to find out more
Operating hours: 12.30pm – 10.30pm daily, Tuesday by appointment only
Sunny Pair O Dice: 321 Alexandra Rd, #03-06, S159971 | Facebook page | Tel: 8748 3423
8. The Mind Cafe
All you can eat food and all you can play board games? That’s exactly what you can do on Thursdays at the Mind Cafe for S$24.90 nett from now till 25 November. If you’d like to play by the hour, it will cost you S$5/hour. The cafe also serves an assortment of pastries, main courses and food, so it is a good place to stop by for any meal of the day.
Don’t know how to play a specific game, or worse, don’t know which game to choose? Don’t worry, as the friendly staff at Mind Cafe will guide you along in choosing the right game for your group as well as explaining the rules to get you started.
Mind Cafe often comes out with promotions, so stay tuned to their website to see what you are eligible for.
Price: S$5/hour, or depending on package.
Operating hours: 2pm – 11pm (Monday to Thursday) , 12pm – 6am (Friday) , 10am – 6am (Saturday) , 10am – 2am (Sunday)
The Mind Cafe: 60A Prinsep Street, S188664 | Website | Tel: 8121 5188
9. King And The Pawn
Here’s another place on our list where you can play board games and enjoy a meal at the same time. Located an 8-minute walk away from City Hall MRT, King And The Pawn serves up a bunch of comfort food, alongside alcoholic beverages and coffee that you can enjoy while playing your favorite game.
You can stay for as long as you like to play board games for a flat fee of S$8 on weekdays, and S$15 on weekends. If you spend more than S$50 per person on food and drink, however, your playing fee is waived.
‘Game gurus’ will also be on-site to help you understand the games should you not know how to play, so don’t be shy to ask any questions.
Price: S$8 (weekdays) , S$15 (weekends)
Operating hours: 5.30pm – 11.30pm (Tuesday – Thursday) , 5.30pm – 1.30am (Friday) , 11am – 1.30am (Saturday) , 11am – 10pm (Sunday)
King And The Pawn: 24 Purvis Street, Level 2, S188601 | Website | Tel: 6259 1913
10. Board Game Meetup
Looking to make friends while enjoying your favourite tabletop games? You can join The Singapore Boardgames Meetup’s group on meetup.com.
The group currently has 9,556 members at the time of writing. With so many members, board game events happen many times in a week, across the island. They may even happen at some of the places listed above.
There is no fixed place to play board games in this group, and the location changes with each event. Sometimes, the events are held in Community Centres and admission is free of charge. Although there are games available, you are recommended to bring your own to share the fun with others.
Price: Depending on Location
Time: Refer to the page
The Singapore Board Games Meetup: Group Page
Don’t Paiseh… Just Have Fun
The most important thing to note, no matter which place you choose to play your board games at, is to not be shy and talk to people. If you are in a group and are unsure of how to play a certain game or understand its mechanics, simply ask and you shall be given. It’s better than wasting precious time trying to figure it out, especially if you have to pay by the hour. If you are playing with strangers, talk to them as well. Who knows, you may become regular questing buddies. Or even discover a new game. Good luck, and maybe I’ll see you on a campaign.
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