There are so many fantastic board games out there to discover, covering a vast range of themes and gameplay mechanics. For those that love their games to revolve around animals, there are so many plenty available to satisfy that specific desire. You can play games about animals racing, saving cats from pirates, or perhaps you want to set up your own zoo. No matter what catches your interest, there is a game out there for you.
Here are a few wonderful games that are focused on adorable animals. Some of these you can even enjoy digitally, either as an app or online. But, the best way to experience them is with a group of friends around a table. With outstanding art, cute animals, and some fantastic gameplay mechanics, there will be something for everyone on this list.
10 Baren Park
Baren Park is a peaceful, tile-placement game in which you gradually build a Zoo for bears of all shapes and sizes. The game acts like Tetris as you attempt to slot in the oddly shaped enclosures onto your board without leaving too many gaps.
This little game is very easy to introduce to anyone. On your turn, you place down a tile to expand your park and then pick up more enclosures based on what symbols that tile covered up. As soon as one player fills up every space on their grid, the game ends, and scores are tallied up. It is incredibly satisfying to see everyone's final zoos together in this lovely quick game.
9 Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is a fast-paced, elimination game. Two-to-five players keep drawing hilarious cat-themed cards, all while hoping they will not pick up an Exploding Kitten card. If you do, you're out of the game. Luckily, your cards offer unique powers to try and avoid this cat-astrophic scenario and push it onto your friends instead.
This game is hilarious and doesn't outstay its welcome at the table, which makes it great as a quick filler experience between larger games. Soon enough, the inevitable exploding kitten will emerge, and the game is over within 15 minutes.
8 Camel Up
Camel Up is all about making bets on the latest camel race. But this race isn't very predictable at all. How fast a camel will move during each leg of the race is randomized. The camels can even stack on top of one another to hitch a ride along the track!
This racing game can be played with large groups of up to eight but works best at around four or five. You must attempt to make the best bets and predictions in this hilarious race. The tension of waiting for a camel to make the exact right move is incredible and will have you wanting to race again and again.
7 Wingspan
Wingspan is a beautiful game focused on birds. This game can be enjoyed with two players or even up to five. In Wingspan, you are bird enthusiasts attempting to attract the most beautiful and diverse birds to your wildlife reserve.
Played over four rounds, you gather various birds, ensuring you have the right food and habitat for them to be happy. Each bird offers unique abilities that make every game a different experience. Wingspan is full of fantastic artwork and educational facts. The components are lovely, and the game is an enjoyable experience altogether.
6 Honey Heist
Animal lovers that are looking for a more role-play-focused tabletop experience should look no further than Honey Heist.
This simple tabletop RPG is fantastic for one-shot sessions. You take on the roles of bears that also happen to be criminals, eager to set off on their latest elaborate heist. It's a ludicrous set-up but easy to play, with very few rules to get to grips with. Chaos is inevitable in this role-playing experience that will have everyone at the table laughing. You just need one friend to run the game as the Game Master (or should that be Bear Master?).
5 Cascadia
Cascadia is an intricate puzzle of a game where you attempt to create a harmonious ecosystem. Each turn, you expand your terrain further while also filling it with various incredible wildlife. You must try to put your animals in the best place to score the most points. But each animal follows a different set of rules in terms of placement.
Cascadia plays up to four players, but it even comes with a wonderful solo mode to enjoy when your friends are unavailable. The game can be a challenging experience, as your opponents sometimes take the exact animal and tile you need. But, it is very fulfilling when your wildlife plans work out.
4 Root
Root might seem adorable with its lovely components and cute art of friendly woodland creatures, cats, birds, and raccoons, but do not be fooled. This is a brutal strategy game where the Marquise de Cat battles for control of the wilderness against the Eyrie. At the same time, the Woodland Alliance and the Vagabonds are getting caught in the crossfire. You chose one of these animal factions and complete goals specific to you to try and reach 30 victory points first.
Root is on the more complex side of things, as every faction has a different way to play and get to grips with. It might be worth checking out the digital version, which streamlines the process and handles many of the details for you. This allows you to carefully plan out your moves to secure control over the forest. You can form alliances, only to betray one another further down the line at a crucial moment. This cute game full of adorable animals will surely be a hit with your gaming group, no matter your tactics.
3 Lowlands
Lowlands is all about sheep. You and three other players are farmers attempting to make a living breeding sheep and expanding your farm with new features and pastures. But, you also need to be aware of the constant threat of storms and floods. If everyone neglects the construction of a dike, all of your sheep will get soaked. Soaked sheep are worth nothing at the end of the game.
This underrated game is worth checking out. It acts as a sandbox experience, as you have many ways to play the game. Will you focus on getting as many sheep as possible, or will you focus your efforts elsewhere? There are a lot of different aspects at work that make it a fascinating experience each time you play.
2 Cubitos
Tabletop racing games can be just as exciting as their video game counterparts. This is especially true for Cubitos. This is a game in which an elephant, a monkey, a sheep, and a lion all race around the board as fast as possible.
This is a test your luck game for up to four players. Each time you roll your dice, you can possibly move your animal further down the track or earn enough coins to buy even more dice to roll next time. But if you go bust, you might fall behind. Cubitos is an entertaining game where everyone takes their turns simultaneously. There is no downtime, just a large amount of dice being rolled again and again. It is chaotic, competitive, and a lot of fun.
1 The Isle Of Cats
The Isle Of Cats is all about saving cats from pirates. You have five rounds to scoop up as many cats as possible from the island and place them onto your boat. The puzzle of this game comes from how you slot these felines together. They come in intricate shapes and sizes and want to stick together with their families. Can you figure out the best way to store them all?
The game comes with a family mode, which is excellent for introducing newcomers to the hobby without overwhelming them. It is both an enjoyable game and beautiful to look at, especially as you begin to fill up your boat with so many cats. The artwork alone is terrific. It is a fun, relaxed game that is perfect for all cat lovers out there.