Tabletop games have been with humanity for a long time. It was only recently that the medium was digitized into video games, but that hasn't slowed down conventional table-top games from gaining in popularity. Today, the genre covers a wide spectrum that includes everything from tile games to mysteries and RP games, and there are plenty of games that take on literary or pop culture themes.
The work of HP Lovecraft is a popular go-to for modern fans of literary horror. The rich and terrifying lore of his novels has spawned a variety of tabletop games in addition to movies, video games, comic books, and other mediums. Lovecraftian board games include RPGs, turn-based with tokens and dice, card-based games, and more — there's something for everyone here.
7 Cthulhu: Death May Die
This cooperative role-playing game includes dice, figurines, and the summoning of an Elder One. It doesn't follow any work of Lovecraft specifically, but it does include basic threads that run throughout his work, specifically evil otherworldly deities and the way the human mind breaks down when confronted with them.
The players in Cthulu: Death May Die are investigators in the 1920s, but the subject of study isn't to stop the Elder Gods from coming to this plane of reality. The goal is to summon them in order to kill them more efficiently — or at least, that's the story the little voice in each player's head keeps repeating. The game has two acts, and ends instantly if a player dies before an Elder One is on the board.
6 Eldritch Horror
A game that requires some role-playing involvement on the part of each player, Eldritch Horror is about a secret society of researchers on a mission to stop the Ancient Ones from coming to our plane of reality. Players choose from one of twelve different characters, like a proper RPG game, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Mystery Cards direct players on their missions and provide clues regarding the Ancient Ones, and it's a race against time to solve the mysteries and stop the destruction of the malevolent ethereal beings. It's easy to know when the game ends. Either global destruction is averted, or it isn't.
5 The Doom That Came To Atlantic City
For those looking for something a bit more lighthearted that doesn't require a high level of immersion, The Doom That Came To Atlantic City is more like a parody of a conventional board game than an RPG or mystery-solving game.
In a fun twist, the players take the role of the malevolent ancient beings that are trying to infiltrate the material plane. They must compete with each other while trying to find the portal, gate, or whatever the target venue happens to be. Being the first Ancient One to get six gates is the most conventional way to win, but there are other ways to defeat the forces of alternative evil if players are clever enough.
4 Mountains Of Madness
The year is 1931, and exploring the Antarctic for fun, profit, and discovery is all the rage. This is primarily a survival co-op game, and the transportation and progression of the players' expedition through that frigid wasteland is the first and foremost priority.
However, as the expedition moves further into the polar hellscape and higher up the forbidding antarctic peaks, it's not just the frigid nights or deathly silence that starts to chip away at everyone's mental health. Watch out for those Insanity cards.
3 Mansions of Madness, 2nd Edition
Mansions of Madness is a recurring title in the Lovecraftian world of board games, and this is the most recent edition that was released in 2016. This cooperative game includes cards and figurines, but the main accessory to drive this game is an app that acts as a guide and map. This unique feature also makes it possible for a single player to finish a session of this game on their own.
The story takes place in the streets of misty Innsmouth and several haunted mansions inspired by the novels of HP Lovecraft. There are four different scenarios for each player to confront and defeat in order to take the win.
2 Elder Sign
It's 1926, and the setting is a vast museum chock-full of mysterious artifacts, ancient tomes, and other occult curios from darker dimensions. Keeping all this stuff in one place is risky, and when evil energy starts to lurk in, it's up to a team of brave and clever investigators to stop it.
Elder Sign, like many other Lovecraftian board games, is a timed co-operative game based on dice rolls and scenario cards. Players can also collect weapons, special tools, and recruit other allies to help them stave off the arrival of the Ancient Ones.
1 Gates of Delirium
Will you be the one to close the Gates of Delirium, or open them? Players work against a ticking clock to solve the riddle of the Ancient Ones while staving off — or perhaps embracing — their own encroaching madness.
Each player has to collect various artifacts, including an ancient book, while dealing with increasing mental anguish. Each round is either Sane or Insane depending on what cards are drawn. Whichever player has the most victory points when the Gates of Delirium open and all the monstrosities are finally unleashed wins.