In this series I have been taking you through some really fantastic, cost effective games that would be perfect for board gamers as well as casual fans, but its time to start looking at games which might be considered more of a big purchase.
As is often the case, when the costs go up so does the games complexity and sheer size, but at under £50 the five games I will be recommending here still won’t totally break the bank, but are no longer games you could bring to the pub and complete within an hour.
Instead, these 5 great games under £50 will get your brain scheming as you think of plans for victory, all while exploring incredible themes and beautiful components, worth the slightly heftier price tag.
All prices correct as of 22.07.25
1.Terraforming Mars
I haven’t featured too many Eurogames in my previous lists so far, as usually they come with more parts, rules, and a bigger cost, but the genre is one of my favourites, and can work perfectly to get people into slighter bigger, more complicated board games.
A perfect example of this is Terraforming Mars.
Designed by Jacob Fryxelius and released in 2016, Terraforming Mars has you competing against your opponents as CEOs as you look to make Mars habitable while building your very own corporate empire.
With a space theme grounded in reality that really speaks to me, Terraforming Mars features many brilliant mechanics which makes the game really punchy while still being accessible. Using resource and card management, along with a bit of tile placement, you race to achieve victory points in a plethora of different ways, allowing for a whole host of strategies to help you win.
You need to be mindful of oxygen, temperature and ocean coverage which gives you lots of different decisions to make each turn, with rules that you’ll find yourself coming to terms with after just a few rounds, despite the variety that the game offers.
You can also compete as different corporations with unique abilities to differentiate each game and playstyle. Essentially what I am saying is Terraforming Mars packs so much into one game, that at under £50 it will still feel like a bargain.
It’s been compared often with my favourite game of all time Ark Nova, and while nothing at the moment can topple that Zoo extravaganza off its perch on my greatest game ever ranking, Terraforming Mars is still a brilliant game, as well as being shorter and less meaty than Ark Nova. And if you prefer a corporations in space theme compared to managing a zoo, then you might find Terraforming Mars soon shooting up your favourite games list in no time.
2. Root
I’ve had a quite complicated relationship with Root ever since I got it for my birthday a couple of years ago.
It is a game I had my eye on immediately I got into the hobby. The box art drew me in, the theme looked amazing, and I had read amazing reviews, hearing it was one of the great modern board games. It was immediately one of the first games I added to my Most Wanted list, (a list that is still 100+ games strong).
And then I played it, and to be honest, I really didn’t care for it.
I found it confusing, overly complicated, quite slow and meandering, with a rulebook I couldn’t make head nor tail of. Me and my wife just didn’t immediately click with it like we did other games we bought around the same time like Everdell, Scythe and Great Western Trail.
So why am I recommending it now two years later? Because opinions change, and if you give Root the time and attention it deserves, there is a brilliant, ultra-competitive board game hidden amongst the confusion.
My criticism of the rulebook remains, it is quite poorly written with rules that at times really need explaining in much clearer terms. It’s also sadly permanently put my wife off it, but I have found in repeated plays a game I have slowly begun to love.
Root is an asymmetric game where you play as a faction in an ongoing woodland war. Each faction plays totally different from the other (which doesn’t help with the rule teach!), as you seek control of the board.
With different win conditions and tactics Root perfectly creates fantastic interaction and almost roleplay as you find yourself immersing yourself into your faction. You might play as the Alliance, akin to the rebel alliance from Star Wars, as you fight with grit and determination despite lacking in numbers. Maybe you’re playing as the Marquise de Cat, the defacto leader of the woodland who leads through might and power, enjoying slowly crushing your puny enemies.
So while my initial two player game of Root almost put me off, it shows that with some games you need to give them time and patience to show their hidden depths. It shines best at a full player count of 4 people, (my initial games were always at two players which I don’t think helped my initial feelings of the game), as it creates wonderfully interactive moments as there is only so much space on such a small board!
Root won’t be for everyone (such as my wife), and it is by far the most complicated game I have discussed on these lists so far. But once you’ve learnt its intricacies, it’s a brilliant game full of spicy interaction that is worth a cheeky £50.
3. Wingspan
Despite its immense popularity ever since release in 2019, Wingspan in recent years has come under a fair amount of criticism from the board game community, mostly aimed at its solitaire like gameplay. A criticism which I think its wholly unfair.
This perfect example of a gateway game from Stonemaier Games can indeed be a bit of a solitary affair, there isn’t a great deal of interaction between players, and the gameplay is fairly simple and streamlined. But I think this is Wingspans strength, not its weakness.
You’re playing as bird enthusiasts, or researches, or watchers, or whatever the hell you’re supposed to be, attracting different birds to your wildlife reserve. But unlike the previous two on this list, the theme isn’t what Wingspan is about or why it’s been so successful.
It’s just a fantastic engine building game, with some stunning pictures of birds on it each with abilities to help make your engine better than your opponents, along with some interesting facts and figures about each bird which I challenge anyone not to read out loud each time you play a card. They’re genuinely interesting!
Wingspan is the epitome of a gateway game. Fairly simple rules you could teach anyone getting into the hobby within 20 minutes (especially with the excellent step by step guide in the rulebook, take note Root!), games that last at most a couple of hours, and fantastic player scaling working at 2 players as well as it does at 4, with an excellent Automata single player mode as well for you solo gamers out there.
Not every game needs a bunch of interaction and shocking moments. Sometimes you want a quiet night in, a glass of milkshake, and an evening spent building up your engine so that it runs like a well-oiled, bird attracting machine.
When I found myself getting into the hobby, it was games like Wingspan that solidified it for me, and at under £50 I think that is money well spent. So ignore the chirping around it and give this fantastic engine builder a go, and you might find yourself invested into the wonderful world of board gaming. Or bird watching. Or both why not?
4. Dune: Imperium
From no interaction to all out collision now, the next great game under £50 is Dune: Imperium, a game set in the wonderful universe of Dune.
Released in 2020, a year we all want to forget besides the release of this brilliant game, in Dune: Imperium you play as one of the great leaders of the Landsraad, looking to spread your influence, resources and army, across Arrakis, trying to control the desert planet and get yourself some of that precious spice.
A game which somehow within its 2-3 hour run time manages to seamlessly blend complicated mechanics like area control, deckbuilding, and resource management, Dune: Imperium is one of the all time great examples of a board game which has taken an existing IP and expertly crafted its theme into the gameplay, to make you truly feel like you’re playing in the world of Dune.
Each turn is important, every decision crucial to your chances of victory. Analysis paralysis can be a real issue with this game, but I personally find that puzzle exhilarating, because you can feel the weight of your decisions. Every game you play will feel different, in some games you might focus on gaining influence with different political factions, others you might just become a war mongering tyrant. Maybe you just want to become a Sand Worm Summoning Mu ’Adib.
The leader you select at the start of the game can influence how you play, but it’s the decisions that you make throughout the game that will determine your success.
Like any good deckbuilding game turn after turn you will find yourself being able to do more and more, exerting yourself over the outcome of the game, but unlike in something like Wingspan your turns will be heavily dependant on your opponents. Perhaps they have taken the space you desperately needed, maybe they have amassed an army simply too powerful for you to defeat.
The more I am typing the more I am just wanting to play the game. It hasn’t got played nearly enough for me over the last year because it can be quite rules heavy for anyone who hasn’t yet tried a game like this, but while looking at all the pieces, cards and big old game board can be intimidating, I have found Dune: Imperium one of the best and smoothest running games I have played, with a teach that really wasn’t too difficult once I got into the crux of it.
There is a hell of a lot of game here for under £50, and despite a lot of Dune games out there this one stands as the best. And there is always a birthday or Christmas list you need to write with space for a new board game.
5. Legacy of Yu
The last game on my 5 great games for under £50 list is a bit of a cheat one, as its less a recommendation for others and more one for myself, as I am yet to play, let alone own, Legacy of Yu!
However I have done enough research and viewed more than enough online videos to say, Legacy of Yu is a great game for under £50.
This 2023 release from Garphill Games is so high up on my wanted list as it combines two of my newest obsessions with board gaming, legacy and solo games.
Playing as Yu The Great, you are trying to protect your village from barbarians and floods throughout a long campaign, with new stories and mechanics emerging as you progress through the game.
Solo games are fantastic because its simply down to you and your motivations how often and when you play it, and with the main problem for legacy games being the time and organising required to play them, a solo version of a proper campaign is a match made in heaven. How many of us currently have an ongoing legacy game that was started years ago. (I am looking at you Pandemic Legacy).
But in Legacy of Yu you can play this campaign at your own pace, no friend who has moved to the other side of the world to worry about. From what I have seen played in person and online, the gameplay loop looks wonderful, the Chinese style artwork wonderfully realised. It looks difficult and compelling in equal measure, with each seperate game presenting new challenges.
And when I saw the other day it was on Zatu for under £50, it took all my willpower not to add it to my basket. (Come on payday, you’re almost here!).
So I strongly urge anyone reading this to do what I have done, do a bit of research and look into Legacy of Yu, and see if like me you think it looks like it needs adding to your collection ASAP.
Paul Websell is a freelance contributor for Zatu who spends his time either playing board and video games or talking about them. While he’s not on social media, you can view his other blogs right here on Zatu!
