There are a bunch of board games with marbles out there and they’re all a little bit different. In this article, we’ve put together a list of them that people can’t seem to get enough of.
Chinese Checkers
- Great game for up to six players.
- Each player has their own color glass marble, which makes it easy for players to keep track of where their pieces are.
- By moving one piece at a time, players try to move all of their 10 marbles all of the way across the board and into the spaces on the other side.
- Even though players must take turns, the game moves rather quickly, especially since setup is easy and the rules are simple to understand.
- The durable wood board is high quality and it’s built to last, which means that even if it is dropped it won’t crack or break.
- All of the marbles are the same size, which is a testament to the quality of the game and are stored in a cloth bag for safety.
Jokers and Marbles
- Interlocking game boards connect quickly and easily to each other so that the game can be played right away.
- Game board pieces can be set up for a four player game or for up to eight players to enjoy at once.
- Includes durable glass marbles that are brightly colored, as well as playing cards that are used during the game.
- Great strategy game that requires players to try to plan out their moves as best as possible to win the game.
- Similar to Parcheesi and Sorry, but requires more strategy and skill than simply luck.
- Additionally known as “Marble Pursuit,” “Social Security,” and “Pegs & Jokers.”
Hungry Hungry Hippos
- Up to four players compete to try to get their hippo to eat the most marbles from on the board.
- The faster that the players are able to press the tails of their hippos, the faster that the hippos will lift their heads, extend their necks, and eat marbles.
- All of the hippos are brightly colored and have smooth movement and action when you press the tail, which prevents the game from being frustrating for younger players.
- While designed for four players, two and three can play, although the marbles may get stuck and the board may need to be tilted to move them.
- When the hippo eats a marble it is moved into a storage area next to the animal, making scoring at the end incredibly fast and easy.
Aggravation
- Players all compete to try to be the first person to move their four markers from their start zone to the home.
- On every move, players roll a die and move their marble the number of spaces shown.
- By rolling either a six or a one, players get to start a new marble on the track.
- By landing on another player’s marble, player can move that person back to their home spot.
- Comes with six dice, 24 marbles, and a durable gameboard so the game can be enjoyed over and over again.
- The bright gameboard is inspired by the original game produced in the 1980s.
- Setup is very fast and allows for the game to start right away.
- As players send each other back to start, the game can get very competitive.
Rock Me Archimedes
- Fun balancing game that is very suspenseful and requires players to have a strategy, as well as a steady hand to have the best chance of winning.
- The board is balanced on a lever and players must race against each other to try to get four marbles down to their end of the board.
- There are two different colored marbles so that players can easily distinguish between their marbles and the ones of their opponent.
- Not only does this game require critical thinking to prevent the board from becoming unbalanced and tipping over, but players must also think about how they can move their pieces and block their opponent at the same time.
- Designed for just two players and features incredibly fast setup.
B-Damon Crossfire
- Each player has their own launcher that they use to fire marbles at the blocks that are set up in between them.
- The different blocks are different targets, and as players get better at aiming their marbles, then they can focus on trying to take out a specific target.
- Through precision, power, and speed, players can shoot their marbles at the blocks and hopefully become the winner of the game.
- Includes 25 blocks, 20 different marbles, 2 figures, 2 wide magazine accessories, 2 collector cards, and a customization tool.
- Players go head-to-head against their opponent, but can also choose to fight in the virtual world by simply scanning their figures.
- The free app makes it easy for players to take their game online, if they want to.
Orbis
- Using the 60 included challenge cards, players place marbles onto the grid, following the pattern or design on the card.
- Once the marbles are in place, players use the pawn to try to move the yellow marble into the middle hole.
- This is difficult because the pawn has to touch a marble on every move and can only push one marble at a time.
- While great for one player to enjoy by themselves, this game can be played by more if people are willing to work as a team.
- All of the components are high quality and built to last.
- Great game for helping improve strategy and thinking skills.
- Perfect for ages eight and up, and younger children can play when they team up with an adult.
Sport Shoot Game
- Fun gameplay combines the best of shooting games with the strategy that is required for players to be able to win Connect 4.
- Players sh
oot their marbles from their tray using their finger and aim them at the horizontal board, hoping to have them drop into the right location. - Each player is competing to get four marbles in a row, and the one who does this first is the winner.
- As players shoot their marbles and miss they will go all over the table and onto the floor, which can be really fun for the players involved.
- As players get better at aiming their marbles, they will have more success in getting four in a row.
- Starts out as a fun shooting game, but does require strategy and skill.
Kerplunk
- Players first set up the game by pushing many different colored plastic sticks through the container so that they form a surface that marbles can rest on.
- Once the sticks are in place then marbles are placed on top of them.
- On their turn, each player has to choose a stick to remove and carefully pull it out.
- Between two and four players can compete with this game as they try to carefully remove sticks from the container without allowing the marbles to fall.
- Once the marbles fall, then the game is over and the player who has the most sticks is the winner.
- Takes a lot of coordination, as well as thinking through the repercussions of pulling out a certain stick.
- The bright colors appeal to kids of all ages.
Thin Ice
- While setup is a little more time consuming than with other games, it is fairly simple.
- Players must stretch a tissue across the top of the igloo and secure it into place using a hoop before they can start the game.
- Once setup is complete, then two or more players take turns lifting a marble with tweezers and placing it carefully on the tissue.
- With each marble the tissue comes closer to breaking, so players need to be careful not to drop their marbles from a high height or to place them on a thin area of tissue.
- The player who breaks the tissue with a marble loses the game.
- Great game to help improve hand-eye coordination, as well as taking turns.
Marble Solitaire
- Board game that is designed for just one player to play at a time.
- There are 36 marbles on the field to start, and the only empty hole is the hole in the very middle of the board.
- Player must jump over marbles one at a time, placing the marble that they jumped over into the tray so it is no longer used in the game.
- Player continues jumping the marbles on the gameboard until there is only one marble that is left on the field.
- If player ends up with two marbles left on the field and they are not next to each other so they can be jumped, then they lose the game.
- While the premise of the game is really easy, understanding how to jump all but one marble can be very difficult.