Game night is the new night out: more than half prefer playing a board game to going out.

Boulogne-Billancourt, France, June 4 2026 - To celebrate International Tabletop Day, asmodee, a global leader in tabletop gaming (comprised of board games and trading card games), has unveiled its first-ever Tabletop Game Barometer in collaboration with Kantar. This new annual study explores how people across Europe and the USA are engaging with games, with this year’s findings highlighting how tabletop gaming is helping people reconnect, unwind, and spend more meaningful time together in an always-on world.

The research identified several trends shaping the future of tabletop gaming across board games and trading card games: a stronger focus on wellbeing and balancing screen time, a growing desire for real-world connection, the continued rise of tabletop gaming into mainstream culture, and games becoming part of personal identity and self-expression.

At a time when nearly one in four (24%¹) people worldwide say they feel lonely, the findings reveal a global desire for reconnection and more intentional social experiences. Two thirds (66%) say they want to feel more present when spending time with others, with 57% wishing devices played a smaller role in their daily lives - highlighting a growing appetite for experiences that help people genuinely reconnect and engage more meaningfully with one another.

Against this backdrop, tabletop games are evolving beyond entertainment alone, increasingly helping people connect more naturally and confidently with others. In fact, over half (56%) say games help take the pressure out of socialising, helping people feel more at ease meeting new people (57%), and making it easier to have meaningful - or even awkward - conversations while playing together (51%).

The survey also reveals a global shift in social habits and leisure priorities. More than half of respondents (57%) say they would rather spend a Saturday night playing a tabletop game at home than going out. Meanwhile, 65% say tabletop games help bring families and friends closer together, with 94%² agreeing that play matters at every age - reinforcing the increasingly important role games play in strengthening relationships across generations.

With this in mind, the findings also point to the growing role tabletop gaming is playing in wellbeing and modern self-care. As people look for ways to slow down and recharge from the pressures of everyday life, nearly two thirds (62%) say games help them feel more present, while nearly the same number (63%) say tabletop gaming provides a positive escape from daily stress. What’s more, a whopping 71% agree tabletop gaming has a positive impact on their mental wellbeing.

Thomas Koegler, CEO of asmodee says: “What strikes me most in this research is not that people love games. We knew that. It's that games are filling a gap that nothing else seems to fill right now: the need to actually be present with someone else. As our lives become more digital, people are actively looking for ways to slow down and reconnect, and tabletop games are more and more becoming part of that answer. That's exactly why we created Board Game Fest: it started as an internal celebration, and we're now looking forward to sharing it with players and partners around the world.”

Note to editors 

Survey conducted by Kantar in May 2026, 5,000 adults across UK, USA, France, Germany and Sweden.
¹Source: Meta-Gallup, Global State of Social Connections, 2023
²Source: The Shape of Play, global study, 2025