10 Board Games Based on Popular Movies & TV Shows

Looking for some new activities to help you and the family get through lockdown?

Looking to grow your board game collection for when you can host guests again?

Re-watched your favourite movies and TV shows a bunch of times and want to share that experience with others in a different way?

Look a little further for some exciting tabletop games inspired by popular movies and TV shows that are well worth considering. The tabletop gaming industry is booming, and browsing the shelves at an independent games store or scrolling through pages of options online can be daunting. We know that Fetch customers love watching content so we have tried to find a selection of enjoyable and well-respected games inspired by some of the most beloved movies, shows and franchises.

Now, we respect that some of these games are difficult to track down. And expensive. The infamous Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game has been out of print now for years, and we’ve been trying to pick up a copy of Infection at Outpost 31 for ages. But, most of these games are available at well-stocked game suppliers so shouldn’t be too tough to track down.

Disney Villainous Board Game

2-6 Players. Playing time: 50 minutes.

In Villainous each player takes control of one of six Disney villains – Captain Hook, Maleficent, Jafar, Ursula, Queen of Hearts and Prince John – and are assigned their own villain deck, fate deck, board and 3D character. Players are on a quest to take actions and play cards from their hand to fulfill their character’s unique win condition.

Jaws Board Game

2-4 Players. Playing time: 60 minutes.

In Jaws one player takes on the role of the killer shark off Amity Island, while the other 1-3 players take on the roles of Brody, Hooper and Quint to hunt the shark. Character and event cards define player abilities and create game actions. Gameplay is divided into two acts – Amity Island and The Orca – played on a double-sided board to replicate the Jaws story.

Horrifed

1-5 Players: Playing time: 60 minutes.

In Horrified players will come face to face with up to seven classic movie monsters – Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon – which interact with the board as sculptured miniatures, and must work together to rid the town of the maniacal creatures. There are varying levels of difficulty and just as each monster is unique they require different strategies and tactics to be defeated.

Dune: Imperium

1-4 Players. Playing time: 60-120 Minutes.

Dune: Imperium finds inspiration in elements and characters from the Dune legacy, including both the literary series and the upcoming film. For a next-level weird experience David Lynch’s Dune is a must too.

Players are assigned one of the leaders of one of the Great Houses of the Landsraad and must marshal their forces and spies. At the center of the conflict is Arrakis – Dune, the desert planet. This game uses deck-building to add a hidden-information element to a worker-placement mechanic. As players acquire cards and build their decks, choices will define strengths and weaknesses. Paths to victory include defeating rivals in combat and shrewdly navigating the political factions.

Here’s an in-depth playthrough and review of this buzzy game:

Big Trouble in Little China: The Board Game

1-4 Players. Playing time: 60-120 minutes.

This cooperative cinematic re-creation of the cult fantasy-action classic sends up to four players on a wild adventure to experience the mystical underworld of Chinatown. Each character uses their own unique talents and abilities to take on various missions and must work together to gain enough Audacity to take down Lo Pan, the Three Storms, and a slew of other powerful henchmen.

Star Wars: Rebellion

2-4 Players. Playing time: 180-240 minutes.

In Star Wars: Rebellion players can either control the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance, commanding starships, accounting for troop movements, and rallying systems to the cause. Strategy and play style requires an adjustment depending on who they represent – an Imperial player can command legions of Star Destroyers, and even the Death Star, to rule the galaxy by fear, while Rebel players must rally planets to join the cause. Featuring more than 150 plastic miniatures Rebellion features enormous scope while celebrating the heroics of notable characters from the franchise through the epic story-telling.

The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31

4-8 Players. Playing time: 60-120 minutes.

Successfully capturing the tension and madness of John Carpenter’s sci-fi cult classic, The Thing, players will partake in a challenging hidden-identity race to discover who among them has been infected by the alien life form that has infiltrated a desolate Antarctic research station. Thriving with larger communal groups (upwards of 5 players), participants play as one of twelve characters and must work together to investigate the facility using the equipment made available. Paranoia starts to creep in as players will start to question who at the table they can completely trust.

Die Hard: Nakatomi Heist Board Game

2-4 Players. Playing time: 60-90 minutes.

Die Hard aficionados will appreciate this game’s homages to the classic 1988 film, which integrates memorable scenes, characters and dialogue into the gameplay mechanics. One player will take the role of protagonist John McClane, who will attempt to out-muscle the others acting as Hans Gruber’s henchmen. These players are co-operating to foil the hero’s plans – notably, saving hostages at Nakatomi Plaza. A three-act structure, accompanied by an interchanging board state and progressively unlocked abilities, makes this a surprisingly tense experience that further benefits from extracurricular role-playing to further immerse everyone in the world of Die Hard.

Here is a fun play-through of the game by the brilliant content-creators at Geek & Sundry:

Clue: Harry Potter Edition

3-5 Players. Playing time: 30 minutes.

There are many remastered versions of this classic whodunit game, with just about every big TV and movie franchise getting their own. We’ve had a lot of fun with The Office and Seinfeld versions of the game over the years. Even though it’s tough to beat a classic the 2008 Harry Potter edition casts a strong spell.

A fellow student has vanished from the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and players – as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna or Neville – must try to discover who did it, what spell or item they used and where the student was attacked. New features, including an ever-changing board and the ability to earn house points, make this a singular Clue-experience for franchise fans.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition)

3-6 Players. Playing time: 120-240 minutes.

In the second edition of A Game of Thrones: The Board Game, inspired by the best-selling series by George R.R Martin and the landmark television series , three to six players take on the roles of the great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, as they vie for control of the Iron Throne. Players maneuver their armies to secure support in various regions that comprise the Seven Kingdoms, with the goal of capturing support. This suitably epic board game adaptation requires more than military might – but also strategic planning, masterful diplomacy and clever card play – for players to expand their influence.