Why Cardboard Is Winning: Board Games and the Quiet Power of Sales Growth

I recently read a market report about board games, which is not something I usually do for fun. I’m more of a glance at the headline and panic quietly kind of person. But according to the Board Games Market report from Market Report Analytics, the global board games industry is expected to grow at around 8–9% CAGR through the early 2030s. That’s impressive for an industry built on cardboard, wooden cubes, and arguments over who forgot to feed the sheep.

To put that growth into perspective, many established industries would be thrilled with those numbers. Film and television tend to grow much more slowly. Traditional publishing would throw a small party for half that rate. Even parts of the broader toy market move at a calmer pace. Meanwhile, board games—no screens, no updates, no batteries—are quietly posting growth figures that suggest they know something the rest of us don’t.

Market Report Analytics points to familiar drivers: increased interest in social, in-person experiences; stronger online distribution; and a wider range of games appealing to both casual players and dedicated hobbyists. In other words, people like sitting around a table, making decisions, and feeling clever for at least a few minutes. This has been noted several times in the Board Games Market report, presumably because it keeps showing up in the data.

What’s particularly interesting is that this sales growth isn’t fueled entirely by constant new releases. Well-designed, replayable games continue to sell year after year, building steady momentum—much like the CAGR figures themselves. Mastery, it turns out, has a market value.

So while other industries chase faster content, bigger spectacles, and shorter attention spans, board games are growing by doing something refreshingly simple. According to Market Report Analytics, that strategy is paying off. And honestly, it’s nice to know that cardboard is having a moment.