GameCentral offers a guide to the growing number of board game cafes open over the Christmas and new year break.

eFootball PES 2021 Season Update review - exactly what it says on the tin

Board games are once again establishing themselves as a popular past time with plenty of new releases coming out each week.

With local co-op in video games becoming rarer, many gamers are turning to tabletop games when they want to meet up with friends and play.

Some of the biggest video games in recent years have even launched their own board game versions, including Horizon Zero Dawn, This War Of Mine, Fallout, and Tomb Raider.


Alongside the rise of board games is the emergence of board game cafes, a place where groups of friends or families can go to play as many games as they want.



The way it works is you usually pay a small fee for each person (in many places children can go for free) which then gives you access to the cafe’s wide collection of games, that can include both modern and classic titles.

If you’re trying to think of ways to spend your time off during the Christmas holidays then board game cafes could be the answer.

They’re cheap, fun and have big libraries of games to choose from for both young and old gamers. So if that sounds of interest to you then here are some of the best board game cafes that are open around the UK.

Draughts

Where: Waterloo and Hackney (London)

Price: Customers can pay £5 per person to play as many games as they want for up to four hours.

How many games?: The Waterloo branch has around 500 games and the Hackney cafe has around 850.

Draughts was one of the first board game cafes to open a second branch which means they can now be found in two different parts of London.

Both branches will have their regular opening hours over the festive period, but they will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Draughts will be offering festive specials for both food and drink over Christmas, including its own recipe for mulled wine.

Proceed Clockwise

Where: Shoreditch, London

Price: £5 per person for up to four hours and £2.50 for kids.

How many games?: Around 400 but with more being added all the time.

Proceed Clockwise is a board game cafe that first opened its doors back in September and it is quickly establishing itself as an important addition to the growing board game scene in London.

The cafe offers a wide selection of games as well as coffee, pizza, and plenty more food to enjoy.

It will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve., but other than that the cafe should be open for its usual times of noon until 11pm on weekdays, 11am-11pm on Saturday, and 11am-10pm on Sundays.

It will be holding a Santa’s Party Weekend from 21-23 December with Christmas-themed food, drinks and games, and a secret party hosted by a Proceed Clockwise Santa.



Ludoquist

Where: Croydon, London

Price: £2 for two hours (Mon-Fri up to 5pm) and £4 for as long as you like (evenings and weekends).

Booking ahead of time is recommended for weekends and under 15s can pay half price.

How many games?: Ludoquist has over 1,500 games available to play. You can see the full list here.

The Ludoquist first opened its doors last year after a successful Kickstarter campaign and it has since gone from strength to strength with an ever-expanding game library and a popular menu of food and drinks.

As well as enabling customers to choose and play various games, it also offers regular events and social meet-ups.

The cafe is open 11am-11pm on most days and it will also be open at various times during the festive period.

On Christmas Eve it will be available between 11am and 6pm and will then close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

If you’re interested in seeing in the new year with board games, the cafe will be open until 1am on New Year’s Eve, but you will need to make a £10 booking in advance.

Meeple Perk

Where: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

Price: £3 per person cover charge or you can book ahead for a table for up to six for £15.

Meeple Perk also offers a six month membership for £25 which means you don’t pay the cover charge and table bookings cost just £12.

How many games?: Meeple Perk currently has 228 games for you to play.

Meeple Perk only opened in November but it is already establishing itself as a top board game cafe in the UK.


The Newcastle-Upon-Tyne cafe has been created thanks to the support of 200 backers who pledged money to their Kickstarter earlier this year. It raised over £8,000 and helped make Meeple Perk a reality.

Throughout this month the cafe has a Christmas menu that includes flamed orange hot chocolate, peppermint mocha and turkey, and brie and cranberry paninis.

It will be closed between Christmas Eve and Boxing day as well as New Year’s Ever and New Year’s Day, but it will be operating with its normal opening times throughout the rest of the festive period (Tue – Fri 12-10/ Sat – Sun 10-10).

The Treehouse

Where: Sheffield

Price: The standard board game cover charge is £5 for four hours, while under fives are free and under 16s are half price.

Customers also have the option to pay £25 for a year membership which gives you a free session and half price sessions after that.

How many games?: The Treehouse has nearly 500 games in its library with more constantly being added to the collection.

The Treehouse is currently the only game board cafe available in the Sheffield area but it has plenty to offer.

The cafe will be open most days as usual during the Christmas holidays but it will have a few part-day closures for private events.

It will also be closed all day on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.

The Treehouse will be hosting various work Christmas parties that include tournaments and party games.

It will also be open on New Year’s Eve with food, drinks, a quiz of the year, and various party games to play.


Chance & Counters

Where: Bristol and Cardiff

Price: It is £5 for non-members for up to four hours of gaming. Customers can pay £25 for a year membership that reduces the cost of each session to £2.50.

How many games?: There are around 850 games in the Bristol cafe and around 500 in Cardiff but with both collections continuing to grow.

Chace & Counters currently has two cafes open in the western part of the UK, in Bristol and Cardiff.

The cafes will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, but other than that it will be running with its usual opening times.

Chance & Counters has recently had its first Dungeons & Dragons event at the Bristol cafe and will be hosting various Christmas parties over the next week or so.

Customers can also get their hands on mince pies and mulled wine if they stop by at the cafe over the festive period.

Dice Portsmouth

Where: Portsmouth

Price: £4 for an unlimited amount of time, £3 for military, NHS, service workers, and children under 16, while children under eight can go for free.

You can also get a £25-per-year membership which means you pay just £2 for each session and it also gives you 5% discount on games in their shop.

How many games?: They have around 500 games available to play with more added each week.

Dice Portsmouth was founded in 2015 and it opened the first board game lounge in the area thanks to Kickstarter crowdfunding and support from people in the area.

It refers to itself more as a lounge than a cafe because of its large space, but it does offer food, coffee, and alcohol for gamers to enjoy while they play.

This month the cafe is running a Dexterity Decathlon each Monday where contestants can compete in 10 different dexterity games to try and win prizes.

There is also Role-play Tuesday and a regular board game club meet-up on Wednesdays, plus locals can enjoy a New Year’s Eve party at the cafe too.

Board Exeter

Where: Exeter, Devon

Price: Admission is £5 per adult and £3.50 for kids, plus students get a 10% discount on food and drink.

How many games?: There are around 300 games available at the cafe, but the collection is regularly curated to make sure the best ones are available.

Board Exeter opened its doors back in March 2016 after a successful Kickstarter campaign and it has become a key part of the community.

Along with a wide selection of games to play it offers in-house slow-cooked pulled pork sandwiches, as well as milkshakes, craft beers, and cocktails.

It will be open 11am-5pm on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, as well as on New Year’s Day.

Other than that it will be running with its normal opening times which is 11am-11pm Monday to Thursday, 11pm-midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11am-10pm on Sundays.

The cafe will also be hosting a New Year’s Eve event full of gaming and it also includes a ‘Big Quiz of the Year’.

MORE: Metal Gear Solid is the latest video game to get a tabletop release

MORE: Last Minute Video Game Christmas Gift Guide 2018 – the best gifts for gamers