This is a list of board games invented or developed in Japan.
| Game name |
Year |
Origin |
Players |
Gameplay style |
Similar Games |
Reference
|
| Love Letter |
2012 |
Kanai Factory |
2–4 |
Risk and deduction game |
Coup |
|
| Gomoku (五目並べ, gomokunarabe) |
circa 850 |
Traditional |
2 |
Strategic abstract game played with Go pieces on a Renju board (15×15), goal to reach five in a row |
Renju, Four in a row |
|
| Jinsei Game (人生ゲーム, jin-sei gēmu) |
1967 |
Takara |
? |
Japanese adaption of The Game of Life |
The Game of Life |
|
| Machi Koro (街コロ) |
2012 |
Grounding Inc. |
2–5 |
Tabletop city-building/resource-gathering game using cards and dice |
Catan |
|
| Renju (連珠) |
1899 |
Traditional |
2 |
Strategic five-in-a-row game with equal chances for both players |
Pente, Gomoku |
|
| Riichi Mahjong (リーチ麻雀, Riichi Maajan) |
1924 |
Traditional |
4 |
Chinese Mahjong with Japanese rules |
Mahjong |
|
| Shadow Hunters (シャドウハンターズ, shadō hantāzu) |
2005 |
Game Republic |
4–8 |
Supernatural themed, strategic, secret team play |
Bang!, Mafia |
|
| Shogi and variants (将棋, shōgi, generals' chess) Japanese chess |
16th Century |
Traditional |
2 |
Played on a 9×9 board; can use captured pieces against opponent |
Chess |
|
| Sugoroku (双六) |
6th Century |
Traditional |
? |
Race game, two variants |
Backgammon (variant), Snakes and Ladders (variant) |
|
References
