Where to find Board games in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire: pub meetups, café nights, clubs and shops for board gamers.
We list 25 venues where you can play or buy board games across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, in 13 towns and neighbourhoods. Between them they run 10 regular sessions, most often on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Four of those are marked as beginner friendly. 20 have tables to play on site. Six of the 25 are in Cambridge itself, and we list them first below.
Venues with regular nights or tables to play on site, busiest first.
Meetup group of over 750 members running heavy euro board game nights roughly every two weeks on Fridays at Akeman Community Centre, with a board game library and free parking.
Friendly Meetup group for board and tabletop games that meets on Saturday afternoons at Cambridge Sea Cadets. Newcomers welcome and the venue is wheelchair accessible.
Board game cafe on Regent Street with a large games library, charged per person per hour. It also sells board games and trading cards and runs weekly Magic Commander, Pokémon TCG and social board game nights.
Pub hosting a weekly Monday board and tabletop games night organised by The 20s(ish) HotSpot Meetup group.
The Sidney Street Waterstones hosts ticketed games nights with a games library and demos, plus a monthly collectible card game night in the cafe for Commander, Lorcana and Star Wars players.
Monthly Saturday board game day at Queen Adelaide Village Hall near Ely, with room for five or six games at once, a tuck shop and free tea and coffee. Children welcome with an adult.
Free family friendly board game sessions at Ely Library on Saturday afternoons.
Monthly games evening at Julia's Tearooms in Ely on the last Tuesday of the month, plus an RPG night on the second Tuesday.
Free weekly Thursday games night at Ely On Par golf and driving range, from 4pm until late.
Family-run board game and trading card game shop in March with a gaming table and regular evening events, including Lorcana, Star Wars Unlimited, Pokémon TCG, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, roleplaying and board game nights. It also runs prereleases and Pokémon League Cups.
Board game club meeting fortnightly on Wednesday evenings at St Ives Corn Exchange, with hundreds of members' games from light to heavy. RPG one shots sometimes run.
Large alcohol-free gaming lounge with hundreds of board games, dedicated Warhammer and wargaming tables (bookable online), weekly TCG tournaments and a weekly RPG night, alongside escape rooms, axe throwing and bouldering. A £5 wristband covers the whole day.
Game shop and cafe in Orton Gate Shopping Centre with a board game library, running trading card game tournaments and RPG sessions, including weekly Flesh and Blood Armory nights.
Fortnightly Friday games club for 11 to 18 year olds in Littleport covering board games, RPGs and trading card games. Tickets booked online.
Free weekly Monday evening tabletop games group at The High Flyer pub in Ely, covering general gaming and Magic: The Gathering.
Gaming cafe with a games shop in the centre of St Neots, with tables for wargames, card games, roleplaying and board games, plus food and drink. It runs leagues and tournaments for Warhammer 40,000, Horus Heresy, Age of Sigmar and more, and ticketed Friday game nights.
Independent games and collectables shop on Haverhill High Street selling trading cards (Pokémon TCG, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh and more), Pop vinyls and figures. Tables can be rented for board games, Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons.
Wargaming shop and gaming venue on Sandy Business Park with bookable themed tables, hobby space and gaming nights every Wednesday and Friday. Stocks Warhammer, Star Wars Legion, Marvel Crisis Protocol, Konflikt 47, Fallout Factions and Magic.
Award-winning board game cafe, bar and shop in Bury St Edmunds with a library of over 500 games. It also runs card game events including Magic, Lorcana and Pokémon TCG prereleases and Pokémon League Challenges.
Family run games shop and tournament venue in Chatteris stocking card games, RPGs, wargames and board games, open late on Friday evenings for gaming. It runs Pokémon League events and Magic prereleases.
We haven't confirmed play space or regular nights at these yet, so ask in store.
Cambridge based Magic: The Gathering and board game store listed on the Wizards store locator, with events including a Budget Commander tournament and a Discord community.
Peterborough trading card shop specialising in Pokémon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic, Lorcana and One Piece, plus graded cards, sports cards and board games.
Large independent toy shop (Toymaster member) in Newmarket with a gelateria, stocking Warhammer and Warhammer paints, trading cards (Pokémon TCG, Magic, Lorcana, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, Star Wars) and board games.
Award-winning independent bookshop in a 16th century building in Huntingdon, with comics, graphic novels, manga, tabletop games, Pokémon TCG, Games Workshop, action figures and dice. It hosts book and author events.
Independent board game shop on Ely High Street also stocking Magic and Pokémon TCG cards, accessories and jigsaws. It runs ticketed gaming events in Ely and keeps a list of local gaming groups.
The weekly line-up. Times and formats can change, so check with the venue before you travel.
The Sir Isaac Newton, Cambridge. Open play
Games @ Julia's (Julia's Tearooms), Ely. Open play
The Box Room Board Game Café, Cambridge. Open play
Cambridge Board Game Nights with Morat Games, Cambridge. Heavy euro board games; games taught via Discord
Ely Games Day, Ely. All day board game session; under 16s with a responsible adult
Ely Library Games, Ely. Family open play
Cambridge Gaming Collective, Cambridge. Board and tabletop games, newcomers welcome
Rollplay, March. Open gaming from the shop library or bring your own
The venues with the most regular nights are Cambridge Board Game Nights with Morat Games in Cambridge (1 night), Cambridge Gaming Collective in Cambridge (1 night) and Ely Games Day in Ely (1 night). We list 25 venues in all across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire.
Saturdays and Wednesdays have the most regular sessions. Four sessions run every week. The Cambridge calendar shows what's on from today.
Yes. Four regular nights are marked as welcoming new players, including sessions at The Box Room Board Game Café, Ely Library Games and St. Ives Tabletop. Staff at most venues are happy to teach, so mention it when you arrive.
Two regular nights are free to join. Where there's an entry fee it is usually between £2 and £10. Fees change, so check with the venue before you go.
A free weekly email of what's on in your area: tournaments, pre-releases, launch events and new regular nights. Plus a monthly round-up of new shops, clubs and game releases.
