Organizing your board games can be frustrating. With all the different-sized boxes (Affiliate Link) and games with no boxes (Affiliate Link), it is no wonder we never organized this area. My kids are big fans of board games. But I prefer not to spend much time and money organizing them. It can get expensive for an area to be continually pulled apart and reassembled. So, below are board game organization ideas to help you keep those board games organized without breaking the bank.
Full disclosure: I share products I found on Amazon (Affiliate Link)(affiliate) that will help keep your game pieces together and then discuss the different places to store these board games. Not all these storage solutions will work when you are "on the go," so I added a section for "on-the-go" board game storage solutions. I hope this post gives you several options to remove the clutter in your gaming space.
Jump to:
- Where to find missing board game pieces?
- What can I use to keep my board game pieces together?
- How to organize board games?
- What board game storage unit works best?
- Before and After Board Game Organization Session
- Supplies Used to organize this space
- Organizing Session Reveal
- What storage container to use for board games on the go?
First, let's start by gathering all the pieces for the different board games and making sure the games are complete before continuing.
Where to find missing board game pieces?
If you are missing board game pieces, you may be able to find them somewhere else for minimal cost. Below are some stores where you can look for board game pieces.
- You can buy chess pieces for board games on Amazon (affiliate).
- Check Facebook Marketplace in your area. Someone may be selling or giving away games.
- eBay may also have used board games.
- r/BoardGameExchange on Reddit.
- Noble Knight Games is a great place to buy board games and other games..
- Boardgamegeek.com (BGG) is a gaming auction house.
What can I use to keep my board game pieces together?
Below are some products you can use to help you keep these board game pieces contained.
Some things that work to keep loose board game pieces together are closed small containers, reusable zipper baggies, reusable jars with lids, and small, cleaned plastic food containers (Affiliate Link).
How to organize board games?
Below are some tips on how to organize board games. I've used many of these ideas with clients over the years, which was a success.
Sort the board games by category.
There are over 40 game types you can choose from depending on your board game preferences. Below are some board game organization categories for sorting them in your home.
- Age group 5+, 7+, 13+, and Adult only games
- Parent-lead or self-played games
- A large group of players
- Game for less than four players
- Single player games
- Strategy games
- Playtime length of less than 1 hour
- Playtime length of more than 2 hours
- Bags for board games
- Length of game
Pick a few and sort your games into categories for easy access.
Stand the board games on their side.
Tie the box with ribbon or extra large rubber bands (Affiliate Link). These rubber bands (Affiliate Link) are 6 inches wide and can be used to wrap around board games to keep the stuff inside. Note: if the box is in bad shape, you may want to try transferring it to something else instead.
Rubber Band by GRIFITI 6" X .75"
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Use a sweater holder that hangs on a closet rod.
If your board games are stored in a closet, you can use a sweater hanging closet organizer (Affiliate Link) to hold them, like the ones I found on Amazon (Affiliate Link) (affiliate).
Hanging Closet Organizer by JONZIN 2 Pk
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Hanging Closet Organizer by TOPIA HOME
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Plastic zipper folders for sorting all the board game pieces.
Use plastic zipper folders (Affiliate Link) with tie lids to hold loose pieces of a broken box game. Look for an expandable folder with a button string or Velcro. Below are some I found on Amazon (Affiliate Link)(affiliate). What's nice about these zipper mesh pieces is that they help you save space in your cabinet.
Plastic Zipper Folders 10 Pack Large Mesh Pouch
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Plastic Zipper Folders Waterproof 18pcs
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Expandable Pot & Pan Organizer to keep boxes closed and upright.
This expandable pot and pan organizer (Affiliate Link) will keep all your board games upright. They keep the board game boxes (Affiliate Link) together and will keep the lids on.
Expandable Pots and Pans Organizer by Mr. Rabbi
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Use Large Totes to Hold Board Games
Use large totes (Affiliate Link) with lids to slide out the bin in a kids' closet for easy access. Totes (Affiliate Link) are great for damp areas like basements or attics to keep the games safe (Affiliate Link). Adding a dry tote dehumidifier will reduce moisture inside these bins.
Below are some Amazon (Affiliate Link) (affiliate) examples of totes (Affiliate Link) and DryTote that can be reused.
Large Totes by Citylife 17 QT Plastic Storage Bins
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Plastic Scrapbook Containers.
Staying consistent with your board game container will make it easy to store and stack. These plastic scrapbook (Affiliate Link) containers have different heights, but the dimensions are usually 12 inches by 12 inches wide. These bins work great for larger games with a lot of little pieces.
Scrapbook Container by Storex 5 pk
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Scrapbook containers by IRIS USA 6Pack
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Large and expandable Ziplock gallon bags.
The expandable Ziplock(R) gallon bags work great for cards and other smaller items. You can also stand them up in an open bin for easy access. This size is great for board games on the go.
What board game storage unit works best?
It depends on your home and your area size for board game storage.
Ikea Besta Cabinets
Customizing a cabinet like Ikea BESTA cabinets works great if you want to be customizable to any size you want and is only limited to your imagination.
Tall 12 inches or more deep bookshelves
Use tall bookshelves (Affiliate Link) that are deeper than 12 inches. The shallow bookshelves (Affiliate Link) may not work for all board games. So, going with a size closer to 14 to 16 inches holds more of the board game boxes (Affiliate Link).
Bookshelf unit by HOMISSUE 7-Tier Tall
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Bookshelf, 4-Tier Open, 70.8" in Assorted colors
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Coffee Table with storage underneath
Coffee tables with a cabinet under them may be a good place to store board games. Having a few board games near you is nice if you play them often.
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Ottoman Storage Bins
The ottomans are great for smaller board game sizes, like no bigger than 12 x 12 inches in size.
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Hall Closet
Storing games on a top shelf or in a bin on the floor allows you extra room for other things. In these closets, you can use the above cubby system for board game organization.
Cube bookshelves
Cubby systems (Affiliate Link) or cube bookshelves (Affiliate Link) work great for games. Pick the right size for your games. You can also buy bins for these cubby bookshelves (Affiliate Link). Correctly sized bins will hide the games, but placing them in these cubbies directly will allow everyone to view them all at once.
Cubby Systems by ClosetMaid 1290 Cubeicals Organizer, 12-Cube, White
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Before and After Board Game Organization Session
To show you firsthand how I organized space with a client, below is how we did it.
Here is the before-image board game area. This area had a lot of games that were too young for my client's 4th and 9th-grade boys. So the bulk of the games will be donated - 3 large bins will be donated. We only had 1 large bag of trash.
Supplies Used to organize this space
We repurposed several things in this session. Below are the items we reused.
- Cabinet for games
- Label Maker (Affiliate Link)
- Area to sort the games
- Random totes (Affiliate Link) and bins to hold a variety of games
First, we pulled out all the board games and decluttered the ones that were too young for her kids and those that were never played. Then, we sorted them by card games, games for on-the-go, and board games. There were a few games that were self-played as well.
Then, we returned the games to the cabinet. The top shelves (Affiliate Link) were for the to-go games and the card games. We used a bin to sort all the card games since they are very small and there is a lot.
The second shelves (Affiliate Link) were used for smaller board games and games that had to be stored in bins.
The bottom shelf was used for larger games and square games. This area was able to fit a bunch of the games.
The chest was practically empty by the time we were done. There are no board games in there any longer. Yay! I am so happy with how much my client got rid of. It was super quick, too. It only took us 1.5 hours. We repurposed several bins as well.
Organizing Session Reveal
This is the afterimage of the board game organization session. What do you think? I think it looks amazing. I can't wait to hear what the kids think of it.
What storage container to use for board games on the go?
Sometimes we like to take board games with us to visit family or go on vacation. So, keeping board game organization is key (Affiliate Link) to not losing any pieces. Below are things to use to organize these things on the go.
Shoe boxes:
Plastic Shoe bins or smaller plastic containers (Affiliate Link) can be used for card games, and other smaller on-the-go board games work nicely in these bins. Storing one shoe box in the car with games kids will limit their screen time in the car.
Shoe Boxes by EOENVIVS 12 Pk Plastic
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Storage bags to hold games.
The storage bags have several compartments to keep different size games. It's great for college students because the bags are contained and organized. These days, teens are fans of group card games. These items allow them to bring over several games at once without being scared they will lose pieces.
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Well, there you have it. I hope these tips and products inspire you to organize your board games. Please leave a comment below on how you organize your games. I would love to hear from you.
Visit our other playroom organization posts:
Here are other blogger posts on board game organization; feel free to check them out.
17 Board Game Storage Ideas to Streamline Family Game Night
10 Ingenious Ways to Store Board Games
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link), and at no additional cost, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase when you click these links.
Seana Turner says
It is always difficult to store games when the original boxes break down. I love the idea of using the sweater hanger in a closet. Typically games can be nicely stacked, but it is always wise to avoid stacking too many. I always felt game boxes should have a better closure to keep them from falling open and dumping pieces...like a little velcro flap or something.
Julie Stobbe says
Thanks for sharing all the product suggestions. I really liked learning about the game hauler.
Janet Barclay says
Great creative ideas! Most of these would never have occurred to me. 🙂