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Board Games with Bears

Who doesn’t like bears? Unless you’re a jar of honey, a running salmon or Hugh Glass, bears are awesome. To think otherwise is to admit to being an unfeeling monster.

To satisfy those ursine cravings, here’s a selection of games featuring bears. Bear in mind though – the games on this list are bear-heavy, full of high octane bear action. That means games which happen to feature a bear on the cover (e.g. Parks) or as a character’s companion (e.g. Scythe) are not included in this selection of picnic basket raiders. And since we doubt there will be a game about “cocaine bear“, that one also won’t be making an appearance. Enjoy!

Bärenpark

2017

Use polyomino tiles to construct the best park for bears! Buy the expansion if you want things to get a little grizzly!

Bears!

2011

Rapidly roll dice to reveal interactions between campers and bears – will they shoot at the bears, run away from the bears or sleep through any bear visitations?

Vivarium

2017

A new life awaits eight animal species as they try to settle—and survive—in an unpredictable environment. Play as Aligators, Hippos, Tigers, Snakes, or Bears!

Ice Team

2019

Race teams of (seriously cute) polar bears across the melting ice whilst collecting fish to ensure victory!

Bears vs Babies

2017

Create monstrous bears and bear-like monsters before sending them to battle the evil babies

Bear Valley

2016

Hikers walking along Bear River hope to stay on the trail, manage the wilderness around them, and, most of all, avoid the bears!

Rescue Polar Bears: Data & Temperature

2017

Work together to collect data and save ridiculously cute polar bear families from rising temperatures!

TRAILS

2021

A stand-alone game in the Parks series by Henry Audubon, Trails sees players hiking through park cards, collecting resources and taking photos. If they’re lucky, they’ll even encounter a bear! (Bonus: an actual Bear Meeple is included in the game.)

Castella

2018

Players are the peaceful bees collecting honey in their beehives, trying to keep it away from the Greedy (and hungry) Bear.

BarBEARian Battlegrounds

2018

Play as one of four bear factions vying to have the best part of the forest through worker placement and secret action mechanics.

Walt Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Game

1933

A Candyland-style game where players draw cards to see what color space on the board they get to move to next. One of the first games I ever owned as a kid.

About the author

Andrew Holmes

Andrew Holmes is a husband, father, scientist, poet and, of course, gamer who lives in Wales, works in England and owns a Scottish rugby shirt. He has never passed up a challenge to play Carcassonne.

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