Best Board Game Stores in Chicago 2026: The Definitive Guide to Chicagoland's Top Game Shops

Dice Dojo

Dice Dojo is arguably the most beloved game store in Chicago proper. Located in the Edgewater neighborhood on the north side, it has been a cornerstone of the Chicago gaming community for years. The store occupies a large space with a dedicated gaming area in the back where scheduled events run almost every night of the week.

What makes Dice Dojo special is the breadth of their inventory. They stock everything from mainstream party games (Codenames, Wingspan, Ticket to Ride) to obscure Eurogames that you cannot find at big-box retailers. Their RPG section is extensive, with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and dozens of indie RPG titles. The miniatures section covers Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Star Wars: Legion, and more.

The staff is knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic. They will not just point you to a shelf. They will ask what games you already like and make specific recommendations based on your taste and group size. This personal touch is what keeps people coming back instead of ordering from Amazon.

Best for: Board games, RPGs, miniatures, game nights, knowledgeable staff

Cat & Mouse Games

Cat & Mouse Games in Bucktown is the other heavyweight of Chicago's in-city game store scene. It is a smaller, more intimate space than Dice Dojo, but what it lacks in square footage it makes up for in curation and community atmosphere.

The store has a strong focus on board games and card games, with a particularly well-curated selection of two-player games and cooperative games. If you are looking for a date-night game or something to play with your partner, Cat & Mouse is the place to go. The staff can recommend games that work well for couples, families, or groups of any size.

They also host regular game nights and events, including learn-to-play sessions where you can try new games before buying them. The Bucktown location makes it easy to combine a visit with dinner at one of the neighborhood's many restaurants, which is exactly what a lot of their regulars do.

Best for: Curated board game selection, two-player games, couples' game nights, friendly atmosphere

Fair Game

Fair Game operates multiple locations across the Chicago suburbs, making it one of the most accessible game store chains in the metropolitan area. Their stores typically have large gaming areas with scheduled events for Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon TCG, Yu-Gi-Oh, and various board game nights.

Fair Game has built a reputation for being particularly welcoming to new players. If you have never played a tabletop RPG before and want to try D&D, Fair Game regularly runs beginner-friendly one-shot adventures where experienced DMs guide new players through the basics. They also run prerelease events for new Magic: The Gathering sets, which are some of the most popular events on their calendar.

The multi-location model means there is likely a Fair Game within a reasonable drive for most suburban Chicago residents. Check their website for the location nearest you, as store hours and event schedules vary by location.

Best for: TCG events, beginner-friendly atmosphere, suburban accessibility, organized play

First Aid Comics

First Aid Comics in Hyde Park is primarily a comic book store, but it has a solid and growing tabletop gaming section that makes it worth including on this list. Located near the University of Chicago campus, it draws a mix of students, faculty, and neighborhood residents who keep the community engaged and intellectually curious.

The gaming section includes a good selection of board games, RPG sourcebooks, and collectible card games. But what really sets First Aid apart is its comic book and graphic novel collection, one of the best on the south side of Chicago. If you are a gamer who also reads comics (and most of us are), this store serves both interests under one roof.

The Hyde Park location also means you can visit the Museum of Science and Industry, explore the University of Chicago campus, or grab food in the neighborhood and make a full day of it. The store is within walking distance of the Metra 55th-56th-57th Street station for easy access from downtown.

Best for: Comics and gaming crossover, south side location, university community, graphic novels

Titan Games & Hobbies

Titan Games operates multiple locations across Illinois, including several within driving distance of the Chicago suburbs. While their primary locations are in downstate cities like Champaign and Peoria, they are worth mentioning because of the sheer scale of their gaming space and inventory.

Titan stores typically have massive gaming areas, sometimes 2,000+ square feet, dedicated to organized play. Their Magic: The Gathering events are particularly well-attended, often drawing players from a wide radius. They also stock an enormous selection of miniature gaming supplies, including paints, brushes, terrain, and modeling tools alongside the actual miniatures.

If you are willing to make the drive (or if you live in the far western or southern suburbs), Titan is worth a trip for the selection alone. They frequently have stock of hard-to-find items that sell out quickly at smaller city stores.

Best for: Massive gaming space, MTG events, miniature painting supplies, deep inventory

Games Plus

Games Plus in Mount Prospect is a legendary game store that has been serving the northwest suburban gaming community for decades. It is one of the most well-established game stores in the entire Chicagoland area, and its longevity speaks to the quality of its selection and community.

The store is known for its particularly deep RPG inventory. Beyond the standard D&D and Pathfinder fare, Games Plus stocks obscure and out-of-print RPG titles that collectors and veteran gamers treasure. Their used game section is also worth digging through, as you can occasionally find rare board games and RPG supplements at significant discounts.

Games Plus hosts regular gaming events, including RPG campaigns, board game nights, and miniature wargaming sessions. The store draws a loyal crowd of suburban gamers who have been shopping there for years, creating a tight-knit community atmosphere that feels like walking into a friend's game room.

Best for: Deep RPG collection, out-of-print titles, used games, veteran gamer community, northwest suburban location

Dice Dojo Organized Game Nights

Dice Dojo deserves a separate entry for its game night programming, which is arguably the best in the city. Their weekly event calendar typically includes dedicated nights for different game types:

• Board Game Night: Open gaming where you can bring your own games or pull from the store's demo library. A great way to try before you buy.
• RPG Night: Organized D&D Adventurers League sessions and other RPG campaigns. New players can drop in and join a table without needing to find a group first.
• Magic: The Gathering: Regular MTG events including Friday Night Magic, drafts, and prerelease tournaments.
• Miniature Wargaming: Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, and other miniature games with terrain-equipped tables.
• Learn-to-Play Events: Staff-led sessions where new games are taught from scratch. Perfect for people who are intimidated by a 20-page rulebook.

The game nights at Dice Dojo are genuinely one of the best ways to meet other gamers in Chicago. If you are new to the city or looking to expand your gaming group, showing up to a board game night is the fastest way to find your people.

Chicago Gaming Festivals and Meetups

Beyond individual store events, Chicago hosts several gaming-focused festivals and large-scale meetups throughout the year. These events are excellent for discovering new games, meeting designers, and playing with a larger community.

Chicago Game Fest events typically take place in rented event spaces or community centers, providing hundreds of tables for open gaming. Organizers usually maintain a library of hundreds of games available to check out and play. Some events include tournaments with prizes, designer panels, and prototyping sessions where game designers playtest unreleased titles with attendees.

To find upcoming events, check the Chicago gaming community on social media platforms and local store bulletin boards. Dice Dojo and Cat & Mouse both promote larger community events through their newsletters and social channels.

Best for: Large-scale gaming, meeting designers, trying new games, community building

Chicago-Based Online Gaming Communities

If you prefer to play from home, or if you want to find a local group that also plays online, Chicago has a thriving online D&D and tabletop RPG scene. Several options for connecting with local players:

• Reddit r/ChicagoGamers: The subreddit for Chicago-area tabletop gamers. Regularly used for LFG (looking for group) posts, event announcements, and store recommendations.
• Chicago D&D Discord Servers: Multiple Discord servers exist specifically for Chicago-area D&D players. These range from casual text-based RPGs to organized voice-channel campaigns that meet weekly.
• Meetup.com Groups: Several Meetup groups focus on board games and tabletop RPGs in Chicago. These organize both online sessions and in-person meetups at local stores, bars, and community spaces.
• Facebook Groups: "Chicago Board Gamers" and "Chicago D&D" are active Facebook groups where you can find players, sell/trade games, and learn about events.
• Roll20 and Foundry VTT: Many Chicago-based DMs run campaigns on virtual tabletop platforms. Look for "Chicago" tagged games on Roll20's LFG tool to find local DMs who prefer online play.

The advantage of finding a local online group (rather than a fully remote one) is the option to occasionally meet in person at one of the game stores listed above. Many Chicago D&D groups do a mix of online and in-person sessions.

C2E2 — Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo

C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo) is one of the largest pop culture conventions in the Midwest, held annually at McCormick Place. While it covers comics, movies, TV, and anime, the tabletop gaming section has grown significantly in recent years.

The convention features a dedicated tabletop gaming hall with hundreds of tables, a game library, and scheduled events. Major game publishers like Wizards of the Coast, Asmodee, and Games Workshop often have booths with demos of upcoming releases. It is one of the best opportunities to play games before they hit retail shelves.

Beyond C2E2, Chicago-area gamers should also look into:

• Adepticon: A major miniature wargaming convention held in the Chicago suburbs, typically in Schaumburg. Focuses on Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Bolt Action, and other miniature games. Includes painting competitions, tournaments, and seminars.
• Protospiel Chicago: A game design playtesting event where aspiring game designers bring prototypes and get feedback from other designers and players. If you have ever wanted to design your own board game, this is the event to attend.
• Gen Con (Indianapolis): Technically not in Chicago, but close enough (3 hours by car or Amtrak) that most Chicago gamers consider it a must-attend. Gen Con is the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, with 70,000+ attendees annually.

Best for: Large-scale conventions, publisher demos, cosplay, tabletop gaming hall, celebrity panels