Flashy visuals and gorgeous designs are everything in these beautiful deluxe versions of board games.

Every year, the board gaming industry gets larger as more and more people fall in love with the hobby. Whilst standard editions of board games can satisfy any consumer, some gamers may love a game so much that they want to enhance their tabletop experience by purchasing and upgrading to deluxe or collector editions.

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Though more expensive, board game designers know that diehard fans may want to go all-in for a game, acquiring a game's expansions and upgrades. Whether a collector, completionist, or someone who wants to elevate their gaming experience, these deluxe versions are impressive to behold and will put a hole in player wallets.

The original Dune Imperium game captivated gamers back in 2020, as it offered a sublime blend of worker placement, deck building, and interesting conflict mechanics. Players soon found themselves hooked on this relatively easy-to-learn game that delivered an impressive strategic depth.

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Highly replayable, fast-paced, and intense, the game was an undisputed winner. However, the core game itself wasn’t much of a looker, offering very basic aesthetics and components. The Deluxe Upgrade Pack gives Dune Imperium an enhanced look with new miniatures that represent the agent meeples and soldiers. The box also comes with an insert that allows all components to be stored easily and carefully. Overall, despite being quite expensive (costing as much as the base game itself), the deluxe upgrade does make the game look considerably better and more immersive.

A classic game that has remained a family favorite for many years, Takenoko is a beautiful game about creating lush gardens and feeding a cute panda. Its mechanics offer a well-rounded balance between luck and strategy, making it a highly accessible and replayable experience for both kids and adults.

The Collector’s Edition takes an already gorgeous game to another level by supersizing everything. Although bigger isn’t always better, the Takenoko Collectors Edition is an exception to the rule as the game looks breathtaking and incredible.

Reputed to be amongst the most incredible looking and beautiful board games of all time, Everdell is not only a visual delight but remains a great competitive city-building game that combines worker placement and tableau building.

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As the game continues to become more popular, the designers have introduced an even more incredible-looking game in the form of the Everdell Collector’s Edition. With new and improved components such as the gorgeous tree in the center now made of wood, collectors will exclaim in geeky delight in owning a copy of this edition.

An extremely popular 'take that' game amongst newcomers and avid board gamers, Ticket To Ride has sold over 10 million copies since it was first released back in 2004. Since then, a 10th-anniversary edition has been made that offers players a bigger board, beautiful full-sized cards, and fully painted train miniatures to enhance the gaming experience.

The only downside to this deluxe edition is that it is unfortunately not compatible with other expansions. However, the base game of Ticket To Ride is already a fantastic game, to begin with, and fans of the game should not be derailed by this aspect.

Small World is an extremely accessible area control game that delivers on simple rules, strategic variety, and a fun fantasy theme, making it an instant classic. Though nothing spectacular, the game components worked and provided a decent aesthetic.

The Small World Designer Edition is a different story. Sporting a massive wooden case, the designer edition features gorgeous tiles, 3D components, and separate containers for the different races. Highly sought after and out of print, the game is a delightful edition for any who can get their hands on one.

For fans of 20th-century history and the Cold War, Twilight Struggle was the go-to 2 player game that allowed players to reenact the epic showdown between the USA and USSR. The game managed to successfully implement real Cold War events into a dynamic card system which made its gameplay so unique and insanely fun.

The Collector’s Edition improves the aesthetics of the game by using a wooden board, new graphics for the map, better quality cards, thematic dice, and high-quality wooden components. The game includes fabric bags that hold each of the components whilst each copy is signed by the game’s designers.

Whilst Terraforming Mars is well-loved by much of the board gaming community, the original game was never quite the looker. Despite having enjoyable mechanics, the original base game provided average components and artwork that were mediocre and uninspiring to its theme.

The Big Box completely overhauls the aesthetics of the original game by offering storage solutions for the base game and its 5 expansions, the game also includes a set of 3D terrain tiles to enhance its look. The Big Box offers city tiles, ocean tiles, forest tiles, and additional special tiles that have variable designs. The Big Box is a definite must-have for any fan of Terraforming Mars.

War Of The Ring allows players to reenact the climactic showdown between the Free Peoples of Middle-earth and the forces of Sauron and is essentially Lord Of The Rings in a box. However, the Collector’s Edition takes the experience to new heights.

Featuring an even bigger board, the Collector’s Edition offers Tolkien fans upgraded components, fully painted miniatures, a beautiful rulebook, and everything from the expansions. However, collectors will be hard-pressed to find such a precious item as only 2000 copies were made. However, not all hope is lost as some copies do exist on second-hand markets, should collectors know where to look.

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Kai is just a dude who really likes all things fantasy and sci-fi, provided they're good of course. A trained actor and aspiring writer, Kai is a creative who craves elaborate worldbuilding and great stories. He believes that video games have a unique place and role to tell powerful narratives. More often than not, Kai can be found making geek content, playing tabletop games, and traumatizing his cat with copious amounts of love.