← Idea market
Entertainment17,400 searches / mo

Game night planning

Games that fit the group size.

Opportunity score

5,347 / 10k

Worth a weekend. Demand is real, execution decides it.

Rank

#76

Gap

B

  • Demand

    59

    17,400 contestable searches a month across 25 related keywords.

  • Momentum

    50

    Last three months ran down 0.0% against the three before, seasonality smoothed out.

  • Competition gap

    35

    22 real products rank on page one for this, ad competition 0.08.

  • Crowd

    n/a

    Only 4 rankings so far, not counted until 5.

  • Willingness to pay

    36

    Advertisers pay $1.39 a click for this search — almost nobody pays to reach these searchers.

What this score is based on

evidence checked 10/1/2026

  • Search demand verified against Google Ads data
  • 12 months of search history
  • 25 related keywords clustered
  • 8 firsthand pain signals from forum threads
  • 22 competitors analyzed from page-one results
  • 4 crowd rankings from builders

Search demand comes from Google Ads data via DataForSEO and refreshes daily. Competitors come from a live scan of page-one results. Crowd input comes from builders ranking ideas 1-2-3 on the market.

Keyword cluster

25 keywords · 17,400 searches a month combined

Demand counts the whole cluster: 17,400 searches a month across every relevant way people look for this problem. The intent label on each keyword tells you how close that searcher is to wanting software.

KeywordIntentSearchesCPCAd comp.
board game makerunclear3,600$3.820.15
chutes and ladders online gamewants a tool1,900$0.180.09
yahtzee game appwants a tool1,600$5.530.18
board game arena appwants a tool1,000-0.00
play game of life online freewants a tool720$0.210.01
root board game geekunclear720$0.080.02
free download chess gameunclear590$1.150.29
uno card game appwants a tool590$3.160.12
apples to apples game onlinewants a tool590$0.020.02
free chess game offlineunclear590$1.770.09
ouija board appswants a tool590-0.00
scythe board game geekunclear590-0.01
board game appwants a tool480$1.600.05
games like apples to applesunclear480$0.330.81
game board appwants a tool480$1.600.05
free yahtzee game appwants a tool390$3.760.17
clash of clans board gameunclear390$0.370.90
monopoly phone gameunclear320$5.380.02
monopoly mobile gameunclear320$5.380.02
best board game appswants a tool260$0.060.07
candy crush board gameunclear260$0.390.50
best board games with appswants a tool260$0.060.07
phone board gameunclear260$3.240.18
game of life pc gameunclear210$0.150.05
pandemic board game appwants a tool210-0.00

CPC is what an advertiser pays Google for one click on that phrase — a rough price tag on how valuable the visitor is. Ad comp. runs 0 to 1 and is how full the ad auction is: near 1 means advertisers are fighting over it (money is there, but ranking is hard), near 0 means almost nobody bids.

Who has the problem

It is difficult to quickly identify which board games or board game apps are suitable for a specific group size, leading to wasted time or suboptimal game choices. Players often download or set up games like 'Next Station: Paris' only to find they crash or don't support online play, or are too heavy for the group.

"My city is a big favorite. We downloaded Next Station: Paris and it was total garbage, crashed often and didn’t support online play."from a thread we pulled below
Who experiences it
Someone hosting a game night for friends or family, trying to decide which board game to play.
When it happens
They are looking at their collection of physical board games or scanning lists of digital games like 'Root board game geek' (720/mo) or 'Scythe board game geek' (590/mo) and need to match a game to the number of people present.
How often
This decision-making happens every time they gather a group for a game night, which can be several times a month.
What they do today
They use memory, search terms like 'games like apples to apples' (480/mo) to find options, or manually consult the BoardGameGeek forum for rules and game information, which does not always quickly provide group size compatibility for immediate play.

Read off 25 search phrases and 8 forum threads listed below, 9/26/2026.

Why now

Not a spike — a steady, repeating problem people search every month.

  • Demand is steady year over year

    395 a month twelve months ago → 395 now for "board game app".

  • Flat over the last quarter

    Last three months of searches against the three before them.

  • Peaks in February

    Demand swings 174% across the year, so ship roughly two months before February.

  • Advertisers pay $1.39 a click here

    Buying this intent instead of ranking for it would run roughly $7,256 a month — money is already chasing these searches.

  • 7 real products on page one

    Alongside 15 articles and reference pages, which is room a focused tool can take.

Search data

verified · dataforseo:us · refreshed 10/1/2026

Lead keyword
board game app
Cluster volume
17,400 / mo
across 25 related keywords; lead phrase is 480 / mo
CPC
$1.39
what an advertiser pays for one click here
Ad competition
0.08
0-1 scale: barely any advertisers bidding

Opportunity score 5,347 = 40% contestable search demand (17,400 a month across 25 keywords) + 25% how open the competition still is (22 products on page one) + 15% momentum (last three months vs the three before, capped so one bucketed month can't swing it) + 10% willingness to pay ($1.39 a click) + 10% crowd rankings (Elo 1500, 4 head-to-heads, weighted by how many votes exist). Anything we can't measure is dropped and the rest re-weighted, so a blank signal never counts as an average one. Search data refreshes daily from Google Ads via DataForSEO.

Monthly searches for "board game app"

4 votes · demand from dataforseo:us, updated 10/1/2026

395
Oct 25
395
Nov 25
598
Dec 25
892
Jan 26
598
Feb 26
325
Mar 26
395
Apr 26
395
May 26
487
Jun 26
395
Jul 26
487
Aug 26
395
Sep 26

Peak 892 · latest 395 · low 325 searches a month

Google reports monthly volume in fixed buckets (…27,100 · 33,100 · 40,500 · 49,500), so steady months land on the exact same number. Weekly data isn't published.

This chart tracks the single lead phrase. The demand score uses the whole cluster of 25 related phrases (17,400 searches a month), listed below.

Revenue potential

estimate, not a promise

Priced and converted as a prosumer subscription — the funnel below changes with that model, because a freemium consumer app and a B2B tool convert nothing alike.

MRR by month 12

$357 – $2,158

30–180 paying users · +3–20 new a month at 5% churn

Year-one run rate

$4,281 – $25,898

the month-12 number annualised — you earn less than this during the ramp

Price

$12/mo

same price as the business model below

24-month projection

log scale

Month 24 · hover to scrub

Slow build $427Good execution $2,799Breakout $40,246

The two solid lines are the range above: a slow build and good execution on a slice of this demand. The dashed line is the breakout — you become the default answer for this problem, take roughly a quarter of the intent, convert far better because people arrive already sold, and churn halves. That's the outcome worth chasing, and it's about $40,246 a month by month 24 (8,352 paying users). Most ideas land on the bottom line; the point of the chart is that the ceiling isn't the estimate.

How we got there

  • 17,400 cluster searches a month, 1.6x for app stores and word of mouth.
  • You reach 1.0-5.9% of that, scaled by ad competition 0.08.
  • 10% of visitors sign up, 12% of those pay. Trial-led: people arrive already shopping, so trial-to-paid runs high.
  • That wins 3-20 new subscribers a month. Stack 12 months of that against 5% monthly churn and you're holding 30-180 paying users by month 12.
  • Price $12/mo, taken from the business model below.

Who already builds this

7 real products · 15 articles, explainers and store pages · 12 read in depth · scanned daily on Google for "board game app"

7 real products own this search. Everything else on page one is a roundup, review post or explainer, listed separately below.

  • #2Themeeplestreet

    Ranks #2 on Google for "board game app".

    Strengths Highlights several board game apps for solo play against AI or online multiplayer, often noting quick setup, smooth gameplay, and good tutorials.

    Weaknesses The text focuses on recommendations and reviews of board game apps, not on a single software product with pricing or features to analyze for weaknesses.

    ~4,410 organic visits a month (estimate)

    themeeplestreet.com · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

    source page
  • #3Launchtabletop

    Ranks #3 on Google for "board game maker".

    Pricing null

    Strengths Offers print-on-demand manufacturing for board games and TCGs, supporting runs from 1 to 1,000 for prototypes to full releases, with services like automated artwork quality checks and global shipping options.

    Weaknesses The provided text does not mention any pricing information, making it impossible to evaluate cost-effectiveness or different service tiers.

    ~1,537 organic visits a month (estimate)

    launchtabletop.com · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

    source page
  • #5Toolsforeducators

    Ranks #5 on Google for "board game maker".

    Pricing Completely free

    Strengths Completely free to use with no account or login required. Offers extensive customization with 2,000+ images, 6 board themes, and flexible content modes (images, text, or mixed) suitable for various educational levels and languages.

    Weaknesses Redistribution or resale of materials is not permitted, which might limit some use cases. No mention of advanced features like online play or digital sharing, focusing solely on printable materials.

    ~15,763 organic visits a month (estimate)

    toolsforeducators.com · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

    source page
  • #9Puzzel

    Ranks #9 on Google for "board game maker".

    Pricing Free by default; teacher €30 / year; teacher plus €50 / year; school €125 / year

    Strengths Offers extensive customization for board games, including AI assistance, multiplayer options, and unique game objectives like 'collect items'. It also features AI document/image conversion to create interactive activities.

    Weaknesses The pricing is listed in EUR and yearly, not USD monthly. The free plan is limited to 60 player sessions and 2 activities per account.

    ~55,057 organic visits a month (estimate)

    puzzel.org · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

    source page
  • #9Boardgamegeek

    Ranks #9 on Google for "board game app".

    ~7,369,362 organic visits a month (estimate)

    boardgamegeek.com · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

    source page
  • #10Thetabletopfamily

    Ranks #10 on Google for "board game app".

    ~175,884 organic visits a month (estimate)

    thetabletopfamily.com · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

  • #16Meeplemountain

    Ranks #16 on Google for "board game app".

    ~257,386 organic visits a month (estimate)

    meeplemountain.com · from live Google results · verified Aug 18

Also ranking, but not products (15)

Roundups, review posts, explainers and store pages. They compete for the search, not for the job — they don't count against the competition gap.

Likely business model

willingness to pay 33/100

Prosumer subscription

People are actively shopping for a tool here, so charge from day one.

How rivals make money 11 competitors read: 2 on subscriptions, 1 one-time, 1 free. Plans seen: null · Completely free · Wavelength: $0.99 for each set of new content

Price to test · from ad click value

$5–$19/mo

No competitor pricing page was readable across the 11 we checked, so this band comes from what a click on this intent costs advertisers ($1.39) — a starting price to test, not a proven one.

What to charge for

Trial then subscribe. This crowd is already comparing paid tools, so ask for the card early rather than running a wide free tier.

What this data can't tell you

  • · Nobody's published price backs this band yet — treat the number as a test, and put a price up in week one to find out.

Willingness-to-pay evidence

  • 11 competitors read: 2 on subscriptions, 1 one-time, 1 free. Plans seen: null · Completely free · Wavelength: $0.99 for each set of new content
  • Advertisers pay $1.39 a click for this intent — real money already chases it.
  • 48% of the 25-keyword cluster is commercial-intent wording (best, app, pricing, alternative).
  • Ad competition 0.08 — few advertisers fighting for it.

Firsthand pain signals

8 discussions · source links, check them yourself

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