Sometimes, you just can’t be bothered to go out. There’s no shame in staying at home—unless it means missing your local pub trivia night! Luckily, plenty of at-home solutions help you recreate a pub trivia event while staying in. Today, we’re talking board games, pub trivia edition.
If you want to recreate the atmosphere of a pub trivia night at home but aren’t quite sure where to start, these seven games have got you covered. They’ll make hosting a pub trivia night for your friends a total breeze, taking care of the trivia compilation and gameplay instructions for you. All you’ll have to do is sit back, relax, and try your hand at some trivia, all while avoiding that crowded bar.
In this article, we’ll describe our seven favorite pub trivia board games in detail. We’ll tell you what makes each game special to help you decide how to make your next game board purchase. Keep on scrolling for all the details!
Ultimate Pub Trivia: The Original Team Trivia Game
Our top pick for a pub trivia board game to play by your friends is Ultimate Pub Trivia: The Original Team Trivia Game. Originally funded on Kickstarter, this game is a crowd favorite that’ll keep you and your family or friends entertained trivia night after trivia night.
If there’s one pub trivia game you’re looking to invest in, let this be the one. Ultimate Pub Trivia comes equipped with all the tools you need to have a realistic pub trivia game night at home. In addition to question sheets organized by category (think Athletic Feats, Pop Culture, Geek Chic, and Past, Present, and Future), the game also includes 100 sheets of paper for teams to write their names and answers. Also, score sheets are included to help teams keep track of their points. Lastly, four pencils are included in the game box, so you don’t have to hunt around for a writing utensil once gameplay starts, so long as you’ve limited yourself to four teams.
And those questions we mentioned above? They’re niche in the best way and always attention-grabbing. Example questions from Ultimate Pub Trivia include the following:
- “What book’s main character is a boy named Jonas, whose life role is the Receiver of Memory?”
- “What TV show, about survivors that crash landed on an island, ran for six seasons?”
- “What Anne Rice novel was later adapted into a film in 1994 by the same name?”
- “Who wrote ‘Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion’?”
As you can see, Ultimate Pub Trivia offers a great balance between questions that everyone knows the answers to and others that are harder to solve.
Ultimate Pub Trivia: The Original Team Trivia Game is best played with a large group of people. This way, groups of several individuals can split off into teams, and no one has to play alone. We recommend splitting into only two or three teams for groups of nine or fewer.
This game has several different editions, so depending on where you purchase from, your game box may feature slightly different cover art or the cards may cover different trivia facts. For instance, the game’s most recent edition, released by University Games, features entirely new questions submitted by fans of the original game! No matter which edition you choose, you’re sure to have a unique and fun trivia night with Ultimate Pub Trivia.
- PUB QUIZ AT HOME: bring the weekly pub trivia night home to play in teams or host your own live-streamed trivia night using questions from the game!
- TEST YOUR WITS: play with original trivia questions covering 5 different categories
- 5 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES: play in teams and answer questions that cover 5 different pop culture categories like sports, past present and future, pop culture, anything goes, and literature
- FAMILY GAME NIGHT: drinking is optional but not required for this game, perfect for 4 or more players ages 12 and up
- BE THE QUIZMASTER: Host your own live stream pub quiz events on Youtube, Twitch, Instagram or Facebook easily and effortlessly with content from the game
The Big Pub Quiz
Our second pick for an ideal pub trivia board game is the Big Pub Quiz. Made by Professor Puzzle Games, this excellent collection of trivia quiz questions is not to be missed.
The Big Pub Quiz’s 1000 questions come from ten different categories. Those categories are as follows: general knowledge, art and literature, around the world, food and drink, science and nature, sports, history, music, television and film, and a picture round. These wide-ranging topics are sure to keep you and your guests entertained for the entirety of pub trivia night!
Questions from the Big Pub Quiz include “What was the first single taken from Shakira’s first English language album Laundry Service?”, “What are the second, third, and fourth letters of the Greek alphabet?” and “Which American city’s name translates to ‘The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the River of Porciuncula’?”. If these clues intrigue you, we highly recommend checking out the rest of the game.
This game also comes with sheets on which to write your answers and keep score, as well as cute mini pencils in keeping with the pub style. And if you’re a board game collector, you’ll love The Big Pub Quiz. It comes in a beautiful collectible wooden box that will look beautiful on your game shelf.
We especially love that The Big Pub Quiz offers a visual game round. For example, picture trivia cards will ask you to identify certain historical figures and landmarks from only one photo. This helps to mix up gameplay and keeps it from becoming too monotonous.
The Big Pub Quiz is appropriate for ages 14 and up. It can be played with as few as three players or two teams, but feel free to play it with as big a crowd as you like. Fun fact: the game comes with a paper crown that reads “Quiz Champion”—and if there’s anything we love, it’s a game with a silly prize!
Pub Quiz: The Board Game
Pub Quiz: The Board Game is another great choice, if we do say so ourselves. Created by Gift Republic, this game is sure to be a hit at your next at-home pub night.
This game surely wins the superlative of “Cutest Game” on this list, and for good reason: the board of Pub Quiz: The Board Game is illustrated to look like an aerial view of a pub. The illustration runs the gamut with kegs, taps, and a colorful beer garden. The spaces around the board are shown as sections of a wooden bar, with small figures pulled up to sit alongside it.
Even the game pieces exhibit illustrations of different classic alcoholic beverages! This makes for a nice touch and invokes the warm feelings of a night out at the pub.
Pub Quiz: The Board Game features trivia questions from five categories. These categories are music, sports, TV and film, science and nature, and general knowledge—in other words, this is pretty standard pub trivia fare. The category of any question will be signified by the color of the board square that the player lands on when they roll a die. Players will take turns drawing cards and reading off questions to other players. A correct answer will warrant one to collect points via the accumulation of trivia cards.
As the game progresses, players can collect certain power-ups that lie on certain board squares. For example, you can land on a square that allows you to choose your own trivia category for a round. Another square allows you to trade your trivia card with another player. But watch out! There are drawbacks around the board, such as getting into a “bar fight” or “dropping your glass”, both of which require you to give up one card.
Before purchasing Pub Quiz: The Board Game, note that this game is only suitable for two to six players. In other words, this might not be your best bet if you’d like to play a pub trivia game with a bigger group. Still, you can always make it work by splitting up into teams.
- Bring the pub home with this ultimate pub quiz game
- It's just like the real thing, complete with a beer garden, bar fights and getting stuck talking to the regular
- Roll the dice and make the way around the bar by answering classic pub quiz questions across 5 different categories
- Game includes 500 trivia cards divided into music, sports, general knowledge, TV & film, and science & nature
- Suitable for 2-6 players
The Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck
Next, we’ve got The Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck. Ok, ok, so this isn’t exactly a board game—it’s a deck of cards. However, this game was just too good not to include in our list of pub quizzes.
This deck was written by Jeopardy! champ Austin Rogers, who claims on the box to be “the smartest guy at the bar.” Considering his $445,000 bounty that he earned over the course of 17 Jeopardy! appearances, that’s a reasonable title for Austin Rogers! Additionally, Austin Rogers works as a bartender, so we don’t doubt his knowledge of what makes good bar trivia.
This awesome deck of cards contains 98 individual quizzes to be used during a pub trivia night. Each quiz contains multiple rounds—over 300 trivia rounds are provided in this one tiny box!
Categories and question topics in The Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck are wide-ranging, to say the least. They’ve got pop culture questions (think Keeping Up With The Kardashians lore), queries about classic literature plots, and clues about the Winter Olympics. Sounds like quite a melee to us!
At the time of this article’s publication, The Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck is only available for pre-order—it isn’t released until July 11, 2023. We’re certain that this card game is going to be a hit!
If you want to create a board game element for The Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck, simply grab a posterboard that you can draw a loop with spaces numbered 1 through 100. Then, grab some small items that can work as game pieces: Legos, pen caps, or even gummy bears will work just fine. For every question answered correctly, move your game piece one space forward to keep track of your score. Alternatively, you can grab a board and gaming pieces from another board game and repurpose them to help you further gamify this card deck. Easy as that!
The Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck can be played with as few as two players, but it’s best suited for a big trivia party. Go ham!
- Rogers, Austin (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 50 Pages - 07/11/2023 (Publication Date) - Workman Publishing Company (Publisher)
…I Should Have Known That!
Another favorite pub trivia game of ours is …I Should Have Known That! We’ve featured … I Should Have Known That! in quite a few of our game guides for a reason: it’s a super versatile game that’s fun and easy to play! While this isn’t explicitly a pub trivia game, it’s got all the makings of a good one: a wide array of questions from various categories and plenty of challenges.
…I Should Have Known That! is made by Hygge Games, an independent company that’s made itself into a trivia authority over the past few years. Their games are geared towards families, but this game can easily be adapted to fit in at a pub setting.
This game comes with 110 trivia cards that each have four questions written on them. That’s enough to last anyone quite a few pub trivia nights! Answers to each question can be found on the back of the card, so make sure you hold your cards close so no one sneaks a peek!
In …I Should Have Known That!, you’ll be asked random trivia questions from a wide array of categories. Example questions include “How long did Sleeping Beauty actually sleep?”, “Does the Statue of Liberty hold the torch in her left or right hand?” and “What does ICE mean when it is an entry in a cell phone’s address book?”. Some questions are significantly harder than others, so there’s something for everyone no matter your level of trivia expertise and general knowledge.
Like the Ultimate Pub Trivia Card Deck, …I Should Have Known That! doesn’t come with a physical game board. Therefore, if you’re solely interested in playing a board game, you will have to get a little creative. As mentioned above, we recommend repurposing household items to keep track of your score or using a board and game pieces from another game to visually represent the gameplay.
This game requires 2 or more players and can be adapted to suit any number of people.
- Is starboard on the left or right side of a boat? How do you say “japan†in japanese? Is a penguin a bird? How long did sleeping beauty actually sleep?
- In contrast to traditional trivia formats, you don't receive points for answering questions correctly. Instead, points are subtracted for every incorrect answer!
- Contains 110 cards with more than 400 questions about things that you should know
- An addictively entertaining trivia game where it will only be a matter of time before you hear yourself say… ahhh!... I should have known that!
- Players 2+ / age 14+ / box size 5.7 x 5.7 x 1.8 inches
Ridley’s Bar Quiz
Ridley’s Bar Quiz is another wonderful option that’s made specifically with pub trivia fans in mind. This little quiz packs a big punch and comes wrapped up in a sweet, colorful box.
There are plenty of good things about Ridley’s Bar Quiz. Firstly, Ridley is known for their well-made, in-depth trivia games, and we trust them to make a great one. Secondly, this game contains questions from over ten trivia categories, including general knowledge, television, pop culture, science, and geography.
Best of all, Ridley’s Bar Quiz includes 1000 trivia questions. That’s enough to last you for upwards of 15 games before you start repeating questions, and more if you opt for a shorter pub trivia night.
Example questions from Ridley’s Bar Quiz include “What does the immune system use to recognize bacteria and viruses?”, “Who played the role of Robert Barathoon in ‘Game of Thrones’?”, “What is the process called by which plants convert sunlight into energy?” and “Which TV series follows the antics of the hip hop mogul Lucious Lyon and his family?”. If those questions intrigue you, you will have to try your hand at the game for even more unique trivia clues!
In addition to a tall stack of 200 trivia cards containing five questions apiece, Ridley’s Bar Quiz comes with chance chips and joker chips that can help to spice up the game. It also comes with small pencils and an answer notepad that can be used to keep score. Lastly, there’s a pop-up cardboard quiz trophy, which can serve as a kooky prize that can be awarded to the first-place winner or team.
Once again, no board comes with this game—if you haven’t gathered yet, very few pub trivia games include game boards! As always, this can be adapted to include a game board if you have a spare one lying around and prefer to see your score represented visually. Use the score chips as you move around the board and see how many points you can rack up!
- TRIVIA GAME – Satisfy your thirst for knowledge with the Bar Quiz card game from Ridley’s! Do you have what it takes to be crowned the ultimate quiz champion?
- FUN FOR THE FAMILY – Gather your friends and family, young and old alike, and get the party started. Ideal for 2+ players, this bar trivia game is excellent for social gatherings, parties and family nights. It’s also an inspired conversation starter!
- EASY TO PLAY – This family trivia game is easy to play and tons of fun for everyone. It includes 10 challenging topics ranging from pop culture to general knowledge.
- INCLUDES – Find out who will take the prize and earn the Bar Quiz trophy! This trivia card game also includes a notepad for answers, pencils, and question cards with a total of 1,000 questions.
- RIDLEY’S – Ridley’s invents exciting, original, quality games and toys to spark imaginations, banish boredom and open up a world of immense fun. Our games offer players a truly unique experience, with innovative bespoke packaging and game play.
Pub Trivia Quiz Mastery
Last but not least, we recommend Pub Trivia Quiz Mastery for your at-home pub trivia night. Written by Gertrude Madison and narrated by Barry Watson, this game offers a truly unique option for at-home trivia night—one that won’t require an emcee.
Pub Trivia Quiz Mastery comes in audiobook form, so there’s no need for any player of the game to volunteer as a host. Instead, let the narrator lead you through the game so that you can focus on answering the questions and being an active player.
This makes for a great departure from a traditional at-home trivia night, in which one player has to sacrifice part of their gaming experience for the sake of the group. Having an unfamiliar voice read you every question and answer can make it feel like you’re at a real pub trivia night or even competing on a game show!
We at Trivia Bliss love the immersion that Pub Trivia Quiz Mastery offers because of its audiobook format. We recommend keeping score using a board game you already own if you’d like to incorporate a physical representation of your journey throughout the game.
- Audible Audiobook
- Gertude Madison (Author) - Barry Watson (Narrator)
- English (Publication Language)
- 06/10/2020 (Publication Date) - @PUA_DATING_TIPS (Publisher)
Final Words
There you have it! These have been our seven favorite pub trivia games for your perusing pleasure. We hope one (if not more!) of these games serve you as your new go-to for pub trivia night. Not enough for ya? We’ve also got a list of the best at-home bar trivia games.
Have you tried playing any of these games before? If so, did you like the game you played? We want to know all about your gameplay experience, so feel free to drop a comment below. And if you end up purchasing one of these games, we encourage you to leave your honest review in the comments.
Interested in more trivia games? Boy, have we got some guides for you! We can tell you the best niche trivia games, including general music trivia games, ‘90s R&B games, games appropriate for families with kids, and multiplayer trivia games.
And if you’d prefer trivia on an app as opposed to a physical game, we can help you out there, too. You can find our ranking of every single Jeopardy! quiz app here and our reviews of Trivia Crack Payday and the Trivia Bar here and here, respectively.
At Trivia Bliss, we cover more than just game recommendations—we’ve got a ton of our own trivia, too. Check out our very own trivia database. With thousands upon thousands of trivia questions and answers available for free, you’ll never run out of new fun facts to satisfy your trivia palette. We update the database frequently, so check back for new questions on regularly.
Trivia Bliss also boasts an amazing trivia quiz generator that you can use for any trivia night or your own personal study. Additionally, check out our themed quizzes for trivia study that are concentrated on one single topic. Enjoy your trivia, no matter how you like it!
Leave a Reply