15+ Brilliant Storage Ideas for Board Games
These brilliant storage ideas for board games will help you organize your board games, playing cards, and puzzles in a way that is both practical and beautiful. You’ll finally be able to tame the board game chaos!
I love a good board game! Our family has spent many memorable evenings challenging one another and having fun with some good natured competition.
But when it comes to storing board games (and card games and puzzles!) in an organized way? That can get a little trickier.
So I decided to compile a list of board game storage ideas that are both pretty and practical. You can organize your games like a pro no matter how many games you own or how much space you have!
Beautiful and Organized Board Game Storage Ideas
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
1. Store board games in large zipper pouches. Then corral the zipper pouches in bins.
I love this practical and streamlined solution for board game storage from Michelle and Steph at Sunny Side Design!
They saved tons of storage space by getting rid of the original (often flimsy) game boxes in favor of cute zipper bags. They then added easy-to-read labels and even stored their games alphabetically to make them easier to find!
Corralling all of the zipper bags in pretty woven bins was a great final touch, keeping the bags from getting scattered and messy in the cabinet.
Get Michelle and Steph’s full tutorial along with links to the items they used here.
2. Use a mini version of the game box to label your board games.
Leslie from Lamberts Lately used the zipper bag strategy for her board games as well. And then she added the cutest personalized labels!
Leslie printed mini versions of the board game boxes and laminated them, attaching them to the zipper of each bag. Not only does it look adorable, but it makes it SO easy for her family to find the exact game they’re looking for.
I also love how Leslie utilized different sized zipper bags based on the size of the game pieces– get all of the details in her post here.
3. Store board games vertically rather than stacking them.
This strategy was a game changer when I used to to organize board games in my boys’ playroom!
Rather than having to unstack and re-stack a bunch of games to get to the one we want to play, storing board games vertically makes it quick to grab the exact game we need.
I had initially planned to use bookends to support the the games so they wouldn’t fall over, but I didn’t even end up needing them! The games sat nicely all on their own.
We have been using the vertical board game storage strategy for several years now, and it is still working well for us!
4. Use inexpensive headbands to hold together worn out board game boxes.
If you have some board game boxes that have seen better days, Jessica from The Organized Mama has a simple solution– inexpensive headbands!
Simply slide the headband around the board game box to reinforce it and hold the top and bottom together. Then you won’t have to worry about it falling open and scattering the game pieces.
You can find even more ideas for keeping board games tidy on Jessica’s blog.
5. Use plastic portfolio boxes to store board games in a uniform way.
I love how neat and streamlined the board games look in this storage idea from Mique at 30 Handmade Days!
She used flat, clear portfolio boxes to store her games, and they are so nice and uniform. She finished off the look with a simple label maker label so everyone in her family could easily find the game they were looking for.
Get links to the exact storage containers she used for her board games and learn more details about Mique’s process here.
6. Store wooden puzzles in flat plastic bins to keep the pieces together.
When my boys were little, they adored wooden puzzles, but the pieces could be hard to keep together!
Megan from The Homes I Have Made has several brilliant ways to fix this problem, including these pretty and practical flat plastic bins.
The puzzle pieces stay together easily. And since the bins are clear, the kids can find the exact set they’re looking for.
Get even more ideas for storing wood puzzles (including a fun DIY option!) on Megan’s blog.
7. Grab a wire rack to store wooden puzzles.
We used one of these simple wire racks to store our wooden puzzles when my boys were young, and it worked like a charm!
The rack made it easy for the boys to pull out the puzzles themselves. And every puzzle had a home to go back to so they weren’t making a mess on the shelves.
This strategy worked well for us even when we didn’t have a dedicated playroom. See our organized toy storage in our townhouse living room here.
8. Store card games in photo organizing cases.
Along with her streamlined white bins to store her board games, I love how Stephanie from Somewhat Simple used photo organizer cases to store her card games!
She ditched the hard-to-open cardboard boxes that often get ripped and crushed and used this smart solution instead. Now all of her card games are in one easy-to-access spot.
Get the links for the exact organizers Stephanie used on her blog.
9. Use zipper bags to organize playing cards.
I also ditched the annoying card boxes and used these fun rainbow zipper bags for our card games instead!
Since the bags are see-through, my boys can find the card game they’re looking for quickly. And the zipper bags are easier for little ones to manage than the cardboard boxes.
After our cards were all situated in their colorful bags, I stored them all in a white KUGGIS box from IKEA. They were a perfect fit!
See more ideas for organizing games and toys in my boys’ Organized Tween Hangout Room.
10. Make board games pretty by storing them in hollow books.
My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw this gorgeous idea for board game storage from Ashley over at At Home with Ashley!
She DIY-ed these hollow books, dyeing their covers and adding custom designs to create this stunning look.
11. Use wood veneer to give board games a streamlined look.
Ann Marie from White House, Black Shutters went the DIY route with her board game storage as well!
She added a birch veneer to her board game boxes, stamping out the names with a wood burning tool.
Since her storage unit has a clear glass front, it displays her beautifully organized games perfectly, doubling as organization and decor.
Get the step-by-step tutorial for Ann Marie’s game boxes on her blog.
12. DIY a coffee table with built-in board game storage.
One organizing rule I try to follow as much as possible is to store items near where I’ll use them. This makes the items easy and convenient to access when I need them.
This incredible DIY coffee table from Zoe at Pine and Poplar follows this rule impeccably! With tons of built-in storage, this pretty coffee table makes game night a snap, providing the perfect place to organize games close by yet out of sight.
Get the plans and full tutorial for the DIY coffee table on Zoe’s blog.
13. Make use of an awkward storage space to organize board games.
Jess from Jessica Welling Interiors had an awkwardly shaped storage area in her home that wasn’t being used to its fullest potential.
With the help of some inexpensive IKEA storage units, she was able to turn the space into a perfect place to store her kids’ board games and toys!
Since board games are on the smaller side and live in neat rectangular boxes, they are great candidates for living in an otherwise hard-to-use storage space.
Get more ideas for maximizing a less-than-ideal storage space on Jess’s blog.
14. Use a rolling cart to organize board games, playing cards, and puzzles.
If board games, cards, and puzzles are readily available for family members to play, they’ll be much more likely to use them!
I love rolling carts for organizing many different things, and board games are no exception. I created this game cart when we were stuck at home during the pandemic, and it was so convenient to be able to grab a game at any time.
(And it helped curb the refrain of “I’m bored!” too!)
See even more ways to get organized with a rolling cart.
15. Store board games in an armoire.
Finally, Melissa from Life with Less Mess repurposed an armoire to store her board games, providing a chic and convenient organizing solution.
She maximized the space she had available, using a combination of vertical and stacked storage to really make the most of her storage unit.
Get all the details about Melissa’s armoire organizer on her blog.
Our Favorite Board Games
Looking for some awesome board games to add to your collection? These are some of our favorites (Click on any image to shop!):
Storage Ideas for Board Games: Final Thoughts
I hope these storage ideas for board games will be helpful for you as you work to organize the games, puzzles, and cards in your home!
There are so many pretty and practical ways to streamline our board games so they stay neat and tidy for the long haul.
More Toy Storage Ideas
If you’ll be organizing your own space in the near future and these ideas were helpful, be sure to pin the image below so you can reference them later!
Thank you for following along! Have a wonderful day!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
