Find the perfect turn timer for any game night setup
| Game Type | Rec. Table Size | Play Area | Rail Height | Max Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy | 36x36 in | 9.0 sq ft | 1.5 in | 4 |
| Card Game | 48x36 in | 12.0 sq ft | 1.0 in | 6 |
| Board Game | 42x42 in | 12.3 sq ft | 0.8 in | 5 |
| Party Game | 60x36 in | 15.0 sq ft | 0 in | 10 |
| Co-op | 42x36 in | 10.5 sq ft | 0.5 in | 6 |
| War Game | 60x48 in | 20.0 sq ft | 2.0 in | 4 |
| Game | Turn Timer | Turns/Player | Total Turns | Game Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chess | 90 sec | 40 | 80 | 60 min |
| Catan | 60 sec | 15 | 60 | 75 min |
| Poker | 30 sec | 25 | 150 | 90 min |
| Monopoly | 45 sec | 30 | 120 | 90 min |
| Risk | 120 sec | 10 | 40 | 120 min |
| Uno | 15 sec | 20 | 100 | 30 min |
| Players | Timer | Table Size | Duration | Game Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 90 sec | 30x30 in | 60 min | Strategy |
| 4 | 45 sec | 42x42 in | 75 min | Euro |
| 6 | 30 sec | 60x36 in | 90 min | Card |
| 8 | 20 sec | 72x36 in | 45 min | Party |
A board game timer helps to stop games from lasting too long. It simply shows how much time each player uses for his turn. Knowing that the time is tracked is enough so that everything moves fast.
When some players think too much and slow the game, the timer gives them a friendly push and stops their pauses
Are several kinds of timers for board games. Hourglasses with sand and digital timers both have popularity. Use different sizes of sand timers according to the game and the time; for instance 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes or 10 minutes.
They work well, because they are simple, practical and help to keep players on their tose.
For digital options several apps are available. The Shared Game Timer offers a full system for board games. It can count up, count down or imitate sand.
It has undo, manage time because it does not limit to one player turn and means online synchronization between devices. The timer points the whole time that player used in the game, together with the present turn and optional audio signals for slow turns. It also shows the proportions of play time for every player.
Other app Board Game Timer follows up to 8 players in three ways: simple time track for every player without pressure, count down with fixed limit for player or time per turn with maximum duration. Some apps allow infinite players with editable names, set times for turns, random choice of the first player, 10-second warning, strong ticking for the last 5 seconds and loud buzzer at the end. It is possible to even pause the timer at timeout, which is useful for cleanup before the next turn.
A timer changes the game and makes it more interesting. For instance, Mechs vs. Minions use an hourglass from the publisher to limit time for turns. If some player surpasses the time, he loses, which adds fun to the game without changing the basic rules.
That works especially for games as Catan with 20 minutes each player and Jenga with 1 minute each player.
Groups with analysis paralysis (where players do really long turns), benefit most. Ensure that everyone uses the timer, even if only one or two players are slow. Some website-based timers operate on any phone without an app.
Physical buttons as the Flic 2 work with certain apps, so that players can press once to end a turn, twice to pass the round and long press to pause.