When Were Board Games Invented? Ancient Origins, No Single Year

Board games weren't "invented" in one year—they evolved over millennia:

• ~3000 BCE: Senet (Ancient Egypt)—oldest known board game.
• ~2600 BCE: Royal Game of Ur (Mesopotamia).
• ~2000 BCE: Pachisi (India)—ancestor of Ludo/Parcheesi.
• ~1400 BCE: Mehen (Egypt), Go (China, possibly earlier).
• ~600 CE: Chaturanga (India)—ancestor of Chess.
• 19th Century: Modern mass-produced games (Monopoly ancestors, Checkers standardization).
• 20th Century: Explosion of commercial board games.

Board gaming is a human universal with a 5,000+ year history—no single invention date.