There are quite a few versions of this board game out there – but what’s the best Monopoly Editions you can buy?
Monopoly has already ranked near the top for the best selling board games in 2020.
If you list all of the various Monopoly themes, location-specific, spin-off’s and other variations of the game since its inception – you’ll discover over one thousand. Most of these you’ll never find, some are even fictitious – but the sheer number is still considerable.
Despite all the variations, decades it has been going, licensing in 103 countries and translations into 37 different languages – opinions on this game are varied.
As a household board game – many view it as a classic, a staple on shelves and in cupboards across the world. Other avid game players and hobbyists have been hugely more critical rating it amongst the worst out there.
The concept is fairly clear – total domination of the capitalist theme board. Build your property portfolio, make as much money as possible and bankrupt all the other players.
This article will cover some of the top Monopoly editions available now. We review each version we were able to get our hands on, and try not to fall out while doing it.
Contents
- Best Monopoly Editions – Our Top 12 Versions
- 1. Monopoly: Classic Edition
- 2. Monopoly: Cheaters Edition
- 3. Monopoly Junior
- 4. Monopoly: Country and Towns Editions: Various
- 5. Monopoly: Star Wars Complete Saga Edition
- 6. Monopoly: Stranger Things Edition
- 7. Monopoly: Pokémon
- 8. London Underground Monopoly
- 9. The Goonies Monopoly
- 10. Monopoly Electronic Banking Game
- 11. Monopoly Voice Banking
- 12. Monopoly Socialism
- Summary
Best Monopoly Editions – Our Top 12 Versions
1. Monopoly: Classic Edition
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MONOPOLY Classic Game | $21.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Like a revisionist George Lucas – it could be argued there is no definitive “classic Monopoly” edition as it has been tweaked and fiddled with over the years.
But the essence of the original will always remain, whether your sobbing over the loss of the Top Hat or in the UK buying King’s Cross Station instead of The Short Line.
The concept originally came from a 1903 game called The Landlord’s Game as a way to relate economic theories at the time.
Inspired by this, Parker Brothers highlighting the idea of total corporate domination released the board game Monopoly in 1935.
You’re presented with a playing board. Depending on your geographical location, there are squares around the outside with well-known city street names, each with a buy price on them, grouped together in patches of two or three and colour coded.
You can also buy train stations and utility companies. There are also squares where you must pay tax or collect a card from the chance or community chest.
Four corner squares are present; one where you receive money for passing GO, one where you get sent to jail, another is the jail and finally a free spot for just idling.
The number of moves a player makes depends on the roll of two dice. Players move their tokens along the board in line with the number they rolled.
One of the most recognisable things about Monopoly is these player tokens, usually made from metal.
They’re also prone to changing often and depending on when you first played – you’ve probably noticed some of the changes.
Gone into the sands are time are the rocking horse, lantern and the purse. Long term pieces recently phased out include the boot, thimble, iron and cannon. The battleship, top hat and Scottie dog have all survived and recent additions have included the cat, penguin and a T-Rex.
Each player is given a sum of money to begin with from the Bank – often a combination of large and small denominations. This sum can be used to buy properties as you go, for which you receive a playing card containing various rent values. If an opposing player lands on your property – they pay rent.
In addition to buying stations, streets and utilities, money can also be used to pay fines such as tax, rent and other costs.
There are two card types you may pick up along the way – the Chance Cards and the Community Chest. What the cards say can either fill you with delight or have you mumbling expletives under your breath.
Cards such as winning a prize at a beauty contest or it being your birthday can result in the bank or other players giving you money.
Some, such as the infamous Get Out Of Jail Free card can be kept for another time. Others are not so nice and can cost you money on fines, land you in jail or have you moving your token back / forward on the board (not always a great one if you land on the tax square).
When you have an entire collection of card colours or types – you can now buy houses. The more houses you have, the more a fine you give when a player lands on your property. The fines for the final stage, the hotel, are eye-watering!
Sounds simple, right? The game comes with rules. Lots of rules. Which no-one ever reads.
What you are guaranteed is that at least one of your players will have their own interpretation of the rules. Rolling a double six gives you an extra turn? You don’t have to go to jail if you pay money upfront? No-one knows for sure and no-one wants to be “that person” who picks up the rules to check.
Wars have been fought over misunderstandings over Monopoly games. Divorces, fights and lifelong friendships ended.
Okay, so this is all a bit of an exaggeration. But it can get competitive, it can get heated, it can get emotional – and it’s because of that that I love this game so much.
2. Monopoly: Cheaters Edition
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Monopoly Game: Cheaters Edition Board Game, for 3-6 players, Ages 8 and Up | $16.35 | Buy on Amazon |
One of the problems with the classic version of Monopoly is there’s always a player who MAY have cheated. They may have slipped an extra $500 note out the bank. They may have swapped the chance card out or moved an extra square to avoid paying tax.
They probably haven’t. But this is business. You need to be ruthless. Keep a keen eye on every player, no toilet breaks – your real estate empire hangs in the balance here.
Unless you’re the cheater, the bank robber and the white-collar criminal.
To avoid all of this unpleasantness at your party – Monopoly has released a Cheater’s Edition – where you can cheat, lie and swindle your way to total domination.
The fundamental gameplay and parts of Cheater’s Edition are identical to that of the Classic game. The board is dark themed instead of the usual white and the houses are absent – only hotels this time.
In the centre of the board are cheat cards. The cards encourage the player to cheat and give information on the best way to carry it out. Don’t trust the Chance and Community Chest either – they’re just as corrupt.
Get away with the cheat, and you win great riches. Get caught – it’s punishment time.
To spice up the risk of getting caught, handcuffs are attached to the jail square. Players sent to jail must wear the cuffs until released.
So swindle the bank, fix the roll of the die, con, lie and cheat – just don’t get caught.
This is a different evolution of Monopoly and depending on the group you are playing it can result in a very funny evenings activities. Though this may suit a younger audience better – it’s still a treat.
3. Monopoly Junior
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hasbro Monopoly Junior Board Game, Ages 5 and up (Amazon Exclusive) | $16.44 | Buy on Amazon |
Although kids can play standard Monopoly games, they can be a little overwhelming for the younger ones. The number of rules and going on can be followed, but it sucks all of the fun out of it sometimes.
Monopoly’s answer to this is the release of Junior, a child-friendly edition of the board game.
Faster, simpler and suitable for anyone aged 5+.
The familiar character tokens are different, the adorable; Little Scottie Dog, Rubber Ducky, Little T-Rex and Little Penguin.
Properties are also more child-friendly – where players can now buy a skate park, toy store or ice cream parlour among other things.
But the outcome is still the same – bankrupt the other players. Collect the properties, grab that money and work your way to the top.
4. Monopoly: Country and Towns Editions: Various
There are hundreds of these editions out there. Far more than I can possibly ever play let alone write about.
These are locally based versions of Monopoly – with properties, cards and even tokens tailored to the town, city or country it relates to.
Though some may decry some of the choices in these geographic-specific versions as a little stereotypical – if you take it for the tongue-in-cheek spirit it’s intended – they’re quirky and fun.
Most of these may be a little tricky to get hold of – though some of them are available online in their respective areas. Favourites include:
- Australia Edition: For our Australian readers – The Top Hat is out. Instead, your tokens are a BBQ, Kangaroo, Kookaburra, Aussie Surfer, Meat Pie and a Cricket Bat. Locations include Sydney Harbour and Alice Springs. Chance and Community Chest cards all represent Australian culture too.
- National Parks Edition: The United States National Parks are an amazing collection of sites to visit and see. This Monopoly edition pays homage to the Parks with a board featuring 22 parks as property squares. There’s also an impressive range of artwork from the parks in the game too. The metal tokens for this edition are; a ranger’s hat, a tent, canoe, hiking boots and a camera.
- Harrogate Edition: I picked this at random for our UK readers – there are loads of British towns and cities available including Leicester, Margate, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Shrewsbury, and Carlisle. Harrogate landmarks like the Theatre, The Pump Museum, Stockeld Park and Bettys are all up for grabs.
A word of warning on these editions if you are playing with local purists – expect errors. Street names may have a typo or a location may state the wrong date. Most overlook it, but as I discovered playing this once in an unnamed Scottish city – some people get very wound up by it.
5. Monopoly: Star Wars Complete Saga Edition
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Monopoly: Star Wars Complete Saga Edition Board Game for Kids Ages 8 & Up (Amazon Exclusive) | $89.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Wookies, Sith Lords, Rebels, Droids, X-Wings and Tie Fighters – it’s all here in this Star Wars themed edition of the game. There are a number of variations available – but as this one covers the nine core cannon films – I picked this.
Gone are the houses and hotels, replaced with ships. Properties are planets. Money are galactic credits. Chance and Community Chest becomes Jedi Training and Holocron.
Despite being set in an exciting galaxy far far away, the idea is still the same – bankrupt the other players.
So, get set to go to lightspeed and use the force to skillfully work your way to becoming ruler of the galaxy.
6. Monopoly: Stranger Things Edition
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hasbro Gaming Monopoly Stranger Things Edition | $54.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Prepare to take your game to the Upside Down place in this special Stranger Things version.
Based on the fantastic nostalgia-laden retro sci-fi tv show from Netflix, this game is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
It’s 1983 and Will Byers has gone missing and it’s up to you to find him.
To do this you need to explore Hawkins, visiting the locations from the show and whatever you do – avoid being trapped in the upside down place.
I absolutely love the dark visuals of the board in this version – right down to the black houses and red hotels. There are eight tokens including an old television set and camera – four of these are silver, the other four bronze to represent the upside down place.
Centre cards have been replaced with Walkie-Talkie and Blinking Lights cards.
Buy, sell and trade as normal – but don’t fall foul of the Demogorgon. Take an 80’s nostalgia trip to Hawkins and save the day.
For mega fans, there’s also a Collector’s Edition available.
7. Monopoly: Pokémon
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MONOPOLY: Pokemon Kanto Edition | $54.95 | Buy on Amazon |
Gotta catch em all – and take all their money in the process. We’ll start with the tokens – who needs an old boot when you can play with your favourite Pokémon characters; Pikachu (“PIKACHUUUUU”), Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Eevee and my personal highlight – Jigglypuff.
8. London Underground Monopoly
It’s my guilty pleasure to add this marvel of Victorian engineering. Follow the lines and connections of the Tube system as you buy locations like Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Covent Gardens and pile your property empire above ground.
There’s little variation here with the Classic London edition – but if like me, you have a secret love of the Underground system – this may be one for the collection
9. The Goonies Monopoly
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Monopoly® The Goonies | Based on The 80s Adventure Classic Film | Collectible Monopoly Game... | $44.97 | Buy on Amazon |
One of the great 80’s classics is now available as a Monopoly board game and we’re thrilled. Visit Astoria, Oregon and partake in the quests to find the treasure which will eventually stop the evil developers from bulldozing your house.
The aim is to collect “One Eyed” Willy’s treasure and the the player pieces are there to help you. The attention to detail from the film is second to none and includes; Little Girl’s Bike (once you remember that was Thanos himself riding that bicycle – you’ll never unsee it), Copper Bones, Gold Doubloon, Statue of David (includes “her favorite piece”), Willy’s Eye Patch, Skull and Crossed Bones.
Gone are the houses, hotels and cards – it’s all booby traps, treasure chests, Never Say Die and Hey You Guys cards. A must for 80’s geeks everywhere.
10. Monopoly Electronic Banking Game
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hasbro Gaming Monopoly Super Electronic Banking Board Game, Electronic Banking Unit, Choose Your... | $39.98 | Buy on Amazon |
Are you still using paper money in a digital world? Not in this update from Monopoly.
Each player gets a bank card which they can use to receive and make payments as well as transfer money between players.
11. Monopoly Voice Banking
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MONOPOLY Voice Banking Electronic Family Board Game for Ages 8 & Up | $21.65 | Buy on Amazon |
In terms of gimmicks – this voice banking edition is certainly up there. If you’ve ever used an Alexa before – you know it has its limitations until you get used to each other. Well, imagine a semi-functioning Alexa clone, barking orders at you, in an unclear way, looking like a Top Hat.
Imagine a semi-functioning Alexa clone, barking orders at you, in an unclear way, looking like a Top Hat.
If this dystopian nightmare appeals to your inner tech geek – look no further than this game.
In an attempt to downscale global operations in these financially difficult times, Rich Uncle Pennybags (or Mr Monopoly) now uses voice recognition to control his banks.
Being the security conscious billionaire he is, he’s styled it after a top hat which now manages all the players’ money, real estate dealings, rent, fines and balance requests.
And bless him, he does try. He just doesn’t always get it right.
Depending on your view – you’re either going to completely fall in love with this quirky voice edition of the game or outright loathe your new electronic overlords.
Possibly not the best monopoly board game version available – but if you want to experience a different way to play a tried and tested classic – this is one to check out.
12. Monopoly Socialism
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MONOPOLY Socialism Board Game Parody Adult Party Game | $104.18 | Buy on Amazon |
Monopoly from the Mirror Universe. If you enjoy a game where you give all your money away – this is the version for you. Build a utopia, make society a perfect place. Keep dipping into that Community Chest and when the money runs out – the game is over.
Cynical but fun.
Summary
Whether you play a straight game or a crooked one, on this planet or another – we hope you found our guide to the best Monopoly editions helpful.
There are hundreds of other versions of this game out for your game nights there including Game of Thrones (complete with the Iron Throne), Only Fools and Horses, Millennial Edition, Harry Potter, Legend of Zelda, The Walking Dead, Friends, Metallica, Fortnite and countless others – so if nothing on our list tickles your fancy, keep looking.
But despite the aesthetics of the board game, the outcome is always the same. Outplay the other players, take all of their money and become the property-owning tycoon you were meant to be.
So whether you’re buying this for yourself, a trip, to play with friends or as a Christmas or Birthday present – there’s a theme somewhere you’re sure to love.
Check out our the rest of the site for other game ideas. Feel free to leave your reviews or comments in the comments section below or on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
