SALT LAKE CITY — Board games have made a comeback over the past couple of years due to the restrictions associated with COVID-19, according to a study by the website solitairebliss.com.

The website says the most popular board game in Utah is Catan. Catan is also listed as the most popular board game in Colorado, Michigan and Washington. Games such as checkers and chess were also the most popular game in several states.

Monopoly was most popular in California, New York, Florida and Texas.

The site also lists the most popular board games among 30 major cities around the country. And while Salt Lake City isn’t listed, Catan is listed as the most popular game in Seattle and San Francisco. 

Chess was the most popular game in cities such as New York City, Atlanta and Detroit.

The website says the virtual board games exploded in popularity in 2020. It says 56 percent of Americans enjoy game nights either in person or online. Additionally, 35 percent of Americans say they play board games several times a month, while 45 percent of Americans say they play a few times a year.

The website also found that 70 percent of Americans play games as a way to spend time with family. In addition, 65 percent of Americans say they play games to spend time with friends.

The study also found that 14 percent of people played games as a way to do something when the power is out, while 2 percent got into them because of the pandemic.

Online board games

Monopoly is the most popular game to play virtually, while Catan was eighth. 

According to the website, Google searches for “best board games 2020” increased by 853% in just a month from February 2020 to March 2020.

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