Free and Inexpensive Places to Play Tabletop Board Games in Wichita, KS

Sharing is caring!

Tabletop board games are such a classic way to unplug and bond with family and friends! But these days you don’t have to stay home to enjoy them – you can join others in the community on a board game night. Who knows, you may learn a new game or even meet a new friend!

Over the past few weeks I’ve discovered quite a few places to play board games in Wichita, including comic book shops, coffee houses and breweries.

The best part is that there’s something for everyone. I like that the board games have venues for families and adults only too. It gives you a variety of environments to try out.

Also, these board game nights are just one of many things to do in Wichita! (I don’t know how people can say “there’s nothing to do.” In fact, I think there are so many things to do now that I don’t know how you’d ever possibly do ALL of it! But if you haven’t found them yet, that’s okay. Just subscribe to our newsletter and you’ll get updates with everything we find.)

Wizard’s Alley 

This comic book and game shop has a new space in downtown Wichita at 114 N. Saint Francis Ave Wichita, KS, 67217 in Suite 200. The owners say it’ll be a great place for gaming. Keep an eye on their Instagram page for progress.

It used to be called Wizards Asylum ICT and they offered free board game demo nights as well as other card playing events.

Pink Elephant Games & Café

Located at 2431 W Pawnee St., Pink Elephant Games & Café offers a food, along with a vast selection of board games. They host regular open board game nights, providing an excellent opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts and try out new games.

Headshots Bar & Grill

Headshots is in the shopping center at 21st and Woodlawn. Like Pink Elephant, Headshots serves food and has an extensive gaming library. For a modest fee, patrons can enjoy unlimited access to over 500 board games and 1,000 video games. It’s a great spot for both casual and hardcore gamers. They card at the door.

Mana Vault

Mana Vault on 1629 S. Meridian is a hobby and gaming store. They’ve hosted a variety of game tournaments, pre-releases and demo days in the past. Visit the Mana Vault Facebook page for more details on their events.

Board Game events in Wichita

If you love board games, be sure to find out more about the events listed below!

TsunamiCon 2025

Mark your calendars for October 24–26, 2025, as TsunamiCon returns to the Wichita Scottish Rite. This premier tabletop gaming convention offers a variety of gaming opportunities, including board games, role-playing games, and more. It’s a must-attend event for gaming enthusiasts.

Flying Monkey Con 2025

Scheduled for September 13–14, 2025, at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Flying Monkey Con is Wichita’s largest tabletop gaming convention. The event features competitive tabletop wargaming, including Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar, as well as a vendor hall open to the public.

Bonding Thru Board Games

The Sedgwick County Extension Center on 21st & Ridge Rd. hosts FREE family board game nights throughout the year. Visit our post for a detailed list of this year’s dates.

Wichita Public Library

Check the Events schedule at the library. We see board game events planned at various locations for different ages, including teen gaming and family board game events. To find relevant results, set your filter to search for the term board game and choose a date range.

Make ICT Game Nights

MakeICT, the amazing makerspace in an old school on East Mt. Vernon Street, has regular game nights scheduled. It’s located in southeast Wichita. Check out the Facebook page for more info, and look for the Events tab.

Where to Find Board Games for FREE or Cheap in Wichita

It’s a great idea to support your FLGS whenever possible, but if you’re on the hunt for free or cheap board games – perhaps for budget reasons – you do have options!

• Check out bin stores in Wichita
• The Wichita Public Library may have games at some library locations, and they certainly have a vast supply of books on tabletop gaming. Read up to learn what kinds of games are available and how and why to play (and win) them!
• Thrift stores and flea markets will sometimes have offerings

Where else can we find good, cheap board games? Please let us know in the comments!

Wichita Board Game Resources

There’s a Wichita Board Game Group on Facebook that might be worth a follow if you want to stay up with the local tabletop gaming community.

Closed Board Game Shops or Events

These are some of the board game resources we’ve written about in the past. We’ve since learned that they have ended or closed.

[Now closed] Cardboard Carnage is not an actual location in itself, but a very active gaming community that hosts free board game nights every Thursday at 7 p.m. They also host game demos at various venues. (Visit the Cardboard Carnage Facebook page to view the various events.) These events are for ages 12 and up with parent participation for minors required. For more information, read our article Free Tabletop University from Three Friendly Local Game Shops in Wichita.

[Now closed] Hero Complex Games & Entertainment is a game shop located on 21st & Woodlawn. They have regular weekly gaming events. For a complete list of their game events, visit the Hero Complex Facebook page.

[Now closed.] Grinning Goblin Gaming Tavern is an 18+ establishment owned by Jennifer and Patrick Burton that has retro and modern gaming consoles, including Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, Game Cube, Wii U, PS1, PS4, and Xbox one. They also have a variety of board games that people can play. The consoles and board games are FREE to play, but you have to leave your ID at the bar when checking them out. They do charge a fee for the use of the Oculus Rift, which is their virtual reality system. They are located at 1625 S. Rock Rd. Suite 135.

[Now closed] Sente: Games and Refreshments is a new gourmet coffee and board game shop in downtown Wichita. It is located on Douglas across from the ICT Pop Up Park. They have a library of over 300 board games to choose from. You can play all day for $3 and children 10 and under are free as long as they have at least one paying adult with them. They also host Throwback Thursdays where all classic board games are FREE to play on Thursdays. Sente also has FREE game demo nights in which you can learn to play new games for free. Follow Sente on Facebook to learn about upcoming game demo nights.