When you have collected a significant number of games, like all good dice goblins, keeping them under control can become a challenge. Luckily for you, we aren’t here to tell you to declutter your collection. Keep reading to find out how to organize your board games and RPGs in the most effective way for you and your home. 

1. Assess your space

The most important question you need to ask yourself when you’re organizing your games is whether you want them packed away or on display. 

You may choose to keep your games out of sight for a number of reasons. You or the people you live with prefer a minimal aesthetic. You want to keep small components or collector’s items away from young children or over-enthusiastic pets. Before you start reorganizing your boxes and books, make sure you have enough free space in your basement, attic or wardrobe. If you don’t, invest in some self-assembly closed shelving big enough for all your games.

If you prefer to have an easy-access display of your hobby, we recommend floating shelves installed alternately at different levels. This will give you more dynamic space for tiny party game boxes, rows of books, display items, and tall unwieldy game boxes. 

2. Define your organization style 

Decluttering experts will typically ask their clients whether visual or categorical organizing works best for them. Both are functional in their own ways, and they both have distinct drawbacks. You need to decide which philosophy works best for you. 

Categorical organizing

Organizing your games categorically would mean sorting them by genre or game system, for example. Arranging them alphabetically or by player count is also categorical organizing.

The benefit of this style is that your games will be easy to find. Sorting by genre is a great option if you often don’t know exactly what you feel like playing. You can easily browse whichever section corresponds to your mood, limiting an overwhelming number of options. If you sort by game system, you can make a quick selection based on who you’re playing with or how much time you have. 

The most important drawback of categorical organizing is that it can look messy. When you aren’t actively arranging a large board game collection aesthetically, it’s easy for an array of boxes in different sizes, shapes and colors to feel more like clutter than a display. 

Another potential challenge is when it comes time to clean, especially after a night where you may have played multiple board games. You need to make sure they go back into their correct spot when you’re packing away, and you may need to shuffle the entire collection when you get new games. If clean-up is something you struggle with, you will find yourself just dropping game boxes wherever there’s a convenient open space. 

Visual organizing

If you are a visual organizer, you may prefer your collection to be arranged in a way that is as aesthetically pleasing as possible. If your collection looks cluttered and messy, it can make you feel overwhelmed, even if everything is in the correct order categorically. If your games are stored out of the way in a closet, you don’t want to end up avoiding your shelves because of what they look like whenever you open the door. 

The two most popular ways of organizing visually are by color or by size and shape.

If you don’t have many items of a specific color or shape, simply turn one or more of them around so that the box or book covers are facing forwards. Choose one you love looking at, or swap them out to keep your display engaging over the long term. 

The benefits are that your games shelf will always look purposeful and organized. When you’re cleaning up after games night or you just got a bunch of new games, it’s quick and easy to pack them away. Simply put them in the same spot as their clearly-visible cousins.  

The biggest pitfall to visual organizing is finding the game you’re looking for. If you don’t know exactly what all your games look like on sight, you could struggle to remember where they are.

3. Build a digital database 

This step is important for every game collector, but especially so for visual organizers. 

Create a spreadsheet and enter all your games in the order that makes the most sense to you. You can dump them all in one long alphabetical list. Or you can divide them into categories, and then alphabetize from there. The only information you need to include is the name of the game and where you can find it on your shelf (only if your shelf is not categorized in the same way as your spreadsheet). 

You can get more granular from there if you want to by adding information about genre, system, number of players, play-time and more. 

4. Add some flair 

Now that all your board games and RPG books are in place and you know where and how to find them, it’s time to have some fun! 

Grab your dice sets, minis, art prints and posters, plushies, collectibles, fairy lights, anything! Arrange them all around your shelves (yes, even if they’re behind closed doors) where they are most relevant or where there’s a perfect space for them. Create a display that brings you joy, even if you keep all your games in a cabinet or closet. Whenever you open those doors or come home to your big collection out in the open, you should feel proud of your collection and excited for your next adventure. 

To complete your setup, check out our premium dice accessories, display cases and storage boxes if you’re looking to add some flair to your shelves. 

And if you’re itching for a new game to add your freshly-organized shelves, we have a bunch of exciting Eat The Reich preorder bundles for you.