Game clubs in Los Angeles.
20 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Long Beach, Santa Monica, Boyle Heights. Most are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
Game nights in Los Angeles come in a few shapes: open board game evenings at a café or pub where you pull something off a shelf, chess clubs that run casual and rated nights, trivia with fixed teams, and tabletop RPG groups that look for new players between campaigns. Almost all run on a fixed weeknight.
Most are free or ask you to buy a drink. Turn up, say you are new, and someone will deal you in.
All 20 game clubs in Los Angeles.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Friday-evening drop-in board games on the second floor of the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax. Games provided; bring a jacket, it gets cool.
Fridays, 5:30pm · Mid-City · Free · meetup.com →Saturday-noon board games at Santa Monica Brew Works, the home session of a large weekly meetup. Games provided, bring your own if you like.
Saturdays, 12pm · Santa Monica · Free · meetup.com →Free beginner-friendly chess night at First Street Pool & Billiards, with pool tables for breaks between games. 21+ venue; boards supplied.
Wednesdays, 6pm · Boyle Heights · Free · meetup.com →Every-other-Saturday D&D at OpenLA on Cesar Chavez Ave, alternating beginner sessions with regular adult sessions. Character sheets and dice provided; RSVP and confirm the day before.
Every other saturdays, time varies · Boyle Heights · Free · meetup.com →Long Sunday-afternoon session of chess and Oware (West African mancala) at the Le Pain Quotidien on Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills. Sets provided, regulars show up without RSVPing.
Sundays, 1:30pm · Free · meetup.com →Sunday-afternoon casual chess on the patio of ilCaffe on Broadway, run by the LA Chess meetup. Boards out from 12:30 until early evening; all levels, no clocks required.
Sundays, 12:30pm · Downtown · Free · meetup.com →Sunday-afternoon drop-in board gaming at Paper Heroes Games on Burbank Blvd: strategy, word and party games, come and go as you like. Shop asks for a $5 purchase or store credit per visit.
Every other sundays, time varies · Sherman Oaks · $5 · meetup.com →Monthly Saturday playtesting afternoons where local designers bring unpublished board and card games and anyone can sit down and play. Free; venues alternate between Paper Hero's Santa Monica and Geeky Teas Burbank.
Monthly on a Saturday afternoon, alternating Paper Hero's (Santa Monica) and Geeky Teas (Burbank); dates on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday-evening chess on the back patio of Belle's Delicatessen on York Blvd, part of the LA Chess meetup family. Running for three-plus years; boards provided.
Wednesdays, 6pm · Highland Park · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday board game night in the upstairs private room of The Wicked Wolf bar. Multiple tables, bring games or join one; buy one drink to support the venue. 21+.
Wednesdays, time varies · Long Beach · One drink purchase… · meetup.com →First- and third-Saturday afternoon-to-evening board and card games in the hall of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach. Hosts teach games to newcomers.
Monthly, first Saturday and third Saturday · Long Beach · Free · meetup.com →Tuesday-night casual chess at Trademark Brewing, usually around 30 players doing blitz, rapid and untimed games. Free, all ages and ratings.
Tuesdays, 7pm · Long Beach · Free · meetup.com →A small club that runs at least one full game of Diplomacy a month at Paper Hero's in Santa Monica, with new players explicitly welcome.
At least one game a month, usually a Sunday afternoon at Paper Hero's, 11304 Santa Monica Blvd; dates on Meetup · Santa Monica · Free · meetup.com →Saturday-afternoon chess in a room at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley (east Valley). Boards provided, all levels.
Saturdays, 3:30pm · Free · meetup.com →All-day Monday social miniature-painting table at Geeky Teas & Games on Magnolia, with house paints, brushes and palettes to use. Organised through the LA Dungeons & Dragons meetup.
Mondays, 1pm · Burbank · $5 · meetup.com →The North Hollywood sister club of LA Chess Social: Tuesday-night casual chess at Brew Brothers on Lankershim. Sets provided; bring a clock if you have one.
Tuesdays, 7pm · North Hollywood · Free · meetup.com →Thursday-night Go at Odyssey Games on East Colorado. Members range from beginners to mid-level amateurs and will teach the rules; arrivals drift in after 7.
Thursdays, 7pm · Pasadena · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday-night board games at ROCK Coffee House, a non-profit cafe on Townsend Ave. Play from the house collection or bring your own; buy a drink to support the place.
Wednesdays, 6:30pm · Eagle Rock · Free · meetup.com →Sunday-afternoon Go (baduk/weiqi) at Unurban Coffee House on Pico. Beginners can learn the game on the spot; boards provided.
Sundays, 12pm · Santa Monica · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday-evening tabletop night at a Denny's in the Hermosa Beach area, for novices through enthusiasts. Exact location shows once you join the free Meetup group.
Wednesdays, 6pm · South Bay · Free · meetup.com →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I need to bring a game?
Usually not. Open game nights have a library or a pile of regulars' games, and chess clubs have boards. If a group wants you to bring something, the listing or their page says so.
I only know the basics. Will that be a problem?
No. Open nights are built around teaching, and chess clubs post a casual night alongside any rated play. Tabletop RPG groups tend to be the one place where a short message first helps, because a table has a fixed number of seats.
Is there a cost?
Mostly a drink or a small table fee at a café. Chess clubs sometimes charge a few dollars a night or a modest yearly membership. It is always in the listing.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a game club in Los Angeles we don’t? Add it.