Board games are a fantastic way to bring friends and family together for hours of entertainment. However, as any avid board game enthusiast knows, managing a growing board game collection can quickly become a storage nightmare.

From space constraints to preventing damage, finding the right board game storage solution is crucial to maintain the longevity of your board games and protect your investment.

We recently transformed our basement's pass-thru hallway into the ultimate game storage area and during that project, I learned a lot about storing a large collection of board games, and I want to share those ideas with you.

Here are some game storage ideas that might help you to organize, protect, and display your family's board game collection.

Displaying Games on Shelving Units and Bookcases

The key to my recent game hallway makeover was to cover one wall with unites from the IKEA ELVARLI customizable shelving system. We used drawers at the base of each unit to hold smaller boxed games as well as duplicates and extras.

The ELVARLI system's tilt-able shelves, originally designed for shoe storage, actually work great to display our favorite and most-used games.

There are numerous other options for sturdy shelving units or bookcases that are an excellent way to store your board games efficiently. Choosing pieces with adjustable shelves will make it must easier to accommodate various box sizes and maximize the storage for each shelf. And taller units will help you to get the most out of the vertical space in your room.

If you have multiple bookcases, why not sorting your games by size, genre, or theme? This can make it easier to locate specific titles quickly. Additionally, consider labeling each shelf to keep things organized and aesthetically pleasing.

Hiding Games in Drawer Systems and Storage Bins

If you prefer a more concealed storage solution to keep your board games out of sight, drawer systems and storage bins are worth considering. Rolling carts with drawers or plastic storage bins with lids are great for storing games, and can be tucked away in a closet when not in use.

Sorting games by size or genre in individual drawers or bins will also help keep them safe from dust and potential damage. And easy-to-carry bins have the added benefit of easy portability, allowing you to bring games to different areas of your home or even with you on road trips.

I especially love how Abby Organizes used a simple rolling utility cart to sort her games and puzzles. This portable solution gives is flexible enough to pull out when needed and then hide away in a closet until the next game night.

Storing Small Games in Over-the-Door Shoe Organizers

An inexpensive storage hack for small board games is to use over-the-door shoe organizers, with multiple pockets that can hold smaller card games, expansion sets, dice, or other game accessories. Hang the organizer on the inside of a closet door to gain bonus storage capacity without sacrificing valuable shelf or floor space.

Stacking Boxed Games in Hanging Sweater Cubbies

Boxed games can also be stored inside a closet using hanging sweater organizers, like this great example from Joyful Homemaking. These are perfect for a kid's room and can even hold books or toys if there aren't enough games to fill the cubbies.

Zipper Pouches for Cards, Small Games, and Missing Boxes

Smaller board games and cards can easily get lost on shelving units so it is best to organize them all together in a separate solution. I love the idea of using zipper pouches to corral each game and then place those pouches in a binder, tub, or decorative box.

This makes it so easy to look through the games to pick out the ones you want to play. The pouches make the games super convenient to take on vacation or play at a friend's house.

Zippered pouches are also great for repackaging games that have damaged boxes, and can be a useful space-saving idea for games with huge boxes. Ditch the box and use a pouch instead, and reduce your needed storage space.

Pretty Little Social did a great job using mesh pouches for her game collection, and she shares great bag resources on her site.

Organizing Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzle boxes, with their uniform, stackable sizes, can easily be stored with your other board games, but I have a couple of tips to share about keeping them organized.

We like to put all the pieces for a puzzle into a zip-top plastic bag inside the box. If you've ever dropped a puzzle box, you know exactly how the pieces will scatter! This simple bag trick will save you plenty of headache and also makes it far less likely that you'll lose a piece.

Puzzles are so fun to share with friends, but it can get hard to track which one belongs to whom. Along the same lines of traditional book plates, we designed some fun printable puzzle name labels that you can add to your puzzle box.

The name label will ensure that the puzzles you loan out will get back to you. The "guest book" label is a fun way to let friends leave comments about the puzzle, and also lets you keep track of who has done the puzzle before. You can even use this to keep a log of any missing pieces so the next person to work it knows what to expect.

Storing Board Games is Fun and Practical

Properly storing and organizing your board game collection ensures that your games remain protected, easily accessible, and enjoyable for years to come. They can be expensive, and it makes sense to protect that investment.

Whether you opt for shelving units, custom inserts, drawer systems, wall-mounted racks, or inventive solutions like over-the-door shoe organizers, there are countless ways to keep your collection in order. Experiment with different storage ideas and find a solution that suits your space, lifestyle, and personal preferences.

By implementing these creative and practical board game storage ideas, you'll transform the chaos into a well-organized haven for endless hours of board game enjoyment.