You almost certainly already know that there are many different versions of Monopoly available, such as versions based on different countries and versions themed around licensed properties…
But just how many different versions of Monopoly are there? Most articles on the internet are all wrong on this, so I took the time to find the real answer for you…
How many versions of Monopoly are there?
It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly how many different Monopoly versions there are. Estimates range from 300 to 7,000, with the truth being closer to the higher estimate. The largest Monopoly collection contains over 3,500 official versions of Monopoly.
One of the reasons it’s impossible to answer the question “How many Monopoly games are there?” is that new Monopoly games are released across the globe throughout the year, every year. This makes Monopoly both a collector’s dream and a collector’s nightmare!
The latest version of Monopoly includes the new Chance and Community Chest Cards.
New editions are released regularly
On one hand, there’s always a new Monopoly game to add to your collection, but you also know that your collection will never be complete!
For this reason, if you’re a Monopoly collector, it’s probably a good idea to limit your collection in some way. Perhaps ignore unofficial games that haven’t been sanctioned by Hasbro or Parker Brothers. Maybe you’ll focus on standard boards from across the globe? Maybe you’ll choose to collect Monopoly games themed on movies and TV shows?
It can be an expensive hobby though, with Hasbro releasing new games almost every month, sometimes releasing several Monopoly games in a single month! I’ve tried to keep my own collection to a manageable limit but it does get tempting to add to it.
Some new versions are almost identical to old ones
The second reason why it can be tricky to say for sure how many Monopoly editions there are is that it’s hard to define what makes a game different from previous ones.
Sometimes, Hasbro might just change the box color, but the game inside remains exactly the same. Other times, there are very minor changes, such as changing a couple of tokens.
You can see this in the case of Nightmare Before Christmas Monopoly. People wonder which version to buy, but it really doesn’t matter since they’re all so similar inside the box.
And what about when the same game is produced in many different languages? Do we count those?
For the purpose of this count, we haven’t included any of these examples as separate versions.
There are many unofficial versions of Monopoly
Things get even more complicated when you consider how many unofficial games based on the Monopoly concept are out there. These unofficial games aren’t made by or approved by Hasbro or Parker Brothers.
Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but the examples of unofficial Monopoly rip-offs listed below should give you an idea of the breadth of unofficial Monopoly versions.
- Totopoly – This horse-racing game isn’t an official Monopoly spin-off, but it was produced by Waddington’s, who produced the first British version of Monopoly.
- Sexopoly – This risque variant of Monopoly is very much not official and strictly for adults only.
- Creature Features – Based closely on Monopoly in terms of how you play, in this spooky twist on the beloved Monopoly formula, you play a movie producer, and the aim of the game is to produce a portfolio of monster movies rather than procuring a portfolio of properties.
- Penguin-opoly – This clumsily-titled Monopoly rip-off swaps properties for penguins (for some reason).
- Dog Opoly – If you’re a fan of man’s best friend, then this canine twist on the Monopoly formula might be the one for you.
- Cat Opoly -Inevitably, there’s a Monopoly rip-off for fans of our feline friends too!
- Zombie-Opoly – In this grisly undead spin on our favorite board game, instead of buying streets, you buy zombies, and rather than houses, you buy boxes of flesh! How delightful!
- Gay-Opoly – One of the rarer Monopoly rip-offs, by “Parker Sisters”, this game is worth a few hundred dollars now.
Of course, I recommend you stick to the official versions, produced these days by Hasbro. These could be the classic Atlantic city board, a themed board, a video game or even an official spin-off.
Monopoly Versions Lists
Look online and you’ll find several different lists of versions of Monopoly. They all seem to quote rather different numbers when it comes to the question of how many versions there are.
World of Monopoly
Probably the most reliable source of data about Monopoly versions is World Of Monopoly. The owner, Matthew, does a great job of adding new versions his Monopoly editions list, and is also working to transfer data from other websites such as Albert Veldhuis’ Monopoly Lexicon. His list currently stands at 2,609.
However, Matthew hasn’t detailed every version of Monopoly on his website. He stated that there are probably at least 7,000 in existence in 2022.
The World of Monopoly website also includes a list of 3,482 Monopoly games that are in the private collection of Neil Scallan, the keeper of the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Monopoly games.
Yehuda Berlinger
A blogger by the name of Yehuda Berlinger has kept a regularly updated list of Monopoly games on his personal blog since 2007. The list currently stands at 3,697 versions, although many of these are unofficial.
Berlinger also states that in his opinion, ‘Monopoly is not a very good game’. So, can we trust him?
Fandom
The platform Fandom.com covers a great number of Monopoly board games released across the globe over the years, and it includes some discontinued games from many years ago. The number of Monopoly games on the list stands at 1,540 at the time of writing.
Wikipedia
Good old Wikipedia isn’t so much of a help either. While it does have a few Monopoly version lists linked from the Wikipedia Monopoly page, it doesn’t have one single list, and they’re far from complete.
The Different Types of Monopoly Games
Classic Board Games
If you’re reading this in the USA, then the version of Monopoly you’re probably most familiar with is the original version based on Atlantic City. Another popular version is the British Monopoly board, which, as you might expect, is based on the streets of London.
Local Board Games
In addition to the standard Monopoly versions mentioned above, some of the localized versions of Monopoly include boards based around a number of US cities, including Brooklyn (released at the end of last year), New Jersey and Napa Valley.
There are also many localized versions of Monopoly based on British cities and towns, including Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh and even some really small towns that have only a few thousand people.
Themed Monopoly Board Games
In addition to localized versions of Monopoly, there have also been a wide range of Monopoly board games themed around licensed properties.
Examples based on movies, TV books and comics include Harry Potter Monopoly, Star Wars Monopoly, Walking Dead Monopoly, James Bond Monopoly, Deadpool Monopoly, The Simpsons Monopoly, South Park Monopoly, Seinfeld Monopoly and Avengers Monopoly, and plenty of Disney versions of Monopoly!
And these examples are just scratching the surface! There’s a Monopoly game out there to suit every movie and TV fan.
You probably know that there are video games based on Monopoly (if not, I’ll get to that later!) But did you know that there are also Monopoly board games based on video games? Some examples include Pokemon Monopoly and Skyrim Monopoly. The perfect Monopoly board games for any true gamer!
British pop star Harry Styles is big news at the moment, with his great pop songs tearing up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. There isn’t quite a Harry Styles Monopoly (yet!), but there is a Monopoly board game based on his old boy band: One Direction Monopoly.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the localized and themed editions of Monopoly tend to be made available as limited editions, so the versions of Monopoly mentioned in this article will not all be generally available to purchase now.
Of course, our favorite game is very much a celebration of pure capitalism, with its investing, buying and selling, and focus on making as much moolah as humanly possible, so it may surprise you to learn that there’s a socialist version of Monopoly, simply titled Monopoly Socialism, with the subtitle Winning is for Capitalists.
This satirical parody game very much sounds like it’s an unofficial rip-off of Monopoly, but it was actually released by Hasbro!
Monopoly Video Games
Of course, Monopoly games have now expanded way beyond the traditional Monopoly board games. These days, one of the most popular ways to enjoy your beloved game of Monopoly is by playing Monopoly video games.
Monopoly video games have a longer history than you might first think. The first Monopoly video games were released almost 40 years ago, back in 1985.
The 1985 Monopoly video game was released on four 8-bit formats: BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and MSX.
Later versions were released for IBM compatible PC, Apple Macintosh, Sega Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System. Versions of Monopoly were also released for Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, SonyPlayStation, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameBoy Advance, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii.
Current-generation machines on which you’ll find Monopoly video games include PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and Xbox One. A Monopoly video game was even released for Google’s short-lived online gaming service, Stadia.
One great advantage of playing Monopoly on current machines is that you can play Monopoly against other players all over the world using the online modes.
In addition to Monopoly video games for home computers and games consoles, there have also been Monopoly games for tablets and smartphones, so, as you can see, it is difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint exactly how many Monopoly video games there are, never mind a full Monopoly games list overall!
Monopoly Spin-Off Games
In addition to themed Monopoly board games and Monopoly video games, there are also a raft of official Monopoly spin-off games on the market.
These include electronic banking editions of Monopoly, which have updated the somewhat old-fashioned cash transactions with card-based payments! You’ll find my overview of some of the best of these in my roundup of the Best Electronic Banking Versions of Monopoly.
If you’d prefer to stick to something non-electronic, but would like a more portable way of enjoying our favorite game, how about a Monopoly-based card game, such as Monopoly Deal, or Monopoly Bid?
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much fun they can be. I know I was! I might even prefer Monopoly Deal to the Monopoly board game, if you can believe that!
An awesome Monopoly spin-off you may not be familiar with is Monopoly Empire, a fast-paced game for two to four players, based around some of the world’s biggest and most recognizable brands. I think it’s amazing, but it can be a little tricky to get to grips with at first, so I’ve made it easy for you with my handy guide to the rules of Monopoly Empire!
The Bottom Line
So, then, how many different Monopoly games are there? Well, as you can see, the question doesn’t have a straightforward answer.
Do you include just board games and just official products, do you include all of the themed boards? Do you include spin-offs, video games, and unofficial Monopoly rip-offs? It’s simply impossible to put an accurate figure on it.
I’m afraid if you came here looking for a definite, neat numerical answer, then you’ll be disappointed. I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring some of the different Monopoly versions with me, anyway. I’m sure you’ll agree that there are a lot of different Monopoly versions.
According to best estimates, there are definitely thousands. Also, with new Monopoly games being released all the time, that figure will only go up. If this article has piqued your interest, be sure to take a look at my guide to some of the most popular Monopoly games.
