Think back to those lazy afternoons when ‘playing’ didn’t mean swiping a screen, servers or log-ins, but the thud of a Ludo dice cup, the snap of plastic carrom strikers and the sweet frustration of missing the Snake & Ladders 99 by one square. For every '90s kid in India, the original multiplayer universe lived on living-room floors, school corridors and building terraces during summer vacations. This was the era when Monopoly made us ruthless property moguls, Scrabble sparked secret spelling showdowns, and Uno turned cousins into sworn enemies for 20 dramatic minutes. they built a secret language of strategy, laughter, and negotiation that wove us together and made brands like Monopoly, Scrabble, and Uno feel like old friends, forever tied to our favourite memories.
And now, that feeling is finding its way back into Indian homes. The resurgence isn’t a coincidence. According to TechSci Research, the Indian board games market was valued at around USD 1.69 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow steadily through 2030. In a world of fast feeds, faster opinions and relentless noise, the slow, tactile joy of a board game suddenly feels radical -and this emotional return is reshaping not just living rooms, but marketing itself.
Piyali Chatterjee Konar, Executive Vice President & Head – Customer Experience/UX/B2B, Hansa Research Group, captures this shift perfectly, stating it as “a cultural moment of nostalgia and shared joy,” adding that the brands that truly break through are the ones “that make parents relive their childhood with their kids.” Modern India isn’t buying board games for children -it’s buying a portal back to a gentler time. And for marketers, it’s a rare category where emotion aligns directly with consumption.
Few brands sit at the centre of this emotional revival the way Monopoly does. Entering its 90th year globally, the game has found a surprising second youth in India. Nilay Verma, Cluster Head – India & South East Asia, Hasbro, believes this milestone “resonates with how Hasbro has been able to engage consumers across age bands,” because even today, Monopoly can bring a seven-year-old, a teenager and a nostalgic thirty-something to the same table. Verma points out that India is now at the heart of Hasbro’s growth strategy, reflected in a burst of uniquely Indian innovations -vernacular editions, Monopoly Cricket, pop-culture sets like Game of Thrones, and now the fast, playful App Banking edition that “keeps the classic feel alive, while offering a more relevant and modern format.”
The strategic significance is clear: Monopoly’s modern variations echo a larger pattern -physical and digital gameplay are now feeding each other. Verma notes that the portfolio in India shows an almost 50–50 split between classic and electronic formats, proving that digital versions aren’t replacing physical play; they’re expanding the funnel. A quick app match often brings families back to the dining table for the ‘real’ game. For marketers, that’s the magic of a category that has naturally become omnichannel -what starts on a screen often culminates in a tangible, social brand experience.
Because nostalgia today isn’t a one-off creative device -it is, as Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Global CEO & Co-Founder, Gozoop Group, puts it, “a reset.” People aren’t longing for the past, he says; “they’re craving familiarity.” The world feels unstable, overwhelming, and accelerated. A brand that can anchor people emotionally doesn’t just win attention -it wins trust. Naqvi warns, however, that nostalgia only creates lasting value “when brands use it to rebuild trust or deepen your story.” A throwback for the sake of a throwback is forgettable. A throwback that feels meaningful is magnetic.
For younger audiences, the equation is different but equally potent. Aniket Sakpal, Head – Brand Operations, AGENCY09, explains that Gen Z “may not relate to the nostalgia of these games, but they do love creativity and connection. The key is to reimagine, not replicate.” They’re not seeking memories -they’re seeking remixability. That’s why AR filters built around a Monopoly token or creator challenges using retro mechanics still resonate. For this generation, nostalgia is less a museum and more a mood-board.
This emotional and generational fusion is happening at a moment when parents are more cautious, more digital-aware, and more anxious than ever. Chatterjee notes that safety today revolves around “data privacy, ad transparency and emotional well-being,” not just parental locks. In this landscape, board games feel reassuring -they are physical, predictable, social. They allow what Chatterjee calls “negotiated empowerment,” where children get influence but parents retain control. A board game satisfies both -kids get excitement; parents get comfort.
One persistent myth is that digital threatens physical games. The reality is the opposite. Digital formats are expanding the audience base, fuelling interest in collectable physical editions. That loop has also led to a rise in premiumisation -a trend central to India’s lifestyle categories. Naqvi observes that “when nostalgia meets innovation, it creates collectability,” which is why Monopoly sets like Harry Potter or the upcoming House of the Dragon become instant cultural objects, not just products. But Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO & Co-Founder, TheSmallBigIdea, cautions that “limited edition ‘anythings,’ unless they have a significant takeaway, have no value.” In other words, nostalgia only works when it hits a cultural nerve. Monopoly’s tie-ins succeed because they carry emotional mythology, not just retro aesthetics.
Brands, too, are learning how to show up inside gameplay without breaking it. Pillai believes the best integrations happen when “the brand enhances the mere gameplay,” rather than interrupting it -adding power, possibility, or story. Vatsal Bhardwaj, Founder & CEO, Jabali.ai, agrees, saying the future lies in “contextual presence, not placement,” where brands function like mission tools or companions. Bhardwaj distils the deeper truth of this entire nostalgia wave: “Static nostalgia reminds people of what was; playable nostalgia lets them relive it.”
And reliving is the point.
This is why the resurgence of Monopoly, and of board games more broadly, feels bigger than a trend. It feels like an emotional correction. A way for families to reclaim time. A way for brands to earn trust. A way for adults to reconnect with the versions of themselves they misplaced along the way.
Childhood never leaves.
It just closes its box, quietly waiting —
for someone to lift the lid
and roll the dice again.
