Why does it need a pipeline?

BoardGameGeek's API doesn't allow direct browser requests (no CORS), so a small background script fetches it and saves a snapshot the saver loads — no key needed, just a server-side fetch.

Is this all-time best games?

It's the real current "hot" list — trending by recent community activity, which shifts over time.

Is BoardGameGeek official?

It's the board-game hobby's largest and most-cited community database, widely treated as the de facto authority.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

How is the hot-games list different from the overall rankings?

The overall rank is ordered by the Geek Rating, which adds dummy votes so that games need many ratings to rank high. The hot list is about current attention, and its exact method is not published.

Does a place on the list mean a game sold well?

Not directly. It reflects activity on a community website, which may or may not lead to sales.

Can any game get a Geek Rating rank?

No. BoardGameGeek only ranks games that have at least 30 user ratings.

Board Game Rankings Screensaver

The Board Game Rankings screensaver ranks the world's top-rated board games on a board, drawn key-less from BoardGameGeek's public API by a background pipeline (BoardGameGeek's API doesn't allow direct browser access). It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Board Game Rankings screensaver works

A background pipeline fetches BoardGameGeek's real current hot-games list, with no key required.

Each game ranks in order with its real title and rank.

Readings refresh on the pipeline's schedule to track real shifts in what the community's playing.

Rankings reflect BoardGameGeek's own aggregated real user data.

BoardGameGeek and its Hotness list

BoardGameGeek is a large community website for tabletop games. Members log plays, rate games, write reviews and talk in forums, and its database is a common reference for the hobby. Publishers and fans use it to see what the community thinks of a game.

The list on screen is described by the saver as BoardGameGeek's hot-games list, which is about current attention rather than long-run ratings. That is a different thing from the site's overall rankings, which are ordered by the Geek Rating: BoardGameGeek adds artificial dummy votes to a game's user ratings so that titles with few votes cannot climb to the top, and only games with at least 30 user ratings are eligible for a rank.

Because the list reflects a self-selected community of enthusiasts, it is not a measure of sales or of what the general public plays. A high position means attention on the site, not quality. BoardGameGeek has not published exactly how the hot list is calculated, so treat any explanation of its ordering as inference.

A worked example

You might see current favorites like a cooperative deck-builder or a heavy strategy game near the top — the real, current BoardGameGeek community ranking, not a curated pick.

Settings & tips

Accent recolours the rank numbers.
Run automation/run.py boardgamerank on your pipeline machine to refresh the data.
The "hot list" reflects recent real community activity, not all-time ratings.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it need a pipeline?: BoardGameGeek's API doesn't allow direct browser requests (no CORS), so a small background script fetches it and saves a snapshot the saver loads — no key needed, just a server-side fetch.
Is this all-time best games?: It's the real current "hot" list — trending by recent community activity, which shifts over time.
Is BoardGameGeek official?: It's the board-game hobby's largest and most-cited community database, widely treated as the de facto authority.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
How is the hot-games list different from the overall rankings?: The overall rank is ordered by the Geek Rating, which adds dummy votes so that games need many ratings to rank high. The hot list is about current attention, and its exact method is not published.
Does a place on the list mean a game sold well?: Not directly. It reflects activity on a community website, which may or may not lead to sales.
Can any game get a Geek Rating rank?: No. BoardGameGeek only ranks games that have at least 30 user ratings.

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