The Best Monopoly Versions to Play if You’re in the Mood for Some Violence

The Best Monopoly Versions to Play if You’re in the Mood for Some Violence
Contributor: Lucy Cocoran, Isabella Noyes
At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Everybody has played Monopoly at least once in their lives, a game notorious for being so intense that even the royal family are banned from playing it. It doesn’t matter which edition you own, it’s safe to say we all have memories of family members cheating the bank, making up their own rules or flipping boards.

If you want to enjoy a fresh spin on the game we love to hate, check out these 12 monopoly versions that are guaranteed to break up your family for good.

From blatant cheating tactics to decoding fake money, we guarantee there’s bound to be a few tears over these exhilarating new takes on the classic board game. Just try not to take any of it personally.

The best Monopoly versions/editions to play

Monopoly Cash Decoder

Monopoly Cash Decoder
Image: Monopoly

Imagine getting ripped off by your family. Well, okay, that probably has happened to you in normal Monopoly, but it’s also the way Monopoly Cash Decoder works. When a player pays for something, other players can use the decoder to check if they used fake cash.

When you use the cash decoder tool, the Monopoly money will reveal hidden patterns that allow players to determine if the cash is real or fake. But if it’s fake, you get to keep the cash. The game even features faux chance cards, which you can use to skip out on payments — so long as it’s not a fakie. You can’t trust anyone these days.

Monopoly Cheaters Edition

Monopoly Cheaters
Image: Amazon

Cheating is the one and only aim of this game. Break, bend and defy the rules as much as possible to win and undoubtedly enrage every other player in the process.

When it comes to this version of Monopoly, anything and everything goes. Try to steal some money from the bank as you pass ‘Go’, skip out on rent and even fake a roll of the dice. If you pull your cheat off you can reap the reward, but get caught and prepare to face the consequences. The game even comes with a set of handcuffs that’ll see you in a time-out if other players catch onto your antics.

You probably won’t have any friends left by game’s end, but so long as you win it’s all worth it.

Monopoly Speed

Image: Amazon

As the name suggests, this version is all about satisfying a need for speed. And as we all know, nothing throws a spanner in the works quite like chronic indecisiveness.

So if you have a friend or family member who’s notorious for never making up their mind, they’ll probably be easy to beat. Designed to be played in under 10 minutes, the game comes with a countdown timer, which is bound to bring out the worst in people during its final seconds. Ultimately it’s a race against the timer to buy, sell and trade properties as fast as possible.

Ready, set, go.

Monopoly for Sore Losers

Monopoly for Sore Losers
Image: Hasbro

You know how we all have that cousin or friend that can’t stand going to jail for the third time or paying so much rent they end up bankrupt, so they just throw their money at the banker and stomp off? Well, here’s a version of Monopoly that will finally appease the sore loser in your party.

The aim of the game is to lose so you can win! Wild, right? In this hilarious rendition, every time you have to pay rent or go to jail, you collect one ‘sore loser coin’. By collecting four coins, you get to use the big bad Mr. Monopoly token that lets you stomp around the board collecting money, instead of paying it out. It turns out that it pays to be salty.

Monopoly Go Green

Image: Hasbro

Imagine a Monopoly board that’s made out of FSC-certified wood, plant-based plastic from sugarcane and renewable raw material. That’s exactly what Monopoly Go Green is — an environmentally-friendly way to play one of the world’s most popular board games.

In this edition, players have the option to invest in renewable energy, such as a wind farm or solar field and all of the railroads have been converted into bike paths.

Monopoly Longest Game Ever

Monopoly Longest Game Ever
Image: Hasbro

If you thought Monopoly couldn’t go on any longer, you were wrong. This edition goes until every single property on the board is owned by a single player. And if you thought going bankrupt will let you off the hook, you’ll be sorely mistaken. To really drag it out, the Longest Game Ever comes with just one dice and three of each property.

Your competition will be begging you to put them out of their misery.

Monopoly Socialism

Monopoly Socialism
Image: Amazon

Working together for the greater good sounds ideal in theory, but when it comes to Monopoly, nothing is what it’s cracked up to be.

Move around the board contributing to community projects, such as the no-tip vegan restaurant and all-winners school. Work with other players to build a shared utopia until someone pulls a chance card that threatens to throw the group off-course. From noisy neighbours to DIY projects gone awry, there’s always a new emergency that requires a dip into the community fund – but be careful not to spend all your money or the whole group loses.

This version is arguably worse than the Cheaters Edition since players will hide their agendas under a thin veil of philanthropy.

Monopoly for Millennials

Millennials Monopoly
Image: Amazon

Cracking into the property market has never felt harder, so investing money in Monopoly houses seems like a logical compromise.

This game is filled with everything considered to be a millennial’s dream – brunch, music festivals and a much-needed break from adulting. Instead of making the most money, the aim is to gather the most experiences. After all, it’s arguably life’s most valuable currency. The other bonus of this Monopoly version is that players don’t have to pay rent, they just visit each other’s houses and rack up even more experience points. A rent-free existence sounds pretty good to us.

So how could this possibly start a fight you ask? Someone stealing your avocado at the farmers market, obviously.

Monopoly House Divided

Monopoly Presidential Election
Image: Amazon

Nothing brings out the worst in people quite like a presidential race. If you’ve ever thought you have what it takes to make it all the way to the White House – this is the perfect game for you.

Start by choosing a candidate token before being assigned to the red or blue party. The aim is to buy states, earn votes and make a bid for the White House (at any cost). Don’t be afraid to pull dirty tactics like sending your opponent to jail and stealing their states while you’re at it.

Sure, it might cost you a few friends, but once you’re the president of the United States, who really cares? It’ll be a house divided by the end of this game for sure.

Monopoly Family Championship Edition

Image: Amazon

Tournament rules, score sheets and a coveted trophy – if those things don’t get you riled up, nothing will. If you come from a particularly competitive family, then this Monopoly version will likely be your undoing.

This edition is designed to be fast and intense, so it’s not for the faint of heart and it differs from classic Monopoly in a few ways. The first is that three dice are used – one of which is a speed dice that requires you to make decisions quickly. Secondly, you can trade properties with other players based solely on negotiation, which adds a unique psychological element to the mix.

The aim of the game is to walk away with the championship trophy and bragging rights. Until the next time that you all sit down for a rematch, of course.

Monopoly Ultimate Banking

Image: Amazon

If you love fluctuating house prices and financial uncertainty, you’ll probably love this game. If you don’t, welcome to hell.

Monopoly enters the 21st Century with this version, as players use an electronic bank card to make payments and repay debt. With your card, you can buy property, set rent prices and tap your way to the winner’s circle. Instead of Chance cards and Community Chest you’ve got Event cards and Location spaces that cause property prices to rise and fall without warning and grants players the ability to pay and move to any property space on the game board.

Throw everything you think you know about Monopoly out the window for this one and get ready to play dirty with this timely edition.

Monopoly Classic

Monopoly Classic
Image: Amazon

No Monopoly round-up would be complete without taking it back to where it all began – the classic. After all, every Monopoly special edition was made solely in its honour, so perhaps the original version is the most infuriating of them all?

The arguing begins when players are asked to choose their tokens. Everyone wants to be the dog and absolutely nobody wants to be the ship. May you have the fastest hands in the room to secure your choice. Then, move your way through hotels, houses and the community chest in a race to the finish line.

If you’re really looking to get rowdy you can’t do any better than where it all started. There can only be one winner – will it be you?

More monopoly editions worth playing

You can also pick up some fun themed versions based on your favourite TV shows, movies and video games below:

This article has been updated since its original publish date.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


Leave a Reply