Monopoly is one of the most recognized board games in the world and has become a key part of popular culture.
- Monopoly is the best-selling board game created in the 20th century.
- Estimates suggest that Monopoly sold 275 million copies worldwide as of 2015.
- As the game was first released in 1935, this amounts to around 3.40 million copies sold per year on average.
- It also ranks third on the list of the best-selling board games of all time, behind Checkers (2nd) and Chess (1st).
- Charles Darrow, credited as the game’s inventor, became the first millionaire game designer in history due to Monopoly.
- The highest price ever paid for an edition of Monopoly was $2,000,000, for a board containing 18 karat gold, 42 full-cut diamonds and 165 gemstones.
- One of the most highly sought-after sets by collectors is the Black Box Monopoly edition, as just 7,500 copies were made and it never entered circulation.
- In 1999, Monopoly set a Guinness World Record for being the most popular board game of all time, played by 500 million players since its release.
- In 2008, approximately 3,361 players broke the Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Simultaneous Game of Monopoly”.
- Monopoly manufacturers Hasbro print $30 billion in Monopoly money every year.
Monopoly timeline
- 1903: Lizzie Magie applies for a patent for The Landlord’s Game, which eventually became the inspiration behind Monopoly. She created the game to demonstrate the effects of rent on property owners and tenants.
- 1904: The patent for The Landlord’s Game is granted.
- 1906: Magie begins publishing the game through the Economic Game Company.
- 1924: A second patent for The Landlord’s Game is granted.
- 1932: Charles Darrow played The Landlord’s Game and decided to make his own version, adapting the rules.
- 1934: He began marketing and distributing the board game under the title of Monopoly.
- 1935: Parker Brothers negotiate rights to mass-produce Darrow’s version and also purchase Magie’s patent for $500, the equivalent of around $11,120 in 2024.
- 1936: 20,000 Monopoly sets are produced each week and it becomes the best-selling board game in the US for the year.
- 1973: First official Monopoly tournaments.
- 1974: Parker Brothers reached a milestone of 80 million copies of Monopoly sold.
- 1990: A Monopoly TV game show is aired based on the board game.
- 2015: A total of 275 million copies are estimated to have been sold worldwide.
Monopoly editions
In different Monopoly editions the names of the squares tend to be changed from the standard US version. The table below shows how the game’s purchasable properties differ across main English language variations of the game:
| # | Australia | Canada | United Kingdom | United States |
| 1 | Go | Go | Go | Go |
| 2 | Darwin | Banff | Old Kent Road | Mediterranean Avenue |
| 3 | Community Chest | Community Chest | Community Chest | Community Chest |
| 4 | Alice Springs | Beauceville | Whitechapel Road | Baltic Avenue |
| 5 | Income Tax | Income Tax | Income Tax | Income Tax |
| 6 | Perth Airport | St. John’s International Airport | King’s Cross Station | Reading Railroad |
| 7 | Stanley | Vancouver | The Angel, Islington | Oriental Avenue |
| 8 | Chance | Chance | Chance | Chance |
| 9 | Freycinet National Park | Toronto | Euston Road | Vermont Avenue |
| 10 | Hobart | Ottawa | Pentonville Road | Connecticut Avenue |
| 11 | Jail / Just Visiting | Jail / Just Visiting | Jail / Just Visiting | Jail / Just Visiting |
| 12 | Margaret River | St. John’s | Pall Mall | St. Charles Place |
| 13 | Electric Company | Cell Phone Service | Electric Company | Electric Company |
| 14 | Broome | North Bay | Whitehall | States Avenue |
| 15 | Esperance | Kelowna | Northumberland Avenue | Virginia Avenue |
| 16 | Brisbane Airport | Vancouver International Airport | Marylebone Station | Pennsylvania Railroad |
| 17 | Phillip Island | Montreal | Bow Street | St. James Place |
| 18 | Community Chest | Community Chest | Community Chest | Community Chest |
| 19 | Melbourne | Chilliwack | Marlborough Street | Tennessee Avenue |
| 20 | Great Ocean Road | Kawartha Lakes | Vine Street | New York Avenue |
| 21 | Free Parking | Free Parking | Free Parking | Free Parking |
| 22 | Canberra | Shawinigan | Strand | Kentucky Avenue |
| 23 | Chance | Chance | Chance | Chance |
| 24 | Australian War Memorial | Gatineau | Fleet Street | Indiana Avenue |
| 25 | Questacon | Medicine Hat | Trafalgar Square | Illinois Avenue |
| 26 | Melbourne Airport | Montreal International Airport | Fenchurch St. Station | B. & O. Railroad |
| 27 | Port Lincoln | Trois-Rivières | Leicester Square | Atlantic Avenue |
| 28 | Kangaroo Island | Quebec City | Coventry Street | Ventnor Avenue |
| 29 | Water Works | Internet Service | Water Works | Water Works |
| 30 | Barossa Valley | Windsor | Piccadilly | Marvin Gardens |
| 31 | Go To Jail | Go To Jail | Go To Jail | Go To Jail |
| 32 | Tropical North QLD | Edmonton | Regent Street | Pacific Avenue |
| 33 | Gold Coast | Sarnia | Oxford Street | North Carolina Avenue |
| 34 | Community Chest | Community Chest | Community Chest | Community Chest |
| 35 | Whitsundays | Calgary | Bond Street | Pennsylvania Avenue |
| 36 | Sydney Airport | Toronto International Airport | Liverpool St. Station | Short Line |
| 37 | Chance | Chance | Chance | Chance |
| 38 | Orange | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Park Lane | Park Place |
| 39 | Super Tax | Luxury Tax | Super Tax | Luxury Tax |
| 40 | Sydney Harbour | Chatham-Kent | Mayfair | Boardwalk |
Popular Monopoly editions by theme
More than 2,000 editions of Monopoly are known to exist worldwide, each of which is designed to add a slight variation on the well-loved game. Special edition versions focus on a particular theme which will appeal to players with different backgrounds and interests.
| Edition | Theme |
| ABBA Edition | Music |
| AC/DC Edition | Music |
| Amsterdam Edition | Cities |
| Back to the Future Edition | Movies |
| Berlin Edition | Cities |
| Breaking Bad Edition | TV |
| Chicago Edition | Cities |
| Coca-Cola Edition | Brands |
| Corvette Edition | Brands |
| Dallas Cowboys Edition | Sports |
| Disney Edition | Movies |
| Doctor Who Edition | TV |
| Doha Edition | Cities |
| Edinburgh Edition | Cities |
| Elvis Edition | Music |
| Fallout Edition | Gaming |
| FC Bayern München Edition | Sports |
| Ford Mustang | Brands |
| Fortnite Edition | Gaming |
| Friends Edition | TV |
| Game of Thrones Edition | TV |
| Ghostbusters Edition | Movies |
| Golf Edition | Sports |
| Grateful Dead Edition | Music |
| Halo Edition | Gaming |
| Hard Rock Cafe Edition | Brands |
| Harley Davidson Edition | Brands |
| Harry Potter Edition | Movies |
| Heinz Edition | Brands |
| Hello Kitty Edition | Brands |
| Hershey’s Edition | Brands |
| Iron Maiden Edition | Music |
| James Bond 007 Edition | Movies |
| Jurassic Park Edition | Movies |
| KISS Edition | Music |
| Las Vegas Edition | Cities |
| Lord of the Rings Edition | Movies |
| M&M’s | Brands |
| Manchester United F.C | Sports |
| Marvel Comics Edition | Movies |
| Metallica Edition | Music |
| MLB Edition | Sports |
| NASCAR Edition | Sports |
| NBA Edition | Sports |
| New York City Edition | Cities |
| NFL Edition | Sports |
| NHL Edition | Sports |
| Paris Edition | Cities |
| Pirates of the Caribbean Edition | Movies |
| Pokemon Edition | Gaming |
| Queen Edition | Music |
| Rolling Stones Edition | Music |
| San Francisco Edition | Cities |
| Sonic the Hedgehog Edition | Gaming |
| SpongeBob SquarePants Edition | TV |
| Star Trek Edition | TV |
| Star Wars Edition | Movies |
| Stranger Things Edition | TV |
| Street Fighter Edition | Gaming |
| Super Mario Bros. Edition | Gaming |
| Sydney Edition | Cities |
| Target | Brands |
| The Beatles Edition | Music |
| The Legend of Zelda Edition | Gaming |
| The Office Edition | TV |
| The Simpsons Edition | TV |
| The Walking Dead Edition | TV |
| Warhammer 40,000 | Gaming |
| World of Warcraft Edition | Gaming |
| WWE Edition | Sports |
Are you are a fan of Monopoly who would like to try your luck at a different type of game? If so, why not give Wordle a go? The smash-hit 5-letter word game is simple to play but difficult to master. If you get stuck, you can even use WordsRated’s Word Finder to provide you with some top word suggestions!
Monopoly tournaments
World Championship
- There have been 14 different Monopoly World Championship tournaments.
- The first Monopoly World Championship was in 1973 and the last was in 2015.
- Each tournament was won by a different winner.
- The US, Italy and Japan are the only two countries to have had two different winners.
| Year | Location | Winner | Nationality |
| 1973 | Catskills, New York, USA | Lee Bayrd | United States |
| 1974 | New York, New York, USA | Alvin Aldridge | United States |
| 1975 | Washington, D.C., USA | John Mair | Ireland |
| 1977 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Chong Seng Kwa | Singapore |
| 1980 | Bermuda | Cesare Bernabei | Italy |
| 1983 | Palm Beach, Florida, USA | Greg Jacobs | Australia |
| 1985 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA | Jason Bunn | United Kingdom |
| 1988 | London, England | Ikuo Hyakuta | Japan |
| 1992 | Berlin, Germany | Joost van Orten | Netherlands |
| 1996 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Christopher Woo | Hong Kong |
| 2000 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Yutaka Okada | Japan |
| 2004 | Tokyo, Japan | Antonio Zafra Fernández | Spain |
| 2009 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | Bjørn Halvard Knappskog | Norway |
| 2015 | Macau | Nicolò Falcone | Italy |
US National Championship
- There have been 14 different US National Championship Monopoly tournaments.
- The first Monopoly US National Championship was in 1973 and the last was in 2015.
- Dana Terman and Gary Peters are the only people to have won the Monopoly US National Championship two times.
- Maryland and Florida have each had a winner three times, more than any other state.
| Year | Location | Winner | City |
| 1973 | Catskills, New York, USA | Lee Bayrd | Los Angeles, CA |
| 1974 | New York, New York, USA | Alvin Aldridge | Dayton, OH |
| 1975 | Atlantic City, NJ | A.E. “Gus” Gostomelsky | Skokie, IL |
| 1977 | New York City, NY | Dana Terman | Wheaton, MD |
| 1979 | New York City, NY | Dana Terman | Wheaton, MD |
| 1982 | Washington, D.C. | Jerome Dausman | Olney, MD |
| 1984 | Los Angeles, CA | Jim Forbes | Unknown, FL |
| 1987 | Washington, D.C. | Gary Peters | Boca Raton, FL |
| 1991 | New York City, NY | Gary Peters | Boca Raton, FL |
| 1995 | New York City, NY | Roger Craig | Harrisburg, IL |
| 1999 | Las Vegas, NV | Matt Gissel | St. Albans, VT |
| 2003 | Chicago, IL → Atlantic City, NJ (train journey) | Matt McNally | Las Vegas, NV |
| 2009 | Washington, D.C. | Richard Marinaccio | Buffalo, NY |
| 2015 | Online | Brian Valentine | Washington, DC |
Monopoly house rules
In Monopoly, many players enjoy playing the game using variations on the official rules. Players are often surprised to learn that certain rules are not official, meaning they cannot be used in tournament play. Below are some popular house rules that players like to implement:
- Increase/decrease starting money.
- Allow building on incomplete sets.
- Allow building only when landing on the square you wish to develop.
- Collect cash for rolling snake-eyes (double 1).
- Place fine(s) at Free Parking and whoever lands at the square collects the fine(s).
- Prevent income while in Jail.
- Pay all players when landing in Jail.
- Round values up to be multiples of 50.
- Prohibit property trades until all properties are owned.
- Increase/decrease money for landing on GO.
- Complete one lap before purchasing a property.
- Make opening a Chance card optional.
About Monopoly
- It is licensed in over 114 countries across more than 47 different languages.
- Originally, Monopoly players could choose to play as one of six different pieces: a top hat, an iron, a shoe, a thimble, a battleship and a cannon.
- Monopoly has previously been banned in the USSR, China and Cuba for its focus on capitalist principles.
- More than 2,000 different versions of the game are known to exist.
- The largest Monopoly board in the world is 440 square meters, created to mark the game’s 70th anniversary.