There are a number of places to play board games online. Some support synchronous play where players are logged in and taking turns at the same time as they would around a physical table (aka real-time) while others allow for turn based play across the globe, allowing people with different schedules to still play together. This article lists a handful of sites which are known for their vibrant user base, large selection and beginner friendly interface.
iSlaytheDragon is an excellent collaborative site that allows for a wide variety of game formats. Its categorization by age, number of players, and play time makes finding the right game for a group very easy. The site also has a helpful tutorial game for each game which is great for those looking to learn new games before playing against other users online.
Board Game Arena is one of the largest online board gaming sites with hundreds of games available in a variety of languages. Its selection is primarily modern board games with a few classics included. There are a few dozen games available at any given time and players can easily create private games for their friends or join existing public tables. It also offers a premium membership which removes ads and gives players priority over non-premium members for joining games.
Papergames has a small selection of basic board games and is a good option for those looking to play old-school classics with friends in a casual environment. The games are digital representations of their physical counterparts and use the official rules. Its clean interface and light load times make it a pleasure to use. During a game there are some great features such as in-game chat, the ability to see other player’s moves and their ELO rating on the top of the screen and tooltip information when you mouse over a game element.