The Best Foosball Tables

When designing a game room, the priority is often setting up a pool table and your entertainment console. But one game that shouldn’t be overlooked is foosball. The great thing about foosball is that it’s fun pretty much no matter your skill level. Take a game of pool, for example. If one person is practically a pro and the other isn’t sure what the 8 ball is, it’s not going to be very fun for either player. But foosball has that perfect mix of randomness, skill, and simplicity that makes for a good time when playing against mismatched abilities. Foosball can also be played with various numbers of players. Plus, the rules are so simple that if you’ve somehow never played it, you can learn how in about 15 seconds. In other words, it’s the perfect party game.

Another great thing about foosball is that it’s low maintenance in the way that a pool table isn’t. Pool tables require some amount of care, as cues and chalk can damage the expensive felt. Foosball tables, on the other hand, are meant to be roughed around with (not too much, of course). But if you want a foosball table that can stand up to that level of abuse, you might have to spend a little more for something made out of quality materials. For example, solid wood and composite are high quality but cost more, and particle board is inexpensive but lower quality. Even among high-quality tables, there’s a good deal of variation in types of tables. “American” tables, for example, have three players on the goalie rod, whereas “European” tables have one player. This will come down to a matter of preference, but we’ve included both kinds on the list below.

One thing you’ll want to consider if you’re a casual player is the amount of space you have. There are foosball tables that are tables in a traditional sense, meaning that they have legs, but others are tabletop games and are intended to be placed on top of another table. If you have a game room or a large living room, then a full-size table might be a good bet. For some, tabletop games will be better suited to their space. We’ve rounded up a few different kinds of tables, including European and American, and tabletop and full-size below.