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Everyone loves playing a game sometimes. Whether it’s getting together with family to play a good old-fashioned board game, or playing a cell phone game while commuting to work, games are part of our lives in some form. Yet some games date back longer than you may have imagined, but are still popular today. Here are some games that go back tens, hundreds or even thousands of years.

Evidence of humans playing games has been found throughout the ages, and game playing is said to be one of the very first forms of social interaction that we know today. In ancient times, gaming equipment was often made of bone, and many of them were the early versions of dice games. It is believed other objects found in nature were incorporated into games too, including stones and shells.

Painted stones and boards discovered in countries such as Turkey and Iraq appear to date back around 5,000 years, and are thought to be the earliest board games ever found. It is believed the earliest board games was mostly used by wealthier classes and were often given as gifts.

One of the earliest board games is known as Senet, which has been discovered in many burial sites in Egypt that date back to around 3500 BCE. The game consists of a board of 30 squares and draughtsman that must be moved around to eventually reach the other side of the board. Later versions of Senet show how the game evolved to represent the journey of individuals to the afterlife, with each square on the board showing aspects of religious significance.

Since the most ancient times, all sorts of games have developed, to the point where games can be played in a variety of modern mediums too. Some games really have withstood the test of time, and many people are surprised to hear that their favorite games have such long histories. Here are just some of these games that have been popular for longer than you may have thought.

Roulette

A game that dates back to France in the 1700s, the name is derived from the French word that means ‘little wheel’. The roulette wheel features individual squares that players can place their bets on. It is possible to bet on a single number, groups of numbers, black or red colors, odd or even numbers, or low or high numbers. The wheel is spun in one direction while a ball is spun in the opposite direction. As both slow down, the ball eventually lands on one square, deciding on the winners around the wheel for that particular round.

The visual spectacle and excitement of the game has made this a stalwart of every casino since the early days in Paris in the 1790s. The game is such a firm favorite among many people from all walks of life, it is even possible to play roulette virtually nowadays, through sites such as Novibet.

Pachisi

A game that originated in India in around 1100 BC, Pachisi is also known as Ludo, Sorry! or Parcheesi in the modern day. The board – which is traditionally an embroidered cloth – is in a cross shape, while each player has four colored pieces they must move around the board. If an opponent lands on your piece, you have to move it back to the beginning again, although there are some ‘safe’ squares that make you immune from this. The aim of the game is to be the first to move your pieces all the way around the board.

Chess

Another game with origins in India, an early form of chess was known as chaturanga, and dates back to around 7 CE. The meaning of the word chaturanga relates to the four military divisions: cavalry, chariotry, elephantry and infantry. These divisions translated into various pieces on the modern chess board, which are the knight, rook, bishop and the pawns. The game of chess spread through noble circles in Persia, and eventually spread throughout Europe too. 

A game that stretches the brain and incorporates skills ranging from strategy to mathematics, chess is still incredibly popular today. In fact, it is estimated that 600 million people in the world know how to play chess. 

Tetris

The popularity of board games eventually evolved into a widespread love of video games once the technology became available. Although video games cannot have as long a history as many old board games, Tetris is a game that has been around for a long time in gaming circles.

Designed in 1984, the game is about fitting different shaped pieces together to form whole lines. Once a line is complete, it disappears to create more space on the screen. The premise is simple but the worldwide appeal is still huge. Now available on more than 70 different platforms, Tetris even created a Guinness World Record for the most ported video game ever.