Top 10 accounting games that make learning fun

Gaming is an excellent way to unwind and relax after a long day. But many games also enhance critical thinking skills, hand-eye coordination, and decision-making capabilities. 

Seasoned pros, budding accounting students, and financial literacy novices alike can all benefit from playing accounting games designed to hone their financial management skills while also providing hours of fun.

So, whether you’re looking for a way to decompress during tax season or need to stay sharp as you prepare for an accounting certification test, here are TaxDome’s top 10 accounting games. 

The top 10 accounting games to make education fun

Accounting games aren’t just about number crunching on a piece of paper. They cover a wide spectrum, from board games for students that illustrate and teach accounting principles to video and mobile games that offer real-world takes on financial management. 

1. Accounting for Empires™

Preparing for the CPA exam doesn’t have to mean keeping your eyes buried in a study guide, and Becker Professional Education saw to that when it created Accounting for Empires™. This online game has players answering questions from the CPA exam to build an empire. 

Aspiring CPAs can play solo or as a team. Within the game’s town hall, they can select the type of questions to answer. As players answer questions correctly, they earn points to build banks, universities, venture capital firms, housing — everything needed to complete a dominant empire. The more they build, the more subjects on the CPA exam they have access to. 

What’s perfect about this game is it helps you relax from the monotony of staring at a book and trying to memorize answers while also allowing you to flex your mental muscles on all subjects in the CPA exam.

2. Football Manager

Before diving into this exceptional video game for accountants who are big sports fans, American accountants should know the game is talking about traditional football — soccer. 

Football Manager is a fantastic option for accounting professionals looking for a game that matches their passion for sports with their numerical prowess. While the primary objective for players is to manage their football club successfully, a considerable part of that success involves effective financial management. 

Players balance the club’s budget, negotiate player salaries, manage transfer fees, and make strategic decisions to ensure the club’s profitability and financial health. This means that accounting professionals playing Football Manager can expect to work on financial planning, cost-benefit analysis, and understanding the financial implications of various management decisions. This provides some solid accounting simulation if you’re interested in learning how to apply your skills in the professional sports industry.

While financial students and professionals alike can enjoy and benefit from this game, someone with real-world experience may find themselves more adept at navigating the nuances of financial management in Football Manager. 

3. AirwaySim

If sports aren’t your thing but you still want to work on your financial management skills, look into AirwaySim. In this online game, players make decisions about everything from fleet composition to route selection, pricing strategies, and overall financial management.

To build a successful airline on AirwaySim, players strategize for profitable routes, set ticket prices, manage staff, and compete with other virtual airlines. This covers a range of accounting and financial management concepts, including:

• Budgeting
• Financial forecasting
• Cost management
• Financial statement analysis

This is an excellent tool for understanding business accounting, making it a great option for students and professionals looking for a practical application that deals with capital investment, operational expenses, and revenue generation.

4. Accounting

Yes, that’s correct. This game for accountants is, in fact, titled “Accounting”. This virtual reality (VR) simulation game is for accounting professionals looking for a little tongue-in-cheek fun based on their profession.

From the co-creator of Rick and Morty and the designer of The Stanley Parable, Accounting+ and Accounting (Legacy) places players in a series of increasingly bizarre and comedic situations, all under the guise of being in an accounting office. Players are tasked with navigating through various levels, each with its own unique and absurd challenges. The objective is not to perform actual accounting work but to explore and interact with peculiar environments, solve puzzles, and engage with eccentric characters.

If you’re a Rick and Morty fan, you’ll know this game is for a more mature audience (rated 17+) as it contains violence, crude humor, and strong language. While it may not be explicitly built to sharpen your accounting prowess, the puzzles still encourage you to think critically, while the absurd humor helps you unwind after a long day during the accounting busy season. 

5. Ledger Mania

Ledger Mania is an online and board game that covers a range of fundamental accounting concepts, including double-entry bookkeeping, financial statement preparation, budgeting, and financial analysis. The board game has eight versions:

• Basic forensic accounting transactions
• Non-profit organizations
• Hospitality accounting
• Special journals and subsidiary ledgers
• LIFO/FIFO inventory concepts
• Merchandising company
• Service company

The online version offers the following seven transaction sets for players to build games from:

• Service company corporate
• Service company proprietorship
• Merchandising company corporate
• Merchandising company proprietorship
• Non-profit organization
• Hospitality company
• Auditing/forensic accounting

Its main objective is to teach and reinforce accounting principles through practical application. Players aim to accurately manage financial records, balance sheets, and income statements. It also challenges them to make strategic decisions based on their financial standing.

This is ideal for helping accounting students to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills within an accounting context.

6. Numtris

Numtris is a mobile puzzle game that combines numerical challenges with the classic block-dropping gameplay reminiscent of Tetris. In this game, players must position falling blocks, each containing a number, in such a way that adjacent blocks add up to specific target numbers. This game is designed to be both entertaining and mentally stimulating, focusing on quick mathematical calculations and strategic placement.

Numtris helps in sharpening basic arithmetic skills that are foundational to accounting. The game encourages quick mental calculations and fosters a sense of strategic planning and foresight, which are all valuable in various accounting scenarios.

Numtris can appeal to anyone with a penchant for numbers who want to keep their minds moving quickly. It’s especially useful for students and professionals who need to exercise their mathematical brain muscles to reduce the time it takes to make calculations.

7. Capitalism 2

Capitalism 2 is a business simulation game where players create and manage their own business empire, involving everything from production and marketing to stock trading and retail. 

The main objective for players in Capitalism 2 is to build a profitable and sustainable business through stock market analysis, strategic decision-making, product development, supply chain management, and sales strategies. Players must also manage financial aspects like investments, loans, and stock offerings. The goal is not just to make a profit but to outmaneuver competitors and dominate the market in various industries.

Capitalism 2 covers a wide array of business and accounting concepts, such as financial statement analysis, budgeting, cost management, investment analysis, and pricing strategies. It helps players understand how business decisions impact a company’s financial health, emphasizing the importance of strategic financial planning and effective resource allocation, making it ideal for students in business and accounting, as well as professional accountants who want a deeper understanding of the broader business context in which their role functions. 

8. Bank On It®

Made available by the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), Bank On It® is an online accounting game that works for in-person, online, or hybrid classrooms.   

In Bank On It®, players aim to make prudent financial decisions, such as investing wisely, saving for emergencies, and planning for retirement. The goal is to accumulate wealth and achieve financial stability by the end of the game, all while navigating through the unpredictability of life’s financial challenges.

Since Bank On It® covers fundamental concepts of personal finance and basic accounting principles, it’s one of the better games for students who are just starting their accounting journey or want practical insights about personal finance subjects, such as interest rates, loans, credit management, asset allocation, and risk management.  

9. Arena.Xlsm

Developed by accountant Cary Walkin, Arena.Xlsm is a unique game that combines role-playing elements with spreadsheet management. Played right within Excel, players progress through the game by completing quests, defeating enemies, and managing resources effectively.

Through the gameplay tactic of strategically allocating resources, such as health points, magic, and equipment, Arena.Xlsm requires players to use Excel functions and indirectly teaches players about spreadsheet management subjects such as data organization, formula application, and resource allocation. It also works the logical thinking and problem-solving skills essential in accounting and finance.

Arena.Xlsm is particularly well-suited for accounting students and professionals familiar with Excel who enjoy role-playing games. It offers a fun and engaging way to hone Excel skills and is a resourceful tool for educators looking to make learning Excel more interactive and enjoyable for students. 

10. Monopoly

No list of games about finance, accounting, and general number crunching is complete without mentioning Monopoly. With literally hundreds of versions of this long-time favorite available, there’s something for everyone looking to improve their money management while also having some fun.

The classic version of Monopoly covers basic concepts of asset management, investment, and cash flow. It teaches players about the importance of liquidity, cash management, risk assessment, strategic investment, and understanding the impact of taxes and expenses on financial health.

Beyond the classic version of Monopoly, there are several customized versions made for CPAs and various levels of accounting students. These range from versions with adjusted rules to teach high school students about accounting and bookkeeping to a professional version developed by the Indiana CPA Society. 

It’s known that Monopoly is suitable for most ages, but with a few tweaks, you can make this into a more complex game to challenge even the most seasoned accounting professionals. 

Bonus: 11. Cashflow 101

While more of a money management game rather than one that teaches you about advanced accounting principles, Cashflow 101 may be an excellent option for accountants to suggest to friends and family members who regularly ask them financial management questions. 

Designed by “Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki, this board game simulates real-life financial strategies and scenarios, teaching players how to escape the “rat race” by building wealth through investing in assets and real estate.

With the primary objective being to achieve financial freedom, players make investment decisions, manage their income and expenses, and navigate through various financial events like job changes, stock market fluctuations, and real estate deals.  

This accounting board game can be helpful for younger students and individuals working to grasp the basics of accounting and financial concepts such as income statements, balance sheets, assets, liabilities, cash flow, and investment strategies. 

The benefits of using accounting games

Whether you’re looking to relax and manage your accounting stress or help new accounting team members connect through an industry-related activity, accounting games offer numerous benefits. Let’s explore them.

Educational enhancement

One of the major benefits of using accounting games is their role in transforming complex accounting principles into engaging, interactive scenarios, making learning more accessible and enjoyable. 

By simulating real-world financial situations, players can better grasp various concepts and combine them with educational methods to help them bridge the gap between theory and practice. They also provide a dynamic way to prepare for professional exams, such as the CPA, by embedding crucial exam information in memorable gameplay.

Professional development

Accounting games also offer continuous learning opportunities for seasoned professionals by encouraging them to think critically and apply their knowledge in new and varied contexts, such as managing airline or sports club finances.

Also, through games like Arena.Xlsm, professionals can test and develop hard skills like knowing how to use Excel. 

Team building and networking

In an accounting firm setting, games can be helpful during corporate meetings or team-building events by encouraging collaboration, communication, and strategic thinking. By playing in groups, colleagues can develop a better understanding of each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and problem-solving approaches. This leads to improved teamwork and a more cohesive work environment.

Additionally, accounting games in networking events provide a unique and informal platform for professionals to connect, share experiences, and learn from each other.

Relaxation

Accounting, managing finances, studying for exams, strategic planning — all of these can be stressful and take their toll over time. Board and video games for accounting professionals and students alike help to destress and relax the mind. Plus, these games’ fun and competitive elements can help rekindle the passion for accounting by reframing it in a novel and entertaining light.

You work hard and deserve a break, so choose one of the games above and let yourself relax for a bit. 

Conclusion

Integrating gaming into the accounting world offers a refreshing approach to learning and practicing financial skills. These top 10 accounting games provide opportunities not only for educational growth but also for relaxation and enjoyment. 

Whether you are a student just starting in accounting or an experienced pro, these games offer a delightful way to deepen your understanding of financial concepts and sharpen your skills while also finding time to unwind from focused studies and work.

If you’re looking for practice management software that can streamline your accounting firm’s work process and make everything less stressful, book a demo with TaxDome today.