Tabletop refers to games played on a flat surface like a table, as opposed to video games played on screens or sports played on fields. When friends gather around a table to play Monopoly, Clue, or Settlers of Catan, they're enjoying tabletop games. Chess, checkers, and card games are also tabletop games.

The category includes board games with pieces and dice, card games, and role-playing games where players create characters and act out adventures together. In tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, one person describes the story while others make choices for their characters, rolling dice to determine outcomes. These games happen entirely through conversation and imagination, with maybe some miniature figures and maps on the table to help visualize the action.

The word distinguishes these face-to-face games from digital entertainment. While video games connect players through screens, tabletop games bring people together in the same room, where they can see each other's reactions, share snacks, and enjoy the social experience. Many families have tabletop game nights where everyone puts away their phones and plays together.

As an adjective, tabletop can describe other things designed to sit on a table, like a small tabletop Christmas tree or a tabletop easel for painting.