Board Game Arena

Since I resubscribed recently, I've noticed that any game that I start with my son (on a different PC, same house), will not recruit more players. For example, I create a 3 player Ark Nova game, him and I are in it, and it will search for a third player forever. I've left it for as long as a week at a time with no results.
I can play with him otherwise, and he can create and have players in his games otherwise, so I think this is a shared play problem.

Is it possible that, though I am a Premium subscriber, this is not working/enabled somehow?

If I understand correctly, you are able to play 2 player games? Then I assume it's not a same location bug.

Have you tried starting a game via Play Now and choosing "manual" at the top? The automatic matchmaking does some strange things sometimes...

Perhaps you have some restriction, like friends only? (I think in the game page you find that in the open door icon.)

For example, I have had this game up for 3 days now. My son and I are in it already but it cannot find a third player...

https://imgur.com/7RSDbaO

Sarovan wrote: ↑07 January 2026, 17:35 For example, I have had this game up for 3 days now. My son and I are in it already but it cannot find a third player...

https://imgur.com/7RSDbaO

Please access this table from the Play Now page (not the Ark Nova lobby) so we can see the entire configuration.

This is the game page link:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... =785339639

I'm confused about the Play Now page you suggested. Clicking on Play Now at the top doesn't show my current games, only new ones to be created.

Sarovan wrote: ↑07 January 2026, 21:12 This is the game page link:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga ... =785339639

I'm confused about the Play Now page you suggested. Clicking on Play Now at the top doesn't show my current games, only new ones to be created.

You have to have the middle column set to Turn-Based and the right column set to Manual. The click on the blue button under Ark Nova and it should show all tables waiting for players, including yours. Then click on the View button to open up the table settings.

That said, I can't currently see your table in the list of tables waiting for players.

Sarovan wrote: ↑07 January 2026, 17:35 For example, I have had this game up for 3 days now. My son and I are in it already but it cannot find a third player...

https://imgur.com/7RSDbaO

This sounds a lot like you have an active group restriction that you are not aware of. When you click on the "green people behind door" icon on top right there, you can see all the restrictions for your table. One panel is "Group restrictions" and it's possibly set to "friends only".

I'm not familiar with ark nova, but not all games are as popular with turn based. Especially 4 moves a day, which is likely not the most popular option.

Tuut Tuut tis Luut wrote: ↑08 January 2026, 20:32 but not all games are as popular with turn based. Especially 4 moves a day, which is likely not the most popular option.

Did you look at the Games in Progress page for Ark Nova at all? Out of 1000 games shown, around 450 of them are turn based. And that's just a sample of the 12380 games in progress. At least 10% of the turn based games are 4 moves per day. I say at least because for many of the games the time settings aren't shown. So while 4.5% out of all the games is not "the most popular," 4.5%+ of over 12000 is still plenty.