Share this article
Improve this guide
7 gaming forum software to create the next-gen online community
12 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Key notes
Before the invent ofsocial medialike Facebook andTwitter, the online community was onforumssharing their favorite bits like a new found software or helping other community members with their problems. Back in the days maintaining an onlineforumwas a challenging task; however, things have changed for better in the last decade.
Today, setting up an onlineforumbe it a gamingforumor a football enthusiastforumonly requires aforumsoftware, ahosting plan, and a domain. If you are an avid gamer looking for a gamingforumsoftware, we have got you covered.
We have compared some of the bestforumsoftware based on theirfeaturesand created this list of best gamingforumsoftware so that you can spend most of your time creating an ultimate gaming community.
What features do I need in a gaming forum software?
The gamingforumsoftware is like any otherforumsoftware, but some additionalfeaturesmay be required. If you want the users to upload short gameplay, then the ability to upload videos or embedded YouTube videos is needed.
Modern looking themes (templates), intuitive user interface, chat area, and personal message and semi-moderated debate session options are a few things that make the visitors stay for long and time and visit theforumregularly.
Here are a few things that you should consider in the best gamingforumsoftware:
Forums usually have a few admins but severalmoderators. Administrator control the whole operation while themoderatorshelp admin keep theforumclean and running. Having separate control panel formoderatorsand admin is an essentialfeatureto consider.
Onlineforums are mostly about the text, butgaming forumsthrive on the text as well as visual contents. Having a rich text editor with the option to add images andHTML supportis one good way to promote theforumamong new users.
Most of the users on the internet prefer to use their mobile over PC. So, having a mobile-optimized responsiveforumis recommended both in SEO and user experience perspective.
Onlineforums are the most preferred target of spammers, so having arobust spam filtersystem integration is a must for hassle-freeforum management.
One of the best ways to increase user engagement in theforumis to have a ranking system for users. Users should be able to unlock new levels based on their interaction in theforum.
Allowing the users to customize their profile with avatar and signature is an excellent way to create a unique fun-loving community.
Gaming forum software come in both free and paid versions. We have listed the price (where possible) along with features to help you find the best forum software that meets your requirement.
However, you do need topurchase web hostingto install forum scrip on the server.
What are the best gaming forum software to use in 2019?
phpBB
Pros
Cons
phpBB is the oldest and one of the most popularPHP basedforum software. It is an open source project which means it isfreeto install and use. It enables the users to create and managegaming forumswith access to extensive administration panel with tons of customization options.
The basic functionalities offered pbpBB includes the ability to allow user registration, board creation, private message and profile customization to a new a few.
The phpBB community has detailed user documentation along with video tutorials to help the new user to get started with the software. There is a demo section on the official website which lets you try theforumand its functions in real time.
It offers two control panels for administrators andmoderators. The admin can control all the aspects of theforumwhile themoderatorscan be limited to certain rights and access within theforum.
The availability of the vast selection of extensions enhances the usability of theforumby offering an extended set of functionalities.
What we didn’t like?
Themes/templates offered by phpBB seem a little outdated by today’s standard when compared to other bulletin boards likeDiscoursethat has better-looking themes on offer. Other than that, phpBB is the best open-sourcesforumsoftware that you can use to create a gamingforumwith tons of customization options.
Get phpBB
Discourse
Pros
Cons
Discourseis one of the latest entrants into the communityforumsoftware market but has amazed the users with its modern looks and sleek user interface.
Discourse is afreeopen-source project. So, for self-hosted sites, Discourse is completelyfree. Discourse does offer monthly plans for managed discourse community sites. And for those who are not good with unmanaged servers, discourse team can install theforumscript on a self-hosted Digital Ocean droplet for a one-time fee of $99.
Being a modern community software, discourse does support third-party web-apps integration including Slack,WordPress, Zendesk, Patreon, and Matomo, etc.
Discourse does not break conversation into pages but offers in-time loadingfeaturethat expands discussion as the user scroll-dow. It also has dynamic notifications and is optimized for mobiles users.
The administrator panel offers quick insights into current developments in the community along with user statistics and user management options like bulkmoderation, sitewide alters, ability to add private spaces and self-managing user groups, etc.
Simple Machine Forum
Pros
Cons
Simple Machine Forumis php-basedforumsoftware with lost of hits and some misses. SMF has a long history, and the developers have been consistently releasing new updates with newfeaturesand bug fixes.
The user documentation has improved a lot over the years making it easier for new users to get hold of the program but the community support is where it excels.
SMF is known for its extensive collection of plugins which is second to none and also the package manager that makes it a breeze to update to new modules.
The administrators can manage boards, assignmoderatorsand limit user access to boards or sub-boards. It also comes with built-in support for multiple languages.
What we didn’t like?
SMF does take some time getting used. The user interface is pretty basic, and the themes despite its huge collection are not on par with the modern templates on offer by modern bulletin board software.
MyBB
Pros
Cons
MyBBis an open-source communityforumscript that offers all the essentialfeaturesyou would need in a gamingforumsoftware. MyBB Merge System is a migrationfeaturefor the users already running aforumon a different script and helps in easier migration to MyBB.
MyBB has maintained a standarddiscussion boardstructure for easy navigation. The users can customize their profile and along with thediscussion boardbased on their personal liking.
In addition, MyBB makes it easy for the admins to allow their users to embed video from YouTube and other streaming sites. Users can also add polls, quote other users in reply and offers administrators a detailed control panel to control all the actions of theforumusers.
The administrator panel offers full control over user management, access to user statistics,forumcustomization and also easy access to new plugins and themes. If you know CSS, you can use the theme editor to change the look and feel of the site as per your need.
vBulletin
Pros
Cons
vBulletingis the most popular paid community forum software. It comes in two version,vBulleting 5.0 Connect– costs $249 and is self-hosted andvBulletin Cloud– is a fully managed service and is charged on a monthly or yearly basis.
Forum features include an unlimited hierarchy of forums, the ability to create forums, admin tools, thread and forum subscription.
For the users, the vBulleting forum offers BB code and HTML support in posts, use emojis, add an avatar, rich text editor, multimedia attachment, poll option and post reporting.
On the editorial front, you have user management options, task scheduler, control panel, moderation option, customisation of the forum using the template with conditional support.
vBulletin is expensive and the fact that the future upgrades on self-hosted vBulletin forum are not free makes it a little difficult choice. But, apart from that, vBulletin is a fully featured community forum software with an excellent set of tools on offer.
Vanilla Forum
Pros
Cons
Vanilla Forumcomes in two version, open source and premium fully managed plans. The basics of Vanilla Forums open sourceforumscript is similar to other community board scripts where the users need to install and maintain the software on theirown server manually.
The administrators can customize the look and feel of the site by editing the theme or simply installing one provided by Vanilla Forums. The user interface is modern and looks more appealing compared to the UI of phpBB or MyBB.
Vanilla Forums allows you to create a stunningforumusing the limited number of themes and plugins. Theforummembers do get access to rich text editor along with auto-save draft option. There is an option to create private groups for users as well.
Vanilla Forums is a good choice for beginners but the company itself is not very active in promoting the Vanilla Forums open source project, or so as it seems from the official website. As the community grows, you can opt for premium plans if needed.
The company offers three premium plans, Business, Corporate and Enterprise. But the pricing will be decided based on user requirement. Do give it a shot to see if it is something you can work with.
WordPress Based Forum Software (Plugins)
All theforumsoftware listed above are standaloneforumscripts, but if you don’t want to manage a standaloneforumsoftware or want aforumalongside your already existing website,WordPresscan help you.
WordPressis a popular content management system (CMS), and a lot of developers have created communityforumplugins forWordPressthat lets you create a fully functionalforumin few clicks.
Some of the most popularWordPressbased communityforumplugins are, bbPress, wpForoForum, and AsgarosForumto name a few. These plugins act like add-ons and work with your existingWordPressinstallation.
wpForo Forums
wpForo Forumis aWordPressplugin that lets you create a fully functional communityforumright on top of yourWordPressinstallation. It has all thefeaturesyou need and isfreeto use.
Installation of wpForoForumis like any otherWordPressplugin. It has three types ofForumlayouts, to begin with, but the layouts can be changed at any point of time without breaking theforum.
Administrators can customize the look of theforumby changing color, adding menu items along with sidebar widget for proper website look. wpForo also offers excellent user management that lets you set custom login and registration URL, user rating system and profile management.
The premium add-ons to wpForo allow you to embed media content, create polls, user customization, private messagefeaturesand manage ads.
Asgaros Forum
Asgaros Forumis a simple yet functionalWordPressforumplugin for those wanting to extend their website with a lightweightdiscussion boardwithout compromising onfeatures.
Users can create profiles by registering on theforum, get notifications, create new threads and reply to other users threads.
AsagrosForumoffers a basic structure and content management system for administrators. In addition, it also provides basic user managementfeaturesincluding access to the member’s list, permission management, and statistics. You can also add your own theme via FTP client.
Discussion Board
Discussion Boardis anotherWordPressplugin that can add communityforumfunctionality to yourWordPresswebsite. It comes with a host offeaturesand delivers on its claims.
Users can register on theforum, post new topics and create a new page for separate topics.
On the user management front, the admins can control user action, assign roles to new users, limit spam registration, choose from three layouts and work with shortcodes.
There is a Pro version of Discussion Board as well that allows the users to add categories and tags, set topics as solved or open, customize user profiles, upload images, manual approval by admin and WYSIWYG editor.
bbPress
bbPressis an open-source communityforumplugin developed by Automatic, the same company that runs WordPress.org and .com. The plugin allows you to create bulletin boards while focusing on ease of integration, latest web standard, and speed.
bbPress is an easy goingWordPressextension that lets you create communityforumswith few clicks, but not a very ideal plugin to manage large communities.
Wrapping Up!
If you want a sophisticated gamingforumsoftware or just a communityforumsoftware in general then phpBB, Discourse, and MyBB are some of the best choices.
However, if you simply want to extend your website with communityforumfunctionality, try Discussion Board, wpForo Forums and AsgarosForumplugin forWordPressas it is less resource hungry and also easier to maintain.
For those using Joomla can tryKunenaorEasyDiscusswhile the Drupal users can check outAdvanced Forum.
That’s about it. Hope we were able to help you find the best forum software with this guide. Do let us know your pick in the comments.
More about the topics:software,web software
Tashreef Shareef
Tashreef Shareef is a software developer turned tech writer. He discovered his interest in technology after reading a tech magazine accidentally. Now he writes about everything tech from Windows to iOS and streaming services to IoT at WindowsReport.
User forum
1 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Tashreef Shareef
