Board Game Arena — Japanese (Riichi) Mahjong

Category: Home games · Browser board-game platform; Riichi (EMA 2016) with real-time and turn-based tables
Also called: BGA Riichi Mahjong; Japanese (Riichi) Mahjong on Board Game Arena; boardgamearena.com riichimahjong
Last checked: 2026-10-07

What it is

Japanese (Riichi) Mahjong on Board Game Arena (BGA) is a free, four-player browser implementation of Riichi mahjong hosted on BGA, a general online board-game platform with 1,400+ other games. It follows the European Mahjong Association (EMA) 2016 rules and lets you set up a table with friends or strangers, either real-time or turn-based. In turn-based play, players don’t need to be online at the same time and each move triggers an “it’s your turn” notice. It is social four-player table software, not mahjong solitaire.

Who it’s for

Home groups who already use Board Game Arena for game nights and want to add Riichi without another account. It also suits friends in different time zones who want a slow, asynchronous mahjong game over several days. Players who prefer the EMA ruleset (the European standard) and adjustable house rules (red fives, dora, abortive draws, game length) will find those options too. Existing home-game Riichi clients on disk are dedicated mahjong sites or apps (Mahjong Soul, Tenhou, Riichi City, RiichiMahjong.com, Maru-Jan, SEGA NET MJ, Mahjong Fight Club, Amatsuki, Ron²). None is a general board-game platform, and none advertises asynchronous turn-based tables.

Why it’s listed

The plaza needs an unused home-game slot with a real first-party URL that differs in format from recent picks: Tuesday’s Mahjong.Live (Indian Heritage), Monday’s Mahjong Place (Taiwan/HK/MCR/Sichuan), Friday’s RiichiMahjong.com (instant Riichi), Thursday’s Table Mahjong (HK) and Wednesday’s American Mahjong app. BGA adds turn-based (asynchronous) play and a multi-game platform that many home groups already use.

• Game page (https://en.boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=riichimahjong) returned 200 on 2026-10-07 under “Play Japanese (Riichi) Mahjong online on Board Game Arena.”
  • Description: Riichi is “a specific variant of the traditional Chinese Mahjong game.” “This implementation follows the current set of EMA rules (2016 version).”
  • Panel facts: Number of players: 4; game duration 47 mn; complexity 4/5. Developed by gilthe; available since Feb 20th 2022; game release 251211-1627; 4,174 games played shown on the check date.
  • Marketing copy: “Play Japanese (Riichi) Mahjong and 1401 other games online. No download necessary – play directly from your web browser. With your friends and thousands of players from the whole world. Free.”
• BGA implementation notes (same page):
  • Discard by clicking. An optional discard-confirmation button helps on small screens. Riichi is declared with a checkbox next to your name, and Tsumo, Ron and Tenpai/Noten buttons appear when relevant.
  • Furiten is flagged by a font change on your name.
  • Timed call windows are available only for real-time games outside training mode.
  • Automatic passing and automatic discarding after Riichi “exist primarily for turn-based play.”
  • Rule variants: game length (East only or East + South), optional end on negative points, tie-break extra hands, five abortive-draw types, red-five dora, removing extra dora indicators, multiple-Ron handling, and starting points of 20K, 25K or 30K.
  • Player preferences: three tile sets, including an “abstract” set for players who don’t read Chinese/Japanese numerals. Animations (off/fast/slow), custom call sounds, and manual tile reordering.
• BGA rules page (https://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/Gamehelpriichimahjong) returned 200: 136 tiles (three suits 1–9 ×4, four winds ×4, three dragons ×4). A winning hand is generally four sets and a pair plus at least one Yaku. The page lists the full Yaku and scoring tables.
• BGA Turn based FAQ (https://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/Turn_based_FAQ) returned 200:
  • “Playing turn-based, you and your opponents don’t need to be online at the same time. You play your move, your opponent gets an ‘it’s your turn’ message.”
  • Most BGA games are available both real-time and turn-based, chosen with a lobby switch.
  • Turn-based speeds are game-speed options such as “1 move / day” and “2 moves / day.”

BGA has a paid Premium tier (linked as “Go Premium!” in the site footer), but its price and which features it unlocks are not shown on the static pages checked. The game page says the game is free. Operator name, account requirements and mobile-app details are not stated on the pages checked (BGA’s FAQ and “Who are we?” pages load by JavaScript and returned no readable text to curl). Rules options can change between BGA releases. Agree on table options with your group before starting.

Official URL

Game page / play: https://en.boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=riichimahjong

Rules and BGA implementation (wiki): https://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/Gamehelpriichimahjong

Turn-based play FAQ: https://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/Turn_based_FAQ

Board Game Arena home: https://en.boardgamearena.com/

Location

Online (browser). No physical venue. No download required.

Notes

• Riichi table mahjong (EMA 2016), four players, not solitaire. Don’t confuse it with Side games solitaire portals.
• Unlike the dedicated Riichi clients on disk, BGA is a multi-game platform with turn-based (asynchronous) tables, so this listing covers only its Riichi game page.
• BGA also has a separate Chinese-rules “Mahjong” help page, but that game’s panel redirected to a reviewer page on the check date (not publicly playable). Not listed.
• Not affiliated with Mahjong Plaza.

FAQ

Q: Is Riichi Mahjong on Board Game Arena free?
A: On 2026-10-07 the game page said you can play it and 1,401 other games online, with no download necessary, “Free.” BGA also offers a paid Premium tier, whose details were not shown on the pages checked.

Q: Which rules does it use?
A: The EMA (European Mahjong Association) 2016 Riichi rules, with table options for game length, red fives, dora indicators, abortive draws, multiple Ron and starting points (20K/25K/30K).

Q: Can my group play without everyone online at the same time?
A: Yes. BGA supports turn-based tables, where you don’t need to be online at the same time and get an “it’s your turn” message. The Riichi page notes its auto-pass and auto-discard preferences exist primarily for turn-based play. Real-time tables are also available.

Q: How many players does it need?
A: Four, per the game page.