Playing board games with friends and family is a cherished pastime, but what about enjoying them solo? It's not as unusual as it might seem. Many modern board games are designed with solo play in mind, offering engaging experiences that can be just as rewarding when played alone. Whether you're into strategy, roll-and-write games, or immersive narratives, there's a wealth of options for solo board gaming. Let's explore some of the best board games that you can enjoy by yourself, providing a perfect way to relax and challenge your mind.
TL;DR: These are the Best Solo Board Games
### War Story: Occupied France
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### Invincible: The Hero-Building Game
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### Legacy of Yu
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### Final Girl
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### Dune Imperium
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### Hadrian's Wall
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### Imperium: Horizons
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### Frosthaven
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### Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
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### Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
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### Under Falling Skies
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### Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
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### Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
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### Arkham Horror: The Card Game
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### Cascadia
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### Terraforming Mars
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### Spirit Island
0See it at AmazonEditor's Note: Although every board game on this list can be played alone, most of them can be played with up to four players. The only exception to this is Final Girl, which was designed to be a single-player game only.
War Story: Occupied France
### War Story: Occupied France
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-6Play Time: 45-60 minsWar Story: Occupied France offers a unique blend of choose-your-own-adventure and tactical wargame elements. As a player, you lead a team of secret agents during World War II, navigating through a gripping narrative filled with danger and espionage. The game's text-driven scenarios lead to strategic decisions on miniature maps, where your team can set up ambushes against enemy forces. With multiple difficulty levels and the ability to link scenarios into a campaign, this game provides a rich solo experience that truly tests your command skills.
Invincible: The Hero-Building Game
### Invincible: The Hero-Building Game
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 45-90 minsInspired by the popular comic book and animated TV show, Invincible: The Hero-Building Game offers a fresh take on superheroism. You guide young heroes learning to harness their powers, searching for effective power combinations while balancing the need to combat villains and protect civilians. Each scenario ties into the TV show's major storylines, allowing fans to relive their favorite episodes. The game can also be played as a full campaign, adding depth and continuity to your solo adventures.
Legacy of Yu
### Legacy of Yu
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60 minsSet in mythic China, Legacy of Yu challenges you to save the kingdom from flooding as Yu the Great. This game combines resource management and worker placement with narrative elements and military strategy. You'll build canals and defend against barbarian tribes, offering a rich strategic experience filled with historical flavor and moral dilemmas. It's a compelling solo journey through ancient China.
Final Girl
### Final Girl
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1Play Time: 20-60 minsFinal Girl excels in the horror genre, perfect for solo play. As the last survivor in a horror story, you manage time allocations to take actions, play cards, and draw more cards, creating tension and strategic depth. The game requires a core box and a Film Box, which includes scenarios based on classic horror movies. This setup allows you to tailor your experience to your favorite films or fears, delivering a thrilling and narratively rich solo game.
Dune: Imperium
### Dune Imperium
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsDune: Imperium, a standout strategy game, includes an automated opponent, House Hagal, for solo play. While it shines with multiple players, the solo mode allows you to face two automated opponents at varying difficulty levels, providing a satisfying challenge. This setup lets you experience the game's excellent mechanics without needing other players, making it a great choice for solo strategists.
Hadrian’s Wall
### Hadrian's Wall
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-6Play Time: 60 minsHadrian’s Wall is a flip-and-write game where you, as a Roman general, construct walls and fortresses to repel Pictish invasions. The game excels in solo play, especially with its downloadable campaign. It offers dynamic gameplay, strategic depth through various combos, and a commitment to resource management, setting it apart in its genre and immersing you in historical strategy.
Imperium: Horizons
### Imperium: Horizons
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 40 mins/playerImperium: Horizons brings deck-building to civilization games, making it suitable for solo play. You select a civilization with a unique starting deck and build it from scratch, managing complex mechanisms like trading and economics. The game's challenge and replay value are immense, as each of the fourteen civilizations requires a unique strategic approach, offering a deep and engaging solo experience.
Frosthaven / Gloomhaven
### Frosthaven
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsFrosthaven is a grand fantasy adventure ideal for solo players. In this legacy-style game, you guide an adventurer through a world filled with dungeons and monsters, engaging in card-driven tactical combat. The game's persistent world and the weight of each decision make for a personal and expansive experience. For a more manageable solo adventure, consider Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, which offers a similar yet scaled-down experience.
Mage Knight
### Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-5Play Time: 60+ minsMage Knight has become synonymous with solo gaming since its 2011 release. This fantasy epic from designer Vlaada Chvátil offers a rich solo experience, perfect for those who enjoy fighting monsters, upgrading characters, and exploring fantasy worlds. Be prepared for long sessions, as each turn presents a puzzle-like series of actions requiring careful optimization.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
### Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-8Play Time: 90 minsStep into the shoes of Sherlock Holmes in this mystery-solving game. With scenarios, a map of London, an address directory, and a newspaper, you hunt for clues and interview suspects. The game challenges you to live up to Holmes' reputation, offering a deeply immersive solo experience that tests your detective skills.
Under Falling Skies
### Under Falling Skies
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1+Play Time: 20-40 minsUnder Falling Skies is a solo-only game inspired by Space Invaders. You protect your base from descending alien ships, balancing dice rolls between shooting, building, and researching. The game's mechanics, where higher dice rolls have better effects but accelerate the alien descent, create a tense and engaging solo experience. With various scenarios and a campaign mode, it offers long-term replayability.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
### Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 90-180 minsRobinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island immerses you in the life of a shipwreck survivor on a hostile island. You scavenge for resources, build shelters, and explore dangerous locations. The solo variant allows you to control multiple characters, adding depth to the experience. With ample iconography and rewarding gameplay, it's a challenging and engaging solo adventure.
Dinosaur Island: Rawr N’ Write
### Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 10+Players: 1-4Play Time: 30-45 minsDinosaur Island: Rawr N’ Write offers a deeper roll-and-write experience perfect for solo play. You manage resources to build and run a Jurassic World-style theme park, drawing buildings on a grid and managing tours. The game's complexity and strategic depth make it a satisfying solo challenge, balancing park management with security to keep your tourists safe.
Arkham Horror: the Card Game
### Arkham Horror: The Card Game
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsArkham Horror: The Card Game offers a tense and thematic solo experience. You face cosmic mysteries as an investigator, using custom decks to search for clues and advance the story while managing the deadly Mythos deck. The game's campaign structure and thematic depth make it one of the best horror board games for solo play.
Cascadia
### Cascadia
0See it at WalmartAge Range: 10+Players: 1-4Play Time: 30-45 minsCascadia, a top family board game, also offers a compelling solo experience. You build a nature reserve by choosing terrain tiles and animal tokens to meet scoring patterns. The game's list of achievements in the rulebook provides varied challenges, making it a satisfying solo game that encourages you to try different setups and strategies.
Terraforming Mars
### Terraforming Mars
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-5Play Time: 120 minsTerraforming Mars challenges you to make Mars habitable through resource management and tableau building. As a mega corporation, you race against time to maximize oxygen levels, temperature, and ocean coverage. The solo mode offers a crunchy optimization puzzle, with expansion scenarios adding even more depth to this engaging experience.
Spirit Island
### Spirit Island
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 90-120 minsSpirit Island, a cooperative game, excels in solo play. You control island spirits to protect your land from colonizers, using power cards to destroy settlements and repair land. The game's strong theme and combo-heavy card play make it a robust and ideal solo experience.
Solo Board Game FAQs
Is it weird to play board games alone?
Not at all! Solo board gaming has a long history, with evidence dating back to the 17th century. Just like playing video games alone, enjoying board games by yourself is a common and enjoyable way to challenge yourself and engage with the game's mechanics and themes. It's no more peculiar than doing a jigsaw puzzle or any other solitary hobby.
