Most of us are familiar with the joy of playing board games with friends and family, but have you considered the benefits of playing them solo? It might sound unusual, but many modern board games are designed with engaging solo modes that offer a relaxing yet mentally stimulating way to spend your time. From strategy games to roll-and-write adventures, there's a wide variety of solo board games that cater to different tastes and preferences. Let's explore some of the best solo board games that can help you unwind and engage your mind, even when you're on your own.
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 enjoyed with up to four players. The only exception is Final Girl, which is designed specifically for solo play.
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. You take charge of a team of secret agents operating behind enemy lines during World War 2. The game's narrative unfolds through well-crafted text paragraphs, with choices that influence the story of espionage and danger. These decisions are also played out on miniature maps where your team can set up ambushes against enemy soldiers. With multiple difficulty levels and decision trees, the game offers great replay value, and you can connect all scenarios into a campaign for an ultimate solo challenge. While it officially supports up to six players cooperatively, the solo experience magnifies the intensity of command.
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 series, Invincible: The Hero-Building Game presents superheroism with a twist, featuring genuine peril and intense action. This board game, which scored 8 out of 10 in our review, focuses on young heroes mastering their powers. You'll search your hand for powerful combinations to enhance your protégés while balancing the need to defeat villains and save civilians. Each scenario is tied to major storylines from the TV show, allowing fans to reenact their favorite episodes. The game can also be played as a full campaign for an even deeper experience.
Legacy of Yu
### Legacy of Yu
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60 minsJourney back to mythic China in Legacy of Yu, where you take on the role of Yu the Great, tasked with saving the kingdom from floods and barbarian threats. This game brilliantly combines resource management and worker placement with narrative elements and military strategy. You'll build canals and defend against incursions, all while facing moral dilemmas that add depth to the historical setting. It's a rich strategic challenge that offers a compelling solo experience.
Final Girl
### Final Girl
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1Play Time: 20-60 minsHorror-themed games excel in solo play, and Final Girl delivers a thrilling experience. In a darkened room, it's just you and the dice, creating an unsettling atmosphere. With numerous expansion sets, you can explore various horror scenarios, each based on classic horror movies. You play as the survivor, managing time between actions, card play, and drawing new cards, which adds tension and strategic depth. To play, you'll need both the core box and a Film Box, which provide scenarios to match your favorite horror themes. It's a narratively rich game that offers a thrilling solo ride.
Dune: Imperium
### Dune Imperium
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsWhile Dune: Imperium shines with multiple players, its solo mode is surprisingly robust. The game includes an automated opponent, House Hagal, which effectively mimics a real player's actions. In solo play, you'll face two of these automated opponents at varying difficulty levels, providing a satisfying challenge. This allows you to enjoy this excellent strategy game without needing to gather friends. For more details, check out our Dune: Imperium review.
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 play as a Roman general constructing defenses against Pictish invasions. It's especially engaging in solo play, particularly with its downloadable campaign mode. The game stands out with its dynamic gameplay, strategic depth, and the use of tokens for resource management, which adds a tangible historical feel. It's a compelling solo experience that brings the genre to life.
Imperium: Horizons
### Imperium: Horizons
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 40 mins/playerImperium: Horizons brings deck-building to the civilization genre, making it suitable for solo play. Each civilization has a unique starting deck and cards to add during the game, challenging you to build your empire while managing economics and avoiding revolt. With fourteen civilizations, each requiring a distinct strategy, the game offers immense replay value and depth. For more details, check out our hands-on review of Imperium Horizons.
Frosthaven / Gloomhaven
### Frosthaven
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsFrosthaven is perfect for those seeking a grand fantasy adventure. This legacy-style game lets you guide an adventurer through a persistent world filled with dungeons and monsters. The card-driven tactical combat requires careful decision-making, as losing cards permanently impacts your strategy. If Frosthaven's scale is too daunting for solo play, consider Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, a more manageable yet still excellent standalone game. Check out our Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion review for more information.
Mage Knight
### Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-5Play Time: 60+ minsMage Knight is a hallmark of solo gaming, offering a sprawling fantasy epic. Designed by Vlaada Chvátil, it's perfect for solo play, allowing you to fight monsters, upgrade your character, and explore a detailed world. Be prepared for long sessions, as games can last over three hours, with each turn presenting a puzzle-like challenge.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
### Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-8Play Time: 90 minsStep into the world of Sherlock Holmes with this mystery-solving game. It includes scenarios and props like a London map, address directory, and newspaper to enhance the detective experience. The game challenges you to solve mysteries with minimal guidance, letting you choose your investigative path. It's a challenging and immersive solo experience that tests your detective skills. For more mystery games, check out our picks for the best mystery board games.
Under Falling Skies
### Under Falling Skies
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1+Play Time: 20-40 minsUnder Falling Skies is designed specifically for solo play, inspired by Space Invaders. You must protect your base from descending alien ships, balancing dice usage between shooting, building, and researching a solution. The game's mechanics create a tense, engaging experience with various scenarios that can be combined into a campaign. It's a simple yet deeply rewarding solo game.
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 minsIn Robinson Crusoe, you play as shipwreck survivors on a hostile island. With different characters to choose from, you'll scavenge for resources, build shelters, and explore dangerous locations. The solo variant is best played by controlling multiple characters, adding complexity and depth. The game offers a rich, rewarding adventure with plenty of replay value, and expansions are available to further explore the experience.
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 is a roll-and-write game that stands out with its complexity and depth. You'll manage resources to build and operate a Jurassic World-style theme park, drawing out buildings on a grid and running tours. The game's strategic balance between resource management and security makes it a compelling solo experience. For more details, check out our Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write review.
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 immersive solo experience as you face cosmic horrors. The base game includes scenarios where you navigate locations to gather clues and advance the story while managing the deadly Mythos deck. Your investigator will accumulate damage and weaknesses, adding thematic depth to the campaign. It's one of the most atmospheric horror board games available.
Cascadia
### Cascadia
0See it at WalmartAge Range: 10+Players: 1-4Play Time: 30-45 minsCascadia is a family-friendly game that offers a unique solo challenge through its list of achievements. You'll build a nature reserve by choosing terrain tiles and animal tokens to meet scoring patterns. The solo achievements provide varied challenges and rule tweaks, making it a satisfying solo experience. For more information, read our review of Cascadia.
Terraforming Mars
### Terraforming Mars
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-5Play Time: 120 minsIn Terraforming Mars, you'll transform the Martian landscape to support human life through resource management and tableau building. As a mega corporation, you'll race against time to maximize oxygen levels, temperature, and ocean coverage. The solo mode challenges you to optimize your actions, building a sprawling tableau of cards that can combo together. It's a deeply strategic game that offers one of the best solo experiences, and expansions are available to enhance the challenge. It's also one of the best board games for adults.
Spirit Island
### Spirit Island
0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 90-120 minsSpirit Island is a cooperative game that excels in solo play. You control island spirits defending against colonizers, using power cards to destroy settlements and repair damaged land. The game's strong theme and combo-heavy mechanics create a robust solo experience that's both challenging and rewarding.
Solo Board Game FAQs
Is it weird to play board games alone?
Not at all! Playing board games solo has been a pastime for centuries, evidenced by a 1697 French engraving showing a woman playing peg solitaire. Solitaire card games date back to the late 1700s, and just like video games, solo board games offer a challenge and personal satisfaction. They provide visual and tactile pleasures similar to doing a jigsaw puzzle. So, enjoying a board game by yourself is no more peculiar than any other solo hobby.
For more game recommendations, check out our picks for the best party board games and the best deck-building card games.
