The Best Solo Board Games (2023)

1 year ago

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Most of us know playing board games with friends and family can be a great way to spend your free time. But what about turning to board games when you find yourself alone and looking for something to pass the time? It's not as strange as it may sound, because many board games these days are designed to be played solo, or at least have a fun solitaire mode. From strategy games to roll-and-write board games and everything in between, there are many options available for solo play. Below, we'll take a look at some of the best board games that can be played alone, giving you a chance to relax and unwind while still engaging your mind.

TL;DR: The Best Solo Board Games

Dune: Imperium

Despite it being one of the best strategy games of recent years, you might be surprised to find Dune: Imperium on this list since really it needs three or four players to shine. However, the need to also cater for two-player board games led the designer to include an automated opponent, House Hagal. Despite this being a fairly interactive game, House Hagal is simple to administer yet still manages to block out board space, steal resources and send in troops to contest territory, just like a real player. Solitaire you face two of them, with varying difficulty levels, which feels a lot more satisfying than just playing for a high score, as well as letting you experience this excellent game without roping in your friends. Read our Dune: Imperium review for more info.

Gloomhaven

Perhaps the largest and most involved game on this list, Gloomhaven is ideal for those pining for a grand fantasy adventure on the tabletop. In this legacy-style undertaking, you’ll guide an adventurer across a sprawling fantasy world teeming with dungeons and monsters. Card-driven tactical combat is at the heart of Gloomhaven, and each turn you’ll have to carefully consider what to play from your hand. The fact that you can lose cards permanently gives each decision significant weight, and the persistent world makes your experience vastly different from others’. Gloomhaven is a vast yet personal game that is just begging to be explored over several sessions. If the scale and price are too much for you to play alone, consider the cut-down but still excellent prequel Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. You can check out our Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion review for details on that standalone game

Mage Knight

In the years since its 2011 release, Mage Knight has become synonymous with solo gaming. A sprawling fantasy epic from famed designer Vlaada Chvátil, Mage Knight was designed for 1-4 players, but it shines particularly well as a solitary experience. It’s a great choice when you’re in the mood for fighting monsters, upgrading your character, and exploring a fantasy setting. Make sure to set aside a large chunk of time, though, because games can last upwards of three hours, and each turn presents you with a puzzle-like series of actions that require a great deal of optimization.

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective

Step into the shoes of literature’s greatest detective in this board game equivalent of a mystery novel. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective includes a number of scenarios and fun props that really sell the experience. There’s a map of London, an address directory and a newspaper, each offering clues to hunt down and suspects to interview. Be warned, however, that this game does not hold your hand; each adventure presents a small amount of setup and exposition, and then sends you out into the city without much direction, leaving you to decide what locations to visit and who to accuse. This game gives you the chance to live up to Holmes’ reputation, which is a tall order given how though the mysteries can be.

Under Falling Skies

While solo options are fairly standard on most games nowadays, they can’t quite match those rare titles that venture to be solo only, such as Under Falling Skies. It’s a riff on Space Invaders as alien ships descent ever closer to the base you’re trying to protect. Under the pressure of their advance, you’ll have to balance a limited pool of dice between shooting them down, building your base and researching a final end to the alien menace. But there’s a beautiful catch: the higher the dice you use, the better the effect and the faster the alien above descends. With a variety of scenarios that can be recombined into a campaign, this is a simple concept that will keep you gaming for a very long time.

Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island casts players as shipwreck survivors on an island that is actively trying to kill them. There are several different characters to play as, each with various strengths and weaknesses. You will find yourself scavenging for food, building and upgrading shelters, and exploring perilous locations on the island. The game includes rules for a solo variant, but the general consensus is that it’s easier for a single player to simply take on the role of more than one character. There is a lot going on in Robinson Crusoe and the ample iconography can be a bit overwhelming, but those that stick it out will find a rewarding adventure that begs for return trips.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr N’ Write

Roll and write games, like co-op games, often make very good solo fare because even multiplayer you’re all competing to make the best use of the same set of dice. Most, however, are too fast and simple for a compelling solitaire experience. Dinosaur Island: Rawr N’ Write is longer and more complex than its peers, but it pays off in a deeper, more satisfying game. Your dice rolls generate a wide variety of resources that you’ll need to balance carefully to build and run your Jurassic World style theme park. You even draw out the buildings on a grid and run tours through it but beware: if your security isn’t up to scratch, you may end up with fewer tourists than you started with. For more info, check out our Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write review.