War-themed board games offer an exhilarating blend of strategy and excitement, capturing the essence of epic battles across various settings. Whether you're looking for a game that can be enjoyed in an evening or one that spans the entire day, the following selection promises deep strategic engagement. So, gather your friends, prepare some snacks and drinks, and gear up for a thrilling adventure in tactical warfare.
For smoother gameplay in longer sessions, consider these tips: Download a PDF of the rulebook, often available from publishers, and have everyone read it beforehand. Encourage players to handle administrative tasks like sorting cards or counters outside their turns. You might also want to set a time limit for each player's turn, provided everyone agrees. Now, let's dive into the best war board games.
TL;DR: These Are the Best War Board Games
-----------------------------------------Arcs
Dune: War for Arrakis
Sniper Elite: The Board Game
Twilight Imperium IV
Blood Rage
Dune
Kemet: Blood and Sand
Star Wars: Rebellion
Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear
Undaunted: Normandy / Undaunted: North Africa
Root
Twilight Struggle: Red Sea
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
War of the Ring
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
Arcs
Arcs
0See it
War games with more than two players must balance the action on the board with player negotiations and alliances. Arcs achieves this balance masterfully, earning a perfect 10/10 in our review. Its innovative mechanics, inspired by trick-taking card games, offer multiple strategic options. Yet, it also delivers thrilling spacecraft battles on a circular board that encourages aggressive play. Remarkably, you can build a full-featured space empire in under two hours, making it ideal for exploring its brilliant narrative campaign expansion.
Dune: War for Arrakis
Dune: War for Arrakis
1See it at Amazon
Don't mistake this for the multiplayer negotiation game Dune further down the list. War for Arrakis is a head-to-head duel between the noble Atreides and the nefarious Harkonnen, vying for control of the precious spice. The game is highly asymmetric, with Atreides employing guerrilla tactics alongside their Fremen allies and summoned sandworms, while the Harkonnen must focus on harvesting and shipping spice to maintain their economic edge. Designed by the same team behind War of the Ring, it features quality plastic miniatures and an engaging action dice system that demands constant strategic adjustments, yet remains faster-paced.
Sniper Elite: The Board Game
Sniper Elite: The Board Game
1See it at Amazon
Fans of the video game series might be surprised by the close-quarters action in this tabletop adaptation, but its charm is undeniable. The game retains the stealth element, with the sniper player moving slowly and silently against the clock, while the German player controls roving squads trying to uncover them. Beyond the escalating tension, it offers a historical veneer absent in the video game, featuring thematic components and more realistic combat. With two different boards and various sniper loadouts and squad specialists, it promises high replay value and rich tactical decisions.
Twilight Imperium IV
Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
8See it at Amazon
Few games are as epic as this all-day sci-fi civilization-building adventure. It encompasses everything you could want from the genre: bizarre aliens researching technology and building fleets to fight over a dynamic galactic hex map, inter-player diplomacy, and in-game political decrees. While deal-making is crucial, it's underpinned by a robust strategic core. The strategy card system, where players choose a special focus each round, is particularly ingenious. This fourth edition maintains its sweeping scope while trimming unnecessary elements, making it more accessible.
Blood Rage
Blood Rage
1See it at Amazon
In Blood Rage, you lead a Viking clan through the end times of Ragnarök, striving for glory to secure a place in Valhalla. Despite its violent theme and impressive components, the game offers strategic depth. You'll draft cards to support your actions each round, carefully managing your warriors and monsters to pillage regions and fulfill quests. The blind battle card system adds excitement to the frequent clashes with other players. It's a perfect blend of tactical challenge, theme, and outright brutality, cementing its status as a classic conflict-based game.
The Best Boardgame Deals
Dune
Dune
7See it at Amazon
Dune offers a unique futuristic experience, distinct from Dune: Imperium. Based on Frank Herbert's novel and first released in 1979, it was ahead of its time. The game minimizes randomness, focusing on a delicate balance of hidden information and asymmetrical strategy. Each player represents a faction from the book, with unique powers. The Atreides can peek at auctioned cards, while the Harkonnen know all secret traitors. This edition features cleaner rules and stunning artwork, capturing the narrative and political themes of the novel brilliantly.
Kemet: Blood and Sand
Kemet Blood and Sand
0See it at Amazon
Imagine ancient Egyptian gods and mythical creatures battling in the desert sands. That's Kemet. The tech pyramids allow you to customize your strategy with special powers for attack and defense. Starting with the same battle cards, the game leads to intense mind games as you try to outguess your opponents. The board's layout ensures rapid, relentless violence, as no one can hide, and everyone is just a move away from fierce combat.
Star Wars: Rebellion
Star Wars: Rebellion
14See it at Amazon
Star Wars: Rebellion brings the beloved franchise to your table with a focus on asymmetric gameplay. The Rebellion player, as the underdog, must survive and win over planets, while the Empire uses its vast armies to crush dissent. Featuring iconic characters and events from the movies, the narrative unfolds through your choices. The game's strategic elements ensure each turn is filled with challenge and variety.
Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear
Conflict of Heroes: Awakening The Bear
0See it at Amazon
Tactical wargames can be bogged down by complexity, but the Conflict of Heroes series strikes the perfect balance. Using a simple system of action points, dice, and differing defense values, it offers excitement, realism, and tactical challenge. Starting simple, it expands to include artillery, vehicles, and tanks for a comprehensive World War II experience. The command point system, allowing extra actions during your opponent's turn, adds strategic depth.
Undaunted: Normandy & Undaunted: North Africa
Undaunted: Normandy
5See it at Amazon
Undaunted: North Africa
3See it at Amazon
Undaunted Stalingrad
1See it at Amazon
These games cleverly use deck-building to simulate infantry combat. Officer cards allow you to add new unit cards to your deck, representing the issuing of orders and supplies. Unit cards move matching troop counters on the modular scenario map, engaging in combat and seizing objectives. As casualties mount, your deck thins, reflecting eroding morale. These games provide an accessible and engaging way to relive the Second World War.
Root
Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right
18$59.99 save 25%$44.99 at Amazon
Root is one of the shorter games on this list, yet it's a bold design with heavy asymmetry. Four factions vie for control of the woodland realm, each with unique rules and gameplay. The Marquise de Cat and the Eyrie play traditional conquest games, while the Woodland Folk engage in guerrilla warfare, and the Vagabond operates as a lone trickster-hero. Despite its whimsical theme and art, Root is a strategic game that raises profound questions about politics and governance.
Twilight Struggle: Red Sea
Twilight Struggle: Red Sea
0See it at Amazon
The original Twilight Struggle is renowned for its complexity and length, but Red Sea condenses the core card-play into a more manageable hour-long game. It retains the compelling dilemmas of the original, where players must navigate their hands carefully, while introducing a new scoring mechanic that ramps up the excitement. History enthusiasts will appreciate the focus on the Cold War in East Africa, with real historical events depicted on the cards and a detailed designer's notes book.
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
2$64.95 save 21%$50.99 at Amazon
This game captures the political intrigue and backstabbing of the books and TV show. Borrowing from Diplomacy, it ensures only one player can win, yet no one has the resources to do so alone, making alliances and betrayals inevitable. A secret order system adds suspense, as you can't predict opponents' moves until it's too late. Enhanced with elements from the world of Westeros, it's a must-play for fans of the franchise.
War of the Ring
War of the Ring 2nd Edition
2$89.99 save 22%$70.36 at Amazon
This game is the best board game adaptation of Tolkien's work, featuring two intertwined games on the same board. One is the epic clash of armies across Middle-earth, while the other follows the Fellowship's quest to destroy the One Ring. The genius lies in how these two elements interact, creating a challenging tactical balance for players.
Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
Eclipse: 2nd Dawn for The Galaxy
3$207.00 at Amazon
While Twilight Imperium focuses on warfare and diplomacy, Eclipse emphasizes long-term strategic planning in sci-fi civilization-building. Its systems for initiative and technology upgrades require players to think several steps ahead as they expand into the galaxy. The tactical depth enhances the feeling of exploration and ship design, ensuring that success depends more on strategic choices than on dice rolls.
If you enjoy these, be sure to check out our picks for the overall best board games and the best board game deals.
What Counts as a Wargame?
In gaming circles, the term "wargame" often refers to games that simulate historical conflicts, a niche genre with high production values due to extensive historical research. Examples from our list include Awakening the Bear and Twilight Struggle: Red Sea, which are relatively approachable. However, the definition extends to games simulating hypothetical conflicts, like a Cold War turning into World War 3, or those using historical settings without aiming for simulation, such as Undaunted. Even games that realistically depict entirely fictional or sci-fi scenarios can be considered wargames. We've adopted a broad definition, encompassing games that explore conflict from various angles, from historical simulations to fantasy diplomacy. If you're interested in a specific type of conflict game, enthusiast sites can offer further exploration.
