The Best Solo Board Games Worth Playing Alone in 2025

Most of us cherish the joy of playing the best board games with friends and family, but what about when you find yourself alone and looking for a way to pass the time? Contrary to what you might think, it's not strange at all—many modern board games are designed to be enjoyed solo or feature engaging single-player modes. From strategic challenges to roll-and-write adventures, there's a plethora of solo board games that offer a chance to unwind and engage your mind. Let's explore some of the top picks for solo board gaming that can offer both relaxation and mental stimulation.

TL;DR: These are the Best Solo Board Games

### War Story: Occupied France

0See it at Amazon### Invincible: The Hero-Building Game

0See it at Amazon### Legacy of Yu

0See it at Amazon### Final Girl

0See it at Amazon### Dune Imperium

0See it at Amazon### Hadrian's Wall

0See it at Amazon### Imperium: Horizons

0See it at Amazon### Frosthaven

0See it at Amazon### Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition

0See it at Amazon### Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective

0See it at Amazon### Under Falling Skies

0See it at Amazon### Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island

0See it at Amazon### Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

0See it at Amazon### Arkham Horror: The Card Game

0See it at Amazon### Cascadia

0See it at Walmart### Terraforming Mars

0See it at Amazon### Spirit Island

0See it at AmazonEditor's Note: While every board game on this list can be enjoyed solo, most can also be played with up to four players. The only exception is Final Girl, which is designed exclusively 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 masterfully blends choose-your-own-adventure storytelling with tactical wargaming, placing you in command of a secret agent team during World War II. Through well-crafted narrative paragraphs and critical choices, you navigate a thrilling tale of espionage and danger. Simultaneously, your decisions come to life on miniature maps, where your team executes nail-biting ambushes against enemy forces. With numerous scenarios and decision trees, the game offers substantial replay value, and the option to link scenarios into a campaign makes it the ultimate solo challenge. While it can accommodate up to six players cooperatively, it shines brightest when played alone, intensifying the weight 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 offers a unique take on superheroism, filled with genuine peril and intense action. As you guide young heroes learning to harness their powers, you'll search your hand for powerful combinations to enhance your protégés while balancing the need to combat villains and rescue 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 complete campaign, adding depth and continuity to your solo experience.

Legacy of Yu

### Legacy of Yu

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60 minsIn Legacy of Yu, you journey to mythic China, tasked with saving the kingdom from floods as Yu the Great. This game uniquely combines resource management and worker placement with narrative-driven military elements, as you fend off barbarian tribes while strategically building canals. Despite its eclectic mix, Legacy of Yu delivers a compelling blend of strategic depth, historical richness, and moral challenges that make for an engaging solo experience.

Final Girl

### Final Girl

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1Play Time: 20-60 minsFinal Girl taps into the horror genre's solo gaming potential, offering a modular experience where you embody the last survivor in a horror story. With its tension-filled gameplay, you allocate time between actions, card play, and drawing more cards. However, to fully enjoy Final Girl, you'll need to pair the core box with a Film Box, each containing scenarios inspired by classic horror films. This setup allows you to tailor your experience to your favorite movies or your deepest fears, delivering a thrilling and narratively rich solo adventure.

Dune: Imperium

### Dune Imperium

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsAlthough Dune: Imperium is renowned for its multiplayer strategy, it also offers a compelling solo mode. The automated opponent, House Hagal, simulates the presence of other players, contesting for space, resources, and territories. In solo play, you face two of these automated opponents at varying difficulty levels, providing a satisfying challenge that lets you experience this excellent game without needing additional players.

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, use resources from flipped cards to construct walls and fortresses in Roman Britain, defending against Pictish invasions. Its solo mode is particularly engaging, especially with the downloadable campaign. The game excels with its dynamic gameplay, strategic combos, and a tangible sense of history through resource management, setting it apart from its peers.

Imperium: Horizons

### Imperium: Horizons

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 40 mins/playerImperium: Horizons brings deck-building to the civilization-building genre, making it highly suitable for solo play. Each civilization starts with a unique deck, which you develop over the game, leveraging complex mechanisms like trading and economics to grow your empire without overextending and facing revolt. With fourteen civilizations, each requiring a unique approach, the game offers colossal replay value and strategic depth for solo players.

Frosthaven / Gloomhaven

### Frosthaven

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-4Play Time: 60-120 minsFrosthaven, a legacy-style game, invites you on a grand fantasy adventure. You guide an adventurer through a vast world filled with dungeons and monsters, engaging in card-driven tactical combat. The game's persistent world and the weight of each decision create a deeply personal and expansive experience. For those seeking a less intensive solo experience, consider the standalone Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, which maintains the essence of the game in a more manageable format.

Mage Knight

### Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 14+Players: 1-5Play Time: 60+ minsMage Knight: Ultimate Edition has become a staple for solo gamers since its 2011 release. This fantasy epic, designed by Vlaada Chvátil, is ideal for those looking to battle monsters, upgrade their characters, and explore a detailed world. Set aside ample time, as games can last over three hours, filled with puzzle-like actions that demand 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 with this mystery-solving game. Equipped with a London map, address directory, and newspaper, you hunt for clues and interrogate suspects. The game challenges you to navigate the city and solve cases with minimal guidance, offering a true test of your detective skills. For more mystery games, explore 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 a solo-only game that riffs on the classic Space Invaders. As alien ships descend on your base, you must balance a limited pool of dice to shoot them down, build, and research a solution. The strategic choice of dice impacts the alien advance, adding tension to the game. With various scenarios and campaign options, it offers a simple yet deeply engaging solo experience.

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. With different characters to choose from, you'll scavenge for resources, build shelters, and explore dangerous locales. While the game includes solo rules, taking on multiple characters as a single player can enhance the experience. The game's depth and complexity reward repeated play, with three expansions available to further explore its world.

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 elevates the roll-and-write genre with its deeper gameplay. You manage resources from dice rolls to build and operate a Jurassic World-style theme park, drawing buildings on a grid and running tours. Careful resource management is key, as inadequate security can lead to fewer tourists. This game offers a satisfying and strategic solo experience.

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 delivers a tense solo experience as you face cosmic horrors. With scenarios that plunge you into mystery, you can use pre-built decks or create custom ones to suit your investigator's abilities. As you move between locations seeking clues, the Mythos deck threatens your progress. Damage and weaknesses accumulate, adding thematic depth and making 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 minsWhile Cascadia excels as a family game, its solo mode is enhanced by a list of achievements in the rulebook. These challenges encourage varied setups and rule tweaks, aiming for specific score thresholds. The difficulty ramps up, offering numerous engaging and satisfying challenges for solo players to conquer.

Terraforming Mars

### Terraforming Mars

0See it at AmazonAge Range: 12+Players: 1-5Play Time: 120 minsIn Terraforming Mars, you transform the Martian surface to support human life through resource management and tableau building. As a mega corporation, you race against time to maximize end-game parameters. With each turn, your options grow as you build a sprawling tableau of action cards. This optimization puzzle makes for a rich solo experience, with expansion scenarios adding further depth.

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. As island spirits, you use power cards to thwart colonizers and restore ravaged land. The game's strong theme and strategic card play make it one of the most robust cooperative experiences, perfectly suited for solo play.

Solo Board Game FAQs

Is it weird to play board games alone?

Not at all! Solo board gaming has a rich history, dating back centuries. A 1697 French engraving depicts a woman playing peg solitaire, suggesting it was popular among nobility. The solitaire card game, known from computer versions, originated in the late 1700s in northern Europe. Just like video games, solo board games offer enjoyment through challenging gameplay and the tactile pleasure of handling game pieces. It's no more unusual than working on a jigsaw puzzle alone.

For more gaming options, check out our picks for the best party board games and the best deck-building card games.