War-themed board games are incredibly engaging, offering players a thrilling experience of epic battles that can last anywhere from an evening to an entire day. These games are renowned for their deep strategic elements, making them perfect for those who enjoy a challenge. Whether you're planning a gaming session with friends, make sure to have snacks and drinks ready for a long and exciting journey into the world of war board games.
To ensure your longer gaming sessions run smoothly, consider these tips: Download a PDF of the rulebook, often available from game publishers, and have everyone read it beforehand. Encourage players to handle administrative tasks like sorting their cards or counters outside their turns. You might also want to agree on a time limit per turn to keep the game moving. Now, let's dive into some of the best war board games available.
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
0See it War games that involve more than two players must balance the action on the board with the negotiation and alliances that occur between players. Arcs masterfully blends these elements, as highlighted in our 10/10 review. Its innovative mechanics, inspired by trick-taking card games, offer multiple strategic options, yet it maintains intense spacecraft battles on its circular board, encouraging aggression over defense. Despite its rich features, you can build a full-fledged space empire in under two hours, making it an excellent choice for those interested in the narrative campaign expansion.
Dune: War for Arrakis
1See it at Amazon Don't confuse this with the multiplayer negotiation game Dune listed later; War for Arrakis is a head-to-head battle for two players, pitting the noble Atreides against the wicked Harkonnen in a struggle for control over the valuable spice. This game is highly asymmetric, featuring guerrilla warfare from the Atreides and their Fremen allies, including summoned sandworms, against the larger, wealthier Harkonnen forces. The Harkonnen player must manage spice harvesting and shipping to maintain their economic edge. Designed by the same team behind War of the Ring, this game uses quality plastic miniatures and an action dice system that requires constant strategy reassessment, yet it's faster to play.
Sniper Elite: The Board Game
1See it at Amazon Fans of the Sniper Elite video game series might find the close-quarters action in this tabletop adaptation surprising, but don't let that deter you. The game captures the stealth elements well, with the sniper player moving slowly and silently against a ticking clock, while the German player controls roving squads trying to detect the sniper. It adds an escalating tension and a historical feel that the video game lacks, with thematic components and more realistic combat. The game includes two different boards and a variety of sniper loadout options and squad specialists for the German player, ensuring high replay value and tactical depth.
Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
8See it at Amazon Few games are as epic as this all-day sci-fi civilization-building adventure. It offers everything you could want from the genre: bizarre aliens researching technology and building fleets to fight over a randomly generated galactic hex map. The game includes inter-player diplomacy and in-game political decrees, but it's built on a solid strategic foundation. The strategy card system, where each player selects a special focus each round, is a mechanical highlight. The fourth edition maintains the sweeping scope while trimming unnecessary elements, making it more accessible.
Blood Rage
1See it at Amazon In Blood Rage, you lead a Viking clan into the end times of Ragnarök, aiming to gain rage, axes, and horns to win glory for your warriors and secure a place in Valhalla. Beneath its violent theme and impressive components lies a game of strategic subtlety. You'll draft cards to support your actions each round, carefully managing your warriors and monsters to pillage regions and fulfill quests for glory. As everyone else has similar goals, you'll frequently engage in exciting blind battle card confrontations. This game is a perfect blend of tactical challenge, thematic depth, and sheer brutality, making it a standout in the conflict genre.
The Best Boardgame Deals
Dune
7See it at Amazon Dune offers a very different kind of futuristic game, not to be confused with Dune: Imperium. Based on Frank Herbert's novel and first released in 1979, it was ahead of its time. There's little randomness in Dune; instead, it relies on a fascinating balance of hidden information and asymmetrical strategy. Each player represents a faction from the book, with unique special powers. The Atreides can peek at cards during blind auctions, while the Harkonnen know all secret traitors. This game captures the narrative and political themes of the novel brilliantly, and the new edition features cleaner rules and updated art.
Kemet: Blood and Sand
0See it at Amazon Imagine ancient Egyptian gods and mythical creatures descending to the desert sands to battle. That's Kemet. The game's tech pyramids allow you to tailor your strategy with special powers across attack and defense, enhancing your board play. Everyone starts with the same battle cards, leading to intense mind games as you try to outguess your opponents. The unique board layout ensures there's no hiding, promoting fast-paced, aggressive play where you're always a move away from confronting your rivals.
Star Wars: Rebellion
14See it at Amazon Star Wars: Rebellion offers a fresh take on the beloved franchise. The Rebellion player, as the underdog, must survive militarily while winning planets to their cause, while the Empire wields vast armies to crush dissent. This asymmetric struggle is filled with well-known characters and events from the movies, but the unfolding narrative is yours to shape. The game's tight strategic mechanics ensure every turn is challenging and varied.
Conflict of Heroes: Awakening The Bear
0See it at Amazon Tactical wargames focusing on squads or individual soldiers can be complex, but Conflict of Heroes strikes the perfect balance. It uses a straightforward system of action points, dice, and varying front and rear defense values to offer excitement, realism, and tactical challenge. Starting simple, it expands to include artillery, vehicles, and tanks for a comprehensive World War 2 experience. The command point system, allowing extra actions during your opponent's turn, is a brilliant addition that adds depth and tension.
Undaunted: Normandy
5See it at Amazon
Undaunted: North Africa
3See it at Amazon
Undaunted: Stalingrad
1See it at Amazon The Undaunted series uses deck-building mechanics to simulate infantry combat with minimal rules. Officer cards allow you to add new unit cards to your deck, representing orders and supplies. These unit cards move corresponding troop counters on the modular scenario map, engaging enemies and seizing objectives. As casualties thin your deck, units become less effective, reflecting morale erosion. These games provide an accessible yet engaging way to refight the Second World War.
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 the list but packs a punch with its bold, asymmetric design. Four factions vie for control of a woodland realm, each with unique rules and gameplay. The Marquise de Cat and the Eyrie engage in standard conquest, while the Woodland Folk wage guerrilla warfare, and the Vagabond acts as a lone trickster-hero. Despite its cute theme and quirky art, Root is a game of brutal strategy, raising thought-provoking questions about real-world politics and governance.
Twilight Struggle: Red Sea
0See it at Amazon The original Twilight Struggle is often hailed as one of the best board games ever, but its complexity and long playtime can be daunting. Twilight Struggle: Red Sea retains the compelling card-play of the original, where players must navigate tough decisions without triggering key events for their opponent, but reduces playtime to about an hour. A new scoring mechanic adds excitement, and history buffs will appreciate the focus on the Cold War in East Africa, with real historical events simulated on the cards and a designer's notes book for deeper insight.
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
2$64.95 save 21%$50.99 at Amazon A Game of Thrones: The Board Game captures the conniving and backstabbing of the books and TV show. Inspired by classic Diplomacy, only one player can win, but no one has enough resources to do so alone, making alliances and eventual betrayals inevitable. The game uses a thrilling secret order system, keeping players on edge until the last moment. It's enhanced with elements from the world of Westeros, adding strategic depth, making it a must-play for fans of the franchise.
War of the Ring 2nd Edition
2$89.99 save 22%$70.36 at Amazon War of the Ring is the best board game adaptation of Tolkien's works. It features two intertwined games on the same board: the epic clash of armies across Middle-earth and the quest of the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. The genius of this design lies in how these two halves interact at every turn, creating a complex tactical balancing act for players.
Eclipse: 2nd Dawn for The Galaxy
3$207.00 at Amazon While the Twilight Imperium series focuses on warfare and diplomacy, Eclipse brings more strategic depth to sci-fi civilization-building. Its systems for initiative and technology upgrades require long-term planning as you expand from your starting hex into the galaxy. This tactical depth complements the feeling of exploration, ship design, and combat, emphasizing the importance of having the right technology and units over relying on luck.
If you enjoy these games, explore our picks for the best overall board games and the best board game deals.
What Counts as a Wargame?
-------------------------In gaming circles, the term "wargame" can be quite specific, often referring to games that simulate historical conflicts. These games, like Awakening the Bear and Twilight Struggle: Red Sea, require detailed historical research, often resulting in high-priced boxes with map sheets and numerous counters. However, the definition of wargames can be broader, encompassing games that simulate conflicts that might have happened, like the Cold War escalating into World War 3, or games that use historical settings without aiming for simulation, such as Undaunted. There are also games that strive for realism in entirely fictional or sci-fi scenarios. While some enthusiasts might debate the classification, we use a wide definition that includes games exploring conflict from various perspectives, from historical simulation to fantasy diplomacy. If a particular type of conflict game interests you, there are enthusiast sites dedicated to exploring these genres further.
