11 Best Single Player Board Games That You Should Know Update 04/2024

best single player board games

A lot of people think about their favourite board games when they think about playing with family or friends. This isn’t a surprise. There are a lot of great single-player board games out there for you to play, even if you don’t have any friends to play with.

When you play a single-player board game, just like when you play a game with other people, there are games of every kind. There are a lot of games to choose from, no matter what kind of game you like. You can go on a solo adventure, build a deck, or even start a new civilization.

1. Spirit Island

Spirit Island

When Spirit Island came out only a few years ago, it was very popular. Many people love the game now, even though it was new. When you play the game alone, you can still have a lot of fun. It can be played with a few friends, and even on Steam!

A little familiarity with the game is recommended. The game itself is already complicated when you play with friends, but it gets even more complicated when you play on your own. The game will have you do everything you can to keep your island safe from a group of bad people.

2. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

You should play the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective games if you like to play mystery games. It can be played with a lot of friends, but most people agree that it’s best to play it with one person or alone.

There are a lot of different mysteries to choose from, but the game comes down to you following your evidence to solve a hard one. A lot of evidence and clues are available for you to look through in order to finish the game. There are even different interviews for you to read through in order.

3. Tiny Epic Galaxies

Tiny Epic Galaxies

Tiny Epic Galaxy might be a breath of fresh air for people who like sci-fi in their games. You take on the role of a leader who has to colonise new planets while also taking care of your resources as you make your way through a set of dice rolls.

Once you get the hang of the unique dice mechanic that is important to the game, you’ll be in for a great space adventure. Taking your time with each decision is very important, because there are a lot of things to think about.

4. Ambush!

While video games about war can get old after a while, people who like board games will probably keep going back to Ambush! Over and over again, too. The game is meant for one person, but even though that, it will keep you surprised the whole time you play.

The game lets you control an American military group as you complete a series of tasks and deal with different German groups. It may look easy at first glance, but each task and even each decision should not be underestimated.

5. Mage Knight

Mage Knight

When it comes to multiplayer board games, many of them have solo modes that don’t measure up to the group version. Mage Knight, on the other hand, might be just as good with or without your friends. If you’re a fan of deck-building games and RPGs in general, you’ll have a great time with this game.

Game play is very different from one another. It comes down to one thing: adventure. A kingdom, dungeons and more await you as you try to rule the land.

6. Friday

As a whole, Friday can be hard to talk about. It’s a deck-building game, but it can be hard to explain. The game is about you trying to help a man who gets stuck on your island before things get too bad for him.

You’ll become very close to your friend as you try to keep him safe from the many dangers that are scattered around the island. If you beat a trap, you add to your deck. If you don’t, you can figure out what happens next. The game might even make you want to play outside.

7. Scythe

Scythe

Most people like to play Scythe with a few friends, but it can still be a lot of fun and a lot of work to play on your own. Things get even better if you’re a person who likes to build up your resources over time.

The game has a lot of different things that you’ll have to think about when you make a choice. When you play Scythe alone, you can use a lot of what you learn if you ever want to play it with a group of people.

8. The 7th Continent

There is a very interesting dedication to Gary Chalk, Joe Dever, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone in the credits for Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter’s narrative-driven card game. They say their work was “inspirational,” and they thank them. In the mid-1980s, a lot of people were reading adventure books. The 7th Continent has a lot to do with that.

As an early-20th century explorer trying to break a deadly curse in a mythical land, it doesn’t just look like an old Fighting Fantasy book. It also has a lot of fun with a group of people, too. As a result, it turns that into a slick, easy to learn game on the tabletop, with no need to flip back and forth through text-heavy scenarios.

Even better, it doesn’t have to roll dice all the time. Instead, you have to carefully manage your deck and hand, making it more strategic and less reliant on luck than old gamebooks. But the best thing about it is the excitement of discovering new things as you go out into the wild unknown of the world. Powerful and captivating.

9. Terraforming Mars

Terraforming Mars can be played by up to five people, but no matter how many people you play it with, it’s still a great game. It works just as well with one person as it does with five. Start off on a dry, dusty desert. Then, with the resources you’ve harvested, you can grow plants, make money, and keep everyone alive until the next turn. Not only that, but there are a lot of add-ons that can make the game even better and more interesting. I know where I’m going to book my next trip.

10. Gloom of Kilforth

Gloom of Kilforth

Gloom of Kilforth looks and plays like a mix of Talisman and Forbidden Island, two of the best family board games to play at Christmas or any time of the year. It’s based on designer Tristan Hall’s own teen-years campaign for Dungeons & Dragons, which he played as a child. As a two-hour game, it has the feel of an entire campaign. Your character has a “saga” to complete, and you must level them up in a card-grid kingdom through quests for keywords before you can destroy the hideous demon who is slowly turning the land into a dangerous place.

Some of the best co-op board games have solo variants that don’t work without two or more people. Kilforth lets you play the game as a Lone Wolf without having to take two or more people with you.

11. Arkham Horror: The Card Game

In Arkham Horror, you can play with one or two people. Even though it’s easier to play with two, it’s a lot more exciting with just one, as you try to keep extra-dimensional monsters in their own extra dimensions.

As you build campaigns and escapades, you’ll work on your character, the threats they face, and the best ways to fight back against them. During your first few games, you can use pre-made decks or build your own. When you do get to play with a friend, it will add a whole new twist to the game!