Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Using these links doesn’t cost you anything extra and it helps support this blog.
Most people think that board games have to be played with at least 2 people. But, did you know that there are actually a lot of good board games for single players? I will be listing the top 12 best solo board games in my post today.
Boredom was a real thing when I was growing up. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters to play with nor did I have a lot of friends from school. There wasn’t a park I could easily go to and our yard was very small. Back then if I wanted to play something like a board game it would either have to be a jigsaw puzzle or Solitaire.
Board game companies eventually noticed this niche and started creating fun board games or single players. Now that I’m older there are many, many different single player board games! I’ve put together a list for you of my best solo board games to play.
Quick Peeks
Don’t have a lot of time? Here are some top picks!
Best Beginner
Best Crime Solving
Best Survival
Best Overall
If you want some of the best single player board games to play, then here are some amazing games you will love playing.
The 7th Continent
| 1-4 Players |
| Age: 14+ |
Get ready for the thrill of exploration and adventure! Introducing The 7th Continent, an incredibly exciting one to four player board game that will have you on the edge of your seat. This best-in-class game lets you explore a mysterious, hostile land in the style of H.P. Lovecraft and Jules Verne. What will you uncover?
Discover the wonders and dangers of The 7th Continent as your Adventure cards form the game board. From forests to deserts, dungeons to seas, this thrilling voyage will challenge you to survive its many hidden threats! Use your environment: hunt food, make items, and more to stay alive as you battle random events along the way. Plus, put your skills to use by spending Experience points towards new capabilities. Experience first-hand why this is a one of the best solo board games around!
Embark on an unforgettable quest with The 7th Continent – don’t miss out on all the excitement!
Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
| 1-5 Players |
| Play Time: 150 minutes |
| Age: 14+ |
Get ready to dive head first into one of the best solo board games ever created with Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition! This deluxe, self-contained gaming experience is complete with all the components of Mage Knight and its amazing expansions The Lost Legion, Krang, and Shades of Tezla. You’ll not only get five all-new cards but also alternative paint jobs – something any hardcore fan won’t want to miss!
Mage Knight combines RPG elements, deckbuilding and traditional game play in a way that no other game has achieved before. It captures the deep storytelling and fantastic world building from the Mage Knight universe like never before. If you’re looking for a solo board game that is second to none; look no further than the Ultimate Edition – it takes everything great about Mage Knight and makes it even better!
Terraforming Mars
| 1-5 Players |
| Play Time: 2 hours |
| Age: 12+ |
Let’s go off on an exciting adventure and venture into the vast corners of the universe! Terraforming Mars is one of the best solo board games and will have you transitioning a hostile, uninhabitable Planet Mars into a hospitable world filled with flourishing life. You and your opponents will work together to terraform Mars, but you’ll also be competing to accumulate victory points. Acquire unique project cards that may result in introducing plant life or animals, tossing asteroids at the surface, constructing cities, or developing greenhouses that heat up the atmosphere. Plus, there’s competition for the best spots for your cities, oceans and greenery tiles. Start exploring the starry expanse with Terraforming Mars – it’s sure to be an extraordinary journey full of fun and excitement!
Best Solo Board Games Under $20
If you’re on a budget and don’t have a lot of extra money to spend, then check out these single player board games that are under $20. They may be cheaper, however they are still some great board games to play!
Friday
| 1 Player |
| Play Time: 25 minutes |
| Age: 13+ |
Get ready for a wild and exciting adventure with Friday! This solo board game puts you in the shoes of Robinson, who arrives on your island facing a multitude of hazards. You must draw cards to improve Robinson’s abilities, while also being mindful of his energy levels – he ages and can become clumsy as his energy runs out. Put your strategic skills to the test as you collect cards, optimize your card stack and defeat the treacherous hazards of this isle. With its thrilling deck-building mechanics, Friday is sure to keep you entertained for hours. Come join Robinson on this journey and play Friday today!
Exit: The Cursed Labyrinth
| 1-4 Players |
| Play Time: 45-90 minutes |
| Age: 10+ |
Are you ready for one of the best solo board games? Introducing Exit: The Cursed Labyrinth – the mind-bending, adventure game that will bring excitement and intensity to your living room! Up to 4 players work together to try and escape from a mysterious environment by solving riddles, puzzles, and unlocking hidden codes. Each theme presents its own unique challenges that must be solved in order to make it out alive! With no app required, all the materials needed are included in the box. A once-in-a-lifetime experience awaits you; you mustn’t miss this chance – put your thinking caps on and get ready for the unforgettable journey Escape: The Cursed Labyrinth provides!
Best Runner Ups
These solo board games are still some of the best around, but didn’t quite make it to my top spots. These games are the runner ups and are great additions to play if you are looking for some solo games.
Spirit Island
| 1-4 Players |
| Play Time: 90-120 minutes |
| Age: 13+ |
Welcome to Spirit Island, an ultimate solo board game experience, but can also be played with up to four players! This complex yet thematic cooperative game is designed to let you defend your island home from colonizing Invaders. As one of the spirits of the land, you each have their own unique elemental powers – yours to wield as you fight the invaders.
Every turn you play, choose from a variety of power cards that match your spirit’s elemental affiliations and use them to their fullest – bonus effects may be granted if done right! The Invaders don’t stand a chance against your determination and powerful set of elemental skills.
The enemy expands across the land in semi-predictable fashion: first they explore new parts of the map during one turn, then build settlements and cities next turn, and finally ravaging the land and attack any native islanders. However, with careful planning you can anticipate how they are going to move and be ready for battle when it comes.
What are you waiting for? Gather your courage and spirit up for an exciting adventure on Spirit Island – one of the best solo board games out there!
Death At The Dive Bar
| 1-6 Players |
| Play Time: 30-180 minutes |
| Age: 14+ |
Death At The Dive Bar is a board game that will have you completely immersed in an exciting, authentic investigation. This innovative game puts you at the center of a thrilling murder mystery as you decode ciphers, piece together clues, and consider all the evidence to solve a real-life crime.
Take a shift at the dive bar and get ready for an investigative journey like no other! When owner Nick Webster falls from a cliff behind his roadside tavern, play your part as detective and uncover hidden motives of suspects to find out if it was just an accident or something more sinister. Working with what’s available around you explore the small town of Stone Creek to discover who are the real culprits behind this mystery!
Death At The Dive Bar is perfect for date night, family game nights, having friends over, or even playing solo. You’ll be enthralled by its captivating mixture of story-telling and problem solving – so put on your detective hat and start playing today!
The Lord Of The Rings: Journeys In Middle-Earth
| 1-5 Players |
| Play Time: 1-2 hours |
| Age: 14+ |
Go on an epic quest through the stunningly beautiful world of Middle-earth with The Lord Of The Rings: Journeys In Middle-Earth! An innovative board game for one to five players, this exciting adventure lets you pick from a cast of iconic characters from the beloved trilogy to take on a variety of abilities and strategies. From battles against powerful foes to discovering lost treasures, gather your fellowship and set out on a journey like no other!
Explore Middle-earth with your favorite characters whilst immersing yourself in strategic combat and tactical decision making. Customize how your adventure will play out – no matter how many times you go through it, every playthrough is different, keeping each experience fresh and interesting. Plus, get ready to be amazed as you discover new unique items and stories hidden throughout these journeys!
The Lord Of The Rings: Journeys In Middle-Earth is easily one of the best solo-able board games ever made. So let yourself loose in this fantastical world today!
Best Solo Board Games for Beginners
If you’re a beginner playing board games, or if you don’t play a lot of board games but want to give one a try, then don’t worry! Here are some more simple, easy to learn/play games that you may like!
One Deck Dungeon
| 1-2 Players |
| Play Time: 30-45 minutes |
| Age: 14+ |
Do you want to feel like a legend? Test your agility and go on an epic adventure with One Deck Dungeon! This thrilling solo board game is the perfect way to get your blood pumping. Leave the boredom of your everyday life behind, immerse yourself in a dungeon delve that’s different every time, and become powerful as you defeat foes and perils from the dungeon.
Every card gives you both an obstacle to overcome and the potential rewards for doing so. Your efforts will pay off as each challenge reveals experience, items or skills that you can collect under your character card to increase your power. The longer you explore, the deeper you’ll delve into varying levels of difficulty that will have you hooked! Dare yourself to survive long enough and fight the infamous dungeon boss – if you win it all then you will be remembered forever as a hero!
So what are you waiting for? Make history with One Deck Dungeon now – dive into a unique adventure and prove your strength!
Tiny Towns
| 1-6 Players |
| Play Time: 45-60 minutes |
| Age: 14+ |
Embark on a journey to the land of tiny towns! This best-selling board game is sure to provide hours of fun, excitement and challenge – perfect for when you feel like getting away from it all. With 45-60 minutes of playtime, you’ll have plenty of time to flex your mental muscles and attempt different strategies to build your own prosperous Tiny Town.
Weaved into this exciting adventure is an incredible depth of complexity and variety due to the simultaneous play style; each game will bring something entirely new as you compete with yourself (or another player) in constructing your own masterpiece on the 4×4 grid using provided resource cubes. Once you’ve created your buildings, they’ll score you victory points in unique ways that puts your creativity, wit and strategy to the test. But be careful – any squares without a building will cost you negative points at the end of it all! The player with the most Victory Points wins!
So get ready for an amazing, brain-teasing experience when you take out Tiny Towns. Who will create the most prosperous community?
Best Under $50
If you have a little extra cash to spend but don’t want to break the bank, then these amazing options under $50 be what you are looking for!
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures On The Cursed Island
| 1-4 Players |
| Play Time: 1-2 Hours |
| Age: 14+ |
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures On The Cursed Island is an incredibly immersive cooperative adventure game where you and up to three other players are castaways on a deserted island. Your mission? Survive against all odds! Complete challenging tasks, build a shelter, ward off potential dangers, and more.
This game offers seven distinct scenarios for a truly unique experience. Tackle multiple missions with an impressive deck of over 250 cards – fight against cannibals, raise a family of Robinsons, trace King Kong, explore the island, find treasures, and so much more. Each game-play develops into an exciting and captivating story!
You can also choose from four different characters in the base game. So what are you waiting for? Start your incredible Robinson Crusoe: Adventures On The Cursed Island journey now and be prepared to be mesmerized by this brilliantly crafted board game!
Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion
| 1-4 Players |
| Play Time: 30-120 minutes |
| Age: 14+ |
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is jam-packed with exciting content and featuring four all new characters, here’s your chance to dive deep into mystery and danger! Each of the new characters brings something special to the mix for a truly immersive gaming experience. The Valrath Red Guard is your tank and crowd control extraordinaire, while the Inox Hatchet offers amazing ranged damage. The Human Voidwarden wields powerful support abilities as well as mind-control, and finally the Quatryl Demolitionist will cause serious melee damage while manipulating obstacles. And don’t worry if it’s your first time playing a Gloomhaven game – this awesome game comes with a simplified rule set plus an excellent five-scenario tutorial to help ease new players into the world of Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion! So what are you waiting for? Get ready to investigate mysterious disappearances within the city and find out if it’s just Vermlings or something much more sinister – get your copy today and set off on an adventure you won’t soon forget!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few questions that are commonly asked.
What solo board game should I buy?
Well, in my opinion, The 7th Continent is the best solo board game that I would buy first.
Is it weird to play board games by yourself?
Of course not! Think about it this way, a good portion of video games are made to be played solo and a board game is not any different except its not played on a screen. So no, playing a solo board game is not weird at all! More and more board games are being created and added the option to play them solo.
What games should I play alone?
Well, all of the games in my list can be played alone. Most can be enjoyed with others as well, but its more about your personal preference.
What is the #1 board game in the whole world?
Tricky, tricky question! I would imagine the #1 game in the whole world would be an older classic type of game like Chess, Checkers, Clue, Monopoly, or Risk. Of course no one is going to have the same answers, but i would imagine that those would be pretty high at the top of the list.
Conclusion
So now when your home alone and feeling bored, just whip out your board game! Not everyone knows that there are many games that are able to be played solo. Even more new ones are being made all the time to fill this niche! I hope my list of the best solo board games has helped you and that you can find a gem to play on a rainy boring day! As you’re happily playing your game, don’t forget to have lots of Board Game Smiles!
Check out my other posts!
15 Board Games with Questions for an Awesome Game Night
How to Play Clue and Winning Tips
The 20 Best Board Games for 6 Players