The Best War Board Games 2025

The best board games span diverse themes, but war games consistently rank among the most popular. This enduring appeal stems from their inherent excitement and strategic depth. The games listed below deliver epic battles, some concluding within an evening, others stretching throughout the day, but all demanding shrewd strategic planning. Gather your friends, prepare refreshments, and brace yourselves for thrilling, extended gameplay.

To ensure smoother gameplay for longer titles, consider these tips: Obtain a PDF rulebook (many publishers provide free downloads) and encourage players to review it beforehand. Insist players perform administrative tasks like sorting components outside their turn. A mutually agreed-upon time limit per turn can also enhance pacing.

TL;DR: 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

War games exceeding two players must balance on-board action with player negotiation and alliances. Arcs masterfully blends these elements, as highlighted in our 10/10 review. Its innovative trick-taking mechanics offer diverse strategic options, alongside intense spacecraft battles on the circular board, rewarding aggression. Despite its depth, it offers a complete space empire experience in under two hours, making its brilliant narrative campaign expansion easily accessible.

Dune: War for Arrakis

Distinct from the multi-player Dune game below, *War for Arrakis* is a fierce two-player duel between Atreides and Harkonnen for spice control. Highly asymmetric, the Atreides utilize guerrilla tactics, Fremen allies, and sandworms, contrasting with the Harkonnen's superior forces. Harkonnen players must balance spice harvesting and shipping to maintain economic advantage. Sharing the design team with *War of the Ring*, it features high-quality miniatures and an excellent action dice system, fostering constant strategic reassessment, yet maintaining a faster pace.

Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Video game fans might be surprised by the close-quarters combat in this adaptation, but its charm remains undeniable. Stealth is paramount for the sniper, racing against time while evading German squads. Beyond the tension, it offers a historical veneer absent from the video game, featuring thematic components and realistic combat. Two boards and varied sniper loadouts and German squad specialists ensure high replayability and tactical depth.

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition

This all-day sci-fi civilization builder is the epitome of epic gameplay. Featuring diverse aliens, technological research, fleet building, galactic conquest, diplomacy, and in-game political decrees, it offers a robust strategic core. The strategy card system, where players choose a focus each round, is a standout feature. This fourth edition maintains the scope while enhancing accessibility.

Blood Rage

In *Blood Rage*, players control Viking clans during Ragnarök, striving for glory and Valhalla. Beneath its violent exterior and impressive components lies strategic subtlety. Card drafting supports actions, managing warriors and monsters to pillage regions and complete quests. The blind battle card system adds excitement to frequent conflicts. It's a masterful blend of tactical challenge, theme, and brutality.

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Dune

Unlike *Dune: Imperium*, this game, based on Frank Herbert's novel, prioritizes strategic depth over randomness. Asymmetrical factions, each with unique powers (e.g., Atreides peeking at auctioned cards, Harkonnen knowing traitors), evoke the novel's political themes. This new edition boasts refined rules and enhanced artwork.

Kemet: Blood and Sand

Imagine Egyptian gods battling for supremacy. *Kemet* delivers this chaotic experience. Pyramid technology allows strategic customization, while shared battle cards create intense mind games. The board layout ensures constant engagement and unrestrained violence.

Star Wars: Rebellion

This game faithfully recreates the Star Wars universe. The Rebellion fights for survival and planetary control against the Empire's overwhelming forces. Its asymmetric nature and iconic characters create a dynamic narrative, interwoven with strategic challenges.

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear

Tactical wargames depicting squad-level combat can be complex. *Conflict of Heroes* excels by balancing simplicity (action points, dice, defense values) with realism and tactical challenge. The game expands to include artillery, vehicles, and tanks, while the command point system adds strategic depth.

Undaunted: Normandy & Undaunted: North Africa

These games cleverly use deck-building to simulate infantry combat. Officer cards add units, reflecting real-world orders and supplies. Unit cards move troops on the map, engaging in tense firefights. Casualties thin the deck, impacting unit effectiveness. This accessible system provides engaging Second World War battles.

Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right

A shorter game emphasizing asymmetry, *Root* features four factions vying for woodland control, each with unique rules. The Marquise de Cat and Eyrie engage in conquest, the Woodland Folk wage guerrilla warfare, and the Vagabond acts as a trickster-hero. Despite its whimsical theme, it offers brutal strategic depth.

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

A streamlined version of the acclaimed *Twilight Struggle*, *Red Sea* maintains the core card-play while reducing playtime to an hour. It retains the strategic depth and challenging decisions, enhanced by a new scoring mechanic. History buffs will appreciate the focus on the Cold War in East Africa.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

This game captures the political intrigue of the *Game of Thrones* universe. Only one player can win, necessitating alliances and betrayals. The secret order system adds suspense. Thematic elements enhance strategic gameplay.

War of the Ring 2nd Edition

A superior adaptation of Tolkien's work, this game features two intertwined campaigns: the epic clash of armies and the Fellowship's quest. The interplay between these campaigns creates a unique strategic challenge.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy

Unlike *Twilight Imperium*, *Eclipse* prioritizes long-term strategic planning in its sci-fi civilization-building. Initiative and technology upgrade systems demand foresight. Exploration, ship design, and combat are central, with strategic depth emphasized over dice rolls.

For more options, explore our selections for the best board games and best board game deals.

What Counts as a Wargame?

The term "wargame" is debated within gaming circles. Some restrict it to simulations of historical conflicts, often featuring detailed maps and counters. *Awakening the Bear* and *Twilight Struggle: Red Sea* represent this more approachable end of the spectrum. However, the definition is fluid, encompassing games simulating potential conflicts (like Cold War escalation), those using historical settings without strict simulation, and those depicting fantastical or sci-fi scenarios. Ultimately, the broadest definition includes games exploring conflict from various perspectives.