The Best War Board Games 2025

This article explores the best war board games, offering a diverse selection catering to various preferences and play styles. The games listed provide epic battle experiences, ranging from shorter, more focused engagements to extensive, multi-hour campaigns. Prepare for strategic depth and thrilling gameplay!

Here are some tips for smoother gameplay, especially with longer games: Obtain a PDF rulebook (often available from publishers) and encourage players to pre-read. Implement "admin" tasks outside of turns (e.g., sorting counters) and consider a per-turn time limit (with player agreement).

Top War Board Games:

Arcs: A superb blend of strategic maneuvering and intense spacecraft battles, offering innovative mechanics within a surprisingly short playtime. (Image below)

Dune: War for Arrakis: A head-to-head duel for two players, pitting the Atreides against the Harkonnens in an asymmetric struggle for control of spice. Features high-quality miniatures and an engaging dice system. (Image below)

Sniper Elite: The Board Game: A close-quarters stealth experience, capturing the tension of the video game series while adding historical depth and replayability. (Image below)

Twilight Imperium IV: An epic, all-day sci-fi civilization-building game featuring diverse alien races, technology research, fleet building, diplomacy, and political intrigue. (Image below)

Blood Rage: A Viking-themed game of strategic subtlety and brutal combat, involving card drafting, warrior deployment, and blind battle encounters. (Image below)

Dune: A complex, asymmetrical strategy game based on Frank Herbert's novel, emphasizing hidden information and unique faction abilities. (Image below)

Kemet: Blood and Sand: A fast-paced, violent game set in ancient Egypt, featuring customizable god-like characters and intense combat. (Image below)

Star Wars: Rebellion: An asymmetric struggle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, offering a dynamic narrative and strategic depth. (Image below)

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear: A tactical wargame focusing on squad-level combat during World War II, balancing realism and engaging gameplay. (Image below)

Undaunted: Normandy / Undaunted: North Africa / Undaunted: Stalingrad: Deck-building wargames that cleverly simulate infantry combat using simple rules and tense firefights. (Images below)

Root: A shorter game with asymmetrical factions battling for control of a woodland realm, combining cute aesthetics with strategic depth and political themes. (Image below)

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea: A streamlined version of the classic Twilight Struggle, offering a shorter playtime while retaining the core card-play and strategic dilemmas. (Image below)

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game: A game of political intrigue and backstabbing, mirroring the themes of the books and TV series, requiring alliances and strategic treachery. (Image below)

War of the Ring: A masterful adaptation of Tolkien's work, featuring two intertwined games representing the epic battle and the Fellowship's quest. (Image below)

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy: A sci-fi civilization-building game emphasizing strategic planning, technology upgrades, and tactical combat. (Image below)

This list provides a broad spectrum of war board games, from historical simulations to fantasy and sci-fi conflicts. Explore further based on your specific interests!