10 best single-player board games for a solo tabletop night
Board games are great, but coordinating schedules for a gaming night isn’t. The good news is that it’s a great era for single-player tabletop games. My first single-player board game was a copy of Dungeons & Dragons The Computer Labyrinth Game that I had to save my allowance up for months to buy. It kept me entertained for weeks, but I got sick of solving labyrinths, I was back to trying to figure out how to play Risk by myself. I’d still recommend The Computer Labyrinth Game, for the record, but today you can find everything from deck builders to massively involved TTRPGs, all tailored for people who prefer to play their tabletop games alone. The Night Cage Image via Amazon The Night Cage is one of the best horror board games for solo players, though it also supports up to 5 people playing cooperatively. The premise of the game is that four or five strangers have woken up in a pitch-black labyrinth made up of tiny, constantly shifting hallways. Armed with only candles, the strangers need to help each other find keys and escape the labyrinth before their light burns out, leaving them in darkness forever. Solo players are still in charge of four strangers, which makes this a perfectly complicated puzzle game with tons of replayability. Paper App Dungeon Image via Amazon If you’re someone who enjoys TTRPG-style combat and is itching for a dungeon-crawling, monster-bashing adventure, then Paper App Dungeon is definitely worth considering. The game comes with a paper pad filled with different grid-based dungeon maps and a pencil that doubles as a six-sided die. You roll the die to determine your movement and to attack when you cross paths with a creature. The goal is to descend to the bottom floor of the dungeon, collecting as much treasure as possible along the way. Paper App Dungeon pads are also fully randomized, so you’ll never play the same game twice. Arkham Horror Image via Amazon Many people are familiar with the Arkham Horror card game, but the board game is a great option for people interested in solo gaming. It plays quite a bit like a roleplaying game, where Investigators score the city for clues and fight monsters while trying to save the world from a Lovecraftian god. You’ll choose a scenario, set up a chunk of the city to start exploring, and then control as many Investigators as you want during the game. Arkham Horror has great replayability and loads of tokens and cards for people who like a tactile gaming experience. Be warned, though, even solo games can run for multiple hours, so be prepared for a lengthy investigation. Final Girl Image via Amazon Final Girl is a single-player focused game that aims to give you the experience of surviving a terrifying slasher film. If you’ve seen a movie like Friday the 13th, then you already know how the game works. Your job is to survive the killer’s onslaught, hunt them down, and then finish them off yourself. The game lets you select from multiple playable characters and multiple potential killers, ensuring that you have a fresh experience every time you sit down to play. Plus, once you exhaust the base game’s possibilities, there’s a slew of expansions that can help you keep the murderous fun going. Mage Knight Image via Amazon Do you long for a fully-fledged high-fantasy adventure? Mage Knight just might be the game for you, and if you end up enjoying a solo run, you can also run the game back with up to three friends. Mage Knight takes you on a journey fit for an Elder Scrolls game. You’ll choose a character and begin delving into dungeons for supplies, weapons, and powerful magic spells. As your strength increases, you’ll be able to recruit armies and eventually scale up your battles until you're fighting for control of an entire kingdom. It’s a perfect solo adventure, and the co-op and competitive game modes will give you endless ways to replay. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Image via Amazon For those who enjoy grimdark fantasy with a twist of real-world mythology, there’s Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. Borrowing elements of Celtic folklore and the legend of King Arthur, Tainted Grail sends 1 to 4 adventurers on a journey through a deeply dangerous land. You’ll spend time dealing with survival mechanics like food and weather conditions while also battling evil creatures that roam the land. There’s a real emphasis on choose-your-own-adventure storytelling in this game, so expect a branching narrative that offers plenty of replayability. Spirit Island Image via Amazon Take on the magical abilities of a powerful elemental spirit in this game about defending your island from incoming invaders. Spirit Island is a cooperative game with a single-player mode that forces you to strategically manage resources as you battle for control over territory. Each turn carries the island through a few years of history, and as human invaders spread across the land, players need to o
Board games are great, but coordinating schedules for a gaming night isn’t. The good news is that it’s a great era for single-player tabletop games.
My first single-player board game was a copy of Dungeons & Dragons The Computer Labyrinth Game that I had to save my allowance up for months to buy. It kept me entertained for weeks, but I got sick of solving labyrinths, I was back to trying to figure out how to play Risk by myself.
I’d still recommend The Computer Labyrinth Game, for the record, but today you can find everything from deck builders to massively involved TTRPGs, all tailored for people who prefer to play their tabletop games alone.
The Night Cage
The Night Cage is one of the best horror board games for solo players, though it also supports up to 5 people playing cooperatively. The premise of the game is that four or five strangers have woken up in a pitch-black labyrinth made up of tiny, constantly shifting hallways. Armed with only candles, the strangers need to help each other find keys and escape the labyrinth before their light burns out, leaving them in darkness forever. Solo players are still in charge of four strangers, which makes this a perfectly complicated puzzle game with tons of replayability.
Paper App Dungeon
If you’re someone who enjoys TTRPG-style combat and is itching for a dungeon-crawling, monster-bashing adventure, then Paper App Dungeon is definitely worth considering. The game comes with a paper pad filled with different grid-based dungeon maps and a pencil that doubles as a six-sided die.
You roll the die to determine your movement and to attack when you cross paths with a creature. The goal is to descend to the bottom floor of the dungeon, collecting as much treasure as possible along the way. Paper App Dungeon pads are also fully randomized, so you’ll never play the same game twice.
Arkham Horror
Many people are familiar with the Arkham Horror card game, but the board game is a great option for people interested in solo gaming. It plays quite a bit like a roleplaying game, where Investigators score the city for clues and fight monsters while trying to save the world from a Lovecraftian god.
You’ll choose a scenario, set up a chunk of the city to start exploring, and then control as many Investigators as you want during the game. Arkham Horror has great replayability and loads of tokens and cards for people who like a tactile gaming experience. Be warned, though, even solo games can run for multiple hours, so be prepared for a lengthy investigation.
Final Girl
Final Girl is a single-player focused game that aims to give you the experience of surviving a terrifying slasher film. If you’ve seen a movie like Friday the 13th, then you already know how the game works. Your job is to survive the killer’s onslaught, hunt them down, and then finish them off yourself. The game lets you select from multiple playable characters and multiple potential killers, ensuring that you have a fresh experience every time you sit down to play. Plus, once you exhaust the base game’s possibilities, there’s a slew of expansions that can help you keep the murderous fun going.
Mage Knight
Do you long for a fully-fledged high-fantasy adventure? Mage Knight just might be the game for you, and if you end up enjoying a solo run, you can also run the game back with up to three friends.
Mage Knight takes you on a journey fit for an Elder Scrolls game. You’ll choose a character and begin delving into dungeons for supplies, weapons, and powerful magic spells. As your strength increases, you’ll be able to recruit armies and eventually scale up your battles until you're fighting for control of an entire kingdom.
It’s a perfect solo adventure, and the co-op and competitive game modes will give you endless ways to replay.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
For those who enjoy grimdark fantasy with a twist of real-world mythology, there’s Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon.
Borrowing elements of Celtic folklore and the legend of King Arthur, Tainted Grail sends 1 to 4 adventurers on a journey through a deeply dangerous land. You’ll spend time dealing with survival mechanics like food and weather conditions while also battling evil creatures that roam the land.
There’s a real emphasis on choose-your-own-adventure storytelling in this game, so expect a branching narrative that offers plenty of replayability.
Spirit Island
Take on the magical abilities of a powerful elemental spirit in this game about defending your island from incoming invaders. Spirit Island is a cooperative game with a single-player mode that forces you to strategically manage resources as you battle for control over territory.
Each turn carries the island through a few years of history, and as human invaders spread across the land, players need to outflank them and use their spirit’s special abilities to reclaim the land for nature. This is a deeply satisfying experience for players who enjoy strategic unit moving and games with deck building elements at their table.
The Isle of Cats
Speaking of games that brilliantly combine board game tactics and deckbuilding, The Isle of Cats is a solid option for solo gamers looking for something unique. Players are on a mission to rescue cats from the evil Lord Vesh, but they only have a limited amount of space on their boat to fit cats.
Players need to explore the Isle, which happens via a deck drafting mechanic, and respond to what they discover quickly enough to save the kittens. After mastering the game’s solo mode, you can call up your friends to try out the multiplayer mode, which allows up to 4 players to compete to see who’s the best cat rescuer.
Wingspan
Wingspan is part board game and part art piece. The game puts players in control of a wildlife preserve specializing in avian rescue. You’ve got to collect various birds and use their special abilities to improve your preserve and score as many points as possible. The game includes 170 cards with truly jaw-dropping art that will turn you into a birding enthusiast if you aren’t one already.
As a solo game, Wingspan is ideal for a relaxing night in building the perfect preserve, but you can also incorporate up to 5 players in total for a slightly more competitive experience.
Thousand-Year-Old Vampire
This particular entry stretches the definition of "board game" to its breaking point, but Thousand Year Old Vampire is too cool for me not to tell you about. It's an RPG that comes as a beautiful bound book – your vampire’s private diary.
With various prompts, the game will help you create your vampire’s backstory and play through their entire life. The innovative memory mechanic will make your character naturally evolve over time, and despite being a solo experience, the relationships you develop in the game can be surprisingly deep. This is a truly unique game, and fans of heavy narrative experiences should absolutely check it out.
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