The Best Single-Player Board Games
The day of writing is January 2nd, which means it’s time to say “Happy World Introvert Day!” Here at Wayland Games, we are celebrating the one way we know how - curled up at home, our favourite music on and enjoying our best single player board games.
To answer some questions straight away, yes! You can play a bunch of your games by yourself by simply controlling all of the characters in the session, but we’re talking about dedicated solo board game experiences. This can include games that have single player modes built in, games designed from the ground up to an independent night in and expansions to existing tabletop games that add a new solo twist!
Read on to start your “new year, new me” right… By overcoming insurmountable odds with no-one but Me, Myself and I.
Top 10 Solo Board Games
1. Ark Nova
In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. It’s the perfect game for your inner animal lover!
2. Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs
Buttons & Bugs is a similar playstyle to Gloomhaven but down to a fraction of the size! You play a wannabe hero who’s been shrunk down to the size of a mouse - left to fend for yourself in a world of lawlessness and self-preservation. Use dice and cards to fight your way through the Crooked Bone!
3. Slay The Spire
Slay the Spire is a rogue-like deckbuilding adventure based on the hit video game of the same name. Carrying across its punishing gameplay, beautiful artwork and “one more try” mentality into a new medium, the power is in your hands to defeat the boss at the end of the Act!
4. Lost Ruins Of Arnak
On an uninhabited island in uncharted seas, explorers have found traces of a great civilization. Now you will lead an expedition to explore the island, find lost artefacts, and face fearsome guardians, all in a quest to learn the island's secrets. Lost Ruins of Arnak combines deck building and worker placement in a game of exploration, resource management, and discovery!
5. The Lord of The Rings: Fate of The Fellowship
As members of The Fellowship and the allies who rise to aid them, you must embark on a journey that may either save or doom Middle-earth. Navigate a world beset by shadow, where every choice forges a new path. The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is a game in which you will control two characters, lending their unique abilities to protect Frodo, battle enemies in pivotal locations, and evade the menacing Nazgul and Sauron's searching Eye.
6. Final Girl
Everyone else has been picked off one by one, and that leaves you. The face on the poster, the last obstacle, the one that’s meant to survive… The Final Girl. This is a board game where the player faces down a horror villain as the last person that stands in the way of them completing their mission. Depending on whether you want to face animatronic teddy bears, robots from the future or shapeshifting monsters at the north pole, there’s bound to be a Feature Film for you!
7. A Gentle Rain
You have come to the lake hoping to see a rare and beautiful sight. The lilies of the lake only open their blossoms in the rain and only rarely do all eight kinds of lilies bloom at once. The goal of A Gentle Rain is to place the lake tiles in such a way as to cause all eight types of lilies to bloom before you run out of tiles and the rain ends. Take a deep breath, and relax… All you need to do is enjoy, here.
8. Be Like a Cat RPG
While not a classic board game, Be Like a Cat is a solo or two-player role-playing game that invites you to take on the role of a feisty feline exploring one of many worlds and attempting to take control of territory. Think cat mafia! The core rulebook contains all you need to get started, including scenarios for urban, cyber, pirate, space, and ancient Egypt adventures. Sharpen your claws and lick your toe beans; it’s time to fight for your turf.
9. Set A Watch
The Kingdom is in grave danger. Powerful enemies are conspiring to resurrect the vile and powerful Unhallowed that your party has just slain. Now you, the mighty adventurer of the land, must visit these summoning locations and defeat the hordes of creatures behind this evil plot. It falls to you once more to vanquish this evil before the Unhallowed consume the world in darkness.
10. Star Trek: Captain's Chair
In Star Trek: Captain's Chair, you will go head-to-head with an opponent, each stepping into the shoes of an iconic captain from across Star Trek's galaxy and history. Command ships, crew, and away teams while you manage resources and alliances! True to Star Trek, antagonism will not win every game. You will need to pursue diplomacy, exploration, and science, with different captains excelling at different paths. With hundreds of unique, deeply thematic cards, you'll want to explore the galaxy again and again!
Where to Buy the Top Single-Player Board Games?
Now you have everything you need to bundle up warm, turn the fire up high and listen to the rain pitter-patter on the window outside while you move your pieces around the board and disconnect from all your stresses. Find them all now available to purchase through the Wayland Games site!
