Best War Board Games for 2025 Unveiled

War-themed board games captivate with their thrilling blend of strategy and excitement, offering players a taste of epic battles. The games listed below deliver immersive experiences, from quick evening skirmishes to all-day strategic showdowns, ensuring every moment is packed with tactical depth. Gather friends, stock up on snacks, and dive into these gripping challenges.

For smoother gameplay in longer sessions, consider these tips: Download a PDF of the rulebook—most publishers provide them free—and have everyone study it beforehand. Encourage players to handle tasks like organizing cards or tokens during downtime. A turn time limit, if agreed upon, can also keep things moving. Now, let’s explore the games!

TL;DR: Top War Board Games of 2025

Arcs

Arcs

Balancing intense board action with player negotiations, Arcs excels in blending strategy and diplomacy, as highlighted in our 10/10 review. Its innovative trick-taking mechanics, inspired by classic card games, offer diverse tactical options, while dynamic space battles on a circular board reward bold moves over cautious play. Remarkably, it lets you build a sprawling space empire in under two hours, leaving room to explore its captivating narrative campaign expansion.

Dune: War for Arrakis

Dune: War for Arrakis

Distinct from the multiplayer Dune game later in this list, War for Arrakis is a fierce two-player duel between the noble Atreides and cunning Harkonnen, battling for spice control. Its asymmetric gameplay pits the Atreides’ guerrilla tactics, bolstered by Fremen and sandworms, against the Harkonnen’s wealthier forces, who must balance combat with spice harvesting. Sharing the same design team as War of the Ring, it features high-quality miniatures and an action dice system that demands constant strategic shifts, all in a brisk playtime.

Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Surprising fans of the video game with its intimate combat, this tabletop adaptation retains the series’ stealth essence. The sniper player must move cautiously against a tight clock, while German squads hunt them down. Beyond its escalating tension, the game adds historical depth absent in the video game, with thematic components and realistic battles. Dual boards and varied sniper and squad options ensure rich replayability and tactical depth.

Twilight Imperium IV

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition

This epic sci-fi saga unfolds over a full day, offering a grand civilization-building experience. Players command unique alien races, researching tech and clashing over a dynamic galactic map. Diplomacy and in-game politics add depth, but the game’s strategic core shines through its innovative card system, where players choose a focus each round. This refined fourth edition balances accessibility with its vast scope.

Blood Rage

Blood Rage

Leading a Viking clan into Ragnarök, Blood Rage blends brutal combat with strategic depth. Players draft cards to guide their warriors and monsters, pillaging regions and completing quests to earn glory. A thrilling blind battle system heightens the tension as clans vie for dominance. With striking components and tactical nuance, this game is a standout in conflict-driven classics.

Dune

Dune

Distinct from Dune: Imperium, this futuristic classic, based on Frank Herbert’s novel since 1979, emphasizes strategy over chance. Players control book factions with unique abilities—Atreides glimpse auctioned cards, while Harkonnen track hidden traitors—creating a rich political and narrative experience. This updated edition features streamlined rules and vibrant artwork.

Kemet: Blood and Sand

Kemet Blood and Sand

Kemet unleashes the gods and creatures of ancient Egypt in a relentless battle. Players customize strategies via tech pyramids, enhancing attack or defense, while identical battle cards spark intense mind games. The unique board design ensures constant conflict, with no safe havens, delivering fast-paced, aggressive gameplay.

Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars: Rebellion captures the franchise’s essence in an asymmetric struggle. The Rebellion player, as the underdog, balances military survival with winning planetary support, while the Empire crushes resistance with vast armies. Iconic characters and events shape a player-driven narrative, underpinned by tight strategic mechanics for varied, challenging turns.

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening The Bear

Tactical wargames often risk overcomplexity, but Conflict of Heroes nails the balance with action points, dice, and distinct defense values, delivering excitement and realism. It evolves from simple skirmishes to include artillery and tanks for a full WWII experience. The command point system, allowing limited actions on an opponent’s turn, adds brilliant tactical depth.

Undaunted: Normandy & Undaunted: North Africa

Undaunted: Normandy

Undaunted: North Africa

Undaunted Stalingrad

Using deck-building to simulate WWII infantry tactics, these games create gripping battles with minimal rules. Officer cards expand your deck, mimicking battlefield commands, while unit cards drive troop movements and combat. Casualties weaken your deck, reflecting morale loss. With intense firefights and modular maps, this series offers accessible, engaging WWII gameplay.

Root

Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right

A shorter yet bold title, Root emphasizes asymmetry with four unique factions vying for woodland control. The Marquise de Cat and Eyrie pursue conquest, the Woodland Folk wage guerrilla warfare, and the Vagabond acts as a lone trickster. Despite its whimsical theme, this cutthroat strategy game explores deep political themes.

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

Condensing the acclaimed Twilight Struggle into a one-hour experience, Red Sea retains the original’s compelling card-play, forcing tough choices as players risk triggering opponent events. A new scoring system heightens excitement, while historical East African Cold War events, detailed in designer notes, add depth for history enthusiasts.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

Emulating the scheming of Westeros, this game thrives on alliances and betrayal, inspired by classic Diplomacy. A secret order system keeps players guessing until the last moment, while Westeros-themed mechanics add strategic flair. A must-play for fans and a stellar strategy game in its own right.

War of the Ring

War of the Ring 2nd Edition

The definitive Tolkien board game, War of the Ring splits gameplay into two interwoven struggles: the epic clash of Middle-earth’s armies and the Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring. This seamless integration creates a challenging tactical balance, making every decision critical for both sides.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy

Eclipse: 2nd Dawn for The Galaxy

Eclipse prioritizes long-term strategy in sci-fi civilization-building, with smart systems for initiative and tech upgrades demanding careful planning. Players explore the galaxy, design ships, and engage in calculated battles, relying on preparation over luck for a deeply strategic experience.

Explore more top picks in our guides to the best board games and the best board game deals.

What Defines a Wargame?

In gaming communities, “wargame” often refers narrowly to historical conflict simulations, with titles like Awakening the Bear and Twilight Struggle: Red Sea representing accessible entries. These games demand extensive historical research, often featuring detailed maps and counters. However, the term also encompasses speculative conflicts, like a Cold War escalation, or less simulation-focused historical games like Undaunted. Some even simulate fantastical or sci-fi battles with realistic mechanics. Whether these qualify as wargames sparks debate among enthusiasts.

Ultimately, such debates matter little to casual players. This list embraces a broad definition, covering conflict-driven games from historical to fantastical settings. For those keen on specific subgenres, dedicated enthusiast sites offer deeper exploration.