Top War Board Games of 2025 Revealed

War-themed board games offer a thrilling and strategic experience, immersing players in epic battles that can last from an evening to an entire day. These games not only provide intense combat scenarios but also challenge players with deep strategic planning. Whether you're engaging in a quick skirmish or a long, drawn-out campaign, these games are perfect for gathering friends, setting out snacks and drinks, and enjoying a thrilling journey filled with battle strategy.

To ensure longer games run smoothly, consider these tips: If possible, obtain a PDF copy of the rulebook, which is often freely available from publishers, and have everyone read it beforehand. Encourage players to handle administrative tasks like sorting their hands or counters outside their turns. You might also want to implement a time limit per turn, provided all players agree. With these tips in mind, let's dive into some of the best war board games available.

TL;DR: These Are 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

Arcs

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War games that involve more than two players often struggle to balance the action on the board with the negotiation and alliances that occur between players. Arcs masterfully blends these elements, earning a perfect 10/10 in our review. Its innovative mechanics, inspired by traditional card game trick-taking, offer multiple strategic options while delivering intense spacecraft battles on a circular board that rewards aggression and discourages defensive play. Despite its rich features, Arcs allows you to build a comprehensive space empire in under two hours, making it an ideal choice for those interested in the narrative campaign expansion.

Dune: War for Arrakis

Dune: War for Arrakis

1See it at Amazon
Don't mistake this for the multiplayer negotiation game Dune listed later; War for Arrakis is a head-to-head battle for two players, pitting the noble Atreides against the nefarious Harkonnen in a fight for control over the valuable spice. Highly asymmetric, the game features guerrilla warfare with the Atreides and their Fremen allies, alongside summoned sandworms, clashing against the larger, wealthier Harkonnen forces. The Harkonnen player must also focus on harvesting and shipping spice to maintain economic superiority. Designed by the same team behind War of the Ring, this game uses high-quality plastic miniatures and an excellent action dice system, ensuring dynamic strategy shifts in a much shorter playtime.

Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Sniper Elite: The Board Game

1See it at Amazon
Fans of the video game series might be surprised by the close-quarters action in this tabletop version, but the game's charm is undeniable. The stealth elements remain intact, with the sniper player needing to move slowly and silently against a ticking clock, while the German player controls roving squads trying to detect the sniper. The game adds historical authenticity and realistic combat, missing from the video game, with thematic components. It includes two different boards and various sniper loadout options and squad specialists for the German player, offering ample replay value and tactical depth.

Twilight Imperium IV

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition

8See it at Amazon
Few games capture the epic scale of sci-fi civilization building like Twilight Imperium IV. This all-day affair features bizarre aliens researching technology and building fleets to vie for control over a random galactic hex map. The game includes inter-player diplomacy and in-game political decrees, yet its foundation is a solid strategic core. The strategy card system, where players choose a special focus each round, is particularly noteworthy. This fourth edition maintains the game's grand scope while trimming excess, enhancing its accessibility.

Blood Rage

Blood Rage

1See it at Amazon
In Blood Rage, you lead a Viking clan into Ragnarök, striving to gain glory for your warriors and a place in Valhalla. Despite its violent theme and striking components, the game offers deep strategic play. You'll draft cards to support your actions, carefully managing your limited warriors and monsters to pillage regions and fulfill quests for glory. With everyone competing for the same objectives, battles are frequent and thrilling, thanks to an exciting blind battle card system. This game is a perfect blend of tactical challenge, thematic immersion, and raw brutality.

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Dune

Dune

7See it at Amazon
Dune offers a unique futuristic experience, distinct from Dune: Imperium. Based on Frank Herbert's novel and first released in 1979, it was ahead of its time. The game emphasizes hidden information and asymmetrical strategy over randomness. Each player embodies a faction from the book, with unique powers. The Atreides can peek at auctioned cards, while the Harkonnen know all secret traitors. This new edition features streamlined rules and stunning artwork, evoking the novel's narrative and political themes.

Kemet: Blood and Sand

Kemet Blood and Sand

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Imagine ancient Egyptian gods and mythical creatures descending to the desert to battle. That's Kemet. The game's tech pyramids allow you to customize your strategy with special powers, while everyone starts with identical battle cards, leading to intense mind games. The board layout ensures constant action, as there's nowhere to hide, and battles are fierce and fast-paced, making for a breathtaking experience.

Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars: Rebellion

14See it at Amazon
Star Wars: Rebellion brings the beloved franchise to your table with an engaging, asymmetric struggle. The Rebellion player, the underdog, must survive militarily while winning planets to their cause, while the Empire player wields vast armies to crush dissent. The game features familiar characters and events, but the narrative unfolds based on player actions, ensuring each turn is filled with strategic challenges and variety.

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening The Bear

0See it at Amazon
Tactical wargames often struggle with complexity, but the Conflict of Heroes series strikes a perfect balance. Using a simple system of action points, dice, and differing defense values, it offers excitement, realism, and tactical depth. Starting simple, the game expands to include artillery, vehicles, and tanks, providing a full World War II experience. The command point system, allowing extra actions during your opponent's turn, adds a strategic layer that feels impactful.

Undaunted: Normandy & Undaunted: North Africa

Undaunted: Normandy

5See it at Amazon

Undaunted: North Africa

3See it at Amazon

Undaunted Stalingrad

1See it at Amazon
These games cleverly use deck building to simulate infantry combat with just a few rules. Officer cards allow you to add new units to your deck, mimicking field orders and supplies. Unit cards move corresponding troops on a modular map, engaging enemies and seizing objectives. As casualties thin your deck, units become less effective, reflecting morale loss. These games offer an accessible and engaging way to refight World War II battles.

Root

Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right

18$59.99 save 25%$44.99 at Amazon
Root is a shorter, yet bold, asymmetric design with four factions vying for control of a woodland realm, each with unique rules and themes. The Marquise de Cat and the Eyrie play traditional conquest games, while the Woodland Folk engage in guerrilla warfare, and the Vagabond acts as a lone trickster-hero. Don't let the cute theme fool you; Root is a game of intense strategy that raises questions about real-world politics and governance.

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

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While the original Twilight Struggle is renowned for its complexity and length, Red Sea retains the compelling card-play while reducing playtime to about an hour. It features tough decisions on whether to risk triggering events for your opponent, with a new scoring mechanic adding excitement. History buffs will appreciate the focus on the Cold War in East Africa, with real historical events simulated through the game's mechanics and a detailed designer's notes book.

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

2$64.95 save 21%$50.99 at Amazon
This game captures the political intrigue and betrayal of the books and TV show, borrowing from classic Diplomacy by ensuring only one player can win, but no one can do so alone. Alliances and eventual treachery are inevitable, governed by a thrilling secret order system. The game adds strategic depth with elements from the world of Westeros, making it a must-play for fans of the franchise.

War of the Ring

War of the Ring 2nd Edition

2$89.99 save 22%$70.36 at Amazon
The best board game adaptation of Tolkien's work, War of the Ring splits into two interconnected games on the same board. One is the epic clash of armies across Middle-earth, while the other is the Fellowship's quest to destroy the One Ring. The game's genius lies in how these two halves intertwine, requiring players to balance tactical decisions at every turn.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy

Eclipse: 2nd Dawn for The Galaxy

3$207.00 at Amazon
While Twilight Imperium focuses on warfare and diplomacy, Eclipse emphasizes long-term planning in sci-fi civilization-building. Its systems for initiative and technology upgrades require players to think several steps ahead as they explore the galaxy, design ships, and engage in combat. The game's tactical depth enhances the feeling of cosmic exploration and strategic warfare.

If you like these, be sure to check out our picks for the overall best board games and the best board game deals.

What Counts as a Wargame?

In gaming communities, the term "wargame" often refers to games that simulate historical conflicts, a niche genre with detailed research behind each title. Examples from our list include Awakening the Bear and Twilight Struggle: Red Sea, which are more approachable entries in this category. However, the definition can extend to games about hypothetical or fictional conflicts, like those in Undaunted or fantasy and sci-fi scenarios. We've adopted a broad definition, encompassing games that explore conflict from various perspectives, from historical simulations to fantasy diplomacy. For those interested in specific types of conflict games, there are enthusiast sites dedicated to exploring these further.