Top War Board Games of 2025 Revealed

The best board games come in a variety of themes, but war games stand out for their thrilling and strategic depth. These games immerse players in epic battles, whether they last an evening or an entire day, offering a rich experience filled with tactical challenges. Gather your friends, stock up on snacks and drinks, and prepare for an exhilarating journey into the world of war board games.

To ensure longer games run smoothly, consider these tips: Download a PDF copy of the rulebook, which most publishers offer for free, and encourage everyone to read it beforehand. During gameplay, have players handle administrative tasks like sorting cards or counters outside their turns. If all players agree, imposing a time limit per turn can also help keep the game moving. Now, let's dive into the games!

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

0See it
War games involving more than two players often struggle to balance on-board action with player negotiations and alliances. Arcs masterfully blends these elements, as highlighted in our 10/10 review. Its innovative mechanics, inspired by traditional trick-taking card games, offer multiple strategic options, while still delivering intense spacecraft battles on its circular board. This game rewards aggression and discourages defensive play, allowing you to build a space empire in under two hours. The narrative campaign expansion adds even more depth to this already brilliant game.

Dune: War for Arrakis

Dune: War for Arrakis

1See it at Amazon
Not to be confused with the multiplayer negotiation game Dune listed later, Dune: War for Arrakis is a head-to-head duel between the noble Atreides and the villainous Harkonnen, fighting for control of the precious spice. This highly asymmetric game pits the guerilla warfare tactics of the Atreides and their Fremen allies, along with summoned sandworms, against the larger, wealthier forces of the Harkonnen. The Harkonnen player must focus on harvesting and shipping spice to maintain their economic advantage. Designed by the same team as War of the Ring, this game uses quality plastic miniatures and an excellent action dice system, which constantly challenges your strategies, yet it's faster to play.

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 adaptation, but don't let that deter you. The stealth elements remain strong, with the sniper player needing to move slowly and silently against a ticking clock, while the German player controls roving squads trying to track them down. This game adds historical authenticity and more realistic combat, features not found in the video game. With two different boards and various sniper loadout options and squad specialists for the German player, it offers high replay value and deep tactical decision-making.

Twilight Imperium IV

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition

8See it at Amazon
Games don't get more epic than this all-day sci-fi civilization-building experience. It encompasses everything you'd want from the genre: bizarre alien races researching technology and building fleets to fight over a random galactic hex map. Inter-player diplomacy and in-game political decrees add depth, but the game's core is its solid strategic foundation. The strategy card system, where each player selects a special focus each round, is particularly noteworthy. The fourth edition retains its sweeping scope while becoming more accessible by trimming unnecessary complexity.

Blood Rage

Blood Rage

1See it at Amazon
In Blood Rage, you lead a Viking clan into the end times of Ragnarök, striving to gain rage, axes, and horns to win glory for your warriors and secure a place in Valhalla. Despite its violent theme and impressive components, the game hides a strategically subtle experience. You'll draft cards to support your actions each round, carefully managing your warriors and monsters to pillage regions and complete quests for glory. With everyone vying for the same goals, battles are frequent and thrilling, using a blind battle card system. This game is a definitive blend of tactical challenge, theme, and raw brutality.

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Dune

Dune

7See it at Amazon
Dune offers a very different kind of futuristic game, distinct from Dune: Imperium. Based on Frank Herbert's famous novel and first released in 1979, it was ahead of its time. The game focuses on hidden information and asymmetrical strategy, with little randomness. Each player controls a faction from the book, with unique special powers. The Atreides can peek at auctioned cards, while the Harkonnen know all secret traitors. This new edition features cleaner rules and stunning art, beautifully capturing the narrative and political themes of the novel.

Kemet: Blood and Sand

Kemet Blood and Sand

0See it at Amazon
Imagine ancient Egyptian gods and mythical creatures descending to the desert sands for a brutal showdown. That's Kemet. You can tailor your strategy with tech pyramids that grant special powers for attack and defense, and use the same battle cards as your opponents, leading to intense mind games. However, the game's essence is its fast-paced, relentless violence, thanks to the board's design that leaves no room for hiding. Everyone is just a move away from engaging in fierce combat.

Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars: Rebellion

14See it at Amazon
Star Wars: Rebellion brings the beloved franchise to your table with a focus on asymmetry. The Rebellion player, as the underdog, must survive military threats while winning planets to their cause, while the Empire uses its vast armies to crush dissent. It's filled with familiar characters and events from the movies, but the unfolding narrative is yours to create. The game's tight strategic elements ensure each turn is full of challenge and variety.

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear

Conflict of Heroes: Awakening The Bear

0See it at Amazon
Tactical wargames often struggle with balancing detail and gameplay pace, but the Conflict of Heroes series nails it. Using a simple system of action points, dice, and differing defense values, it offers excitement, realism, and tactical challenge. Starting simple, it expands to include artillery, vehicles, and tanks for a full World War II experience. The command point system, allowing extra actions during your opponent's turn, adds a layer of strategic depth, making every point spent feel crucial.

Undaunted: Normandy & Undaunted: North Africa

Undaunted: Normandy

5See it at Amazon

Undaunted: North Africa

3See it at Amazon

Undaunted Stalingrad

1See it at Amazon
While not a simulation, these games use deck-building mechanics to recreate infantry combat with just a few rules. Officer cards add new units to your deck, representing orders and supplies, while unit cards move troops on the modular scenario map to fight and capture objectives. Casualties thin your deck, affecting unit effectiveness as morale erodes. These games offer an accessible and engaging way to refight the Second World War, full of tense firefights and pivotal moments.

Root

Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right

18$59.99 save 25%$44.99 at Amazon
Root is one of the shorter games on this list, yet it's a bold design that emphasizes asymmetry. Four factions vie for control of the woodland realm, each with unique rules and feel. The Marquise de Cat and the Eyrie engage in standard conquest, while the Woodland Folk use guerrilla tactics. The Vagabond is a lone trickster-hero. Don't let the cute theme fool you—this is a strategic game of brutal politics and governance, raising real-world questions with every play.

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

Twilight Struggle: Red Sea

0See it at Amazon
The original Twilight Struggle is often hailed as one of the best board games ever, but it's complex and lengthy. Twilight Struggle: Red Sea retains the compelling card-play that forces players to navigate dilemmas, but reduces playtime to about an hour. A new scoring mechanic adds excitement to the shorter game, while history buffs can explore the Cold War's East African theater, with real historical events simulated through the game mechanics. A book of designer's notes provides deeper historical context.

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 conniving and backstabbing of the books and TV show, using a secret order system borrowed from classic Diplomacy. Only one player can win, but no one has the resources to do so alone, making alliances and treachery inevitable. The game's mechanics are enhanced with strategic 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
This game is the best attempt to bring Tolkien's world to the tabletop. It features two interwoven games: the epic clash of armies across Middle-earth and the Fellowship's quest to destroy the One Ring. The genius lies in how these two aspects interact, creating a challenging tactical balance for players.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy

Eclipse: 2nd Dawn for The Galaxy

3$207.00 at Amazon
While the Twilight Imperium series focuses on warfare and diplomacy, Eclipse emphasizes long-term planning in sci-fi civilization-building. Its initiative and technology upgrade systems require forward-thinking as you explore and expand across the galaxy. Tactical depth complements the feeling of cosmic exploration, ship design, and combat, where success depends more on strategy than luck.

If you enjoy these, check out our picks for the overall best board games and the best board game deals.

What Counts as a Wargame?

In gaming circles, the term "wargame" often refers to games that simulate historical conflicts, a niche interest with a dedicated following. Titles like Awakening the Bear and Twilight Struggle: Red Sea represent the more approachable end of this genre, which often involves detailed historical research. However, the definition of wargames can include games about hypothetical conflicts, historical settings with less focus on simulation, and even fantasy or sci-fi scenarios. We've adopted a broad definition, encompassing games that explore conflict from various perspectives. If a specific type of conflict game interests you, enthusiast sites can provide more in-depth exploration.