Single Player Board Games – Top 5 Amazing Games To Get You Going

Intro to Single Player Board Games – Top 5

I know you might be thinking that I just wrote about boosting your social life and getting away from single player PC games. However, if you are anything like me you have decided that you want to see if there are good single player board games. Why? Because you just love the touch of the cardboard between your fingers, and all your friends have gone missing for the evening. Some of the games on this list can be played with more than one player, I just recommend them at the one player count.

Head over to the conclusion for a quick list of the most popular single player board games in my opinion. Throughout this article I use the term board/card games interchangeably.

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1. Friday – Single Player Board Games

This is a solo deck-building card game I have played a lot of. I haven’t won many of those games, but I have had fun during every play-through. I even own the iOS version for this one.

You play as Friday trying to train Robinson Crusoe to get off the island he has been deserted on. Each turn you draw 2 hazard cards of which one you must fight. You resolve the fight either by losing life points or defeating the hazard and adding that card to your fighting deck. You carry on doing this through each of three hazard phases adding the increasingly annoying aging cards to your deck – don’t worry there are ways to deal with them.

If you are still alive at the end of phase 3 (red hazard phase) you go off to fight the two pirates that were randomly selected at the beginning of the game. Beating both pirates means you have won the game. There is a scoring system at the end, so you can even compete against your previous best score. There are also ways to make the game easier or more difficult by adding or removing certain aging cards. I can’t recommend this game enough, and it is one you should pick up.

2. Onirim

I have played this game countless times on iOS and regret selling my physical copy to a friend of mine. Times were tough OK. I will be picking up a copy again shortly though. Just be careful with this game, it has strange print cycles. One day it will be easy to pick up, and then the next day you can’t find it again for months or even years at a time.

Onirim is a game where you are a dream-walker trying to escape a mysterious labyrinth before your time runs out. You are searching for color-coded keys or color-coded card combinations to unlock the 8 doors of the corresponding colors and escape. Pesky nightmare cards will pop up from time to time (mostly when you don’t want them to) which hinder your progression in escaping the labyrinth.

There is a lot of shuffling involved in this one, but that is a good time to think about what you are hoping your next cards will be and if you have the right game-plan.

3. Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game

I am realizing how difficult single player board games are as I write this article. This is a tough game, so prepare yourself. It is also rewarding if you put in the time and effort. This one can be played with more players but I highly recommend it at the one player count. It is out of print and final fantasy does not own the license anymore. Don’t fret though as you can head over to noble knight games to pick up a near mint or excellent copy.

You take on the role of space marines tasked with clearing out an infestation of hostile genestealers on a derelict spaceship. You play over several rounds that are broken up into phases. Each phase you determine what actions you want to take for each of your marines. After that the genestealers attack and all hell breaks loose. Then an event card decides what will happen next. Play continues until you die or defeat the genestealers.

4. Dungeon of D – Single Player Board Game Only

This is a print and play title which I highly recommend checking out. It was one of the first solo games I acquired in my board gaming adventures. I have not beat it very often and have only escaped with the Amulet of D’eugor once.

You pick one of the 18 heroes and enter the dungeon. Be wary though, as the rift to the dungeon can only be opened every three hours. You slay monsters, collect items, gold, and die…a lot! Eventually you will have a good run and make the right choices. The goal is to get out of the dungeon with as much gold as possible, and possibly the Amulet of D’eugor.

5. Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

BoardGameGeek has this one at best with 3 players but also recommended at the 1, 2, and 4 player counts. It is also currently ranked 107 overall on their ranking system. So this is a no brainer to pick up if you want a single player board game as well as a game to play with the above-mentioned player counts. It also comes with a sweet rubber game-mat.

This comes from a family of legendary encounter games so there are other themes if you prefer the likes of predator, marvel, firefly, etc. Alien is the one I recommend picking up though.

You take on the roles of the heroes from the movie (Ripley, Bishop, etc.) and must survive against the aliens/xenomorph, events, and hazards. There are different scenarios with objectives. Yes, facehuggers and chestbursters are in the game! You need to recruit cards for your deck which makes it stronger for the future and more difficult encounters. You win if you complete the objectives and lose if all the players die. There is even a mode where you can play as the alien.

Conclusion to Single Player Board Games – Top 5

1. Friday
2. Onirim
3. Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game
4. Dungeon of D
5. Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

That is it for my list of single player board games for you to pick up. I have had countless hours of fun playing these games and I am sure you will too.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Let me know down in the comments below what I can improve upon, or what you enjoyed.

More about me here and at boardgamegeek. Peace, Denver.