A few of these qualify as “high fantasy,” with knights and wizards and the like, but we’ve picked a variety of subgenres of the best fantasy board games, as well as different styles of gameplay. Some even work well for a solo game night. If you’re in need of some analog entertainment, gather around the table and dive into one of these fantastical worlds.
What’s the best fantasy board game?
In any list of board games, Gloomhaven is going to be close to the top of the list. For the fantasy board game genre, though, it has to be No. 1. It’s a huge game that changes as you play, and every playthrough is something amazing.
Read more: Best Board Games for 2024
<div id="866ed36d-fc07-4dd1-aa6a-9a9228a4e91e" data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-id="listicle-866ed36d-fc07-4dd1-aa6a-9a9228a4e91e" data-location="LIST" data-position="1" content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best adventure game" page-position linktext linkurl like dislike image-carousel="[]" can-collapse="true" collapse-on-page-load="true" can-truncate="true" truncate-on-page-load="true" offer techobjectinfo="{"uuid":"55572803-c2fd-4415-a8ac-9c87355c21de","slug":"cephalofair-games-gloomhaven-award-winning-strategy-board-game-for-1-to-4-players-60-to-120-minute-play-time-for-ages-14","name":"Cephalofair Games: Gloomhaven, Award-Winning Strategy Board Game, For 1 to 4 Players, 60 to 120 Minute Play Time, For Ages 14 and up","productType":"PRODUCT","updateType":"EZMONEY","mod":1705368606125}" overridecredit="David Priest/CNET" overridecaption="
Gloomhaven is a big game with a big box. Here’s a banana for scale.
” imagegroup=”{"uuid":"b0186559-100a-4111-a83e-126237c21ff4","alt":"img-2090","caption":"
Gloomhaven is a big game with a big box. Here’s a banana for scale.
","credits":"David Priest/CNET","imageData":{"id":"b0186559-100a-4111-a83e-126237c21ff4","filename":"img-2090.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/723eb7fbb3ac6b50b34884c9c21ad220cf68912e/hub/2020/03/18/b0186559-100a-4111-a83e-126237c21ff4/img-2090.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2020-03-18 19:25:36.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/723eb7fbb3ac6b50b34884c9c21ad220cf68912e/hub/2020/03/18/b0186559-100a-4111-a83e-126237c21ff4/img-2090.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"
Gloomhaven is a big game with a big box. Here’s a banana for scale.
","imageCredit":"David Priest/CNET","imageAltText":"img-2090","imageFilename":"img-2090.jpg","imageWidth":4032,"imageHeight":3024,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2020-03-18","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{"id":"baua6fepokl9ou8","type":"listicle"}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__866ed36d-fc07-4dd1-aa6a-9a9228a4e91e” position=”1″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
I love Gloomhaven so much that I tend to associate it with all of the good things in life. Sunshine, dessert, a good night’s sleep, Gloomhaven — these are the basic necessities of happy living. And seriously, I can’t think of a better activity if you’re stuck at home and in the mood for a cooperative fantasy board game adventure.
You take on the role of mercenaries in Gloomhaven, a decrepit and dangerous town. In each game session, you and your friends traverse a dungeon and fight dangerous monsters. You’ll make decisions along the way that can help Gloomhaven thrive or drive it over the edge of destruction — yes, Gloomhaven is a legacy game, meaning the world changes as you play. Your characters will also level up and get more powerful as you go, and the scenarios get more interesting the further you venture into the story.
I’ve invested literally hundreds of hours in this game and I’m still not sick of it. The basic combat balances simple mechanics with deep strategy. The story is engaging without feeling like a game-ified novel. Gloomhaven is my favorite board game. I recommend giving this great game a try.
Gloomhaven is currently out of stock in many places but if you absolutely can’t wait for a restock, you can grab one on Amazon for $800. You can also get a taste of the original game with Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion, available for $35.
There are a ton of different versions of this series of popular board games. Whether set in a prison, a hospital or a ruined city, they all have the same basic theme — an ever-growing bunch of zombies chase your crew around a map as you race for the exit. This version is the universal favorite, taking the action back to medieval times. There’s a handy app for iOS and Android that can handle all the card-shuffling and inventory, leaving you free to focus on strategic thinking and filling the game board with plastic zombies.
If you want more of a Walking Dead vibe, there are also several excellent Zombicide games set in modern times, such as Prison Outbreak or Rue Morgue. There’s a brand-new standalone Zombicide game for iOS and Android, too, which is a fun game for subway rides where setting up a giant game board would be frowned upon.
If you like detailed and inventive miniature-based games, Blood Rage might be for you. It’s a Norse mythology-themed conquest game, but unlike many others of the type — where you just want to control the board — Blood Rage encourages players to try different play styles.
You can win by conquering regions with the aid of giant monsters, for example, or by letting your warriors die with glory and ascend to Valhalla, or by completing special quests to please the gods. The result is a mind-expanding experience that forces you outside of the usual live-or-die dichotomy that dominates conquest games. Plus, the fantasy game world is just badass.
Lots of cooperative games can fall victim to “quarterbacking” — where one person who knows the game can dictate the actions of the group. You’re not really cooperating if one person is making all of the decisions. Magic Maze takes this off the table with a simple rule: You’re not allowed to talk while you play.
While it sounds strange to play a game with friends and not be able to talk to those friends, Magic Maze works beautifully in practice. You’re wizards in a shopping mall, trying to steal supplies. That’s pretty much it for the story. Basic premise aside, the game works well with up to eight players. You’re all simultaneously controlling four characters, but you might only be able to move the characters north, while the person on your left can only move them south and someone else can use escalators and move them east. The game forces fast-paced collaboration as the time ticks away.
You can talk briefly when you enter certain spaces, but most communication takes the form of gently (or aggressively) tapping a little communication pawn in front of other players. When the game is done, you’ll make up for your period of silence as you breathlessly recount your narrow escape.
<div id="ac13efd8-63f6-4c8d-9c79-7c0ada3c2761" data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-id="listicle-ac13efd8-63f6-4c8d-9c79-7c0ada3c2761" data-location="LIST" data-position="9" content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best of the rest" page-position linktext linkurl like dislike image-carousel="[]" can-collapse="true" collapse-on-page-load="true" can-truncate="true" truncate-on-page-load="true" offer techobjectinfo overridecredit="David Priest/CNET" overridecaption="
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is an asymmetric Stratego-like game of stabs and feigns, calculated risks and last ditch presses. It’s out of print, but if you can find it for cheap, buy it.
” imagegroup=”{"uuid":"3d5dbfc7-e221-48cf-93a5-65540243b70d","alt":"img-2089","caption":"
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a classic Stratego-like game
","credits":"David Priest/CNET","imageData":{"id":"3d5dbfc7-e221-48cf-93a5-65540243b70d","filename":"img-2089.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/394b5102d88b7dced72d112c79ba8e0694f0d430/hub/2020/03/18/3d5dbfc7-e221-48cf-93a5-65540243b70d/img-2089.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2020-03-18 19:35:34.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/394b5102d88b7dced72d112c79ba8e0694f0d430/hub/2020/03/18/3d5dbfc7-e221-48cf-93a5-65540243b70d/img-2089.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is a classic Stratego-like game
","imageCredit":"David Priest/CNET","imageAltText":"img-2089","imageFilename":"img-2089.jpg","imageWidth":4032,"imageHeight":3024,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2020-03-18","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{"id":"7q06zsj7znc5qhn","type":"listicle"}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__ac13efd8-63f6-4c8d-9c79-7c0ada3c2761″ position=”9″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” filtershortcodetypes totalfilteritems=”0″ pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” tocheadlineitem=”[object Object]” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Honorable mentions
Best of the rest
