The best sci-fi board games
The best sci-fi board games
Aliens, detonators and disks, O MY!
Science fiction is one of my favorite genres and of course translates very well to the desktop. With a selection of board games across the galaxy, it’s hard to find the perfect game for your table.
Luckily for you, we've found the stars for the best Sci-Fi board games.
Let's jump on the light and take a look.
Our best selections for the best sci-fi board games
Are you in a hurry? Check out our favorites below.
The best miniatures
The best trip
Best overall
1. Cosmic Encounter
If you want top-notch science fiction with a sense of space opera without spending a good week playing it, Cosmic Encounter will get you in the right place.
Cosmic Encounter is a beautiful epic game. It is easy to learn and offers an incredible amount of playing in the box. With all the extensions and additions, there are 135 different races to choose from, each with a unique ability.
The amazing package contains everything you might want from a science fiction game. The components are amazing, the artwork is fantastic, and my favorite part is the story you create.
You won’t be writing a novel or anything, but the interactions between the actors coming from Cosmic Encounter are memorable.
Will your friends resent not joining them?
Do you risk sleeping on the couch by betraying your spouse?
Is it more beneficial to stay neutral while racing around power plants is misleading?
The interaction of the player and the story that takes place on the board push her from a great Sci-Fi game to one of the best.
- BUILD A GALACTIC EMPIRE: In the depths of space, aliens ...
- SCI-FI ADVENTURE GAME: This game of interstellar exploration, ...
- STRATEGY GAME: Every planet is ruled by someone and the only way ...
2. Star Wars: The Imperial Attack
Star Wars is the most important science fiction. You can’t usually talk about science fiction without mentioning Star Wars. Although there are plenty of them Star Wars-themed games out there, this is probably one of my favorites.
Imperial Assault is a dungeon-spider type of board game where one team of players leads a group of brave unadapted rebels against a player who controls the Empire.
Each rebel player controls a unique character with their own history and abilities from a particular type of bow. The swindler Han Solo, the mad dresser and even some sensitive force players.
The Empire Player can control and lead the entire Empire faction. MwaHaHaHa!
You will find many super mini in the game along with some famous faces. The base game even has AT-STs and Darth Vader.
If you long for a Star Wars fix, you can’t miss the Imperial Attack .
- WARS UNIVERSE EPIC AGREEMENT GAME: The ...
- STRATEGIC GAME: This game of tactical combat and missions gives you ...
- Enjoy two perfect games: experience an exciting story ...
3. Android: Netrunner
Android has often been called the Exterminator of board games. She has created her own knowledge and a world that strongly reminds me of Shadowrun, but without the magic. In Android: Netrunner, mega corporations compete against Netrunner.
Megacorporations basically run the world and want it to stay that way. Netrunners are hackers who want to destroy corporations for political ideology, money, or just for fun.
Definitely a rabbit hole when you start diving into everything Android has to offer: Netrunner offers. This is a live card game, which means there are several extensions available for the game, but each package has the same cards, so you only need to buy the ones you want. You won’t have to read the range of recovery packages to get the cards you want.
Once you set the rules (it takes a few games), you can pre-create your own platform and customize your corporation or competitor.
This is followed by a huge cult and a lot of online support. If you’re looking for a wonderful cyberpunk duel card game, THIS IS IT!
- A new life for the classic Richard Garfield card game
- Futuristic gambling and cyberpunk intrigue ...
- An exciting asymmetric game sets the player of the corporation against ...
4. Twilight Empire
It’s hard to talk about sci-fi board games and not talk about Twilight Empires . TI defines the Space Opera genre when it comes to board games. It contains everything you could expect from quality science fiction: more alien races, political intrigue, a spaceship fight, a dead emperor, colonization of planets, and a funny game.
If you want play and scope at the level of Space Opera, nothing exceeds Twilight Imperium. The only problem is getting enough players to dedicate the time it takes to sit down and really play the game. (It's especially great with 6 players .)
- DAWN OF THE NEW AGE: Explore the latest renovation ...
- SCI-FI STRATEGIC SIDE GAME: In this galaxy conquest game ...
- DURABLE AND COMPETITIVE: Each faction offers a completely ...
5. Shadowrun: Crossfire
Shadowrun is one of CyberPunk's most important IPs and is still an important player in the traditional role-playing world.
Crossfire puts players in the shoes of Shadowrunner's own team 's deck building game with " Legacy " Elements.
Players will perform missions for "karma" (XP) and money. Levels between games are persistent and as players rise, they will choose strong abilities to bestow on their runner in the form of ability stickers.
This is a great CyberPunk deck building game that pulls double duty as a great standalone game .
If you’re worried about the legacy of elements where you’re actively changing game components, don’t be. Catalyst Games has so many spare stickers in the game that even if you just wanted to peel them off and start over, you would have a lot of spare parts available that would last you a long time.
- Innovative, challenging game offers many different ...
- It provides fast action and team play in the center ...
- Builds mechanics to advance characters, so players have ...
6. Galaxy Trucker
Galaxy Trucker is a stupid game ... but that doesn't mean a bad game.
It’s actually a really funny and silly game. The premise of the game just makes me angry every time.
You're a truck. And not just any truck. You're a spaceship! And you work for the cheapest company in the galaxy that transports building materials.
Your cheap employers make spaceships for you from the same materials you transport (of course to reduce costs).
The Galaxy Trucker is available in two parts. The first is actually building your spaceship. Players have to move around at a ticking clock to place a handful of tiles to shape their ship and ... guess what? There are many rules about what legal practice is. Then everything that is not legally listed on your board falls off your ship ! You may not accidentally connect half of your ship and it will fall on you, right on the launch pad.
Part 2 is the actual trucking bit of the game. Players try to deliver the goods that are still on the ship and it's a dangerous journey. Asteroids and pirates are almost guaranteed and remember your hastily slapped-together ship? If something gets blown off and disconnects, it's gone for good.
It’s such a weird and imaginative game, but it’s fun, especially for a family game night .
- Build spaceships! Fly through dangerous galaxies!
- 2 to 4 players aged 14 or over
- Playing takes about an hour
7. Tiny Epic Galaxies
If you’ve read a lot of Game Cows reviews, you’ll often mention the Tiny Epic series of games.
There is a reason for this. Kendra and I travel a lot and LOVE board games. Enter Tiny Epic games that can fit my pocket individually (not Kendrin’s because girls ’pockets are stupid). Everyone has a different mechanical set and themes, but they all have a great feel and not micro games.
Enough excitement, Tiny Epic Galaxies feels the way the title suggests.
Players start with a single planet and will expand their galactic empire by colonizing new worlds. Some serious strategy is packed in this box. Opponents can "follow" each action taken and allow them to perform the same action.
Is it worth getting that extra winning point if your opponent gets another 3? Read the full review here before you buy!
- Tiny Epic Galaxies is a fun strategy game of space exploration ...
- Award-winning standalone game of 2015 by BoardGameGeek Play ...
- Tiny Epic Series is one of the best small board games ...
8. Battlestar Galactica: Board Game
I was never a big fan of Battlestar Galactica until Kendra forced me to watch reverberating series and I was completely addicted.
Battlestar Galactica is a “Cooperative” game , but there’s always the possibility that some players will be disguised as Cylons.
Throughout the game, players have to deal with crises that arise. Cylons are attacking, ships are being damaged and you will have to work to save the last bastion of humanity.
Battlestar Galactica has not only taken over the world of Sci-Fi, but also the world of board games. It consistently ranks high on the lists and is a must for science fiction or series fans.
- Based on the hit TV show SyFy
- Participate in accusations and paranoia as humanity fights for ...
- Age: 10+
9. Firefly: Game
Who doesn't love fireflies?
Kendra’s weird obsession with Nathan Fillion by the side, the board game Firefly is a surprisingly great game. He has solid mechanics and playing under all his upper fandom layer.
Players located in the Firefly space choose a captain and a ship. I always play with Kendra, so I’ve never really played like Mal or Serenity.
Captains need money to be able to fly ships and crew, but as we all know, the verse is not exactly a safe place. You will come across Reavers, Alliance patrols and even some shady underworld.
Find a crew.
Find a job.
Fly forward.
- Based on the cult classic TV show
- Playing takes about 2 hours
- A fun strategy game
10. Gaia Project
Have you ever played a Terra Mystica game and thought, "Man, I wish this was in space instead of in a fantasy world."
Well, guess what? The Gaia project is a completely new remake of Terra Mystica.
You will be able to choose from 14 different factions living on 7 different types of planets. The goal of your faction is to transform as many universes as possible into a beautiful world for your race. Each race has its own unique set of abilities and strengths. The board itself has a variable setting, so no two games are ever alike.
The Gaia Project is the successor to the very strategic board game Terra Mystica and is one of the best Family Friendly games available today. It also works well with 3 players !
- Continuation of critically and commercially recognized tera ...
- A galaxy colonization board game for one to four players
- Take command of fourteen factions, each with its own unique ...
11. Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars is a complex game ... yet you strive to shape the entire planet.
In this sci-fi game, the players are part of the corporations that transformed the red planet into the big green / blue planet part 2.
Players will earn winning points for terraforming the planet and bringing it closer to life chances.
It will not be an easy task. Players will need to manage oxygen, plants, water levels and countless other resources to keep the planets spinning.
For a little more SCIENCE in science fiction, Terraforming Mars delivers a thoughtful puzzle for thinking actors outside. He has also received numerous awards since the release, so it is definitely worth a look.
If you can’t make friends, don’t worry. Even terraforming Mars is a super standalone game .
- Compete for various milestones and prizes worth many VPS
- Complete more than 200 different projects
- 1 to 5 players aged 12 or over
12. The First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
The actual mission to Mars has been the dream of many science fiction and space enthusiasts for years.
First Martians is a transformation of the Robinson Crusoe board game . If that suggests anything to you, then you know what you are for.
This is a hardcore game to deploy workers this can be punishingly difficult. Players must manage oxygen levels, strength, and countless other fine particles needed to maintain the colony.
This is not easy and you often find yourself on the side of random encounters and problems that arise during your time on the Red Planet.
- 3 basic game modes and 3 campaign modes
- 1 to 4 players
- 60 - 90 minutes of play
13. Space Hulk: Angel of Death
Lost in space on an abandoned ship.
Help is not coming.
Only you and the stranger are on board.
Fortunately, you are not just ordinary mortals. You are space marines, the emperor's chosen warriors. Even the space marines are not immortal, and there are only so many of you left. The waves of aliens are endless.
In this case, a Warhammer 40K-themed card game, players take control of two teams of space marines and try to navigate the Hulk, an ancient abandoned spaceship infected with Genestealers, the forerunner of a swarm of alien monsters.
Players will need to carefully plan their tactical moves if they don’t want to become swarm feed.
I’m a big fan of 40K themed games, and Death Angel is a simpler version of Space Hulk: The Board Game and much easier to find copies than its predecessor. It also works well as a standalone game if you feel some aliens need to be cleaned up with explosive fire.
- A cooperative card game of survival in the dark darkness of space
- Set in the popular Warhammer 40,000, created by Games Workshop
- For ages: 13+
14. Space Empires 4X
Prepare for serious galactic conquest.
Space Empires is a 4X board game :
- Explore
- eXploit
- Expand
- exterminate
Graphically, this is not the most beautiful box on the shelf, but it is a difficult strategy game of space combat. Players start at one end of the galaxy and expand their empire until there is nothing left to explore. Space Empires gives players complete control with plenty of options to exterminate opponents.
- Playing takes about 2 hours
- Lots of repetition values
- For 1 to 4 players
15. Race for the Galaxy
Race of the Galaxy is a galactic civilization game based on cards. There was a lot of controversy about this because it was very popular at the first release and got a lot of noise.
Personally, I think that whenever something becomes popular, it becomes the target of a lot of hatred. My advice: ignore the hype and ignore the hatred.
Race for the Galaxy is just a fun game. You go through the rules for a minute, but once you get in, it’s amazing. You will colonize the worlds and take over the galaxy with the best of them.
One of the main quarrels in the game is that there is no real direct interaction with the player. You won’t be sending Starfleets to blow up opponents from the sky, so they named it a multiplayer game. Not necessarily true.
Players will find that while playing can’t directly attack other players, playing is much more subtle. It’s basically anticipating and blocking players.
TL; DR: The game is fun and offers a lot of strategies. It’s a great game for non-players and the more you play it, the more it gives back.
- For 2-4 players
- 60 minute playing time
- See all the great Race for the Galaxy extensions
16. Nautilus: Happiness at the bottom of the ocean
This is probably the most colorful game on this list. Nautilus spun the Sci-fi a little differently. Players are looking for the lost city of Atlantis. After a dive, a host of scientists and engineers are on their way to find and discover the fragments of Atlantis and all the other treasures that the depths hid.
I always like to add a weird theme to this mix, and an underwater research lab with whale-shaped submarines fits that.
Players will need to manage resources, expand their bases and explore the ocean floor. This game reminds me of the first reading of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea . This is a fun and very colorful management game that looks absolutely beautiful when fully prepared.
- For 2-4 players
- Playing lasts 1-2 hours
- Family strategy board game
17. Foreign borders
Who is in favor of colonizing alien planets?
Alien Frontiers is a dice-based resource management game and a worker deployment game in which players revolve around an alien world ripe for colonization. You will need to manage whatever foreign technology you find, build new colonies, and expand your influence in this new world to surpass your peers.
What makes Alien Frontiers really special are the mechanics of the dice. You would usually have your usual people or spaceship tokens to represent your workers, but not here. Here the workers have the form… DICE !
The dice put down what actual actions you will be able to perform in the turn, so you may want to make a colony in the next turn, but BAM! the gods of dice are fickle.
Alien Frontiers uses a fresh concept that works beautifully to create a tense and fun management game.
- COMPETITIVE BOARD GAME FOR 2-4 TOYS: simple rules and games
- IMMORTAL AND FAST: Fold and place dice to gain benefits ...
- ON MISSION: Alien Frontiers is a resource management game, ...
18. Space Team
Spaceteam was originally a game for smartphone apps where everyone had a different screen on their phone and had to shout nonsensical instructions to other players. It was marketed as a cooperative screaming game and it’s not far off.
The Spaceteam card game is an analog version of the same pointless screaming match. The players are on a constantly crashing spaceship and it’s up to the team to get all the parts in order.
It is very tense and fast, and while moving the cards you will run around the table and change positions. It almost feels like training. Your heart will pump and you will find that you are saying unusual things like "WHO HAS QUASIPADLO ?!"
This is a fast and intense fun game. Maybe you can let Grandma sit this out, but you need to be quick to be successful.
- COOPERATIVE GAME - In this quick map, everyone wins or loses ...
- HIGH QUALITY CARDS - Each card is made of tear-resistant, ...
- VARIOUS PROBLEMS - Choose how you want to play from easy to ...
19. Space Warning
If you only have a short time to play and we need to fix your social game Sci-Fi ... just listen to how emergency alarms are triggered.
Space Alert puts a small team of aliens on the happiest ship ever and you all have to work together.
The whole Space Alert game takes about 10 minutes ...
Seriously, 10 minutes?
It uses a soundtrack complete with robotic voices and sirens to notify players of what's happening. You could have an incoming asteroid, space pirates , or monstrous aliens attacking your ship, and all players must work collaboratively in real time to save the ship in a 10-minute timeline of the soundtrack.
It’s exhausting and stressful, but it’s a lot of fun.
- Cooperative game
- For 1-5 players
- Tones of repeat values
20. Space Cadets: Missions Away
Space Cadets: Away Missions is the third standalone box in the Space Cadets series and is one of my favorites. Everything is top notch.
The rules are simple enough for beginners, but there is a certain strategic element that keeps everyone interested. The components are well made and include painted minis that have a pleasant imaginative artistic style. The theme of the game is reminiscent of William Shatner and the miserable "B" Bruce Campbell Movies (I'm Watching You Alien Apocalypse ).
Mission Away contains 20 scenarios with which you can change the way you play and when you play together, create a connected story. In one box is everything you’d want for some classic Sci-Fi shooting attacks and space jumps.
- You and your friends against the Little Green Men from ...
- More than 100 high quality plastic figurines
- Map tiles are reconfigured to create endless types of missions
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