The Best Solo Board Games

The great thing about playing a board game by yourself is that you get to control everything, and go at your own pace. Moreover, you can perfect new techniques, and try new strategies. Some of the games mentioned here are simply a solo variation of typically multiplayer board games. The biggest challenge in many of these games is how concentrated you can be, as there is no one else to cause you any problems.

By Odin

✓ There are 50 different challenges that can be replayed

✓ A solo game that can be played anywhere
✓ Exercises the imagination and mental calculation
✓ There are 50 different challenges that can be replayed

Cons:

✕ Resolving a challenge can take several hours
✕ Chance plays a part in the game

Characteristics:

● Brand: Old Chap
● Number of players: 1 person
● Age: 8 and over
● Duration of a game: 20 minutes or more
● Type of game: Logic, calculation, chance

The objective of the game is to solve, one by one, the proposed challenges. These challenges are battles between characters that are represented by the faces of 7 white dice. There are also 2 black dice which show characters that are to disturb the balance of the white dice. Each character has a specific value. A challenge is resolved when the forces of the 2 groups are balanced.

Each challenge has a special objective, described in the booklet. In each challenge, 7 characters are in the spotlight. Some have a positive force, others a negative force. The Soldier has a strength of 1, the Captain a strength of 2, the Hero a strength of 3. The Traitor has a strength of 1, but demolishes the strength of the Hero. The Horse adds a strength of 1 to all the characters in its group.

The player’s mission is to divide the dice, so as to obtain 2 groups with equal strengths, taking into account the value of all the characters. The game includes 50 independent challenges. The level of difficulty increases over time.

Our opinion: This is quite an addictive game, as you’re going to feel like a challenge can’t be left unresolved. Keep in mind before you start a new challenge, that it could take a long time to resolve.

Friday

Pros:

✓ The cards add lots of action, which spice up the game
✓ Teaches survival lessons
✓ Various levels of difficulty

Cons:

✕ A bit complicated at first
✕ The player needs to concentrate and pay attention to details

Characteristics:

● Brand: Asmodee
● Number of players: 1 person
● Age: 10 and over
● Duration of a game: 30 minutes
● Type of game: Strategy, Combat, Survival

Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an island and the player gets an opportunity to help him survive by playing the role of Friday. Friday’s goal is to support Robinson and send him on his way back to civilization. Pirates pose a threat to the player and the game ends when they’re defeated.

Robinson is given plenty of health points at the beginning of the game, however, there’s still a real chance that he’d run out of them, at which point the game ends in a loss. Every turn, the player chooses one of two hazard cards. The player can defeat a hazard by drawing ability cards. The number of ability cards a player can draw is indicated by the hazard card chosen.

The player can sacrifice one health point to buy an extra ability card. Each ability card has different characteristics, and some have special powers. The result of every turn is determined by the ability cards used.

Our opinion: The process of playing Friday follows specific rules. Therefore, you must understand the rules well before starting the game. You’ll notice that you’re getting much better the more you play.

Ghost Hunters

Pros:

✓ A puzzle game suitable for all ages
✓ The game board is light, and can be carried anywhere
✓ The game has 60 challenges, with increasing levels of difficulty

Cons:

✕ The solutions are in the leaflet, it will be necessary to avoid taking peeks at it while playing
✕ After finishing the 60 challenges, the replayability is over

Characteristics:

● Brand: SmartGames
● Number of players: 1 person
● Age: 6+
● Duration of a game: 5 to 30 minutes
● Type of game: Puzzle, placement, logic

In Ghost Hunters, you’re going to be placing tiles in the game board in specific orders. The objective is to place the ghosts and shine the light on them using the flashlights. When playing this game, you’ll be placing the tiles according to the instructions on the challenge cards. You can choose one card at a time. Once you find the solution, you compare it with the one proposed in the solution leaflet to find out if you were correct.

Depending on the level of the challenge, the instructions might have tips for you to find the correct position for each tile. In the beginner level, it will be necessary to refer to the white lines, which show the correct position for each tile.

The game includes 60 challenges, shown on 30 two-sided cards. There are 6 tiles to place. The level of difficulty increases as the challenges progress. It’s up to you to choose the level of difficulty that suits you. Keep in mind that there’s only one correct solution to every challenge.

Our opinion: The game requires a lot of thinking to find the solutions. However, when a challenge is solved once, it’s not replayable as you will be aware of the solution. Fortunately though, there are quite plenty of challenges to solve.

Thief!

Pros:

✓ Suitable for all ages
✓ The material is durable and can last for years
✓ Allows you to test your logic skills

Cons:

✕ Some challenges can be very difficult to solve and take a lot of time

Characteristics:

● Brand: SmartGames
● Number of players: 1 person
● Age: 8+
● Duration of a game: 15 minutes
● Type of game: Strategy, logic, puzzle

The player takes the role of a police chief who is on a mission to arrest a thief. The thief, who is driving a red vehicle, is armed and the player will have to position their forces correctly to block every possible escape.

The player has 6 police vehicles to prevent the thief’s car from escaping. At the start, the player chooses a challenge card. The initial position of the red car and the buildings is indicated by the challenge card. After placing the buildings and the thief’s car, the player will have to start positioning their police vehicles in an attempt to solve the challenge.

The player has to place all the police cars on the board to win a challenge, even if some of them seem unnecessary. The main goal is to block the red car between police vehicles and buildings. The game includes 80 challenge cards, with varying difficulty levels. The game contents are made of plastic, which makes them quite durable, especially if handled properly.

Our opinion: This is a game where even adults can spend hours playing. Since every challenge has only one solution, it might be a good idea to pass the game to others once you’ve managed to finish the 80 challenges.

Hostage Negotiator

Pros:

✓ Full of action and twists
✓ Endlessly replayable
✓ With time, the player will learn more strategies and perfect them

Cons:

✕ The rules are complex, so is setting up the game

Characteristics:

● Brand: Don’t Panic Games
● Number of players: 1 person or more
● Age: 14+
● Duration of a game: 30 to 60 minutes
● Type of game: Negotiation, rescue, strategy, communication, patience

The player is tasked with negotiating with an abductor to free the hostages. The goal is to free at least half of the hostages, and to have no more hostages in the hostage pool. The player also needs to capture or eliminate the abductor, as well as their possible accomplices.

If the player fulfills these 3 objectives, they win the game. On the other hand, they lose the game if half of the hostages are killed, or if the abductor manages to escape, or if they no longer have a terror card in the corresponding phase. The game takes place in 3 phases, after setting up the board and game components

During the Conversation Phase, the player communicates with the abductor in order to free the hostages one by one. The player can buy conversation cards by using conversation points they’ve obtained during the first phase. The Terror Phase allows the player to use cards to threaten the abductor. The abductor retaliates with demands, which could help them escape.

Our advice: The player needs patience to know the intentions of an abductor. By playing the game several times, the player will better understand the rules and perfect their strategies, increasing the chances of them winning.

Colour code

Pros:

✓ Very easy rules
✓ Suitable for children and adults who want to test their concentration skills
✓ There are 100 challenges to complete, i.e. 100 images to match

Cons:

✕ The game can end too quickly
✕ The game isn’t replayable once the 100 challenges are completed

Characteristics:

● Brand: Smart Games
● Number of players: 1 person
● Age: 5+
● Duration of a game: 15 minutes
● Type of game: Color, observation, logic

The game contains 18 transparent tiles, which must be put on top of each other to obtain the image shown in the challenge sheet. You will have to determine the order of placement of each tile, taking into account their colors. A tile will have to be placed in the correct orientation in relation to the other ones. The objective is to create the image displayed on the sheet in the challenge booklet. Your final product must be identical with the image shown.

The game contains 100 unique challenges. These challenges are presented in 4 levels of difficulty. The solutions are in the booklet, but they serve as a last resort, just in case you can’t figure out how to solve a challenge.

Our opinion: A small difference between your composition and the image will often cause you to think deeply about where the error is. Therefore, the game requires strong observation and concentration skills.

Peg Solitaire

Pros:

✓ A universal board game, suitable for all audiences
✓ Rules are easy to understand
✓ There are several possible strategies, which keeps the game exciting

Cons:

✕ The board can be rather heavy
✕ The board may differ depending on the country that manufactured it

Characteristics:

● Brand: Cayro
● Number of players: 1 person
● Age: 8+
● Duration of a game: 20 to 30 minutes
● Type of game: Thinking, Strategy, Patience

This is a classic board game where you have to move marbles and make them jump over each other. A marble is eliminated once another marble has jumped over it. The eliminated marbles are placed on the edge of the board. The objective is to remove all marbles except one. A marble that’s to be eliminated must be next to an empty hole to allow for the movement of the jumping marble.

At the start of the game, all the marbles are placed in the holes. Only one hole remains empty. Usually it’s the middle hole. The player cannot move a marble without eliminating another. The marbles cannot move diagonally. Only one marble is eliminated at a time. The last remaining marble can be in any hole on the board. The game can end in many fashions, depending on the player’s strategy.

It’s important to remember that if there is no empty hole next to a marble, the player cannot eliminate it. A perfect ending scenario is to have the last marble placed in the original empty hole position. However, this is not a requirement. The technique of the game consists of never leaving a marble isolated because it would be difficult to approach.

Our opinion: Peg Solitaire is usually entertaining and addictive and the player might not realize how much time they’ve spent playing it. It is advisable for the player to change strategy with each game played. This is how a player can become a true expert.

Comparison Table