Best Environmental Board Games of 2025: Top 6 Picks
Explore the world of environmental board games with stunning art, strategic play, and a focus on nature's wonders.
Finding the right game can be like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially when you’re hunting for environmental board games. We focus on green thumb concepts, innovative gameplay, and replayability. Our top picks promise to plant creativity seeds deep in your mind and provide endless fun. Whether you’re a tree-hugger or a science buff, these games cater to every nature lover’s curiosity and strategy needs. So, grab your friends and get ready for a game night that’s not just fun, but also brings a little more green to your gaming table.
On this list:
6 Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a game where trees grow and even shadow each other with passing sun. Sounds like my mom’s garden, right? This one gets a shoutout for its unique mechanics and immediate environmental theme. We played it last week and it felt like a sunny day walk but without the sunscreen. The strategy comes from managing the sunlight and your forest – a perfect blend of fun and learning to protect Mother Earth.
5 CO2: Second Chance
In CO2: Second Chance, players take on the roles of energy companies aiming to meet the rising demand for sustainable energy. They must also cut down CO2 emissions. Picture playing hero for our planet! This game gives a deeper dive into environmental issues without boring lectures. It’s like saving the planet with a cup of hot chocolate. The game offers a challenging experience that keeps everyone invested, especially when preventing global catastrophes.
4 Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars is for all those who’ve ever wanted to garden on another planet. Are there any of you out there? Anyway, players control corporations working to do just that by raising temperature, increasing oxygen, and more. It’s jam-packed with environmental challenges but on Mars! We had a blast reshaping Mars as we competed for the best combination of cards and resources in this strategic delight.
3 Planet
In Planet, players build their own perfect world by collecting tiles representing oceans, forests, deserts, etc. Sounds like building Lego but for grown-ups! We enjoyed the unique 3D planet-building mechanic, and it was competitive yet relaxing. It’s one of those games where you get to feel a bit like an environmental artist, painting the world with each tile placement. Perfect if you’re all about creating a new world.
2 Wingspan
Wingspan is one for the bird watchers among us. Players manage a bird habitat, drawing cards that represent everything from forests to wetlands. By far our feathered friends stole the show here with art that is as stunning as the game is strategic. We loved learning about different bird species while building habitats. It’s a nature lover’s dream in board game form and boasts a seamless blend of exploration and environmental awareness.
1 Everdell
Everdell is our top pick! Why? Because it’s simply enchanting. With its stunningly illustrated cards and adorable critters, players build cities in the luscious valley of Everdell. Each game is a unique story brimming with environmental interactions, from recruiting woodland creatures to harvesting for resources. Imagine combining the charm of a fairytale with strategic depth. If Disney ever made a board game, we bet this would be it. After a few rounds, we were completely enchanted, never wanting to leave this beautiful land.
