Best War Board Games 2025: Top 5 Must-Play Picks
Looking for the best war board games? We played loads and handpicked these favorites for epic, strategic, and action-packed war fun.
The 5 Best War Board Games for Epic Game Nights
On this list:
5 Risk
Risk feels like the gateway drug for board games about war. We spent many nights plotting with friends, only to see fragile alliances crumble as Australia gets invaded for the tenth time. The rules are easy enough for new players, but the wild dice luck keeps things from feeling too serious. Sure, it can run a bit long, and watching your entire army disappear in one bad roll is soul-crushing, but that’s what makes it a classic. If you want diplomacy, betrayal, and yelling at your cousin for backstabbing you, Risk is your starter kit for war game madness.
4 Memoir ’44
Memoir ’44 is our go-to when we want war vibes, but don’t want to spend hours figuring out the rules. It’s built around real World War II battles, so there’s an actual historical touch (don’t worry, we didn’t suddenly become history nerds). The card-driven system makes for quick, tense decisions. Plus, the plastic tanks and tin soldiers are fun to push around while making explosion noises. Memoir ’44 is a hit for newcomers and experienced tacticians who appreciate a little luck, a lot of strategy, and games that don’t take all night.
3 Axis & Allies
Axis & Allies is like Risk’s bigger, nerdier cousin. We spent entire Saturdays waging war on a world map that’s bigger than our kitchen table. With tanks, bombers, and every kind of unit you can imagine, this one scratches that deep war itch. Planning economy and army moves at the same time made our brains hurt in the best way. The downside? Prepare for a long game, especially if your friends are as indecisive as we are. But for a true war epic, nothing beats the grand scope of Axis & Allies.
2 Root
If you think war can’t be cute, Root wants a word. Each woodland critter has its own way to wage war—cats with armies, birds with bureaucracy, otters with sneaky trading. It’s adorable chaos that can fool you right before the raccoon vagabond stabs you in the back. We had to play it a few times to get the hang of each faction, but once we did, Root quickly became our group’s secret favorite. It blends strategy and mischief, and we’re still laughing about the time the mouse rebels toppled the cats in a surprise win.
1 Twilight Struggle
Twilight Struggle makes you feel the tension of the Cold War without ever firing a shot (well, unless someone panics and accidentally triggers World War III). This game is the best one on our list because it takes the theme of war and twists it into a two-player battle of influence, bluff, and timing. Every turn matters, and our games were filled with gasps, groans, and wild reversals. It’s brainy, tense, and gives you the drama of war without a single dice roll. We always walk away from Twilight Struggle with stories to tell—usually about how one of us lost Europe by accident.
