There are hundreds of Star Wars-themed board games in the market, so how do you find the best ones? Below is a list of the top Star Wars-themed board games that you can play with your friends and family during the quarantine. The list contains a mix of both board games and card games to suit your fancy. Live out your space battle fantasies through these board games at the comfort of your own home.
15. Star Wars: Destiny
If you are a die-hard Star Wars fan and had a fair share of Card games to play, like Magic: the Gathering, you will love Star Wars: Destiny. The game combines duel mechanics with dice. The card game follows the common goal of reducing your enemy’s life to zero. You will need to construct a deck and roll a dice to gain attack power, pulverizing your enemy’s life points. Once you reduce your enemy’s life points to zero, you win. Star Wars: Destiny puts a unique twist on the dice mechanic by making them the number of actions you can do per turn. A lucky roll can defeat your opponent in just a few rounds, while having a weak roll means you need to strategize on what to do next. There is versatility in building your deck. You can make your opponent discard their cards and win when they do not have any cards left or fight them head-on. Building your deck is one of the fun aspects of the game.
How to play
If you are new to the game, a starter deck should suffice. Each player will have an Action Phase and an Upkeep Phase. You can choose between several actions to do during the Action Phase. You and your enemy will take turns and decide to do one of the following:
Play a Card. Take note that you need enough resource cost to play a card. There are different types of cards in the game. There are events, upgrades, or support cards that you can play according to your strategy. Activating a character or support card. You can choose to activate a character or support card to roll the dice once again and add it to your dice pool. Resolve your dice. If you have any dice rolled in a previous activate action, you can resolve your dice. According to your dice results, you can attack your enemy, gain more resources, make your enemy discard cards or resources, or use any special abilities. You can discard a card to roll the dice again. Activate a card’s special ability. You can end the round by claiming the battlefield. Doing so will give you a bonus.
The upkeep refreshes your cards, gain two more resources draw cards until they have five in their hand. The game continues until one player is out of life points or cannot draw any more cards and does not have any cards in their hand.
14. Star Wars: Age of Rebellion
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion is one of the many tabletop RPGs you can pick up. If you want to take your Star Wars playtime to a more immersive level, Star War: Age of Rebellion gives you many stories to explore. You wneed to take on the Galactic Empire and participate in warfare across the Star Wars Galaxy as a rebel Alliance member. You can choose different roles, decide the galaxy’s fate, and become heroes of the Rebel Alliance. The Star Wars: Age of Rebellion contains a four-hundred-page rule book, so you are not going to get bored anytime soon! The game contains everything you need to start your roleplaying campaign. You can choose from short and simple adventures to memorable encounters as a member of the Rebel Alliance. Players can build their characters and explore the campaigns in the Star Wars Galaxy. The board game can last a couple of hours, depending on your campaign, and the playthrough is up to you and your GM.
How to Play
The game focuses mainly on a mechanic called Duty. Being a member of The Rebel Alliance, Duty heavily impacts the role you have in the alliance. The Game Master will roll a Duty Check every campaign to see if you can receive additional special missions aside from the current adventure your party is doing. You and your allies should aim to gain a high amount of Duty Score. Having a high Duty Score enables your party to increase the total group contribution and rise in rank. The game includes a core rulebook you must follow and campaigns for the GMs to create and run campaigns. The book also contains a guide on creating and building your character and how to advance them. If you or your friends are not familiar with Star Wars, the rulebook contains an introduction to the Star Wars universe so that nobody will get left behind. Players can follow the rulebook’s guide and charts for the weapons, skills, gears, and starships to use in the campaign.
13. Star Wars: Dark Rising
Do you want to stop the Death Star, and what’s more, attempt it with your friends? If so, then this co-op board game is for you. Star Wars: Dark Rising allows two to four players to cooperate and stop the Death Star from being constructed. The game combines card and dice cooperative gameplay with the events leading to Star Wars: A New Hope. Recruit Rebels and prevent the construction of the Ultimate Weapon, the Death Star. Players race against time, recruiting characters like R2-D2 and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Become one with the Force and direct your rebel efforts across the galaxy. Darth Vader orders a wipeout of all the rebels and makes the Death Star operational. Players must cooperate and strategize, defeating enough sinister agents before constructing the Death Star or wiping out their forces.
How to Play
The game starts with players choosing their Team Base Card. After that, you will start placing the Death Star pieces. You will need to place the deployment Zone board with Darth Vader in the center of it all. Place the nine asset cards around the board, with three in each zone. Ready your dice, damage counters, and Alliance Tokens next to the board, and you can start playing the game. When it is your turn, choose where to deploy your team and place your token on that specific zone. Next, roll the dice for the Death Star. Once the completion track is full, the Death Star will be fully operational, and your team will lose. Darth Vader will also move and attack the rebels in the specific zone according to the dice result. After this turn, players will get the chance to roll their own dice and move across the map. They can recruit or defeat Imperial soldiers to stop Darth Vader’s plan. Defeat enough Imperial soldiers to win the game.
12. Stratego: Star Wars
Who wouldn’t love this classic game? As the name suggests, Stratego: Star Wars is a Stratego game set in the Star Wars Universe. Set up your pieces, and choose your side. You can side with the Dark Side of the Force. Place your pieces strategically and use your bluffing techniques to overcome your enemy. The game requires two players and follow the typical rules of Stratego, except for the addition of certain characters. Outsmart your enemy and use bluffs to make them lose. The game takes around 30 minutes each game and requires two players. You will have 40 pieces to use per player. The main goal is to capture the enemy’s flag. However, the enemy team is trying to do the same thing. Form a wall of defense, and go for the enemy’s flag. Both players have six explosives at their disposal, so be careful who you are attacking.
How to Play
The game is pretty straightforward and follows the rules of normal Stratego. However, each player has 40 pieces, and you are divided between the Dark Side and the Force. Use your army of Jedis and strategically place them across the board. Each player will have six explosives, and you can use this piece to take out your enemy. You will also need to place your flag on the board. Whoever catches the opposing flag first wins the game. Once you and your opponent placed all the pieces on the board, you are ready to play. Make sure to protect your flag while conquering your enemies. Use your explosives to obliterate your opponent’s army. Once you captured the enemy’s flag, you win. On the other hand, if they capture your flag, you lose. The game will last around 30 minutes each round and is one of the classics, having been around since 2002.
11. Carcassonne: Star Wars
Carcassonne is one of the classic board games everyone can enjoy. The board game allows for two to five players and typically lasts 35 minutes. This board game uses the typical rules of Carcassonne but is placed in the Star Wars Galaxy. Instead of Cities, the board game uses Asteroid Fields. You will find that other pieces are replaced by Star Wars-themed pieces, like Planets instead of Cloisters. Build Trading Routes, connect to Planets, and claim them using Conquerors. Just like Carcassonne, you will earn points for each Trading Route, Faction symbols, and Asteroid Fields you have. The board will slowly fill up, and the game will end once the last tile is placed. The person with the most points wins the game. The difference between the original Carcassonne and the Star Wars-themed game is its tiles and the addition of factions.
How to Play
At the start of the game, you can choose which faction to belong to. Get the corresponding character card, and you can now play the gam. Each player takes turns to build the galaxy, drawing tiles and connecting them, making them into Trade Routes or Asteroid Fields. You earn corresponding points for each Trading Route, Asteroid Field, or Faction symbols you place on the board. When both of the players land on the same tile, you will need to battle each other. Both players will roll a dice. Other factors like the Faction symbol give you additional dice. The player with the highest die result will win and will stay in the area. Another additional feature in the Carcassonne: Star Wars are its Planets. The game has 12 planets in total, and when you land on a planet, you can place your meeple on it. The game ends when the last tile is placed, and points are calculated. The person with the highest points wins the game.
10. Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit
Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit is based on the four battles at the end of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace. The game is a campaign-driven dice-rolling board game that takes you through the four battles. The average game time is quite long, and it could take about 2 hours. However, this game allows for up to four players at a time. The game has 155 plastic miniatures and a three-level palace to set the mood for the adventure. Battle through the droid army wars, storm the palace, follow through the Darth Maul Showdown, and experience Anakin’s space battle. Strategically choose where to put your forces and obtain your victory condition. Move the miniatures and roll the dice to destroy your enemy while going through the game’s story and adventure. However, take note that while this game is immersive and fun, this game is out of print, and can be hard to find.
How to Play
The game has three phases, the Planning, Action, and Draw phase. Each player has 10 cards in their hand. During the planning phase, you can choose 4 cards to play and activate that turn. During the action phase, each player will play the 4 chosen cards during the planning phase. Players will move and attack using their pieces. To attack an enemy, dice will be rolled, and it will determine your hits. Each player will draw two cards from two different decks during the draw phase to bring their hand back to 10. The Naboo player will win if they shut down the droid control ship and gain the majority in the palace throne room. Meanwhile, the Trade Federation player will win when he destroys everything but the two Naboo Palace Figures. The game is fairly easy to grasp and perfect for killing time with your friends and family.
9. Monopoly: Star Wars Complete Saga Edition
Everybody knows Monopoly, and this Star Wars-themed Monopoly game is perfect if you have kids in the family. Even people who are not familiar with Star Wars can sit back and enjoy this game with their friends. The game is a combination of the Star Wars trilogy in one board game. The game contains Star Wars-themed pieces and replaces houses and hotels with Planets and Droids. Just like the normal Monopoly game, the last person with the credits is the winner. The game lets you play through the three trilogies in the Skywalker Saga. The game also includes nine bust tokens of iconic Star Wars characters. Another great feature of the board game is its Star Wars-themed cards. If you land on a Jedi Training or Holocron Space, pick a matching card and do what it says. The game allows for two to six players in total and is perfect for the whole family.
How to Play
The game’s main objective is to become the most powerful player by buying, selling, and renting properties throughout the galaxy. To prepare for the game, place both the Sith and Jedi cards facedown, and each player will choose the tokens representing themselves. They’ll also receive 1,500 republic credits each. Choose a player that will play as a Banker, and that is great as an Auctioneer. Place your tokens on the corner marked “GO” and roll the dice. Move your token according to the dice roll. You can buy Galactic properties across the board, and people who land on them will have to pay rent. When you land on a Sith or Jedi space, take a card according to the one you land on and perform the action indicated on the card. You can also sell the properties you own to earn more credits. If you cannot pay another player or the bank, you will go bankrupt and lose the game. The last player standing wins.
8. Star Wars: Outer Rim
The Star Wars: Outer Rim’s unique take is that you play an underworld denizen’s role. Your goal is to make your mark on the galaxy, travel the outer rim, and hire iconic Star Wars characters to join your crew. Beware of the warring factions that take out denizens like you, and survive the outer rim. If you have what it takes, you can become the most famous legend in the galaxy. Other players will aim to take you down as well to boost their own fame. Each player will take on dangerous jobs, track down bounties and upgrade their ship. The main goal of the game is to get ten fame. You can get fame by completing your character’s goal, collect bounties, deliver illegal cargo, and finish jobs. You can also upgrade your ship and improve your gear for upcoming battles. You will also encounter other mercenaries and members across the galaxy. Whoever gets 10 fame first will win the game.
How to Play
Setup the game first by building the map. Set down the patrol tokens on the tiles according to the level. Place a contact token on each contact space on the map. Create a token supply and choose your characters. Follow the instructions on your player card and set up the decks and sheets. Afterward, you can begin to play the game. The game has three steps, the Planning Step, the Action Step, and the Encounter Step. In the Planning step, you can choose to move, recover all the damage you got, or gain 2000 credits. In the Action step, you can perform any number of actions. You can buy cards, deliver cargo and bounties. And lastly, during the Encounter Step, you will resolve a single encounter. Finishing a job, delivering cargo, or completing your character’s goal will reward you with fame. The first person to gain ten fame will win the game.
7. Star Wars: The Card Game
Another Card Game on this list is Star Wars: The Card Game. However, this game is a living collectible card game where you can collect various cards containing iconic Star Wars characters. Some cards are considered rare because they are not reprinted anymore. The game focuses on deck-building and pits two players against each other. The card is set in the time frame of the original Star Wars trilogy. One player commands the Force’s light side, and the other commands the Force’s dark side. Each deck has objective cards that represent missions. The game also gives characters, vehicles, droids, enhancements, and fates to build your deck. Build your deck according to your preferred objective, and attack your opponent’s objective. The dark side player wins when the Death Star dial reaches 12, and the Force player wins by destroying three dark side objectives before the dark side player wins.
How to Play
To start playing the Star Wars Card game, both players will need to build a deck first. The core game set of the Star Wars: The Card Game contains everything you need for two players to start playing. If you are new to the game, you can use starter decks for your deck as well. To set up the game, both players will choose who will represent the Dark Side and represent the Force. The Dark Side player will choose either the Imperial Navy or the Sith deck, and the Force player will choose either the Rebel Alliance or Jedi deck. Reveal your affiliation card and prepare all the pieces. The game is divided into six phases, Balance, Refresh, Draw, Deployment, Conflict, and Force. During the balance phase, the Dark Side player will advance the Death Star dial by one. If the Force’s balance is on the light side, the Force player can deal one damage to any Dark Side objective. In the Refresh phase, the player will remove one token from each card in his area, remove all shield tokens, and replace any missing objective cards. During the Draw Phase, the player must draw the required number of cards from his deck according to his reserve value. In the Deployment phase, the player can deploy any unit or enhancement cards in their area, playing their resource cost. The conflict phase is the phase where you can destroy your enemy’s objectives. And lastly, the Force phase allows the player to commit any unit cards in his play area and add the number of Force icons on his ready units. The Dark Side player will win once the Death Star dial reaches 12 or more. The Force player must destroy three Dark Side objectives before the Death Star activates.
6. Star Wars Trivial Pursuit
What better way to boast about your knowledge in the Star Wars series than a Trivia game? The Star Wars Trivial Pursuit is a Trivia game consisting of a different set of questions. The game follows the typical rules of a Trivial Pursuit game where you need to collect all color pies and answer the final question. The game allows for two to four players and makes you answer questions about the Star Wars Universe. The questions can range in difficulty and challenges your brain. The game has four character pieces that you can choose to represent. The game’s main goal is to move along the circular track and collect colored wedges by correctly answering the questions. If you answered correctly, your turn will end, and the next player gets to answer questions next. The difference of this Trivial Pursuit is that it has a Hyperspace where it allows you to move to any other board space.
How to Play
Choose between the four character pieces included in the game set. You can choose between Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Luke Skywalker. Once you have chosen your character to represent, get six scoring wedges with one for each color. To determine who goes first, each player will press R2-D2’s head, and the person who gets the highest number will go first. You can now begin to play the game. Press R2-D2’s head, and he will show how many spaces to move. Choose which color you want to land on and which of the six spokes you will move down. The other player will draw a card and read the corresponding question. Photo cards should be shown to the player answering, and if you answered correctly, you continue pressing R2-D2’s head and moving spaces. The player wins the game if they collected one scoring wedge of each color and answered the game-winning question.
5. Star Wars: Armada
Experience intense space battle in the Star Wars Universe by playing Star Wars: Armada. The game is a two-player game with each player directing their fleet and weapons to destroy the other. Each player will choose to be either a Rebel or Imperial admiral and command their forces to destroy their opponent. The average game time can last about two hours. Beginners are encouraged to play the learning scenario to grasp all the components of the game. The game consists of multiple ships and squadrons you can place on the battlefield. You and your enemy take turns in maneuvering your units on the battlefield. The game can require a bit of time and learning to fully grasp the concept, but players will certainly have a fun experience competing against each other. The objective is to destroy the opponent’s fleet force as much as you can before the end of the sixth round.
How to Play
For first-time players, the game recommends that you play the learning scenario first to grasp the game’s concept and learn its basic rules. Once you fully grasped the concept, prepare the play area. The play area usually consists of 3 feet by 3 feet of a play area. Choose your faction whether you want to side with the Rebels or the Imperials. Prepare and construct your Ship and Squadron Cards. Place your defense tokens, ships, squadrons, and shared units, and you can begin to play the game. The game consists of six rounds with four phases each. The Command Phase lets players use their command dials for each of their ships. Players can choose to navigate, Squadron, Repair, or Concentrate Fire. The second phase is the Ship Phase. The Ship phase allows players to take a turn in activating their ships, revealing their command dial, attacking the opponent’s units, and executing the maneuver tool. The Squadron phase allows players to activate any squadron that is not activated by the previous phase. Squadrons can move, attack, and engage the enemy. Finally, the Status phase allows the players to ready their exhausted defense tokens. After the Status phase, the round restarts until all the opposing player’s fleet is destroyed, or the round reaches round six. Suppose neither player is eliminated by round six, the player with the highest score wins.
4. Risk: Star Wars edition
Fans who want to re-create and re-live the Star Wars’ final moments: Return of the Jedi. The game allows for two to four players, and the average game time is 45 minutes. It is up to the player’s hands to determine the fate of the Star Wars Universe. You can choose to play as either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. The game follows the rules of the Classic Risk game and dice to control characters and ships. There are three different factions in the Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition. The Empire must eliminate all rebel forces. The game’s objective is to destroy or defend the Death Star, depending on which side you choose. However, the game expands on three different battles, with the Rebel and Imperial fleet being the main battle. The other two battle is happening on the sideboard, and players must balance their forces to get to the conclusion.
How to Play
To begin the game, set up the board to prepare the three battles players will participate in. One battlefield consists of the Rebels on the Endor, trying to take down the shield generator protecting the Death Star and destroy it. On the second battlefield, Luke is fighting to redeem his father, Darth Vader. And lastly, the Rebel ships are fighting the Imperial ships, waiting for the shields to go down and destroy the Death Star. Each player draws six Order cards, choose three cards to activate. Each player will take turns giving Orders until they have no Order Cards left and draw again. Orders allow both sides to attack the opposing units. The game uses dice rolls to determine the attack succession but the required die result to succeed depends on the type of ship doing the attacking. A player wins when they meet their objective according to the side they chose. Rebels must take down the shield generator and destroy the Death Star to win, and The Empire must destroy all the rebel ships, defending the Death Star.
3. Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Star Wars: Imperial Assault is a strategic, tactical board game that features two iconic battles in the Star Wars Universe. The game allows for two to five players, and each game lasts for 90 to 120 minutes. The game is set in the middle of the Galactic Civil War after the Death Star is destroyed over Yavin 4, and consists of two game modes, the Campaign game, and the skirmish game. The campaign game follows through the tales of the Star Wars Universe. In the campaign mode, one player will command the Galactic Empire’s armies, and up to four heroes of the Rebel Alliance will fight against the Empire. As you play through the campaign, both sides will learn skills and grow as the story continues. In the Skirmish mode, players will compete in tactical combat. Build your own army of Imperials, Rebels, and Mercenaries to win over your opponent. Every skirmish will be littered with danger, so strategize well.
How to Play
For first-time players, learning how to do missions is recommended before entering the Campaign mode. Players must first assemble the map and assign roles. You must prepare the Hero components, and each hero must claim one activation token. For the Imperial player, prepare the Deployment cards. Deploy the figures on the map as instructed and prepare the dice, cards, and tokens. Each round consists of two phases, the Activation phase, and the Status phase. The activation phase allows both sides to activate their figures and do two actions, like moving and attacking. The Imperial player will activate all the figures according to the Deployment card. The Status phase occurs after resolving all activations. Players can ready all exhausted Deployment cards and activation tokens and proceed with the Activation phase again. The mission will end according to that specific mission’s rules and objective.
2. Star Wars: X-Wing
If you want to face off a fast-paced, fiery tactical ship combat, you can try out Star Wars: X-Wing. Two players will take control of either the Rebel X-wings or Imperial TIE fighters. Re-live the exciting space combat in Star Wars and plan maneuvers to complete your mission. Depending on your chosen ship, it will have a unique pilot dial, which you use to set the speed and maneuver each turn secretly. The game consists of three different missions with different victory conditions for each mission. Depending on your playstyle, you can use clever and different tactics to throw off your enemy. The game offers a wide variety of customization, different maneuvers, and battle outcomes. Determining the damage for each attack is done by rolling a dice. Only one player can emerge victoriously and win their missions.
How to Play
Start by setting up a 3’ by 3’ play area. Choose which side or vessel you want to control. Both players will alternate in placing asteroids and debris as obstacles. Place your ships according to your preference. There are five phases each round, and it will repeat until one player’s fleet is destroyed. The Planning phase allows players to set the dial for their ships secretly. In the Systems Phase, you can use an ability that can be activated in the Systems Phase. The Activation phase allows players to activate their ship one by one. Reveal the dial, execute the Maneuver, and perform Actions in this phase. The Engagement phase is where the battle begins. Each ship will engage in battle one by one. Players will first declare a target. The Attacking ship will role the attack dice, and the defender ship will roll the Defense Dice. Neutralize any evade and critical hit results and deal the remaining damage to the defending ship. After-attack abilities will be resolved after the damage has been dealt with. When a ship is destroyed, it is not automatically removed from the game. All ships must initiate engagement first before the destroyed ships are removed. Even if a ship is destroyed, it can still attack during the Engagement Phase. The End Phase removes all unused tokens from the ship, and cards with recurring charges will recover one charge. The round repeats and the player wins once they have destroyed all the ships of the opposing player.
1. Star Wars: Rebellion
Star Wars: Rebellion explores the conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. The game allows for two to four players, and the average game time is three hours. You can choose to side with the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. Each side has different win conditions for the game. Imperial players have Stormtroopers, TIEs, Star Destroyers, and the Death Star at their disposal. The primary goal of the Imperial player is to destroy the base of the Rebel Alliance. Rebel Players command troopers, T-47 airspeeders, Corellian corvettes, and fighter squadrons. The Rebel Alliance is clearly outmatched when it comes to military strength. However, they have the power of the planets at their disposal. Rally the planets. Target military strikes, sabotage the Imperial build yards, and inspire the whole galaxy to revolt and win.
How to Play
Choose which Faction you want to play as and gather its components. Place the starting leaders, prepare the board, and the time tracker. Prepare all the decks, markers, and dice. Prepare the mission cards and start placing the units and loyalty. Choose your base location and draw your starting hand. Each game round has three phases, the Assignment, Command, and Refresh phases. The assignment phase allows players to assign their leaders into missions. The command phase allows the players to move each of their units and reveal their missions. Players activate a system and move the units on the board to start a combat. Players also reveal a mission to reveal a card’s ability. The refresh phase allows players to retrieve their leaders, draw missions, launch Probe Droids, draw objective, advance time Marker, and deploy units. Imperial players will win the game when they conquer the Rebel base system. Rebel players win the game when both the reputation marker and time marker are on the same time track.
Summary
Multiple board games have a Star Wars theme. Players can enjoy both card games and tactical board games that re-live moments from the Star Wars universe. Some campaigns allow you to experience the adventure and story of Star Wars with your friends and family. Fans of Star Wars will love these games, they’re perfect for enjoying time and having fun with your friends and family in the comfort of your own home.
