The best civilization games 2025

7 Wonders Duel takes the essence of the classic 7 Wonders and refines it for an intense two-player experience. It retains the thematic elements of building a civilization through acquiring various types of cards, but it introduces unique mechanics suited for a duel.

In 7 Wonders, you step into the role of a leader of one of the seven great cities of the Ancient World. Your objective is to gather resources, establish commercial routes, and assert your military might. The game is not just about managing resources but also about building an architectural wonder that will stand the test of time.

7 Wonders (Second Edition) is an acclaimed board game known for its widespread recognition and numerous international awards. This new version rejuvenates the classic 7 Wonders game, maintaining its status as a cornerstone in the world of modern board gaming. The game is celebrated for its elegant drafting mechanics, allowing up to 7 players to participate simultaneously without downtime.

It's a Wonderful World is a strategic card drafting and engine-building game, where players take on the role of leaders of expanding empires. The game is designed for 1 to 5 players and offers a compelling blend of careful planning and resource management.

Hadara is a strategic board game that takes players on a journey through the evolution of civilizations. Over the course of three epochs, players transform their small settlements into flourishing high cultures, populating their world with diverse individuals from various cultures, continents, and eras. The goal is to skillfully choose people and achievements to bring glory and honor, while balancing the development of agriculture, culture, and military power to outshine competitors.

Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age is a captivating dice game that immerses players in the task of building and advancing their civilizations. This game combines elements of luck, strategy, and resource management, making it an engaging experience for players who enjoy civilization-building themes.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is an enhanced version of the original Eclipse game, first released in 2011. It's a grand strategy game set in the depths of space, where players lead their own interstellar civilizations to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.

Race for the Galaxy is a captivating card game that immerses players in the challenge of building galactic civilizations. In this race through the cosmos, players use game cards to represent worlds, technologies, and developments as they strive for supremacy. Let's delve into the gameplay and discover what makes Race for the Galaxy unique.

Roll for the Galaxy is a dice-based strategy game for 2-5 players, where dice represent the populace tasked with building a space empire. It's a dice adaptation of the popular card game Race for the Galaxy.

Beyond the Sun is a strategic board game that places players at the forefront of humanity's technological advancement into the Spacefaring Era. Here, players shape the progress of human civilization in space while competing to become the dominant faction through scientific development, economic growth, and galactic influence.

Atlantis Rising (Second Edition) is a beautifully reimagined version of the beloved cooperative worker placement game where players unite to save the mythical island of Atlantis from inevitable doom. As leaders of Atlantis, players collaborate to gather resources, manage the workforce, and construct a cosmic gate capable of saving the Atlantean populace from the rising tides. The game challenges players with a blend of strategic planning, resource management, and a pressing urgency to complete the gate before the island succumbs to the ocean.

Imagine a world where ancient civilizations rise and fall as epochs pass. In Tides of Time, two players embark on a strategic journey through time, where they take on the roles of cunning rulers guiding their civilizations to glory. The game unfolds over three rounds, during which players must carefully draft cards from their hands to construct magnificent kingdoms, all while striving to meet specific scoring objectives. As the ages progress, the choices made by each ruler will determine the course of history. Here's a closer look at the gameplay and special features:

In this latest collaboration between Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, players must buy the favor of the gods in their race to be the first player to build two cities in the Ancient Greek island group known as the Cyclades.

Eight-Minute Empire: Legends is a standalone sequel to Eight-Minute Empire, offering a quick and engaging area control game set in a fantastical land of legends. This sequel introduces several new elements that enhance gameplay and provide a fresh experience, even for those familiar with the original game. The game is designed for swift play, maintaining its eight-minute playtime for those who play briskly.

Nations: The Dice Game is a fast-paced, dice-driven game that captures the essence of civilization-building. Designed for 1-4 players, it condenses the expansive experience of the original Nations board game into a more streamlined and quicker format, ideal for players looking for a shorter playtime without sacrificing strategic depth.

Revive is a post-apocalyptic strategy game set 5000 years after civilization's collapse. Players lead tribes to explore a frozen Earth, harness resources, recruit survivors, build factories, and relearn ancient technologies. Designed for 1-4 players, Revive stands out with its asymmetric player powers, highly variable setup, and a focus on strategy and rebuilding over conflict.

Era: Medieval Age positions itself as a groundbreaking evolution in the realm of roll-and-build board games, inheriting the legacy of Roll Through The Ages but carving out its own niche with a unique build mechanic. Players are transported to the medieval era, tasked with rolling dice to assemble a flourishing city using tangible, 3D components such as walls, keeps, and farms, making each cityscape a distinct creation by the game's conclusion.

Underwater Cities is a strategy board game where players become the world's brightest minds, tasked with creating the most livable underwater habitats. The game is notable for its card placement mechanism and offers a richly strategic experience that scales in duration with the number of players.

The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire is a standalone board game set in the same universe as The Manhattan Project. Players take on the role of nations in the post-war atomic age, striving for power through industrial, commercial, and governmental advancement. The game uniquely combines worker placement, tableau-building, and resource management mechanics, while emphasizing the environmental impact of industrialization.

Catan: Big Box includes the classic Catan board game and an expansion that allows up to six players to compete. It features the scenario of the irregulars, the mini-expansion "Helpers of Catan" which grants each player a character with a bonus ability, as well as the Mallorca scenario (printed on paper) and the Germany scenario (printed on the game board, showcasing city landmarks).

Imperial Settlers is a dynamic card game where players lead one of four distinct factions - Romans, Barbarians, Egyptians, and Japanese - to build and expand their empires. It's a game of strategy and resource management, set in a newly discovered land ripe for exploration and conflict.

Players use a clever card activation system to excavate mines in this light card game for 1 to 5 participants. Set in the popular Imperial Settlers universe, it features beautiful illustrations, easy-to-understand rules, and satisfying gameplay filled with chain reactions and synergies. Players create their own mines by placing cards on their personal tableau, starting from the surface and digging deeper, while strategically mixing cards from six different factions to achieve the best outcomes.

Innovation is a dynamic card game that captures the essence of civilization building. Designed by Carl Chudyk, it offers players a unique experience of guiding a civilization's journey from the stone age to modern times.

Tapestry is a strategic board game designed by Jamey Stegmaier, intended for 1-5 players and lasting about two hours. The game invites players to weave the narrative of a civilization's journey from the dawn of humankind into the future, creating a unique and storied history that diverges from real-world events.

Embark on an epic journey of galactic conquest in Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition. As a leader of one of seventeen unique factions, you'll navigate the vastness of space, striving for dominance through military might, political maneuvering, and economic prowess. The game unfolds around Mecatol Rex, the central planet, where the throne of the galaxy awaits the faction that can skillfully navigate the challenges of a dynamic and strategically constructed universe.

Rise of Tribes takes players back to a prehistoric era where leading a tribal faction to prosperity is the ultimate goal. Through a modular hex board representing various terrains, players strive to grow their tribe, move across lands, gather resources, and lead their people to victory. The game stands out with its dice-driven mechanism that influences the strength of each action, coupled with strategic decisions on where to place tribe members to either promote growth or avoid conflict.

Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North is a fresh, standalone card game set in the vibrant Imperial Settlers universe. This game takes you to the distant, chilly realms of the north, where you can lead one of three distinct factions: the industrious Scotsmen, the resourceful Inuits, or the seafaring Vikings. Your goal? To guide your chosen faction to become the most prosperous empire in these harsh, yet bountiful lands.

Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar is a unique board game that introduces a dynamic worker placement mechanism set against the backdrop of the ancient Mayan civilization.

In Peloponnes, players immerse themselves in the world of ancient Greece, assuming control of civilizations vying for dominance. Across eight rounds of strategic gameplay, participants utilize auctions to expand their territories and construct prestigious buildings, aiming to increase population, luxury, wealth, and power. The game unfolds amidst the backdrop of Peloponnesian history, challenging players to achieve a delicate balance between inhabitants, land, and structures to secure victory.

Clash of Cultures: Monumental Edition revitalizes a beloved strategy game with an expansive collection that includes the original Clash of Cultures base game along with the Civilizations and Aztecs expansions. This comprehensive edition invites players on an epic journey through history, where each decision shapes the destiny of their civilization from humble beginnings to glorious zenith.