The best board, card & dice games with political elements 👩‍💼 2025

Secret Hitler is a compelling board game set in the tumultuous political landscape of 1930s Germany. This game of deception and deduction requires players to conceal their identities while working towards opposite goals, depending on whether they are liberals or fascists.

Dune: Imperium is a strategic deck-building game inspired by the iconic Dune universe, incorporating elements from both the recent film adaptation and the classic novels. Players lead one of the Great Houses in the interstellar political landscape of the Landsraad.

Coup is a strategic bluffing game set in an Italian city-state. Players, as heads of rival families, seek to outmaneuver and eliminate others to be the last one standing. Influence is key, represented by face-down character cards, each offering unique powers.

Watergate thrusts players into the historical tug-of-war between the Nixon Administration and a determined journalist from the Washington Post. This game recreates the infamous political scandal, requiring strategic card play and keen decision-making.

The King's Dilemma presents a captivating blend of narrative storytelling and strategy, set in the fictional Kingdom of Ankist. As players, you step into the roles of leaders of various noble houses, each with your own agendas and influence, making critical decisions that shape the fate of the kingdom.

Oriflamme immerses players in the cutthroat world of medieval politics. After the king's death, players, as leaders of influential families, vie for the throne using strategy and deceit.

Players take on the role of clan leaders and secretly play cards that represent members of their tribe to conquer territories. Strategy and timing are crucial for scoring points. Throughout the game, players explore uncharted areas and establish settled villages using the diverse talents of their tribes, ultimately seeking dominance by the end of nine rounds.

Risiko Express is a fast-paced conquest game where players face off to capture territories represented by disks. Each disk displays the countries and required symbols for conquest, categorized into battle lines. Players roll dice to conquer these lines, aiming to secure points by claiming cards, with additional bonuses for controlling entire continents. When the last card is claimed, players tally their points to determine the winner.

Players assume the roles of corrupt politicians aiming to steal as much money as possible. One player distributes money from the treasury, and after intense negotiations, players vote on the proposed distribution. If the majority opposes it, the current president must resign, and a new president is elected from among the players. Additionally, players can blackmail and bribe each other.

Twilight Struggle offers an immersive journey through a pivotal period in history, where the world stood on the brink of nuclear annihilation. This two-player game takes place during the forty-five year rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States. Instead of traditional warfare, players engage in a dance of intrigue, prestige, and the occasional outbreak of hostilities. As the superpowers strive to make the world safe for their ideologies, you'll navigate a complex web of politics, espionage, and strategy. The game begins in the aftermath of World War II, with both superpowers scrambling for control, and concludes in 1989, leaving only one superpower standing.

The intrigues and scandals of the nobility captivate the entire kingdom, especially the lesser nobility, whose fortunes can rise or fall based on courtly events. Players must consider both public and hidden information, sharing some details with different pairs during their limited influence each season. As the schemes of the nine main nobles unfold, your fortunes will rise and fall, culminating in a winner after three years.

Players take on the role of politicians in a seriously silly party game where they debate both serious and absurd topics. Two players argue for or against a topic, and once the time is up, others vote on who won the debate. It’s a hilarious game for 3 to 16 adults, lasting between 30 to 120 minutes, ensuring everyone stays engaged throughout.

Coup: Rebellion G54 is a standalone game that evolves the successful elements of the original "Coup" into a new and exciting format. The game emphasizes strategy, deception, and survival, making it a thrilling challenge for players who enjoy bluffing and deduction.

13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis is a tense, strategic two-player game set during the critical moments of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It captures the high-stakes Cold War atmosphere, offering a rich thematic experience in just 45 minutes. The game challenges players to navigate complex dilemmas, such as choosing between gaining prestige or risking global nuclear war, and strategically managing their hand of cards to outmaneuver their opponent.

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi-cooperative game that captures the tension and intrigue of the acclaimed Sci-Fi Channel series. It combines elements of mistrust, survival, and strategic gameplay.

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.

Players are thrust into the Soviet leadership during the collapse of socialism from 1985 to 1991, trying to steer the vast country towards democracy. This fast-paced, educational solitaire game features a system where "people" markers on five converging paths represent the political awakening of various regions, all culminating in Moscow, where a coup could erupt. Managing efforts carefully is crucial, and players must navigate risky decisions, balancing military and political strategies to avert disaster and achieve their goals.

In March 1917, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the Russian throne. A conservative provisional government emerged, while the Petrograd Soviet, a council of socialist activists, opposed it. Players control the forces in this power struggle through political action, social maneuvers, and military conflict, ultimately shaping Russia's future and determining whether a civil war will erupt or be suppressed.

A War of Whispers offers a unique twist on classic war games by casting players as shadowy secret societies manipulating the outcomes of a global conflict. Unlike traditional war games where players vie for dominance, here you bet on and influence the success of various empires from behind the scenes, with loyalty and deceit as your main tools.

Cold War: CIA vs. KGB is a strategic game that immerses players into the tense and intricate world of espionage and global manipulation in the aftermath of World War II. As the head of either the CIA or the KGB, players engage in a delicate dance of influence, using spies, double agents, and any means at their disposal to sway foreign governments towards their ideology. The game captures the essence of the Cold War, where indirect actions, influence, and subterfuge define the struggle for global supremacy rather than direct military engagements.

Freedom: The Underground Railroad is a compelling cooperative game that immerses players in the crucial historical period of the Abolitionist movement in the United States. Players collaboratively work to build up the movement's strength using cards representing notable figures and events from Early Independence to the Civil War. The game balances the challenging tasks of moving slaves to freedom in Canada and raising funds to sustain abolitionist activities. The presence of slave catchers on the board adds a tense and realistic element, as they seek to thwart the players' efforts.

Votes for Women is a card game that focuses on the American women's suffrage movement from 1848 to 1920, culminating in the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Players can engage in cooperative play against the "Oppobot" or play solo, aiming to get the amendment passed by Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states, while the opposition seeks to block it. The game lasts six rounds, involving card draws, bidding for strategy cards, and gameplay that includes event plays and campaign actions.

A comedic card game about the nuclear confrontation between anxious world powers and nervous diplomats. Players compete for dominance, using propaganda, espionage, and constructing space platforms for peaceful purposes. Ultimately, diplomacy fails and rockets start launching!

Revolution! is a strategic board game of deception, influence, and area control. Set in a world of covert political maneuvering, players secretly bid against each other to gain victory points, control key territories, and amass resources like Gold, Blackmail, and Force for future rounds. The essence of the game lies in knowing when to push your advantage for points and when to strategically yield to your opponents.

Nuclear War is a classic satirical card game where players take on the roles of global superpowers in a darkly humorous scenario of international politics, propaganda, and potential nuclear apocalypse. Your goal is to either dominate the world or be the last power standing amidst the radioactive ruins.

1960: The Making of the President is a captivating and strategic two-player board game that immerses players in the historical and intense presidential election of 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.

Imagine experiencing the battles and dilemmas of the Cold War through a game that consists of just 18 cards. Players can choose to represent the USA or the Soviet Union in a strategic struggle for dominance, making quick decisions in about 20 minutes. The game features a card-based world map that changes with each play, adding to the tension as players navigate their options and outmaneuver their opponents.

Gang of Four is an exciting game of cunning, strategy, and power. The goal is simple: be the first to get rid of all your cards and rise to the highest authority. However, a strategic misstep can lead to dire consequences in the struggle for survival.

Kolejka, also known as Queue, is a board game that vividly recreates the experience of shopping in Poland during the late Communist era. This game challenges players to acquire all the items on their shopping list by navigating their family members through queues at various stores, despite the scarcity of goods.

Triumph & Tragedy is a geopolitical strategy game for 3 players (also playable with 2) set between 1936 and 1945, focusing on the competition for European domination among capitalism (the West), communism (the Soviet Union), and fascism (the Axis). Players manage military, diplomatic, economic, and technological elements, aiming to achieve economic hegemony, technological supremacy, or military victory.