The Best Board Games Set on Venus 2026

Yahtzee is a well-known and beloved classic dice game that involves both luck and strategy. The game is straightforward but offers engaging gameplay as players try to score in various categories using five dice.

Merchant of Venus is a classic space trading board game where players navigate through a fixed star map, engage with alien species, and strategically trade goods to amass wealth. This game combines exploration, economy management, and upgradeable elements to create a dynamic and engaging gameplay experience.

Merchant of Venus (Second Edition), released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2012, revitalizes the classic space trading game with updated components, a refined map, and expanded gameplay while staying true to the original's engaging essence. Players navigate the galaxy as traders, seeking out new worlds for profitable exchanges.

Based on the graphic novels by Dr. Grordbort, the game features a satirical take on the British Empire in the late 19th century, focusing on the exploitation of the solar system rather than Africa. Players aim to build an empire by racing around planets and moons to claim game pieces that provide various advantages. The game is straightforward, playable in about 90 minutes, and involves managing crisis tokens that can lead to disastrous events like Martian invasions and robot rebellions.

In the near future, nanofabrication techniques will allow for the creation of incredible new materials atom by atom, but only in the conditions of weightlessness and high vacuum in space. Players act as Earth’s governments racing to establish a functioning space program, gathering resources and colonizing other planets, moons, and asteroids. Water in low Earth orbit serves as currency for bidding on space-related patents, while players must balance the weight and maneuverability of their spacecraft to succeed.