The best games set in the Cold War 🧊⚔️ 2025

Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 transports you to 1962, at the height of the Cold War, where a mysterious Soviet bioweapon called "Project MEDUSA" threatens global safety. As newly recruited CIA agents and medical graduates, you and your team are tasked with a critical mission: investigate and halt the development of this deadly pathogen. This game stands alone as a thrilling prequel to the earlier seasons of Pandemic Legacy, immersing players in a tense world of espionage and covert operations.

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.

Players take on the role of rival spies competing in daring missions while trying to remain undercover. They use Blackjack hands to win missions and gain special abilities. The game lasts for 6 rounds unless a spy loses their cover.

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.

Players are assigned to a hidden team, either the CIA or the KGB, aiming to score the most points. Some players act as secret anti-establishment hippies, seeking to fight against the system with the goal of having the fewest points. Players take turns offering agent cards to others, and the game ends when a player has five cards, revealing team affiliations and determining the winner based on points.

Players take on the role of CIA agents sent to Europe in 1977 to investigate the mysterious death of James Werner, an American citizen murdered in Vienna. Various intelligence agencies are involved, and players travel through Europe to visit a dozen locations and uncover secrets. The game features unique rules and mechanics that bring the espionage theme to life, requiring players to manage resources, decode reports, and outsmart rival spies.

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.

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.

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.

The conquest of space was one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century, beginning with the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957, followed by Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space just four years later. Players lead a research and development center competing with others during the Golden Age of space exploration, aiming to complete large-scale space projects by recruiting the best minds available. Progress points are earned by recruiting specialists and completing projects, with the game ending when all projects are finished or 12 specialists are recruited; the player with the most progress points wins.

In the summer of 1972, the Chess World Championship finale in Reykjavik featured an epic showdown between American Bobby Fischer and Soviet champion Boris Spassky. Players compete in a series of quick and intense games, where every decision is crucial for victory. By playing cards with unique effects from asymmetrical decks, each player attempts to manipulate the other's mental endurance and influence the outcome, requiring careful consideration of when to relinquish the advantage to activate their cards.

In the world of international espionage, effective paths for mission completion are crucial. Players travel across Europe to complete their missions as quickly as possible, building routes between depicted locations. Expanding their limited network requires careful planning, as players must remove markers from one area to grow in another. The first to complete seven missions wins.

Players engage in a strategic two-player abstract game that emphasizes deduction. Initially, neither player knows how their own pieces move. They must figure out their movement while striving to capture a neutral piece and bring it to the opponent's side of the board.

Players engage in a simplified yet strategic representation of the Vietnam War through various scenarios reflecting different years of the conflict. They can choose to control either the Allies or the Communists, employing guerrilla tactics while navigating political dynamics that affect morale and government stability. The game features an accessible rule set, solo play options, and high-quality components, ensuring varied gameplay with each session.

The game simulates the end of the Cold War in 1989, marked by a series of democratic revolutions that dismantled Soviet control in Eastern Europe. One player represents the Communists, holding power over the Warsaw Pact nations but facing growing dissent and economic crises, while the other player embodies the Democrats, striving to foster a civil society and rally the workers to their cause against a powerful communist state. Strategy and adaptability are crucial as both sides navigate this tumultuous period.

Angola provides a glimpse into the violent decades of the Angolan Civil War, beginning in the 1970s with the overthrow of colonial power and influenced by Cold War politics. Players control different factions supported by the Soviets and the USA, competing for control from 1975 to 1976. The game features a unique command and activation system, allowing players to secretly order their limited units, creating a tense atmosphere similar to a poker game. With a well-balanced victory point system, players often find themselves on the brink of victory or defeat, encouraging strategic play.

Modern Land Battles: Target Acquired uses core gameplay mechanics from the award-winning Modern Naval Battles. Players confront historical and hypothetical conflicts, ranging from the Arab-Israeli wars to the present day.

The year is 1956, and protests in Poland reveal cracks in the Eastern European communist block. Encouraged by these signs, students and intellectuals in Budapest organize an unprecedented protest. When the communist leadership intervenes, violence erupts, triggering the revolution on October 23.

Experience the Cold War in just 13 minutes. The game revolves around the Cuban Missile Crisis, where players choose to play as either Kennedy or Khrushchev, aiming to navigate the crisis as the strongest superpower. Players use five strategic cards to influence battlegrounds and manipulate the constantly changing world map, making every decision critical—one wrong move could lead to a global nuclear war!

The Quartermaster General series now explores the nuclear era. Players embody one of three factions: the Soviet bloc, the Western bloc, or the non-aligned nations, each viewed as an enemy of the others. During their turn, players play cards to narrate the story of the Cold War, choosing whether to apply military force if espionage fails, but escalating tensions will decrease the penalties their opponents face for using weapons of mass destruction.

In 1949, Germany is divided into East and West amid the ruins of World War II, with both sides vying to prove their systems superior. Players assume the roles of East or West Germany, using action cards to build their economies and increase their citizens' happiness while managing potential unrest and competing for international prestige. Strategic planning is crucial, but unforeseen events like the 1973 oil crisis can quickly change the course of the game.

Control your espionage network, gather information, and crack codes in a tactical dice placement game set in Cold War Europe. Compete to execute risky missions by deploying agents and acquiring necessary equipment while keeping an eye on future mission needs and rival agency progress.

Fire in the Lake marks the fourth volume in GMT Games' highly acclaimed COIN Series, offering players a profound and detailed simulation of the Vietnam War's complexities. This game stands out for its multifaceted approach to one of the most tumultuous periods of the 20th century, providing a richly immersive experience that combines military strategy, political maneuvering, and the intricacies of coalition warfare.

Experience a divided Europe marked by expansionist ambitions, a resurgent Russia, and the return of a new Cold War. Players control either Europe, including NATO and the European Union, or Russia, as they vie for influence in contested countries across Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. The game features a blend of historical events and fast-paced card-driven mechanics, where players must balance expanding their influence with the risks of overreach.

Two players take on the roles of master spies trying to sway the populations of six countries to their faction. They draw from a shared deck to form their hands and create card combinations that shift loyalty in these countries. Each card can be used for offensive, defensive, or special effects, requiring careful planning and maneuvering to maximize effectiveness or launch unexpected attacks against the opponent.

Players take on the role of leaders of a nation's space program, striving to achieve the first successful moon landing. Each round involves spending income to hire scientists, recruit spies, and prepare missions to increase their chances of success. The core of the game revolves around mission tests involving dice rolls that determine success, with players earning points based on their performance, the scientists they attract, and their progression in the moon landing mission.

Players are transported back to the Cold War, competing to achieve world domination. They forge powerful alliances through diplomacy, explore groundbreaking technologies for an edge, and deploy secret agents to gather intelligence. The integration of a smart device introduces a complex economy, intricate research paths, and secret interactions like espionage or sabotage.

Players take on the role of defenders during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The game starts with the Red Army arriving at the capital, creating a desperate battle for survival. By blending card and action management with classic block war themes, players experience the tension of an unwinnable scenario while trying to keep the revolutionary spirit alive against overwhelming forces.

2+2 is a four-player expansion of the award-winning game that extends the original gameplay to the global Cold War from 1945 to 1989. Players form two partnerships: the USA and West Germany against the USSR and East Germany, with only one winner possible. Forty new action cards introduce events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the SALT treaties, significantly broadening the range of strategic decisions and making 2+2 a distinctly different experience. As a superpower, you aim to achieve global dominance, win the space race, and improve your standard of living while always keeping an eye on the need for world peace.