I’ve been writing these solo gaming reports since March of 2020… yes, early on in the pandemic. This new era of well-designed automata and solo modes for multiplayer games, coupled with excellent new solo game designs, is actually quite heartening to someone (me!) who finds something really satisfying about physically playing a game: shuffling cards, moving pieces, seeing it all spread out in front of you.

Solo gaming is now a decent-sized chunk of my gaming experiences – while I still play a lot of games with friends and family, 33% of my gaming in the first four months of 2025 was solo. For comparison, the yearly total for 2024 was 31%, 2023 was 20%, 2022 was 22%, 2021 was 33%, 2020 was 19%, and 2019 was 6%. With both of my sons well-established in new locations (UT Chattanooga for the younger, Huntsville AL for the older) as well as the crazy pace of my work schedule each spring, it certainly looks like this nearly 1/3 of my gaming is likely to settle in as solo play.

So, what follows are my thoughts on the twenty-five (25) different solo games I’ve played so far in 2025 – ordered by the number of times I’ve played them. (Note: this is not necessarily how much I like a particular game for solo play – for example, I think Voidfall is an excellent solo game design but I haven’t played it [yet!] in 2025.)

Quarters

Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread (32 plays – approx. playing time: 75 minutes)

The first four months of 2025 have been filled with a LOT of Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread. I waited for the Kickstarter to finally ship – and between production delays and personal issues for the designer (still praying for Cody & his family), it was a long time.

And it was worth it. I’ve spent 45+ hours exploring Arydia and leveling up my two characters as they interact with the amazing world Far Off Games has created. I wrote a mash note of a review for the game here on the OG back in early March.

You can probably guess that it’s a great solo game simply based on the number of hours/plays I’ve recorded. (By the way, each play is somewhere between 45 minutes & 2 hours – I have the luxury of leaving it set up in my game room.) The only thing missing in solo play is some of the cleverly written RPG-lite interaction with NPC characters – but the game still works like a charm.

Nickels

Undaunted 2200: Callisto  (6 plays – approx. playing time: 55 minutes)

I’ve been a big fan of the Undaunted series from the original release of Normandy… and the addition of the solo mode with the Reinforcements expansion made me leap for joy. When the word began to spread last year that the newest entry in the series would be science fiction themed and include mechs, I was over the moon (well, in this case, over one of Jupiter’s moons.)

Undaunted 2200: Callisto is best production of any of the Undaunted series – mounted mapboards (double-sided), easier to follow rulebooks, great graphic/art design, and wildly creative scenarios. I have a couple of nits to pick: I wish the solo book would have (a) been divided into a rulebook/folio and a scenario book, and (b) that it wouldn’t have been perfect bound. (Unlike Reinforcements, the solo instructions for your bot opponent are in the book – and getting it to lay flat without breaking the perfect binding is not for the faint of heart.)

I’ve played 6 of the 8 scenarios solo – and I’m currently stringing all eight scenarios together into a campaign as the Breakers. (So far, we’re doing more damage to evil corporation mercs and mechs than we are succeeding at winning scenarios.)

I’m in the process of writing a glowing review for this site – but want to wait until I’ve got all eight scenarios under my belt before I publish it. Keep checking this space! (“Space”?! Get it? It’s a pun.)

Dana: Two of your intros contain puns.
Casey: Puns?
Dana: Puns.
Casey: There are puns?
Dana: Yes.
Casey: Puns?
Dana: Bad ones.
Casey: Is there such a thing as a good one?

from SPORTS NIGHT season 1 (“Shoe Money Tonight”)

Path of Civilization  (5 plays – approx. playing time: 35 minutes)

I’m a sucker for civilization building games – and this one has an intriguing mechanic where you continually are getting rid of earlier “technology” cards in order to progress forward. Path of Civilization works very well both with 2-5 players and and as a solo game. The first time we set up the game was a lot of work – but once you’ve done the exertion of putting things together in a logical manner, it’s pretty easy to do. The rulebook felt heavier than the rules actually are – the game itself is very straightforward (and interesting) after you’ve learned it. There is a lot of variety in the various challenge and battle cards, as well as the various leaders and wonders that appear.

The solo system is surprisingly effective, especially once you progress beyond the basic level by increasing the difficulty and/or using the “tougher” side of the five possible opponents.

My only quibble with the game is the need for the Compendium – Challenge cards, Wonder cards, and Personality cards occasionally need an explanation as their iconography is a little tricky. (This problem eases with more plays – but the game still occasionally throws me a curve ball.)

Four on the Floor (or Table)

Terraforming Mars (4 plays – approx. playing time: 75 minutes)

Exploring the newest expansions – maps, Prelude 2, and especially the Automa – has kept this on the table this spring. While I own all of the Terraforming Mars expansions (including the very cool 3D terrain), I think the best solo configuration uses both Preludes, Venus Next, and the Automa. My win rate continues to be about 50%, which seems right for this style of game.

By the way, I’ve played a lot of TM with the original “beat the timer” solo system (which is great) – but the Automa is MUCH better. Just sayin’.

Three is a Magic Number

Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition (3 plays – approx. playing time: 75 minutes)

As a long-time fan of the original game, I was excited by the possibility of a working solo mode for the new edition – in addition to blinging out the game with cooler bits and using neoprene mats to fix the rough edges. (I’ve also written an extensive review of Ascending Empires which goes into a lot more detail.)

Two of my three solo games were not against the solo rules but simply me playing multiple positions. (Anyone who has been into chit wargaming knows exactly what I’m talking about here.) The solo mode game frankly kicked me around… I desperately need to give it a second go.

Hamlet: The Village Building Game (3 plays – approx. playing time: 65 minutes)

When I originally played Hamlet at BasementCon in November 2022 this is what I wrote:

I had the opportunity to play Hamlet using the solo rules… now, this (unlike Akropolis) is a for-real city-building game. Both the odd-shaped village pieces and the “anyone can use resources or buildings” rules do some very interesting things to your typical game of this genre. I’d like to try it again, both solo and multiplayer. (I will note that I got to play using the KS edition, which was quite nice.)

Fast forward a couple of years… to when I found a copy of the Deluxe edition (Kickstarter) at a used bookstore (shoutout to McKay’s) for a very reasonable price. I picked it up and found myself enjoying the quirky cooperative/competitive vibe of it all over again. Some of the potential flaws with the initial release were still evident – the not-terribly-well-designed cardboard church (which managed to be both flimsy AND an active block to seeing key elements on the board) is the most glaring example.

Thankfully, the intriguing game play does a good job of overriding some UI issues – and on top of that, the second Kickstarter for the Hamlet: By the Lake expansion also introduced an upgraded version of the base game: new wooden church with a lower profile, better icon size on the village pieces, easier to handle pieces, and (most importantly for solo players) an excellent solo player aid. Thanks to the one-man show that is Upstart Boardgamer, I picked up a copy of the deluxe version of the expansion bundled with the upgrade materials.

The combination of the player aid (making solo administration much cleaner) and the fishing elements of By the Lake are a winning combination – if anything, the AI bot (Botric is his name) is tougher to beat with the additional ways to score points. The expansion also adds an additional game end condition that throws another wrench in your potential plans for greatness.

I really like the puzzle-y nature of the game – having to balance getting tasks accomplished without leaving resources for Botric to scoop up and turn into a path towards victory. I also think that the random order of appearance for the various parts of the village changes the flavor of each game in ways that make me want to set it up and play it again.

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (3 plays – approx. playing time: 95 minutes)

SETI has turned out to be a very divisive game from 2024 – some folks love it, while others are completely underwhelmed by the design. I personally really enjoyed my first three player game of it – and when the chance to pick up a lovingly used copy became available (thanks, Doug & Shelley!), I jumped at it.

I’ve now had three opportunities to play against the solo bot system – and I’m hooked. Similar to the solo bot design for Lost Ruins of Arnak (also published by CGE), the card system is simple to implement which means that most of your playing time is spent obsessing over your own choices as you try to find alien life.

There’s a just announced expansion on the way for Essen 2025 – adding some new twists as well as new aliens. Color me very interested. I also just realized that we here at the OG have never officially written up a SETI review – which we need to fix posthaste.

Tiny Epic Galaxies (3 plays – approx. playing time: 30 minutes)

It had been a long time since I’d pulled out this – the best of the Tiny Epic series (designed by Scott Almes)… but I had to hit the road for work and wanted a solo game that would work in a hotel room yet offer a bit more oomph.

And I had so much fun playing Tiny Epic Galaxies (with the Beyond the Black expansion in the game) that I played it three times in a couple of days. Granted, the game is stronger when playing against other players, but once you ramp up to medium difficulty against the bot, it’s a near thing to squeeze out a win.

World Wonders (3 plays – approx. playing time: 45 minutes)

I am a sucker for well-made components… which is different, by the way, than wanting every game to have plastic miniatures. (Example: while I enjoy Monumental, the thought of trying to read the board with scads of plastic minis covering each space gives me hives.) World Wonders has a plethora of very classy wooden structures of various ancient wonders – and while they play a key role in the game, they are not the only reason to enjoy this drafting/tile-laying super-filler.

The solo mode for the game uses a card deck to “act” like a second player – drafting pieces from the lineup to both score resources and keep you from getting them. It’s not a particularly sophisticated solo design – but it has an annoying tendency to screw up your plans, which is exactly what you want a solo bot to do. It’s also very easy to administer.

I have some small gripes: I wish there was a better storage system for the game (yes, I’m working on getting a 3D-printed one done by a much more tech-savvy friend); I think some of the icons used on the cards (particularly in the Mundo expansion) are confusing until you look up the text in the rules; and I don’t understand how a five player game only comes with three player aids.

But overall, I’ve enjoyed this immensely both as a two-player & solo game. (And it looks great once you’ve got your city built.)

Ancient Knowledge (3 plays – approx. playing time: 45 minutes)

Another polarizing game – and while I would NOT recommend playing with 4 players (too much downtime), I find the sliding tableau/”tower defense”-like nature of the game to be a very interesting puzzle.

That made the release of the Heritage expansion with its focus on solo play a winner for me. It offers two different solo systems to play Ancient Knowledge: a way to play one-off games and a way to play a campaign. The solo system is simple to administer and lets you marinate in the puzzle of saving the knowledge of your decaying civilization.

I’m three games into a Heritage campaign after playing 3 Challenge solo games… check back in August when I write my next solo games wrap-up to see how I’m doing!

It Takes Two (To Make A Thing Go Right)

Bad Company (2 plays – approx. playing time: 25 minutes)

This nifty game of planning heists and escaping the police with your gang of thieves & getaway drivers feels like it takes the best parts of Space Base and makes a better game of it. What surprised me is how well Bad Company works as a solo game since part of the design appeal is that it is enjoyable with up to 6 players.

Draft & Write Records (2 plays – approx. playing time: 30 minutes)

Another thrift store find – with both expansion/alternate decks in the box as well! I’ve played a good bit of this flip’n’write game solo on BGA… it’s a bit more fiddly IRL (what with all the coloring of spaces) but it has some fun interactions between the various game elements.

Minigolf Designer (2 plays – approx. playing time: 35 minutes)

In a multiplayer game, tiles are drafted in a similar manner to Kingdomino… while in the solo game, the player picks two tiles and places one of them. Both the solo game and the multiplayer game are fun – they are slightly heavier than Carcassonne with a greater variety of scoring decisions.

There’s now a mini-expansion (Putt of No Return) to the game that adds new tiles, better artwork cards(!), and double layer boards for tracking par… and a second expansion, Minigolf Empire, that adds a campaign element to the game. (I particularly like the news cards from Empire, which can be used when playing non-campaign games as well.)

If you want to know more, I wrote a glowing review of Minigolf Designer back in 2021 for the OG.

Return to Dark Tower (2 plays – approx. playing time: 45 minutes)

This was my #1 new (to me!) game of 2022.

Solo Return to Dark Tower works like charm – with one exception.

The app already has a single player setting and the challenges are scaled appropriately for a single hero. I play most solo games in about 45 minutes (not including set-up and tear-down of the game) and it was very enjoyable.

The exception? When the Tower spits out skulls to the kingdom opposite you, you’ve got to go chase them. (Here’s where the neoprene mat version of the board is nice… the original board works great but has some “bounce” so skulls can go skittering across the table and onto the floor.)

A solid two thumbs up – though not the most portable of solo experiences. If you want to know more, you can read my review here on the OG.

The Covenant expansion is a welcome addition to the game… adding more characters, a greater variety of quests, new monuments to build, and doom skulls. 

One Is the Loneliest Number

Core Worlds (1 play – approx. playing time: 75 minutes)

Part of the Core Worlds: Empires Kickstarter back in 2021 was the Nemesis deck expansion for the original Core Worlds game… and it is a very solid solo AI that (so far) has pounded me pretty hard. (Nice touch: the deck is set up to vary difficulty and work with any combination of the original expansions.) Even on the easiest setting, it edges me out at the end. (But I’m getting closer.)

Distilled (1 play – approx. playing time: 40 minutes)

My #1 new (to me) game of 2024 is also an excellent solo game. All of the standard bits of the multiplayer game are still there – drafting/buying ingredients & equipment, distilling your spirits, bottling and selling it – but instead of simply creating a “beat your previous” solo element, the design/development team came up with three decks of goals you have to complete to score a win. Traversing the goal layout and making decisions to build a distillery to meet those goals raises this terrific game up a notch in my solo play repertoire.

And yes, it’s weird (and a little funny) that a non-drinker like me likes this game about making alcoholic beverages so much. Then again, I also love Memoir ’44 – and I have zero desire to fight in a war or own a gun, so there’s that.

Dune: Imperium (1 play – approx. playing time: 70 minutes)

Much like Lost Ruins of Arnak, Dune: Imperium blends deck-building and worker placement to evoke the feel of the novels/film in an incredibly playable format. Particularly for solo players, the solo deck works like a charm – and Dire Wolf also posted a free app to automate the solo process.

The addition of the Rise of Ix & Immortality expansions just adds to the fun – I like the new variety of cards and technologies… and it feels like the AI is even stronger with this mix of choices. (It’s possible I’m understating my case here – I’ve only beat the AI once with both expansions in.)

And I’m aware that the Bloodlines expansion exists now as well – it’s on my birthday list.

Great Western Trail: New Zealand (1 play – approx. playing time: 90 minutes)

In what was a common theme for 2023, I found another game that I really enjoyed that I was – based on my previous experience – pretty sure I would dislike. (Non-solo games that fit this category included Red Dragon Inn & Zombicide 2nd Edition.)

I avoided playing the original Great Western Trail for a long time – even though I really enjoyed some of Pfister’s designs. My first play was very good – but I just didn’t see who I could get to play it with me.

The new versions being released piqued my interest – but not enough to pull the trigger until GWT: New Zealand… and boy howdy, I’m glad it did. There are a number of changes to the base game – though the basics are still the same. It’s as if they took GWT and the Rails to the North expansion, smushed them together, added some clever twists to “loosen” the game up a bit, and then did a better job with the graphics than the previous versions.

The solo AI is very solid and incredibly easy to administer – though not always easy to beat.

Let’s Go To Japan (1 play – approx. playing time: 35 minutes)

The production of the game is top-notch… the artwork is gorgeous… and it has actually has the solo play to match those. It’s “just” a drafting game – but when playing solo, the things you don’t choose are being fed to your opponent, the rival travel agent. (Dale wrote a really great preview/review of this game that convinced me to back it on Kickstarter.)

I’ve only played one solo game with my physical copy – but I’ve played it on BGA a number of times (both solo & multi-player). It’s an excellent online adaption.

I also gave the Day Trip expansion another try in my last solo game – and I’m just not convinced it adds enough to the game to warrant the extra hassle.

Motor City (1 play – approx. playing time: 35 minutes)

A thrift store roll’n’write find – it’s just complicated enough to be frustrating but easy enough to want to work as a solid solo game. I need to give it another try. (There’s some UI issues with it that don’t do it any favors.)

Nemo’s War (1 play – approx. playing time: 70 minutes)

Nemo’s War manages to blend Euro mechanics and old-school wargame elements along with a compelling theme. On top of that, the various objectives change the game and how you play by just changing the scoring to reflect Nemo’s vision of a “better” world. 

The newest expasnion – Journey’s End – dramatically expands the number of possible adventures, adds two more objectives, and has a rewritten rulebook that makes the game easier to learn and play.

I did try Nemo’s War as a multi-player cooperative – which was actually much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. (The rules in the newest edition for this work very well.) Still, I prefer it as designed – an amazing solo game.

Sleeping Gods: Primeval Peril (1 play – approx. playing time: 60 minutes)

I decided to give the Sleeping Gods system a try – it was clever but not my cup of tea. (I’ve since found out from folks who are fans of the system that I started with the worst box of it – in their opinion – but I’m not sure I have the energy to try a bigger box.)

SpaceCorp: 2025-2300 AD (1 play – approx. playing time: 120 minutes)

Fascinating multi-stage (including multiple boards and card decks) game of space exploration. It works really well as a solo design. I add the Ventures expansion to the game – but haven’t really touched the extra stuff yet as I’m still wandering around in the original system.

Not the same game – but John Butterfield (the designer) – is working with GMT on a new game in the BSM Pandora universe. (For those who weren’t around in the ’80s, the two BSM Pandora solo games originally published in ARES magazine were pretty nifty.)

Waypoints (1 play – approx. playing time: 25 minutes)

Another very creative roll’n’write game from Postmark Games… this time using topographical maps and a hiking theme. As I’ve done with other games from this company, I’ve laminated my copies of the Waypoints boards so I can take them whenever I travel. My one game (so far!) this year was with the third map – which includes a coastal setting and islands to explore!

Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game (1 play – approx. playing time: 120 minutes)

I’m a sucker for zoo building games – and this is flat-out the most like a computer zoo-sim of any I’ve played. That means it has a bit of a rules overhead (at least getting started) and some fiddly bits when you’re tracking the progress of your species – but it makes up for it with interesting (and tricky!) decisions and gorgeous components.

I’ve played the solo mode from the box twice and a “two player” game with me playing both sides. At first blush, the solo system seems a little punishing… so I tweaked the difficulty a bit and found myself enjoying it even more.

Currently, the reprint of the base game and the expansion are held up in China due to the insane tariff policy of the current administration. (Let me rephrase that – U.S. shipment of those items is held up.) I wholeheartedly support Treecer’s decision to hold the game at this point and have appreciated the forthright communication from the company.

Top Row: Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game, Waypoints, Ancient Knowledge
Middle Row: Core Worlds, Hamlet, Let’s Go To Japan
Bottom Row: Undaunted 2200 Callisto, Distilled, Ascending Empires: Zenith Edition

I received a review copy of Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game. The rest of this I bought with my hard-earned money or received as a gift from family or friends.