Solo

Best games: Solo

Single-player picks worth the shelf space. Real games, not killing time.

Reverse-colonialism cooperative. The thinky version of Pandemic. Endless replayability.

The best campaign-game starter. Self-contained Gloomhaven with built-in tutorial.

Engine-building Mars colonization. Hundreds of cards, a million strategies.

Solo-and-coop dice version. Pencil-and-paper, no shuffle, fits a backpack.

Quilt-pattern puzzle. Solo plays beautifully. Adorable, harder than it looks.

Related contexts.

Sharp, head-to-head picks for couples, roommates, and dueling siblings.

The standard table size. Picks that hit the sweet spot for small groups.

Bigger tables, party games, holiday-dinner-after picks.