Are you a board game enthusiast who has trouble finding someone to play with? If this is the case, you might want to try printing and playing solo board games. These games are specifically created for one player, allowing you to enjoy the excitement and strategy of classic board games without the need for a companion.
In this post, we’ll look at the benefits of print and play solitaire games and offer advice on how to choose the best ones. We’ll also share our top selections for the best print and play solo board games, which come in a variety of themes, mechanics, and difficulty levels.
Print and play games are an inexpensive and adaptable way to enjoy solitary gaming. You can download and print them whenever you want, eliminating the need to wait for delivery or visit a store.
Also check out our other article about the best solo games if you’re not specifically looking for print and play and don’t mind buying a game.
1. A 9-Card Print-and-Play Game: Under Falling Skies
- Complexity: Simple to learn
- Playing time: 20 – 40 minutes
- Components: Print 9 cards, 7 six-sided dice, and several tokens are required.
Under Falling Skies is an easy to learn board game that mixes worker placement, dice rolling, and strategic decision-making. To protect their city and defeat alien invaders, players must manage their resources and plan their actions. The dice placement system is quite unique – players roll dice and then place them on various actions in order to activate them.
The game includes a vertical board that has alien ships on it, which adds a dimension of pressure to the game as they approach the city, compelling players to balance their actions between defending and attacking. If you enjoy this game, there is a retail edition available that includes a campaign with varying difficulty levels.
Under Falling Skies is a fun solo board game that’s simple to learn yet tough to master. It’s ideal for anyone searching for a game that blends strategy, resource management, and dice rolling.
2. Survive the Alien Onslaught: Deep Space D-6
- Complexity: Simple to learn
- Playing time: 30 minutes
- Components: Print out game cards, ship boards and rules, then make a set of six custom dice plus one extra d6.
Deep Space D6 is a one-of-a-kind sci-fi board game that simulates piloting a starship and surviving enemy threats using dice. The game has an engaging theme making you really feel like you are commanding a ship. Each game is unique, with its own set of problems and events to conquer, making it extremely replayable.
To make the game, you’ll need to print off the game cards and rules, as well as make a set of custom dice (which the game’s author makes easy with clear instructions and a printable page).
Deep Space D6 is a fun and entertaining solo board game with a distinct gameplay experience. Deep Space D6 is definitely worth checking out whether you’re a sci-fi fan or just seeking an easy-to-learn yet difficult-to-master gameplay experience.
3. A Compact City-Building Card Game: Sprawlopolis
- Complexity: Moderate
- Playing time: 15-20 minutes
- Components: 18 double-sided cards to be printed
Sprawlopolis is a compact city-building card game in which the player is challenged to construct a city in a very restricted amount of space. At the start of the game the player draw 3 cards with the win conditions on the reverse. The then draw city cards and position them on the game board in a way that maximizes their point worth while minimizing negative repercussions. The game finishes when the player runs out of cards, and if the player’s point total meets the win condition total, the player wins.
Sprawlopolis’ modular design is one of its distinguishing qualities. There are 18 double-sided cards in the game, each with its own unique combination of buildings and scoring criteria. This means that each game will present a unique mix of problems and techniques, ensuring that no two games are the same. Sprawlopolis, despite its small size, provides a surprisingly complex gameplay experience that will keep you thinking.
4. A Unique Adventure Dice Game: Utopia Engine
- Complexity: Moderate
- Playing time: 30-60 minutes
- Components: Print the 2 adventure pages, two six sided dice, and a pencil.
Players in Utopia Engine take on the role of an artificer trying to discover the secrets of an ancient machine. To proceed through the game, players must explore to find the machines parts and build the engine.
The game is kind of like a big puzzle with a bit of luck. On each page you have a number of different actions, and you roll dice which you can then use to take various actions. You can use the dice to take actions in two areas, in the wilderness where you find parts and fight enemies, or in your workshop where you try to build the engine.
The most unique part of this game is how good the narrative is and how much it draws you into wanting to build the engine.
Utopia Engine provides a tough and entertaining solo gaming experience that blends aspects of story telling, puzzles, and interesting mechanics.
5. A Strategic Puzzle Game: Crystallo
- Complexity: Low
- Playing time: 20-30 minutes
- Components: 54 printable cards and 18 gems are included (can use cubes or other tokens)
Crystallo is a standalone puzzle game that transports players to the depths of a crystal mine. Gamers must place cards down to explore the cavern, and match and collect crystals needed to free creatures. The game has a unique mechanism system in which players build patterns in order to collect the necessary crystals. The game has simple principles, but the increasingly difficult puzzles make it interesting and tough.
Crystallo is an outstanding print and play game that every fan of solo puzzle games should try. Its sleek design, difficult puzzles, and high replayability make it a must-play for anyone searching for a fun and entertaining game.
6. Harvesting Your Way to Victory: Orchard
- Complexity: Simple
- Playing time: 10 minutes
- Components: 9 printable cards, 15 six sided dice in 3 colors, 2 tokens
Orchard is a solitary game in which the players produce fruit in an orchard.
The game is a tile laying game, players must strategically choose where to place cards to add to the orchard in order to optimize fruit harvest.
Orchard is a terrific choice for gamers of any experience level. With only 9 cards to print and some easily obtainable dice, players can easily build their own copies at home. Orchard is a wonderful pick for a fun and engaging gams with a delightful theme and artwork.
7. An Adventure in the Palm of Your Hand: Mini Rogue
- Complexity: Simple
- Playing time: 30-45 minutes
- Components: 9 cards, 1 score sheet, 4 six sided dice and 8 tokens
Mini Rogue is a solitary dungeon crawler game. You play the role of a heroic adventurer who must cross a treacherous dungeon in pursuit of wealth. Mini Rogue uses cards to represent the dungeon that contains monsters and items, and each game feels original and thrilling.
To overcome the obstacles in the dungeon and emerge victorious, the game requires strategic decision-making.
This print and play game is a wonderful addition to any collection, and its small size and brief runtime make it ideal for taking on the move. So gather your supplies and prepare for an adventure!
8. A Quick and Engaging Worker Placement Game: Mint Works
- Complexity: Easy
- Playing time: 15-20 minutes
- Components: 33 printable cards, 30 tokens
Mint Works is a worker placement game with simple rules. Despite its small size, the game offers strategic depth and entertaining gameplay.
Each round the player needs to use workers to play a variety of a vailable actions that let you gather mints and purchase and build plans, which give you victory points.
In the solo mode you are playing against an AI, and there are a few different options to play against that have different play styles.
Mint Works has really slick gameplay an excellent option for anyone looking for a quick and rewarding worker placement experience that still has strategic depth.
9. Survival of the Fittest: Food Chain Island
- Complexity: Easy
- Playing time: 15 minutes
- Components: 18 cards
Food Chain Island is a one-of-a-kind board game in which players must maximise their score by ensuring that as many creatures as possible are eaten.!
The game is set up with cards that represent the animals on the island in a grid. Players must carefully consider which cards to move and activate the special ability of in order ensure the most animals can be eaten, as animals can only eat those with consecutive numbers and that are adjacent to them.
Overall, Food Chain Island is a stimulating and challenging puzzles game that has a bit of a dark sense of humor.
The publisher, Button Shy Games, also makes the game Sprawlopolis as well as many other solo PnP games. I would also suggest checking out Rove, Unsurmountable, and Ugly Griffon Inn if you want to check out a few more.
10. A Solo Deck-Building Game: Agent Decker
- Complexity: Moderate
- Playing time: 20-90 minutes
- Components: 54 printable cards, 2 tokens
Agent Decker is a single-player deck-building game with a story-driven gameplay experience. Participants draw cards to acquire gear and skills, and complete missions by performing actions. A series of 5missions with various challenges and obstacles are included in the game, giving a sense of immersion and excitement.
Agent Decker requires players to establish a good deck-building approach that balances offense and defense. The game involves difficult decisions and needs players to be adaptable and flexible. With each mission accomplished, players acquire additional cards and skills to help them on their next mission.
Overall, Agent Decker is a fun solo game that is a unique experience. It’s an excellent pick for those who enjoy deck builders. or those new to solo gaming.
Bonus Pick. Build A Mini Civilization: Palm Island
- Complexity: Moderate
- Playing time: 15 minutes
- Components: 17 printable cards
Palm Island is a one-of-a-kind card game in which players must construct a thriving island civilisation in the palm of their hand.
The gameplay mechanics are simple yet strategic, with players having a deck of cards that represent different buildings, resources and actions.
Palm Island’s portability is one of its distinguishing features. The entire game can be played in the palm of your hand by rotating the cards to represent different thi gs, making it ideal for playing on the go or in tight quarters.
Overall, Palm Island is a game that is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a quick solo game to play on the go or if your a fan of resource management games.
Conclusion
We’ve covered what we think are the top ten (actually 11) solo print and play board games. Each of these games offers distinct and fascinating gameplay experiences for individuals wishing to play alone.
These solo games should be able to provide you with hours of amusement without leaving your house or spending a lot of money.
Download and print your favorite game, then start playing right away. You might even find a new favorite board game!
