Just how will you survive a post-apocalyptic world?

What happens when everything is over? What if you survived a horrible event that changed the world? The idea of the aftermath of the earth has always been something intriguing. It’s a thought that has probably crossed our minds and dreams maybe at least once. 

If you want to try experiencing living during the aftermath of everything, here are 10 post-apocalyptic board games that will challenge your survival skills.

10. After the Virus

After the Virus Cover Art

I tend to wonder why Zombies and the Apocalypse seem to always come hand in hand. Anyway, the earth has been attacked by zombies and now you and maybe a few friends seem to be the only humans left. Now you  have to struggle to survive and complete missions. Zombies are lurking in every corner and it seems there’s no end to them. Complete your missions before there are more zombies out there for you to handle.

What’s fun about After the Virus:

• Can be played solo, and might even be best played solo.
• Challenging, difficulty increases but you also have a lot of cards to use.
• Missions, ranges from length and difficulty.

9. Good Dog, Bad Zombie

Good Dog, Bad Zombie Box

There’s a reason why dogs are known as man’s best friend! In this board game you and your friends get to play a pack of very brave dogs out to help the human survivors from the zombie apocalypse. Rescue as many humans as you can and build your forever home at Central Bark. This is a game with a dog’s eye view of the zombie apocalypse.

What’s fun about Good Dog, Bad Zombie:

• Licking for energy, Lick yourself or other dogs for energy cards.
• Dog’s eye view, I liked the idea that you get to play a dog instead of a human
• Fun and easy to teach, it’s a relatively easy game and the random zombie encounters put a bit of difficulty in it.

8. Fallen Land: A Post-Apocalyptic Board Game

Fallen Land Cover Art for Rule Book

A great war decimated most of life as we know it and only a few survivors are left in the world. You play as a leader of one of the most prominent towns that managed to withstand the war. This is more than a struggle to survive, every town now craves for absolute supremacy. How will you achieve these goals?

What’s fun about Fallen Land:

• Instead of co-op we finally have some PvP.
• Replayability, with all the things you can do and different ways to achieve winning conditions.
• Long game, but it’s interesting to keep an eye out of what the other players will be doing.

7. Wasteland Express Delivery Service

 Wasteland Express Delivery Service

Who knew there was still a delivery service after such a catastrophic event? Well, I guess there has to be some way to put food on the table, even if it means delivering all sorts of questionable items. You and your friends now take on the role of brave (or maybe insane) drivers of the last delivery company on earth: The Wasteland Express Delivery Service. Deliver all sorts of goods and guns between different settlements and complete missions. 

What's fun about Wasteland Express Delivery Service:

• Artwork, from the lids to basically everything.
• Customize your truck, no other delivery service will give you this freedom.
• Life of a truck driver made fun, and dangerous.

6. Aftermath

 Aftermath Box

I think this is the third time I’ve written about Aftermath, but it deserves another mention over here. With humanity gone, rodents are having an even harder time scavenging for food in the now Post-Apocalyptic world. Bands of rodents decide to work together and create a colony where every member works to strengthen it. You are a member of a colony as a ‘provider’. As a provider you must journey outside the colony to collect whatever useful item you can find to strengthen your home. 

What’s fun about Aftermath:

• Think of two locations, where you're at, and the colony, did you leave it with a strong enough defense?
• 20 + story driven missions, if you’re looking for narratives
• Cute minis, this is a sell for me.

5. Dead of Winter: The Long Night

Dead of Winter: The Long Night Opening Cover Art for Rulebook

The zombie apocalypse is here and we are all trying to survive this harsh winter. All of us have to work together in order to get through another night of survival. Not only do we need to survive, we must also contain horrible experiments before they spill out and torment the rest of the world.

What’s fun about Dead of Winter: The Long Night:

• Stand alone, you don’t need the base game but it does make you want it.
• Co-op, if you’re into cooperative style of gameplay, this is one that’s fun with more people.
• Replayability is pretty high, it’s a board game you can easily pull out for game night.

4. Earth Reborn

Earth Reborn Cover Art

Due to a Global War, the earth is left in ruins, the planet’s surface became uninhabitable due to contamination. This causes the remainder of humanity to retreat to the underground and create cities. for five centuries different underground factions live independently waiting for the planet to recover. But it doesn’t seem like nature will be giving them a chance so easily to live on the surface and it seems that fractions don’t take kindly to each other either.

What’s fun about Earth Reborn:

• Replaybility, due to SAGS, 2-4 players can make their own maps and mission objectives.
• Rules are easier than it looks, don’t let the rule book scare you, there are online tutorials on how it works.
• Has some pretty good RPG components, even though it’s not supposed to.

3. Anachrony

Anachrony Box 

The earth is now recovering from a catastrophic explosion that eliminated most of humanity. The remaining humans are separated into four different factions or “Ideological Paths.” You get to play as the leader of one of these Paths and strive for supremacy among the other 3 Paths. It’s not just about power but also survival. Not only is war between the Paths your concern but an asteroid impact is also threatening to destroy the earth once again. Prepare for the worst and lead humanity into a new future.

What’s fun about Anachrony:

• There’s a time travelling twist.
• You can ‘temporarily’ cooperate with other factions, to your benefit of course.
• Replayability and player interaction.

2. Gaslands: Post-Apocalyptic Vehicular Combat

Gaslands Cover Art for Rules

A unique tabletop wargame of car-on-car destruction set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players from a racing team and compete for money and fame. In-between races they can collect scraps and resources that they may need for their next race.

What’s fun about Gaslands:

• It's a war game using used toy cars.
• Slapping weapons on to a car, how else will you go into battle?
• Minis, you can use your old hot wheels.

1. Pandemic Legacy Season 2 

Pandemic Legacy Season 2 Boxes

Think of it as the world after you’ve failed the mission in Pandemic, you couldn’t find the cure to the virus outbreaks. As a result, the last fragments of humanity lived on the seas, on floating stations called “Havens”. The humans decided to try their luck once again, a small group have been assigned to head out to what’s left of the world.

What’s fun about Pandemic: Legacy Season 2:

• Part of the pandemic series, if you’ve loved the base game and season 1, then season 2 doesn’t fail to disappoint.
• Instead of eliminating diseases, you put a supply cube to prevent diseases and make the area ready for settlement.
• No need of prior games, you can still play it without previous knowledge on the pandemic series.

You may also be interested in:

• [Top 10] Best War Board Games 
• [Top 10] Best Supernatural Board Games 
• [Top 10] Best Alien Board Games