If you enjoy gathering your friends around the table to play a game together, you're in the right place: Here, we're rounding up the best space board games. Our out-of-this-world picks include tabletop RPGs, planetary exploration adventures, tactical combat games and more.
We've included a range of board games, all of which come highly recommended by us. Most games on this list are recommended for ages 14 and over, and the majority of them can be played in two hours or less — perfect for an evening gaming session with your friends or family. There's also a wide range of price points here, so you should find something to suit your budget.
Would you rather play a video game? Be sure to take a look at our guide to the best space games on PC and consoles. You might also like our picks of the best space-themed Lego sets.
The quick list
A co-operative and competitive game with varied gameplay, there's a lot to like about Terraforming Mars.
Simple and budget friendly, The Crew is a great choice if you want something that can be played quickly.
One for Mass Effect fans, Priority Hagalaz takes place during the events of Mass Effect 3. We love its campaign and the beautiful miniatures.
If you're a fan of the Alien franchise, this RPG starter set includes everything you need to create your own terrifying campaigns.
A must-play for fans of the Star Wars franchise, Outer Rim casts you as a wannabe bounty hunter or outlaw.
A game about colonizing habitable planets in the year 3042, there's a lot of fun to be had here — and it's beautifully presented game.
Playable with 2-5 people, Space Base is a dice-based game about managing the best space fleet possible.
A game about distributing the power of pulsars across the galaxy, there's a lot of variety here and plenty of replayability.
A quick-paced card game, you can be done with Race for the Galaxy in about 30 minutes. It's worth playing again and again.
The best space board games to play in 2025
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Terraforming Mars
✅ You like variety: Gameplay is varied, and no two playthroughs will ever be the same.
❌ You want something simple: There are lots of rules, so casual players might find it overwhelming.
🔎 Terraforming Mars: This is a seriously satisfying game to play with lots of variety. It's strategic without having too much conflict, but casual players might find it overwhelming. ★★★★½
One of our favorite space board games is Terraforming Mars, a co-operative and competitive game that challenges players to transform the Red Planet.
Playable with up to five players, the goal is to be the first to get Mars past the tipping point of habitability with their megacorporation. You'll need to raise the planet's temperature, make some air, build cities, and oceans while managing all your resources.
If Mars isn't enough, turn your sights on this selection of expansions on the base game, which takes you to the deadly atmosphere of Venus (Terraforming Mars: Venus Next) and beyond in Terraforming Mars: The Colonies as the colonising of the Solar System continues.
Or there's one called Terraforming Mars: Prelude that can be combined with any expansion you like to jumpstart your gameplay. It says a lot about a game when there are so many expansions available!
The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine
✅ You're on a budget: Available for just $14.99 or less, this is a great budget option.
❌ You want something in-depth: With missions taking around 10 minutes each, it's more simple than some games on this list.
🔎 The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine: Playable in short bursts with each mission lasting around 10 minutes, it's a great option for something quick and easy — and it won't break the bank. ★★★★
If you're looking for a game that's fun for the older space nerds in your life, The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine is the perfect option. This is a co-operative strategy game where each player is on a team of astronauts traveling through the solar system in search of the mysterious Planet Nine. With cards and tokens, players need to complete 50 different missions on their journey, getting more and more difficult as the game progresses.
You don't need to play all 50 missions at once, though: The idea of The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine is that the missions can be picked up over multiple different gaming sessions. With one mission taking just five to 10 minutes, it's perfect for playing in short bursts.
We love the unique plot of The Crew and the challenges throughout the game are a lot of fun, particularly in the way that they make all players work together. It's a budget-friendly option that all members of the family can join in on.
Mass Effect: The Board Game — Priority: Hagalaz
✅ You like miniatures: The figurines in this game are beautiful.
❌ You're not a Mass Effect fan: Although it's standalone, it's based in the Mass Effect universe, so avoid it if you're not a fan of the games.
🔎 Mass Effect: The Board Game — Priority: Hagalaz: We love the structure and campaign, making for a great RPG-lite experience. Its excellent miniatures really make this game complete. ★★★★
Naturally, Mass Effect: The Board Game — Priority: Hagalaz is based on the Mass Effect video game franchise, so if you're not a fan it's probably wise to skip it. The board game is set during the events of Mass Effect 3, so you can look at it as an extra side mission taken on by Commander Shepard. You don't need to have played Mass Effect 3 to enjoy it, but it'll certainly help immerse you in the game's world.
Priority: Hagalaz is a co-operative, story-driven adventure that can be played either solo or with up to four players. Players take on the role of Shepard and their squadmates and over the course of the game, you'll find yourself battling through a series of varied missions.
This is a great conversion from screen to board game, and it's helped brought to life thanks to the fantastic miniatures included in the box — we'd argue it's worth buying for those alone. Every character has their own upgrade tree, so every player can get invested in their individual progress. Gameplay is slick and enjoyable, and we've found that the time just flies by as we play.
Alien: The Role-Playing Game
✅ You love Alien: This tabletop RPG does a fantastic job of capturing the feeling of the Alien universe.
❌ You want a complete experience: This starter pack has everything you need to get started, but you'll need to buy an additional rulebook for the full experience.
🔎 Alien: The Role Playing Game: Alien: The RPG is a fantastic experience, particularly if you're a fan of the Alien universe. Bear in mind that you'll need to purchase a separate rulebook for the full experience, however. ★★★★
Sweden’s Free League Publishing has been putting out an impressive roster of award-winning RPGs in the last few years, and one of our favorites is Alien: The Role Playing Game. It's an officially licensed starter kit, providing you with everything you need to kick off an in-depth and enjoyable tabletop RPG set in the alluring and terrifying Alien universe.
Alien: The Role Playing Game introduces you to a universe of body horror and corporate brinkmanship, where synthetics play god while lowly space truckers and gung-ho marines are host to newborn xenomorphic nightmares. If you've never seen an Alien film (?!) you won't get as much out of this as someone who has, but it's still accessible enough for anyone to play.
The Alien RPG has a standalone story which sees Weyland-Yutani Corporation divert you to answer a distress call from a ghost ship. That ship disappeared 80 years ago; it's now a derelict vessel carrying something twisted. What the ship’s frozen crew brings back with them is bad enough, let alone what they themselves are turning into. Hold your breath and play your cards right. You just might walk away rich... or dead.
The rulebook included here is enough to get you started, but if you want to get the most of the game bear in mind you'll need to purchase the full rulebook at an additional cost.
Star Wars: Outer Rim
✅ You're a Star Wars fan: It's set in the familiar Star Wars galaxy, tasking you to become a bounty hunter or mercenary.
❌ You want something quick: A game of Star Wars: Outer Rim takes around 3-4 hours, so you'll need a decent block of time.
🔎 Star Wars: The Outer Rim: Set in the Star Wars universe, this is a must-play for any franchise fan. Becoming your own bounty hunter or outlaw is seriously great fun. ★★★★★
If you’re into the Disney+ hit The Mandalorian, then Star Wars: Outer Rim will definitely be your RPG jam! It might not feature Grogu, but it’s a thrilling contest of smugglers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters all crafting their own personal legacies in the Star Wars universe.
Star Wars: Outer Rim can be played solo or with up to four players, and it's recommended for those aged 14 and above. You’ll get to play as some of your favourite scoundrels in this fun, fast-paced game — Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Jyn Erso, and Boba Fett, to name a few.
Mod your ship (yes, you can even have the Millennium Falcon!) and build up your crew whilst you boost your reputation by completing bounties, delivering cargo, and even stealing supplies from the Imperial army. But beware, you’ll want to steer clear of the warring factions and patrols who don’t find you so charming.
We think Star Wars: Outer Rim is incredibly intuitive and with so many different in-game encounters, it's a joy to play from start to finish. It's a game you’ll definitely want to make time for (about three to four hours to be exact).
Kepler 3042
✅ You like high quality components: Everything in this game, from its board to its cards, is beautiful and high quality.
❌ You're a casual player: There's a lot to get your head around here, and playing requires some patience.
🔎 Kepler 3042: A game about colonizing habitable planets, there's a lot to love here. It's a beautifully made game, although it's possibly not all that accessible to casual players. ★★★★
Who wouldn’t want to be crowned the greatest explorer in the entire galaxy? The gaming narrative in Kepler 3042 begins in the year 3042, just as humanity is prepared to start exploring other stars. After many centuries of studying the neighboring celestial bodies, scientists have now identified the best candidates for human colonization and habitation.
Kepler 3042 is a competitive game of adventure, exploration, and colonization as you strive to develop critical technologies for your exotic settlements. Resource management is critical in this game, so plan wisely. As players colonize, exploit, and terraform the planets of the Milky Way, they will unlock more powerful capabilities to further their interstellar empires.
A full playthrough for one to four players can take anywhere from one to two hours, so it’ll require a bit of patience. On the design side of things, we love how high quality all the game's components are. For example, the large, foldable board is just gorgeous, with its mix of comic blues and purples against the blackness of space. The planet card illustrations are also breathtaking, but we just wish there were more of them. Kepler 3042 would be a welcome addition to any space board game collection.
Space Base
✅ You want something easy to learn: While it looks overwhelming, Space Bace can be easily picked up in a couple of games.
❌ You want something to last all evening: With just two players, Space Bace will only take around 30 minutes to play.
🔎 Space Base: There's plenty of fun to be had here, and Space Base doesn't take long to get newcomers up to speed. It's a quick-paced game, too, ideal if you're limited on time. ★★★★
Playable with between two and five players, Space Base is a lively intergalactic dice game of fleet management. It's recommended for ages 14 and up, and we've found its gameplay to be exciting — even when it's not your turn, you'll be engrossed in the action that unfolds.
As the ambitious director of an interstellar Space Base, your duty is to draft new spaceships into your fleet to work and patrol a dozen sectors under your command.
Each turn, you'll use a variety of cargo vessels, mining ships and carriers to earn maximum profits. As you expand your power and influence across the galaxy, you could possibly gain a coveted promotion to U.E.S. Admiral of the Fleet. Be greedy and capitalize on your exploits to earn your place in galactic history.
If you enjoy Space Base, then there are some expansions to vary the game in numerous ways. Take a look at Space Base: The Emergence of Shy Pluto and Space Base: Command Station.
Pulsar 2849
✅ You want a competitive game: Players are facing off against each other rather than working together.
❌ You don't like dice-base games: There's a lot of rolling involved here.
🔎 Pulsar 2849: A little tricky to learn, Pulsar 2849 is a great amount of fun once you've got your head around it. Its dice-based gameplay keeps you on your toes, and no two games are ever the same. ★★★★½
Pulsar 2849 warps you forward to the year 2849, a time where you’ll find that humanity has harnessed the power of mighty pulsars. Your mission is to compete against other players to set up a massive energy network that spans throughout the stars. To do this, players will race to control the pulsars and claim them with a machine called a gyrodyne to harvest the energy that is produced.
As gameplay advances, players learn to explore space, call dibs on pulsars, and encounter technologies that will assist them in building an energy-distribution infrastructure on a grand cosmic scale. There’s a fair bit of dice rolling involved, that’ll determine certain actions and affect your choices, making for unique situations.
Pulsar 2849 has great replayability as there are several different ways to score points, instead of just one single objective to strive for, so two games are never the same. Plus, the circular board is double-sided with two different maps to play, there are plenty of options for each level of the technology trees, and the unique player boards are double-sided too. For that fantastic reply value, this space game is worth every penny!
Race for the Galaxy
✅ You want something quick: Race for the Galaxy is lightning-fast to play.
❌ You want depth: The brevity of playing means it isn't the most in-depth game you'll ever play.
🔎 Race for the Galaxy: Super fast and a lot of fun to play, there's a reason why Race for the Galaxy has won numerous awards since it first released. ★★★★
Race for the Galaxy is an immensely popular, lightning-fast card game where players try to build the most prosperous civilizations using various card combinations. Designed for two to four players, Race for the Galaxy has won numerous awards, including the Boardgamegeek’s Golden Geek Award for best card game.
The revised second edition comes with six new start worlds and is designed to be a quick stand-alone game. Thanks to its shorter, more streamlined rules you’ll be in and out of a round in 30 minutes. It's perfect for when you don't have time to sink into a longer game but still want to enjoy some playtime with your friends.
Race for the Galaxy is a space card game that you’ll want to play again and again: as you play, you'll understand more with each playthrough and you’ll uncover new strategies and combos to try.
If this still isn’t enough, there are five expansions available for more worlds to explore and conquer, such as highly rated Race for the Galaxy: Rebel vs Imperium.
How we test
We don't have an official review for every board game on this list, but each and every game we've included comes recommended by our team of experienced board gamers. We've assessed every game on several factors, including how easy the rules are to learn, how fun it is to play, and how suitable it is for the whole family to play.
We've also taken into account the quality of the experience: Does the game include well-made miniatures and elements? What about the art included within the game: Is it eye-catching and engaging? While some of the games require a lot of time commitment to learn, we've also included some that are much easier and quicker to get to grips with.
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