Highlights
- Steampunk-themed board games offer a unique blend of history and fantasy, captivating players with their intricate designs and engaging scenarios.
- Games like Scythe and City of Iron provide complex gameplay and high-stakes strategy, challenging players to manage resources and make strategic decisions.
- From Mars colonization in Mission: Red Planet to time-traveling adventures in Steam Time, steampunk board games immerse players in vivid and fantastical worlds.
Steampunk blends the old-world charm of history with the excitement of fantasy and invention. This fun and eye-catching style has won fans not just in books and movies, but also in the world of board games.Steampunk-themed board games often draw players into alternate realities where steam power, brass gears, and Victorian fashion are the norms. These games are not just visually captivating; they offer complex mechanisms, intriguing storylines, and competitive gameplay.
Just as steampunk novels unveil mechanized, steam-powered worlds, steampunk board games offer tabletop enthusiasts a similar level of immersion. The selections in this list, varying from strategy-heavy titles to lighter, more casual options, are all prime examples of steampunk at its best. Whether the focus is on resource management or narrative quests, these games captivate players with their intricate designs and engaging scenarios.
10 Scythe
In the genre of steampunk board games, Scythe stands out, featuring a unique blend of history and speculative fiction. Set in an alternate 1920s Europe, players take control of different factions vying for power, resources, and territory. What sets this game apart are the mechs: giant, steam-powered war machines, that add a fun twist to the gameplay.
Scythe also comes with a series of exciting expansions that introduce new factions, updated mechanics, and even more detailed miniatures (some not so miniature). The expansions add layers to the gameplay and make Scythe a continually evolving experience. For players who love complex board games,Scythe is a clear winner.
9 City Of Iron
In the steampunk board game City of Iron, 2-4 players have the opportunity to construct their own nations in a universe bustling with machines, magical elements, and complex economics. This makes it distinctly steampunk: the combination of industrial aesthetics with a dash of the arcane. Players lead one of four unique nations, from resourceful humans to inventive amphibians (and other animals).
City of Iron challenges players to generate goods like mechanical components and mystical bottled creatures, while also advancing in steam-powered technology. Choices around city development and resource management are key, turning every game into a high-stakes strategy affair.
8 Mission: Red Planet
Mission: Red Planet encapsulates the steampunk genre with its 1888 Victorian-era setting combined with advanced technology, as players work to colonize and exploit Mars. Utilizing steam-powered rockets, the game revolves around mining companies racing to claim the planet's newly discovered resources: Celerium, Sylvanite, and Ice. Over 10 rounds, players use "special agents" to load their astronauts into rockets and land in key Martian regions.
The goal of Mission: Red Planet? To control the most resource-rich areas and dominate Mars! This game, which is perfect for those who love Victorian-era games, perfectly blends classical board game elements with futuristic aspirations, true to steampunk form.
7 Planet Steam
Planet Steam transports players to a steampunk-inspired, distant future where the quest for resources drives interplanetary conquest. Set in the year 2415 on a planet named "Steam," the game focuses on steam-powered machinery and resource extraction. Players take on the roles of entrepreneurs aiming to amass wealth by harvesting the planet's unique resources. Water, energy, ore, and quartz are extracted from hot steam surges.
Planet Steam thrives on careful resource management and market manipulation, adding layers of complexity. Players love this staple in the steampunk genre of board games.
6 Smog: On Her Majesty's Service
In the board game Smog: On Her Majesty's Service, players are transported to a vivid steampunk universe known as The World of Smog. The game exudes steampunk flair through its intricate, rotating game board and in-game quest set by none other than Queen Victoria. Smog plays like a sci-fi board game, with a steampunk flair. In this competitive setting, 2 to 4 players negotiate ever-changing tiles, trade mysterious Ethers and Artefacts, and dodge Agents of the Shadow Master.
The goal of Smog: On Her Majesty's Service? Fulfill the royal quest. Between its Victorian-inspired aesthetic and complex trading mechanisms, this game is a deep dive into steampunk fantasy.
5 Steam Time
Steam Time plunges players into the turbulent year of 1899, where time itself seems to be unraveling, a popular temporal theme in games. The setting embodies the essence of steampunk as it merges historical landmarks like Stonehenge with fantastical elements such as time-traveling airships powered by mysterious crystals.
In Steam Time, players join the rush of nations exploiting these anomalies, navigating their steam-driven airships through time and space in search of lost knowledge and treasure. With a focus on resource management, Steam Time offers a tense competition where strategic use of crystals can make or break the players' time-traveling adventures.
4 Steam Works
In Steam Works, players are thrust into a Victorian world brimming with inventors and tinkerers, all eager to serve Queen Victoria by building extraordinary machines. The essence of steampunk is expressed through its emphasis on steam, clockwork, and "electricks" as power sources.
The game Steam Works is unique in its "worker placement" mechanic where players collect components to build devices. These assembled devices don't just serve an individual player; they become action spaces that other players can use. Each player adopts an inventor persona with unique abilities, adding another layer of strategy and replayability to this fun steampunk board game.
3 Sky Traders
Sky Traders takes steampunk to the skies, blending the aesthetics of airships with the gritty mechanics of commerce and player negotiation. Players assume the roles of skyship captains, traversing dangerous airways to trade valuable goods while dodging obstacles like Wind Pirates.
The gameplay in Sky Traders is rich in strategy, with decisions to be made at every turn, such as hiring crew and manipulating commodity prices. Imagine steampunk meets a board game like Settlers of Catan! What makes this game particularly steampunk is the focus on mechanized airships and commerce in a historical setting. Players will love this immersive steampunk board game!
2 Kings Of Air And Steam
Kings of Air and Steam captures the essence of steampunk by plunging players into a version of America on the brink of the 20th century. In this setting, industry is booming, and airships fly through the sky while trains traverse across the land. Players take on the role of shipping tycoons who are competing to deliver goods from factories to cities using an intricate network of airships and railroads.
The gameplay in Kings of Air and Steam unfolds over five rounds, including a variety of actions such as building depots and upgrading machinery. The game also features unique character powers and a modular board, making each playthrough a fresh experience.
1 Steam Park
If the idea of running a Victorian-era amusement park with coal-powered rides sounds appealing (including players who love Roller Coaster Tycoon), then Steam Park is the game to check out. This steampunk board game combines the management of a bustling amusement park with the challenge of keeping its steam-powered operations clean and efficient. Not only do players build grandiose attractions to draw crowds, but one also have to manage employees, invest in advertising, and mitigate pollution.
Steam Park is accessible for all levels of gamers, offering two difficulty modes for a tailored experience. The game rewards smart strategizing and quick decision-making, making it a steampunk board game crowd favorite.