Co-op adventure board games are some of my favorite games to play because they usually require good teamwork to beat and the best ones are very replayable. They’re the games that I find easier to get lost in since there’s usually some sort of story playing out and a lot of character customization. Plus, they’re often also the best campaign board games out there, and my group loves a great campaign game.
There are a lot of fun adventure card games and board games to choose from right now, so this was a pretty tough list to make. Co-op exploration games, survival games, role-playing games, and quite a few other types of board games can all fall under the “adventure games” umbrella. Rather than just picking the best games with adventure themes, I chose games that consistently make my group feel like we’re going on adventures.
This is one of those lists that I’ll need to update regularly since there are plenty of adventure games that come out each year. I’ll update this page early if we play a great one before the next scheduled update.
Let’s get to it! Below you’ll find some of the best cooperative adventure board games!
10. Aftermath
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
Aftermath is an awesome storytelling board game and my group’s favorite of Jerry Hawthorne’s Adventure Book Games series so far. It has a great story, going through the adventures with your powered-up rodents is a lot of fun, and the campaign system makes the post-apocalyptic world change as you play through the game.
Aftermath works equally well as a light family board game and as a campaign game that a group of adult gamers can play. If you’re searching for the best cooperative adventure board games for families, Aftermath is a great choice.
Read our Aftermath review
9. Champions of Hara
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
Champions of Hara is such a cool adventure game. The tiles that make up the world shift around as you play, which forces you to tweak your strategy on the fly. Your goal is to grow as powerful as you can through exploration and then take down one of the powerful villains. The characters are all unique and change how you play each game, and there are a lot of challenging scenarios to choose from.
Champions of Hara is probably the most underrated adventure board game on this list. It’s a great fantasy game that I think most co-op fans will enjoy playing. I like it best as a three-player game, but it plays well at all player counts.
Read our Champions of Hara review
Get your copy of Champions of Hara
8. Paleo
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 10+
Paleo is one of the top exploration games because, well, its unique exploration mechanic just works so well. You have to work together in this game to find the resources you need to survive and thrive during the Stone Age. There’s plenty of cooperation and it mixes in some fun gameplay elements, like simultaneous action selection and push-your-luck.
Paleo is an intense, thematic survival game and one of the best cooperative board games I’ve played in the last five or so years. Chances are you’ll be a huge fan of this one if you like exploration games.
Read our Paleo review
7. Roll Player Adventures
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
Roll Player Adventures is a fun twist on the original Roll Player. Instead of just rolling dice and building characters, you actually take those characters on epic adventures, each one filled with choices that shape how your journey unfolds. It’s a campaign-driven game where you get to make decisions that impact the story, so every playthrough feels fresh. Plus, you can use characters from the original Roll Player, which is a cool bonus.
Roll Player Adventures is a great adventure game to get if you’re a fan of cooperative fantasy games and dice games. It’s also one of the better storytelling games out there.
Get your copy of Roll Player Adventures
6. The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth
Players: 1-5 | Ages: 14+
It’s really hard not to feel like you’re on an epic adventure while playing The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth. The large map tiles bring Middle-earth to life on the table, and the game has one of the best action/test systems that you’ll find in a co-op board game. It’s an app-driven game, but I don’t mind that in this case because the app takes care of all of the fiddly work for you while also remembering what you’ve done in past missions.
This is a great LOTR adventure board game, especially for groups of 3-5 players. The truth is that you don’t even have to be a huge fan of this theme to love the game since it’s so strong mechanically.
Read our The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth review
Get your copy of The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth
Check out our Top 10 Dungeon Crawlers!
5. Mage Knight
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
What makes Mage Knight a top-notch adventure board game is that it gives you pretty much total control over where you go, how you develop your heroes, and who you go to battle with. While not an open-world game, it offers more freedom to explore than most other cooperative games.
Mage Knight is one of the heaviest co-op board games out there, but most people who take the time to learn how to play it find that it offers a rich adventure experience with some fun deck building mixed in.
If you love strategic games with deep decision-making, this is one of the best adventure games to try. It’s also one of the better role-playing board games you can get.
Read our Mage Knight review
4. Legends of Andor
Players: 2-4 | Ages: 10+
If you like puzzle board games and you’re also a big fan of co-op adventures, Legends of Andor might just be the game you want to get. Your goal in this one is to complete the tasks of each campaign, which include moving around the map, gaining items, getting stronger, and attempting to stop the enemies before they take over your kingdom.
Legends of Andor is easy to learn, but it requires plenty of cooperation to win. It’s an excellent fantasy adventure game with some of the best board game artwork I’ve seen.
Read our Legends of Andor review
Get your copy of Legends of Andor
3. The Lord of the Rings: LCG
Players: 1-2 | Ages: 13+
If you’re on the hunt for great adventure card games, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is the one I’d recommend getting. It’s one of the best two-player card games around because the art is great, the heroes, enemies, and locations all feel like what we know from the books/movies, and it plays very smoothly once you learn the rules.
If you’re specifically looking for great two-player adventures and are a fan of The Lord of the Rings, I highly recommend this game. If you aren’t a fan of the IP, take a look at Marvel Champions, which is made by the same publisher and has similar mechanisms. Both are awesome adventure card games.
Read our The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game review
Get your copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
2. Sleeping Gods
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 13+
Sleeping Gods is easily the best storytelling board game that I’ve played so far. In this open-world campaign, you and your crew sail between islands, uncovering totems and solving mysteries along the way. The writing is excellent, the artwork pulls you in, and, unlike most of the other storytelling games that I’ve played, the gameplay itself is very solid.
If you think your group will enjoy a long campaign game with a strong narrative focus, then Sleeping Gods is a great choice. For most groups, it’s an immersive experience that’s likely to be a huge hit.
Read our Sleeping Gods review
Get your copy of Sleeping Gods
1. Robinson Crusoe
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
Seeing Robinson Crusoe at this top spot should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the Best Co-op Board Games list. There are a lot of things that make it an amazing adventure game, but the most important thing is that it always tells a great story. You get pulled into the game’s world and it’s just a blast exploring the island, building useful items, hunting, and attempting to complete your objectives. It’s extremely tough to beat, but I always have a great time playing this one.
Robinson Crusoe is easily the best board game adventure I’ve experienced and the best co-op exploration game that I’ve played. I think everyone should play Robinson Crusoe at least once.
Read our Robinson Crusoe review
Get your copy of Robinson Crusoe
What are your favorite cooperative adventure board games? Any that didn’t make this list?
Be sure to also take a look at our Best Cooperative Board Games list and our other board game rankings.
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