There’s something undeniably satisfying about co-op deck building board games. Tweaking your deck—or even a bag of tokens—to build the right balance of power and efficiency feels amazing, especially when you work together to pull off some intense wins. For me and my group, deck building ranks near the top of the list of best board game mechanisms.
Competitive deck builders like Dominion and Clank! dominated the board gaming scene for a while, but cooperative deck building games have gotten way more popular in recent years. They offer that same thrill of crafting unique decks, but they add the excitement of working together against shared obstacles.
This page focuses solely on games where deck building happens during gameplay. Games like The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, which require deck construction beforehand, weren’t included.
Okay, let’s get to it! Below you’ll find some of the best cooperative deck building board games!
10. After the Virus
Players: 1-3 | Ages: 10+
In After The Virus, you and your teammates use your decks to fend off relentless waves of zombies. Everyone begins with identical decks, but they evolve over time, requiring you to strategically use your unique abilities to support the team. With 16 replayable missions featuring distinct objectives, there’s plenty of replay value here.
Although After the Virus is a well-loved solo game, I prefer it as a two- or three-player co-op game. The balance between managing your own threats and jumping in to help others makes for a pretty awesome cooperative experience. It’s light, consistently fun, and one of the best cheap board games you can get.
Read our After The Virus review
Get your copy of After The Virus
9. The Red Dragon Inn: Battle for Greyport
Players: 2-5 | Ages: 12+
If you’re looking for an underrated gem, this is it.
The Red Dragon Inn: Battle for Greyport has two features I’m a big fan of: (1) Purchased cards go directly into your hand, letting you use them immediately, and (2) weaker cards can be removed from your deck as the game progresses. These mechanics, along with the clever “taunt” system for redirecting enemies, create an incredibly fun co-op game.
The updated rules make Battle for Greyport play smoothly, and the beautiful artwork adds to the overall experience. Even after many years in the rotation, Battle for Greyport remains a reliable favorite for my group.
Read our The Red Dragon Inn: Battle for Greyport review
Get your copy of The Red Dragon Inn: Battle for Greyport
8. Mage Knight
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
Few deck building board games match the depth and complexity of Mage Knight. Whether you’re playing cooperatively or competitively, this epic adventure board game offers plenty of ways to test your skills. Throughout each game, you’ll explore varied maps, acquire powerful cards, battle enemies, and attempt to conquer cities. I prefer it as a two-player cooperative game, but it plays well at each player count.
Though it’s the most complex game on this list, Mage Knight definitely rewards players who invest time in learning its systems. For fans of fantasy and tactical games, Mage Knight is a must-try.
Read our Mage Knight review
7. Dragonfire
Players: 2-6 | Ages: 13+
What sets Dragonfire apart is the depth of character customization. Starting with basic abilities, you’ll gradually shape your characters by buying cards from a shared market as you progress through campaigns. This allows you to develop unique characters suited to your playstyle and team strategy.
Fans of Dungeons & Dragons or fantasy-themed games will feel right at home here. The mix of deck building and RPG elements makes Dragonfire one of the most immersive deck builders on this list.
Read our Dragonfire review
6. Star Realms: Frontiers
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 12+
Star Realms: Frontiers adds a cooperative twist to the popular Star Realms deck building system. In this version, your team battles AI-controlled enemies while building your fleets. You buy new ships and bases to strengthen your deck each turn, carefully balancing offense and defense to survive different challenges.
Star Realms: Frontiers plays well at all player counts, and its straightforward rules make it a fantastic introduction to co-op deck builders while still offering plenty of strategy for experienced gamers.
Get your copy of Star Realms: Frontiers
Check out our Top 10 Two-Player Co-op Games!
5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
Players: 2-4 | Ages: 11+
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle is one of the best family board games out there and it’s one of the better light deck building games that you can get. In this game, you go through all of the Harry Potter books, adding popular characters and spells to your decks while facing off against each book’s villains. The designers did a great job of creating a thematic experience in a light board game.
If you and your group are big-time fans of the Harry Potter books and movies, you’ll want to play Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle. You can also check out the Toy Story and Avatar: The Last Airbender versions if you prefer one of those themes.
Read our Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle review
Get your copy of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
4. Shadowrift
Players: 1-6 | Ages: 14+
Shadowrift offers a unique twist on cooperative deck building. Alongside building your personal deck, you’ll work with your team to strengthen your town’s defenses. You face a different mix of monster groups in each game, keeping the experience fresh even after many plays.
Thanks to its variety and emphasis on teamwork, Shadowrift has been a staple in my gaming collection for a while now. It has the core deck building mechanism I’m a huge fan of, but the experience is truly unique.
Unfortunately, Shadowrift has been out of print for a while now, but if you’re lucky enough to find a copy, it’s definitely worth picking up. That’s especially true if you’re a fan of fantasy-themed deck builders.
Read our Shadowrift 2nd Edition review
3. G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 13+
G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game is an excellent cooperative card game in which every action makes you feel like you’re part of an action-packed G.I. Joe storyline. Throughout the game, you’ll recruit new Joes, collect powerful gear, and deploy vehicles, all while working together to overcome a variety of threats.
This game is a fantastic choice for G.I. Joe fans and anyone looking for a challenging co-op deck builder. It’s also easy to adjust the difficulty level, so it can work well for new and experienced gamers.
Read our G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game review
Get your copy of G.I. Joe Deck-Building Game
2. Legendary Encounters
Players: 1-5 | Ages: 17+
Everyone in my group loves the Legendary Encounters games, especially Legendary Encounters: Alien, which is why it’s on our Top Co-op Board Games list.
There are now a bunch of great themes to choose from, including The Matrix and X-Files, but for the most part, they all play very similarly. You start out with a basic deck and grow stronger as the game moves along, but the enemies are also getting stronger. They’re especially great as three-player board games, but they play smoothly at all player counts.
The Legendary Encounters games are easy to get into, yet there’s plenty to think about each turn. You need to know the enemies’ strengths and weaknesses, your characters’ unique abilities, and what cards you should get to give your team the best chance to win. They’re very well-balanced, so you’ll consistently have intense games that go right down to the wire.
Read our Legendary Encounters: Alien review
Get your copy of a Legendary Encounters game
1. Aeon’s End
Players: 1-4 | Ages: 14+
Aeon’s End has been my group’s top deck building game for many years now. In fact, it’s one of the best cooperative board games out there, period.
It has unique deck building and spell-casting mechanisms, and each nemesis creates different problems for your team to deal with. There’s also a decent amount of replayability since you can randomize the cards that are in the supply and each of the bosses has multiple difficulty levels. Plus, the designer has created a lot of new content for it, including the excellent Aeon’s End: The New Age.
Unless you are brand new to board games—in which case I’d recommend Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle or Star Realms: Frontiers—you really have to give Aeon’s End a try. It’s challenging, requires good communication and cooperation, and it’s one of those games you’ll spend plenty of time talking about after each playthrough.
It’s going to take a very special deck building game to knock Aeon’s End out of this top spot. It’s the best cooperative card game I’ve played and it’s one of the best co-op board games, period.
You also now have the option to get Astro Knights, which is basically a streamlined, sci-fi version of Aeon’s End.
Read our Aeon’s End review
What are your favorite cooperative deck building 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.
If our site has been valuable to you, please consider supporting us at Ko-fi.
Subscribe to the Co-op Board Games Newsletter
Love Aeon’s End! The expansion packs are very good too.
Great Article…