The hexagonal grid is an extremely popular mechanic for tabletop wargames. It provides additional directions (six) compared to a traditional square, severely limiting gameplay in more complex games. The one negative of a hex grid board game is the setup and cleanup time required, which some would say is part of the experience.
Developers are now using hex grids for digital video games. These games range from faithful adaptations of cult classic games to brand-new creations. These games often have additional features and full animations and bring to life your favourite game. These are the ten best hex grid games to play solo or with friends and require no setup or cleanup like their physical siblings.
Updated on June 6 2023, by Jack Webb: Sometimes all you need is a good 4X game to sink your teeth into and hex-based map and grid games can either be light or challenging. With this in mind, this article has been updated to include more hex-based grid games, and non-4X titles, highlighting games such as Endless Legend, For the King, and Civilisation 6.
12 Endless Legend
Unlike its predecessor, Endless Space, Endless Legend made the leap to a hex-based grid to better utilise its strategic, turn-based exploration and gameplay to wonderful effect. While the 2014 release was highly-praised, the game has had several free updates and new additions over the years. It’s a brilliant 4X sci-fi fantasy game you’ll easily sink hundreds of hours into.
If you’re a fan of the Civilisation games, then you’ll spot some similarities here. You choose a faction, map, and area to start your base of operations. When starting a new game, you can change the Victory Conditions and other parameters to cater to how you want the campaign to go. Manage your resources, build cities, exert your military influence, or do whatever you want to win.
11 Curious Expedition
Curious Expedition is a hybrid game containing exploration, roguelike, turn-based, and survival elements. The game is heavily inspired by Dungeons and Dragons hexcrawls and uses pixel graphics, giving it a retro feel.
You take on the role of famous figures throughout history to explore uncharted lands of the Earth. You will have to manage your explorers and their resources to survive expeditions. This game takes a lot of planning, and failures in one expedition can hinder your progress in the next. The game is procedurally generated, so no two playthroughs will be alike, adding to the replay value.
10 Before We Leave
Before We Leave is a city-building game with the sole purpose of taking care of your Peeps. Peeps are those who spent time underground and have finally decided to emerge. The unique aspect of Before We Leave is that it contains no violence, and doesn’t require you to battle other factions to achieve victory. This game focuses entirely on building your city and ensuring your inhabitants are successful.
The game features cute graphics and a fun soundtrack, and it is one you can get lost in for hours without wanting to break your keyboard due to frustrating mechanics — unlike some games on this list.
9 Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars is another faithful adaptation of a hugely popular board game. Jacob Fryxelius, the author of the original board game, helped develop this version with Asmodee Digital.
Take on the role of a corporation whose goal is to transform Mars into a habitable planet, before other corporations are successful. The digital version features a solo challenge mode, where you must terraform Mars before generation 14 ends successfully. There is also a draft mode, which adds new rules to the core game.
8 Armello
Armello is a hybrid board game, card game, and turn-based tabletop RPG game. Take control of one of the many available champions aiming to win the throne in a fairytale world. The game’s art assets, music, and character design make it feel like you are battling in a world taken straight from your favourite fairytale universe.
Armello has had a lot of patches and new content added over the years so you will have a ton of fun playing this game. It also has cross-platform support for multiplayer, which means you can play on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch.
7 Panzer Corps 2
Panzer Corps 2 is a World War 2 turn-based strategy game. You can play as every major power that participated in the second great war. Over 1,000 different units in the game are highly realistic to their real-life counterparts.
Panzer Corps 2 also has over 60 scenarios in the campaign and four scenarios for the multiplayer mode. Once you have completed all the scenarios, there is a powerful editor that allows you to create and share your content for even more fun.
6 Gloomhaven
Gloomhaven is a faithful adaptation of the award-winning turn-based dungeon crawler and features an expanded campaign, 17 mercenaries, and over 1,000 different abilities. You will take control of the two-to-four mercenaries using your deck of ability cards, to explore the world around the town of Gloomhaven.
There is an additional paid DLC that adds another campaign and additional content. It is recommended that you purchase this DLC after you have completed the second scenario of the core game. It features single-player and online co-op modes and can be played by up to four players.
5 King’s Bounty: Crossworlds
King’s Bounty: Crossworlds is a turn-based strategy RPG game. It is a standalone expansion of King’s Bounty: Armored Princess. This expansion includes an improved version of Armored Princess, plus new campaigns, creatures, items, questions, abilities, and spells.
It also features a new in-game editor that allows you to create new content for the game. This entry is the sequel to King’s Bounty: The Legend. In it, you take on the role of Princess Amelie, who travels through Teana in search of the renowned knight, Bill Gilbert.
4 Scythe: Digital Edition
This digital recreation of the best-selling boarding game is an official adaptation. It does a fantastic job of bringing to life the world it has created. It is taking place in an alternate history during 1920s Europa.
Your goal is to achieve victory for your people over the other factions, through classic 4X gameplay (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate). The base game includes five factions, five specialities, and three AI levels. An additional paid DLC adds more content to the base game. The game features the ability to play single-player, online PvP, or shared/split-screen PvP.
3 Opus Magnum
Opus Magnum is a hex grid puzzle game from Zachtronics. They’re perhaps best known for Shenzhen I/O, Infinifactory, and SpaceChem. You take on the role of Anataeus Vaya, who just accepted the position of Head Alchemist of House Van Tassen.
Using the transmutation engine, you will solve open-ended puzzles to uncover the history of the house’s dark past. The game also features a multiplayer mode, Steam Workshop integration, and a GIF exporter to show your solutions to the in-game puzzles. Opus Magnum also has a fun solitaire minigame using the game’s core mechanics.
2 For the King
For the King isn’t in the same vein as the other hex-based games in this list, but it is worth a mention nonetheless. Battles take place in a separate field, where each character adheres to a turn order. This challenging, fun, and multiplayer RPG sees you navigate a hex map, each with various encounters or events you can choose to ignore or jump head-first into.
The game is a roguelike, which gives it tons of replayability and new events to uncover. You have plenty of options and freedom, but the difficulty of the game makes it hard to do everything in one go. With a sequel on the horizon that recently finished a closed beta, trying out For the King may scratch any turn-based, grid game itch.
1 Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
While Civilization 5 holds a special place in everyone’s heart, the most recent Civilization VI is arguably the best version of the storied series. As ever, you take on the role of a chosen civilisation, from their beginnings as tribes to advanced civilizations during the Space Age. As you advance your civilisation, other AI civilisations will do the same.
The game has several win conditions, and it is totally up to you which one you want to pursue. You can ally with other civilisations or go to war, depending on your playstyle. Civ 6 retains the hex-based grid from Civ 5 and has added to the experience extremely well. It’s streamlined and, despite a rocky launch, plenty of content has been added over the years.