Board games are a great tool to teach decision making abilities, but how do they stack up when trying to learn real world science like Astronomy or Physics? Well if you know where to look you’ll find that picking the right board game about science is a great way to educate yourself and others.


Learn Darwin’s Theory With Evolution

north-star-games-evolution-board-game
  • Players: 2-6
  • Type Of Game: Strategy Card Game
  • Theme: Evolution
  • Time: 60 Minutes
  • Where to buy Evolution: Amazon

Evolution is all about adapting your species to perfectly suit it’s environment. It’s one of the great educational board games for those looking to understand the evolutionary process.

As time passes each player will need to decide which traits they should gain in order to thrive. As the ecosystem itself changes suddenly you might find that what you thought was a crucial trait ends up being useless. It’s up to the players if they want to create a species of super hunters or crafty herbivores. At the end of the day, only those who can adapt will survive. 


Learn To Test And Apply Physics With Bolide

bolide-board-game
  • Players: 2-8
  • Type Of Game: Racing
  • Theme: Racing Physics
  • Time: 120 Minutes
  • Where to buy Bolide: Amazon
image credit: gamethyme/flickr

Bolide is a car racing game with a unique twist on movement that will help you understand the inertial mechanics that go into professional race car driving.

Unlike most racing games on the market, Bolide focuses more on the decisions real drivers need to make. Things like adjusting speeds to avoid wide turns, slipstreaming, and using pit-stops to fix up your car.


Turn Chemistry Into A Game With Compounded

compounded-board-game
  • Players: 2-5
  • Type Of Game: Set Collection
  • Theme: Chemistry
  • Time: 120 Minutes
  • Where to buy Compounded: Amazon

Compounded is a cutthroat set collection game. Players take on the roll of a chemists who is collecting elements in a mad-dash attempt to create more unique compounds then the other chemists.

Players trade elements, tools and favors in order to create as many complex compounds as possible, but watch out. Mix the wrong elements and you could end up with a costly explosion.


Play Through The Creation Of Life With Bios:Genesis

bios-genesis-board-game
  • Players: 1-4
  • Type Of Game: Card Drafting
  • Theme: Microbiology
  • Time: 60-120 Minutes
  • Where to buy Bios:Genesis: Amazon

Bios:Genesis is part of Sierra Madre’s Bios series of games that simulates the origins of life on earth. This card drafting game can be played competitively, cooperatively or even solo if want to learn a bit of about the building blocks of ancient life.

In Bios players start at the very beginning as organic compounds destined for sentience. Players will take their compound and slowly evolve it from the primordial soup all the way to a multi celled organism. This is one of the most educational board games you will find on today’s market.


Enjoy The Creation And Behavior Of Planets With Planetarium

planetarium-board-game
  • Players: 1-4
  • Type Of Game: Set Collection
  • Theme: Astrology
  • Time: 45 Minutes
  • Where to buy Planetarium: Amazon

Planetarium is educational set collection game where you bare witness to the birth of a new solar system. Shift orbits and matter in order to steer the creation of new planets. You’ve always wanted to witness the birth of a solar system, haven’t you?

Players race to earn points by collecting matter in order to fulfill their evolution cards. For a board game about science, Planetarium is extremely easy to understand and play. You’re not going to get bogged down in astrophysics or anything like that, you don’t have to be Neil DeGrasse Tyson to understand this game. It’s accessible, fun, has really cool art, and is definitely worth picking up if you’ve got an any extra space on your Kallax.

Which are the best science board games?

That really depends on what you like, what you’re looking for, and how science-y you want to get. Some of these games just touch very lightly on scientific themes, other ones dig a bit deeper. Hopefully, the above list has helped you discover some new games to play.

Did we miss any great board games about science that need to be included on this list? Maybe something new has come out and we haven’t had a chance to check it out yet? Whatever the case may be, please don’t be shy – leave a comment below and let us know YOUR favorites in this category. We’ll add them to this list of recommendations so that everyone else who is looking for educational board games can give them a try, too.