In the past, it was often the case that popular existing IP would end up as a video game at some point. From video game movie tie ins like the woefully underappreciated 2005 adaption of The Fantastic Four, to books going from page to console, like The Witcher series.
But in recent years there has been a shift, and we are starting to see a new trend in the board gaming sphere of video games making the jump to cardboard.
Very recently we are hearing of even more video games getting the full tabletop treatment, with popular games like Don’t Starve, Vampire Survivors, Phasmophobia and even Tekken all being recently announced as getting a board game adaptation.
But these are just the newest announcements, as we have seen some fantastic examples in past years of video games making the perfect platform for incredible game developers to nourish their ideas in the board gaming sphere.
With the pieces already there and amazing themes to work with, board game designers are doing some incredible things with video games to bring their worlds into even clearer focus, helping to expand universes or just to seamlessly translate a video game into a new medium.
From the serenity of farming to the horror of war, this is From Screen to Table: 5 Amazing Board Game Adaptations of Video Games.
1. Stardew Valley
Starting this list with the inspiration behind it in the first place is Stardew Valley, the totally beloved and critical darling video game created by Concerned Ape in 2016, which still to this day is talked about as one of the greatest video games of all time.
So the board game adaptation of Stardew Valley, released in 2021, had an incredible amount of pressure on it, and it handled it as well as Marnie handles her cows.
Stardew Valley is known for being the absolute peak of cozy gaming, and so the board game had to try and ensure it translated that feeling of warmth and serenity to the table, and it more than achieves this mission.
The beautiful table presence of seeing the world of Stardew Valley on your board gaming table feels immediately wholesome, and making it a cooperative rather than competitive experience was the ideal choice for the game.
In it you and your fellow farmers are looking to save the valley from JojaMart Cooperation, the big, bad conglomerate from the video game. And as you’d expect from Stardew Valley, you will be fishing, farming, mining and looking to restore the community centre, all while trying to complete your Grandpa’s goals.
The game is driven by a deck of 20 cards which represent the seasons from the games, and when this runs out the game ends, and you need to have completed your goals and restored the community centre to be victorious.
It really does feel like you’re playing the video game just on your table (I will try not to overuse this phrase in this feature). It’s warm and cozy while still challenging, the decisions you make maybe sweet and cuddly but do require real tactical thinking to get the most out of the day, and it features some luck elements which can feel harsh but also exciting when they come off for you.
A wonderful game with lots of replayability, and made with a clear amount of deference and love for the source material, Stardew Valley is a wonderful board game whether or not you’ve played the video game, an excellent co-op which you co-operative lovers out there will really adore.
2. The Last of Us: Escape The Dark
A slightly different tone shift for my next entry is The Last of Us: Escape The Dark, a hard as nails cooperative challenge (so perhaps not so different after all).
Released last year, The Last of Us: Escape the Dark takes all the fungal horror and incredibly thematic world from the video game series and transposes it into the Escape the Dark formula from acclaimed board games Escape the Dark Castle or Escape the Dark Sector, but on a much grander scale.
In The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, you’re trying to survive attacks from clickers, runners and bloaters just like in the video game, trying to get to the safety of Jackson with your group of survivors, playing as characters such as Ellie and Joel straight out of the franchise.
And like everything Last of Us, this board game is intense, tough, and a struggle to survive, while still somehow managing to be an absolute blast to play.
Unlike in Stardew Valley you’re not essentially just recreating the video game, you’re crafting your own Last of Us narrative, plotting your route through the apocalyptic landscape with chapter cards at each location which provide weapons and equipment vital for survival, along with story beats and information to guide your narrative. Like in other tough co-op games like Pandemic or Spirit Island, cooperation is vital. Every decision you and your fellow survivors make could be the difference between life and death, with dice rolls throwing in a dark shade of luck which can prove frustrating, but also allow you and your players to feel like you’re truly in this fight together to survive this world, just like Joel and Ellie.
If you and your gaming group don’t like super hard challenges this game isn’t for you, but if you love a narrative, and especially if you consider yourself a Last of Us superfan, then Escape the Dark is required playing in your household.
3. Dorfromantik
Back to much lighter fare now, with Dorfromantik, released in 2022 and published by Pegasus Spiele, and a direct adaptation of the video game of the same name.
Unique on this list as the one video game I haven’t actually played, Dorfromantik has you and up to 6 players working together to lay hexagonal tiles to fulfil orders set to you by the population, as you look to score as many points as possible by the end, with repeated plays aimed at beating your high score, and spending your points to unlock more tiles in its campaign gameplay.
The cozy vibes really are off the scale with this one, with it being playing like a co-operative version of one of my favourite tile laying games My City. Where I think Dorfromantik really comes into its own though is how well it works as a solo experience. Using what you do in the video game and just moving it to the tabletop, Dorfromantik works in just the same way it would in video game format. You score points, unlock things as you go, and look to complete it after several playthroughs.
It might not have enough crunch for hardcore gamers, but it has its place in any collection, especially if you’re looking for a solo campaign game to lose yourself in one cozy evening over the winter period.
Deservedly winning the Spiel Des Jahres in 2023, Dorfromantik works whether you’re familiar with the video game or not, and for you cosy gamers out there make sure it’s added to your Christmas list this year.
4. This War of Mine
Keeping with the format of going from light and breezy to dark and depressing, the next game on this list is This War of Mine, an incredible tabletop adaptation of the award winning video game which brings the bleak and harrowing realties of war into the light, handled deftly by the development teams of both the board and video versions.
Published by the brilliant Awaken Realms, This War of Mine follows the same format as its video game cousin. Either solo or cooperatively, you are working to survive a war torn country, just to stave off starvation, the cold, and bandits, with hundreds of incredibly difficult choices and challenges to be had each time you play, to simply survive another day.
I was a huge fan of the video game. It wasn’t exactly a joy to play, more a slog as you fixed up your shelter to make it habitable in the day, while at night risking death just to find some food or medicine to keep you and your other inhabitants alive, and the board game is no different.
But This War of Mine isn’t supposed to be a super fun time. It’s difficult, draining, every step forward you take feels like you’re taking two steps back. You go out at night and find some food, only you left your shelter undefended so it’s been raided and you’ve lost all the medicine you meticulously hoarded for emergencies, like this one.
It’s extremely sensitive material, especially in modern times, and a game like this does its best to give you a small glimpse into the horror war can bring. Unlike in Last of Us, This War of Mine feels real, feels possible, which makes it an even more frightening experience. But despite all of this, there is an incredible game here, full of key decisions that has you crafting a truly unique narrative not just with every game, but almost with every turn you play.
Like others on this list it’s not doing anything different than what the video game does, but I always find a board game somehow brings to life a theme better than any other medium, your own imagination a far better tool than just being shown something to highlight a theme or message, and there is no better example of it than This War of Mine, as now I would always choose the tabletop version over the video game if I felt like having a challenging evening.
5. Slay the Spire
The last game on this list had to be on here, as Slay the Spire: The Board game is the epitome of a great video game to tabletop experience. It is also unique in that the video game itself was clearly inspired by board gaming.
It’s use of deckbuilding and dungeon crawling would have been right at home in any board game, so its only fitting publisher Contention Games has brought it to the table. What people didn’t expect was for it to be this good.
But it’s hardly surprising. The original Slay the Spire was an incredibly addictive experience, with that just one more run feel that you get from roguelite games such as Hades or Rogue Legacy. All the board game did was transport that to tabletop. By simply adding the ability for it to be played co-operatively, and for it to visually pop on your board game table, you suddenly have potentially the best board game release of last year.
The artwork is stunning, the challenge is addictive, and while its still fun to play solo, being able to play it with a partner adds new levels of tactics and strategy that was missing from the original video game.
It’s a big box game with a price to match, so if you don’t have that level of disposable income then the video game is still a worthy addition to your library. But I think now its board game cousin has topped it for its sheer brilliance and magnetic gameplay, so that if you fancy really spoiling someone, or more aptly, spoiling yourself, then Slay the Spire: The Board Game would be an amazing bit of board game indulgence, and Christmas is right around the corner.
About the Author:
Paul Websell is a freelance contributor for Zatu who spends his time either playing board and video games or talking about them. While he’s not on social media, you can view his other blogs right here on Zatu!
