What Are the Best Post-Apocalyptic Miniature Board Games for Solo and Co-op Night?
The top pick for solo and co-op post-apocalyptic miniature night is Planet Apocalypse from Petersen Games, a cooperative demon-invasion game for 1 to 5 players built around a final showdown with a demon lord. Zombicide, Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, and Aftermath round out the list for different budgets and table sizes.
All five share a structure: a world that's already lost, survivors trying to hold a line, and enough detailed miniatures to make that struggle feel physical on the table. Beyond that, they split hard on scale, theme, and price. Some are built to anchor a collection for years. Others are a fast weeknight session in a small box. Here's how they actually compare.
Why Is Planet Apocalypse the Premium Co-op Pick?
Hell wins the opening move, and your table spends the rest of the game trying to take it back. Planet Apocalypse is a fully cooperative board game designed by Sandy Petersen, for 1 to 5 players, with no traitor mechanic and no hidden roles. Everyone at the table wins together or loses together, and the demons pouring out of Hell's circles don't slow down to make that easy.
Every session builds toward one thing: a face-off with a demon lord. Each demon lord plays by its own rules, which means the endgame problem changes depending on who's running the invasion that night. It's a bigger swing than a different card draw. Sessions run roughly 60 to 90 minutes according to Planet Apocalypse's BoardGameGeek listing. Solo play uses the same ruleset. One player runs multiple champions rather than a simplified track, so it holds up as a real solo game and not an afterthought bolted onto a co-op box.
Keith Thompson did the art and sculpt direction, and it shows in the miniatures. The demon designs draw on actual theological and mythological imagery rather than generic monster shapes, and that specificity carries through the champions, the demon lords, and the smaller demon types alike. It's the same production philosophy Petersen Games applies across its catalog: a centerpiece box built to earn both shelf space and table time.
The base game lists for $99.99 direct from Petersen Games. Demand on it runs high enough that the core box sells out and restocks in cycles, so check the Planet Apocalypse collection for current availability before you plan a purchase. Expansion packs, individual demon lords, and dice sets are typically easier to grab even when the base set is between print runs.
How Does Zombicide Compare for Miniature-Heavy Co-op?
Zombicide is the reference point most hobbyists already know. Published by CMON, it's a cooperative miniatures game for 1 to 6 players where a group of survivors fights off a zombie horde that the game itself controls, spawning more zombies as the noise level rises. It comes in several settings across its releases, from modern-day outbreak zones to fantasy and Old West variants. The core loop stays the same across all of them: manage noise, manage ammo, don't get surrounded. According to Wikipedia's Zombicide entry, the line has run since 2012 and earned Golden Geek nominations for Best Cooperative Game.
Where Zombicide wins is sheer volume and flexibility. It has a version, a scenario pack, and a difficulty level for nearly any group. Where it loses to Planet Apocalypse is narrative weight. Zombicide scenarios are objective-driven skirmishes; Planet Apocalypse builds toward a single demon lord confrontation that changes the whole session's shape. Different itch, both worth scratching.
Is Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape Worth Considering?
If your table wants a dungeon crawl with apocalyptic dressing, this is the one. Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape, published by CMON, is a cooperative dungeon-crawler for 1 to 6 players (best around three) with an average playtime near 60 minutes, according to its BoardGameGeek listing. Players build heroes, descend into darkness, roll a pile of dice, and level up loot as they push back an ancient evil.
It leans fantasy-dungeon more than demon-invasion, so it's a looser fit for the "post-apocalyptic" label than Zombicide or Planet Apocalypse. Still, the Hellscape setting and the sheer number of miniatures in the box put it firmly in the same shelf conversation for collectors who want scale and a co-op loot chase over survival horror.
What About Fallout: Wasteland Warfare?
This is the closest thing on the list to a classic post-nuclear wasteland. Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is a licensed tabletop miniatures game from Modiphius Entertainment built around the Fallout video game setting, played with 32mm resin miniatures across crews you build yourself. It's not a fixed-board, out-of-the-box co-op the way the others here are. Per Modiphius's own Fallout: Wasteland Warfare page, the system supports solo, cooperative, and competitive play against a solo AI deck, with narrative missions and settlement-defense scenarios for groups who want to team up rather than face off.
It's the pick for anyone who wants the wasteland fantasy specifically, and who doesn't mind the extra setup work of building crews and learning a wargame-style ruleset rather than opening a box and playing scenario one. Petersen Games doesn't publish or distribute this title. It belongs to Modiphius under license from Bethesda, and it's listed here purely as a genre comparison.
What's a Lighter, Cheaper Alternative?
Not every post-apocalyptic co-op night needs a hundred-dollar box. Aftermath, published by Plaid Hat Games, is a cooperative campaign game for 1 to 4 players where you control small rodent survivors in a world humans have vanished from. It uses miniatures for its rodent heroes and the creatures they face. The game itself is built around a spiral-bound Adventure Book rather than a modular board, which keeps the footprint and the price down compared to a centerpiece-scale release.
It's a fair pick for a smaller group, a first post-apocalyptic co-op game, or a night when the table wants a narrative campaign rather than a boss-fight structure. It won't scratch the same itch as a demon lord standoff. It's still a legitimate, well-regarded entry in the genre.
How Do These Games Compare for Solo Play?
Solo support varies more than most buyers expect going in. Planet Apocalypse and Aftermath both build solo play into the base rules, with one person running multiple characters rather than a stripped-down mode. Zombicide and Massive Darkness 2 both technically support one player controlling several survivors, though they're designed with a full table in mind first. Fallout: Wasteland Warfare has a dedicated solo AI deck built for exactly this, since half its intended play modes assume you might not have an opponent in the room at all.
If solo sessions are the main use case rather than an occasional fallback, that's worth weighing before price or theme. A game with solo bolted on late plays differently than one designed around it from the start.
Which One Should You Buy First?
Start with what your table actually wants on a Friday night. For a demon-invasion horror campaign with a real boss fight at the end and premium miniatures built to display, Planet Apocalypse is the strongest buy on this list. For the widest scenario library and lowest barrier to finding a group that already owns it, Zombicide wins. For dungeon-crawl loot chasing, Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape. For the wasteland setting specifically and a willingness to learn a wargame system, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare. For a smaller table and a lower price, Aftermath.
None of these are budget purchases except Aftermath, and even that runs a real price for a campaign box. Buy the one whose theme you'll actually want to sit with for a dozen sessions, not the one that photographs best in a Kickstarter update.
Frequently Asked Questions About Post-Apocalyptic Miniature Board Games
What is the best post-apocalyptic board game for co-op play?
Planet Apocalypse from Petersen Games is the strongest co-op pick for players who want a demon-invasion theme with a real boss fight. It's a fully cooperative game for 1 to 5 players with no hidden roles, built toward a final confrontation with a demon lord each session.
What are the best post-apocalyptic miniature board games overall?
Planet Apocalypse, Zombicide, Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, and Aftermath cover the range, from premium demon-invasion horror to licensed wasteland skirmish to a smaller campaign box built around rodent survivors.
Does Planet Apocalypse support solo play?
Yes. Planet Apocalypse supports 1 to 5 players, and solo play uses the same ruleset as group play, with one person controlling multiple champions rather than a simplified solo mode.
Is Planet Apocalypse connected to any of the other games on this list?
No. Petersen Games owns and publishes Planet Apocalypse. Zombicide and Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape are published by CMON, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is published by Modiphius Entertainment under license from Bethesda, and Aftermath is published by Plaid Hat Games. None of these titles are owned by or affiliated with Petersen Games; they're listed here as independent points of comparison.
Where can I buy Planet Apocalypse?
Planet Apocalypse is available direct from Petersen Games through the Planet Apocalypse collection. The base game sells out and restocks in cycles, so check current stock before buying. In-stock orders process within 48 hours (2 business days), then ship USPS Ground Advantage to the US in 2 to 5 business days or DHL Ground to Canada in 3 to 7 business days. Shipping rates are calculated at checkout.
Ready to see which demon lord your table draws first? Check current stock on the Planet Apocalypse collection and start building your invasion night.
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