How Hard Is Planet Apocalypse, and Can You Play It Solo?
Planet Apocalypse is a tough cooperative game by design: new groups usually lose their first fight against Baphomet, the base game's Demon Lord. It plays solo just fine since the box supports 1 to 5 players as a core rule, not a bolted-on variant, and the challenge scales through named difficulty tiers and map choice.
Petersen Games says it plainly on the product listing: every game is different, and every game is tense, right up to the final push against a Demon Lord. This guide covers what actually drives that tension, how the named difficulty tiers stack, what changes when you play solo, and how to set up a first game that won't send your group running before the second turn.
What Makes a Planet Apocalypse Game Difficult?
Two things drive most of the fight: map and lord.
The core box includes two maps. Invasion is the standard experience and the one new groups should start on. Doom Gate raises the pressure by keeping demon forces active on the board rather than clearing them off as you fight; they circle back like vultures, so the threat never fully thins out even on a good turn. Sitting on top of either map is Baphomet, the Demon Lord who ships in the core game. Baphomet's lord track works like a countdown clock. As it advances, the space you have left to work with shrinks and the invasion closes in, which is why a slow, cautious team can lose a winnable fight just by running out of turns.
What Are the Named Difficulty Levels in Planet Apocalypse?
The base game ships with more than one dial to turn.
On top of choosing Invasion or Doom Gate, the game defines Hard, Hellish, and Nightmare difficulty tiers for groups who want a bigger fight than the standard setup gives them.1 Those tiers stack with a handful of individual escalation options rather than forcing an all-or-nothing jump: a reduced starting despair pool, drawing a secret demon lord instead of a known one, boosting the lord's starting values as if an extra player were at the table, or beginning the game with a fourth-circle minion already in play. Mix and match one or two of those at a time and you get a difficulty curve that's actually yours, tuned to your table rather than a flat "hard mode" toggle.
The core box ships with one Demon Lord, Baphomet. Petersen Games sells seven additional Demon Lord expansions, including Jabootu, Scylla, Asmod, Procrustes, Pulgasaur, Great Cthulhu, and Spider Mastermind, each built around a large-format miniature and its own fight, if you want new bosses once Baphomet stops surprising your group.
How Does Solo Play Work in Planet Apocalypse?
Planet Apocalypse lists 1 to 5 players right on the box, which means solo isn't a workaround someone patched in after launch. It's built into the core rules the same way the 2-player and 5-player counts are.
Playing alone means running the full hero team the scenario calls for, which is standard practice for this style of cooperative dungeon crawler. Each hero comes with its own abilities and a built-in flaw, so a solo player still has to balance strengths and weak spots across the roster rather than leaning on one overpowered character. One detail matters more in solo play than anywhere else: a hero dying doesn't end your game. You swap to a different hero from the roster and keep going. That single rule keeps a rough solo run from turning into a wasted evening, and it's worth knowing before your first solo attempt rather than discovering it mid-fight.
Managing multiple heroes solo takes more table space and more bookkeeping than a five-player night where each person tracks one character. Give yourself room to lay out each hero's cards separately before your first solo session, and don't feel obligated to play the full 5-player difficulty setup on your own. Scaling down the escalation options for a solo run is a reasonable house call, not a shortcut that cheapens the game.
What Should New Players Do for Their First Game?
Keep it simple. Seriously.
Play the Invasion map with no extra escalation options turned on, and build a hero team that covers offense and support rather than stacking everyone on pure damage. Expect to lose. Board game press covering the launch made the same point: this is a difficult coop to win, not an impossible one, and losing the first attempt is part of how the game teaches you demon patterns and Baphomet's timing.2 Once your group clears Invasion, or comes close, add a single escalation option before you touch Doom Gate or the named tiers. Piling on three changes at once just muddies which one actually beat you.
Should You Buy Planet Apocalypse for a Real Challenge?
If you want a cooperative game that can genuinely beat your table, yes.
Sandy Petersen built his design reputation on Lovecraftian and horror-adjacent games, from his earlier investigative work through Cthulhu Wars to Planet Apocalypse's demon-hunting combat in 2020.3 The result here isn't a game you can coast through. Between two maps, one core Demon Lord, seven expansion lords, and a stack of escalation options that layer into named Hard, Hellish, and Nightmare tiers, the difficulty curve runs deep enough to reward dozens of plays, solo or with a full table.
Check the Planet Apocalypse product page for current pricing and stock, since the core box has run through sold-out stretches before. The wider Planet Apocalypse collection covers the Demon Lord expansions if you're ready to build past Baphomet. In-stock orders process within 48 hours; US orders ship USPS Ground Advantage, typically 2 to 5 business days after that, and Canada ships DHL Ground, 3 to 7 business days. Rates are calculated at checkout.
A game that's willing to let you lose is a rare thing on a hobby shelf full of games designed to make everyone feel good. Planet Apocalypse earns its difficulty honestly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What difficulty levels does Planet Apocalypse have?
The game includes named Hard, Hellish, and Nightmare difficulty tiers, layered on top of your choice of the Invasion or Doom Gate map. Groups can also stack individual escalation options, like a smaller starting despair pool, a secret demon lord draw, boosted lord starting values, or an extra minion already on the board at setup.
Is Planet Apocalypse hard to win?
Yes, especially on your first attempt. New groups commonly lose their first fight against Baphomet on the Invasion map. Reviewers describe it as a difficult game to win but not an impossible one, and losing a run is a normal, expected part of learning it.
Can you play Planet Apocalypse solo?
Yes. The box states it plays 1 to 5 players as a cooperative game, which makes solo a supported player count rather than an unofficial workaround. A solo player runs the hero team needed to cover the scenario.
What's the difference between the Invasion and Doom Gate maps?
Invasion is the standard first-game map and the recommended starting point for new groups. Doom Gate is harder: demon forces are not cleared off the board the way they are on Invasion, they circle it and keep pressuring you rather than thinning out.
What happens if your hero dies in Planet Apocalypse?
You are not eliminated from the game. You pick a different hero from the roster and keep playing, which matters most in solo and low-player-count games where losing a turn's worth of momentum already stings.
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