What Add-Ons and Related Products Exist for Planet Apocalypse?
Planet Apocalypse is a cooperative board game for 1 to 5 players where your team battles demonic hordes and their powerful Lords to save the world. Beyond the core game, Petersen Games has built out a small but meaningful ecosystem: a full 5e RPG sourcebook, a digital edition of that book, a graphic novel, a DM screen, and a 3mm component upgrade kit. That's the real list. No mass expansions, no standalone sequels.
Each piece serves a different kind of player. Some are for the tabletop gamer who wants premium components. Others are for the dungeon master who wants to drag the apocalypse into their D&D campaign. And one is a straight-up collector's item. Here's what each actually is and whether it's worth your money.
What Does the Planet Apocalypse Core Game Include?
The Planet Apocalypse core game ($99.99) is the foundation everything else builds on. Hell has risen. Humanity is on the edge of extinction. One to five players take on the role of post-apocalypse heroes confronting demonic hordes across modular map tiles, fighting through the circles of hell until they can bring down the demon lord behind it all. Every session plays differently, and the tension holds from first turn to last.
The box contains 97 highly detailed demon miniatures plus 5 unique hero figures, each with upgrade paths. Combat runs through a custom dice system built for fast resolution, and 200+ cards handle abilities and equipment. The standout mechanical element is the Demon Lord AI: when you defeat demon troops, their Lord grows stronger. Kill a Lord and they return even more powerful. Tactics have to shift every game because the table state never stays the same.
Art is by Keith Thompson, whose work spans major films and games. Sandy Petersen designed it fresh off Cthulhu Wars, drawing on three decades of horror game design (including his work on the original Doom in 1993). At $99.99 the core game punches well above its price in component quality and mechanical depth.
Is the Planet Apocalypse 5e RPG Worth Adding?
The Planet Apocalypse 5e RPG ($59.99) is one of the more ambitious cross-format products in the Petersen Games catalog. This is a 350+ page sourcebook that takes the setting from the board game and turns it into a full post-apocalyptic 5e campaign framework. Your existing fantasy world doesn't just face a threat: it actually gets destroyed and becomes a Planet Apocalypse scenario.
The book includes new subclasses, feats, spells, and magic items, plus three complete adventures you can run as a DM. The bestiary alone has 70+ monster stat blocks, and the Arch Lords section details 15 distinct Arch Lords, each with shadow manifestations that create their own unique version of hell. If you're running a D&D group and want to pivot into full apocalyptic horror, this is a serious sourcebook, not a novelty tie-in.
A digital version is also available at $24.99 for players who prefer PDF access over a physical book. If you already own the board game and play 5e, this is a natural second purchase. If you only play one or the other, it's still worth looking at. The setting translates well enough that you don't need the board game to get full value from the RPG.
What Is the Planet Apocalypse Graphic Novel?
High-quality. Full color. A real collector's item.
The Planet Apocalypse Graphic Novel ($24.99) tells the story of the setting in sequential art form: the End Times, the fall of human civilization, and a band of survivors fighting their way through a demon-occupied Earth. If you've played the board game or the RPG and want more lore in a different format, this delivers it.
At $24.99 it's the lowest barrier to entry in the entire ecosystem. You don't need to own the board game to enjoy it, and it makes a strong gift for someone in your group who reads comics or wants a feel for the world before committing to the full game. For collectors, it rounds out a shelf that already has the core game and RPG book sitting on it.
Do You Need the DM Screen for Planet Apocalypse?
Only if you're running the RPG at the table.
The DM Screen for Planet Apocalypse 5e RPG ($19.99) is a 3-panel GM screen with rules and tables for 5e play. It's a practical purchase, not a flashy one. During a session it keeps your rolls private and your references at eye level without hunting through the sourcebook mid-scene. For the price, it's an easy add-on for any DM running the 5e RPG regularly.
If you're a board game-only player it offers nothing. If you run the RPG casually or one-shot style, you can survive without it. Regular DMs who run the Planet Apocalypse 5e RPG campaign will get their money's worth quickly.
What Does the 3mm Component Upgrade Do?
The Planet Apocalypse Core Games 3mm Upgrade ($11.99) swaps out standard components for premium 3mm versions. It's a straightforward quality-of-life upgrade for collectors who want their copy of the game to feel as polished as it looks on the table.
At $11.99 this is the easiest yes in the whole lineup for existing core game owners. Premium component upgrades at that price don't come around often. If you already own the board game and care about build quality and table presentation (and if you're a serious Petersen Games collector, you do), just add it.
Which Planet Apocalypse Products Are Worth Buying Together?
Three natural bundles emerge depending on how you play.
Board game players: the core game at $99.99 is the starting point, and the 3mm upgrade at $11.99 is a near-automatic add-on. Total outlay under $115 for a co-op horror experience that plays very differently every session.
RPG players: the 5e RPG book at $59.99 stands on its own, but the DM screen at $19.99 makes table play smoother and is worth adding at the same time. If you're running a full campaign, the graphic novel at $24.99 gives your players lore they can engage with between sessions.
Collectors: all of the above. The full Planet Apocalypse ecosystem sits at a total price that's well within range for any serious Petersen Games collector, and every piece has genuine production value behind it. The graphic novel and physical RPG book in particular display well alongside the miniature-heavy core game.
According to BoardGameGeek, cooperative games that use escalating difficulty systems (where player success directly changes the challenge) tend to produce the highest replay engagement among enthusiast-level players. Planet Apocalypse's Demon Lord AI is a textbook implementation of that structure, and it's part of why the game holds up across many plays.1
Sandy Petersen's design work consistently favors systemic tension over raw complexity, a philosophy visible across Cthulhu Wars and Planet Apocalypse alike. His games get regular coverage in the tabletop hobby press.2
Polygon's coverage of the premium board game market has observed that collector-grade games with original IP and established designer pedigree hold long-term value in ways mass-market titles rarely do.3
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Planet Apocalypse a cooperative or competitive game?
Planet Apocalypse is fully cooperative. All 1 to 5 players work together against the demonic hordes and their Demon Lord. There is no competitive mode. You win together or fall together, which is central to how the tension and escalating difficulty system is designed.
Do I need the core board game to use the Planet Apocalypse 5e RPG?
No. The Planet Apocalypse 5e RPG is a standalone sourcebook. It uses the same setting and lore but functions entirely within the 5e rules system. You don't need the board game to run or play the RPG. The two products share a world, not a ruleset.
Are there any expansions that add new factions or map tiles to the core board game?
The current Petersen Games lineup for Planet Apocalypse does not include traditional board game expansions with new factions or tile sets. The add-ons are the 5e RPG, graphic novel, DM screen, and component upgrade. The core game ships with modular map tiles and enough content for high variability across sessions.
What is the 3mm upgrade and does it change gameplay?
The Planet Apocalypse Core Games 3mm Upgrade ($11.99) replaces standard components with premium 3mm versions. It does not change rules or gameplay. It's a component quality upgrade for collectors who want a more polished physical experience at the table.
Who designed Planet Apocalypse?
Sandy Petersen designed Planet Apocalypse. Petersen is one of the most recognized names in horror game design, known for creating the Call of Cthulhu RPG in 1981, contributing key design work to the original Doom in 1993, and founding Petersen Games to produce Cthulhu Wars in 2015. Keith Thompson created the art for the core board game.
Ready to Build Your Planet Apocalypse Collection?
Start with the core game and build from there based on how you play. Board game players who want the full premium experience should add the 3mm upgrade straight away. RPG groups will find the 5e sourcebook and DM screen a serious addition to their campaign toolkit. Collectors won't regret having the complete set on the shelf.
Browse the Planet Apocalypse collection at Petersen Games and put together the setup that fits your table.
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