Ah, dark fantasy. It's been the cool kid on the block ever since a certain HBO show made backstabbing and direwolves fashionable. Everyone's been chasing that grim, gritty vibe, and few have captured it as masterfully as FromSoftware's epic, Elden Ring. If you've spent countless hours traversing the Lands Between, savoring that exquisite blend of despair and triumph, and you're now looking to bring that same feeling to your kitchen table, you're in luck. The world of board games is teeming with adventures that'll make you feel right at home, sans the controller-throwing frustration (well, mostly). Let's dive into some tabletop realms that understand the assignment.

Board Games Born From FromSoftware's Legacy

First up, let's talk about the direct descendants. Yes, there are actual board games adapted from the very titles that made you question your life choices.

• Dark Souls: The Card Game: Think of this as the "greatest hits" album of pain and perseverance. This cooperative card game takes the soul-crushing (pun intended) essence of the video games and squeezes it into a tabletop format. You and your buddies get to team up, face down iconic bosses, and hopefully not go hollow in the process. It's all about managing stamina, timing your attacks, and learning from each brutal defeat—sounds familiar, right?

• Bloodborne: The Board Game: Okay, picture this: you and your hunter pals, huddled around a table, cards in hand, desperately trying to cleanse the foul streets of Yharnam. This is that game. It's a beast of a cooperative experience (see what we did there?) with deep card play. The coolest part? Those iconic trick weapons that transform right on your player board. You'll hunt a menagerie of nightmares from the game and can even expand your arsenal with additional hunters and monsters. It's challenging, but hey, a hunter is never alone... especially when your friend can remind you of a rule you forgot.

The Dungeon Crawling Dynasties

If trudging through deadly, intricate dungeons is your jam, these next picks are your holy grail. They offer depth and content that could make even the most seasoned Tarnished blush.

Game	Key Feature	Vibe Check
Descent: Legends of the Dark	A full, app-driven RPG campaign	The blockbuster movie of dungeon crawlers; all spectacle and story.
Frosthaven	A staggering 100-scenario campaign	The epic novel series you move into. It's a lifestyle.
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion	A streamlined, 25-scenario intro	The perfect "first date" with the Gloomhaven universe.

Descent: Legends of the Dark is like the AAA blockbuster of the genre. It's got an app that handles the nitty-gritty, letting you focus on the story and the tactical combat. We're talking about a campaign with around fourteen hours of adventure, broken into bite-sized sessions. Pretty sweet, huh?

Hold on to your Estus Flask, because Frosthaven says, "Fourteen hours? That's cute." This colossal game boasts one hundred unique scenarios. Let that sink in. That's potentially over a hundred hours of desperate survival in a frozen, unforgiving outpost. The world-building is immense, the choices matter, and it's all set in that perfectly bleak Gloomhaven universe we know and love. It's not just a game; it's a commitment.

If Frosthaven sounds like a bit much to start with, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is your perfect gateway. It's a standalone prequel with a tight, 25-scenario story that teaches you the ropes without drowning you in rules. The best part? Once you're done, your hardened heroes can jump right into the bigger boxes. Speaking of which... if you somehow collected all the Gloomhaven content (base game, Frosthaven, Jaws, and the Forgotten Circles expansion), you'd be staring down the barrel of a truly mythical 240 scenarios. Playing a four-hour session every single week? You wouldn't run out of content for over a year. Talk about value for money!

For Those Who Prefer to Rule the Ashes

But wait, maybe you've grown tired of being the hero. Maybe after saving the Lands Between, you feel... unfulfilled. What if you want to be the one causing the apocalypse? Enter Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition.

This game is a beast. A glorious, brain-burning monster of a game. You're not some adventurer fighting monsters, no. You're a powerful wizard or a powerful fighter or a powerful knight . You're basically a magical empire building machine. You're using your spells, armies, and influence to conquer cities and burn the countryside. The game simulates everything from marching your armies to laying siege to cities that desperately try to resist you. You can play cooperatively to conquer the land together, or competitively to see who can be the biggest tyrant. It's a perfect power fantasy for when you're done being the good guy.

So, there you have it. Whether you want to team up against impossible odds, lose yourself in a campaign that lasts longer than some console generations, or just burn the world to the ground, there's a game here for you. These aren't just games; they're experiences that capture the spirit of what makes dark fantasy so compelling: the struggle, the scale, and the sheer, unadulterated power of a well-planned move.

Your Burning Questions, Answered

• What's the closest thing to actually playing Elden Ring on a table?

  Honestly, the Bloodborne board game might be the closest you'll get for now. It captures that high-stakes, aggressive monster-hunting vibe perfectly. But keep an eye out—the official Elden Ring board game is finally coming! It's been cooking on Kickstarter for a while and is available for pre-order as of 2026.

• Does Elden Ring have a board game?

  Yes! It's real, and it's (finally) on the horizon. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, it's gearing up for release. So soon, you can experience the agony and ecstasy of a boss fight with your friends, all while passing around the Cheeto-dust-covered dice.

Ultimately, the right game for you depends on what you loved most about Elden Ring. Was it the brutal combat? The epic scale? The feeling of becoming an unstoppable force? Whatever it was, your next great adventure is waiting on a board.