Nature awaits! And you don’t even need to leave home to get there. Our top picks for the best nature board games help you celebrate the great outdoors right from your tabletop.
These games have you exploring – from the deep sea below to the skies above. Observe birds, traverse trails, and dive into the ocean. There are options for solo play, collaborations, and competition. So try one of these top picks, and let the adventure begin!
Table of Contents
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Nature Board Games
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
Cascadia
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 30-45 minutes
Cascadia is a region of the Pacific Northwest. This area is known for its stunning landscapes, including snowy mountains, lush valleys, rivers, and even deserts.
In Cascadia, your job is to create your own landscape. Take turns adding terrain tiles and animal tokens to your individual puzzle. You’ll want to make sure you have various wildlife represented and that portions of landscapes connect strategically.
Scoring takes place at the end. Points are awarded for having connected terrains such as 7 mountains adjacent to each other. Cards laid out at the beginning of the game determine how to score wildlife tokens. Maybe bears want to be near each other, or hawks prefer flying over mountains. This adds some variety to each game played.
Cascadia is a peaceful game with beautiful playing pieces and low-player interaction. However, it still provides some competition. It’s an excellent option for gamers that enjoy puzzles and wildlife.
Arboretum
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30 minutes
Arboretum is a card game for budding arborists.
Your goal is to collect cards, creating the most beautiful – and valuable – botanical garden. Players have 7 cards in their hands at all times. Each turn, take two new cards. Play one into your arboretum and another into your discard pile. You can draw cards from a discard pile or the main deck. The game ends when the main deck runs out of cards!
Arboretum is a simple strategy game that uses patterns and placement for scoring. The way you connect your cards can benefit your ability to score more points. So plant those trees along the right path to win!
Everdell
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 40-80 minutes
Head to the magical forest of Everdell!
You’ll be one of the cute critters in this bustling forest – a busy squirrel, a spirited rabbit, or the tenacious badger. Collect cards and resources, and travel the forest to accomplish missions. But conditions must be just right to complete actions – so play your cards right.
While points are accumulated throughout the game, bonuses at the end keep things interesting. It’s a complex game centered around building your critter kingdom. It plays to the habitat theme well with beautiful artwork to boot!
Trekking the National Parks
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 30-60 minutes
Travel across the United States in under an hour! This game is played on a map of the states, highlighting the country’s national parks.
Inspired by a couple’s journey across America’s natural terrain – from Yosemite to the Appalachian mountains. They created this family-friendly competitive game to share their experience with the world and hopefully inspire some similar expeditions.
Trekking the National Parks is a race to see as many national parks as possible. With endless routes and options, the game has high replayability. The player with the most points at the end is the ultimate explorer.
So are you ready to head into the wild? If adventure is calling, try Trekking the National Parks.
PARKS
Players: 1-5
Playing time: 30-60 minutes
Strap on those hiking boots! It’s time to hit the trails.
In PARKS, players have two hikers each. Your two hikers will traverse trails across the seasons. Make sure to pack the right gear and restock when necessary. Resources are limited in the wilderness, so use these wisely. Hiking is an experience, and you’ll surely be collecting memories along the way. Memories can be used as currency to get into even more national parks.
PARKS is a game of moving tile placement and resource management. It has a beautiful playing board that will get you into the theme and learning all about the American park system.
Wingspan
Players: 1-5
Playing time: 40-70 minutes
Bring the art of bird-watching into your own home!
Wingspan is a set collection game involving species of birds. Players get individualized boards from which to develop their habitats. Lay eggs, gather food, and choose the best birds possible to create the ideal environment.
The game is played over a series of rounds. Each round has unique goals to earn points, such as the number of eggs laid or particular bird species collected. Players also have secret goal cards – making it less obvious who is in the lead.
Wingspan can be played in solo mode or competitively. With low player interaction, it’s a peaceful game on the surface. But don’t let this fool you— only one player will soar to the top.
Can you be the top birder? Play to find out.
Oceans
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 60-90 minutes
Dive right into this ocean-inspired game!
Create your underwater world by developing species. You choose what traits your animals will have – but think ahead. The ecosystem is constantly changing, and your species must have the ability to adapt accordingly.
Your creatures will need to forage to eat and migrate over time. Phases of repopulating may be followed by aging and inevitably dying off. Scenario and power cards give the game unexpected twists and turns – mimicking evolution in the environment.
Oceans is a point-based game. Points are awarded for tokens collected throughout the game – and how successful your species is overall.
Will your species evolve and survive in this Ocean? Or are you out of your depth?
If you love Evolution, be sure to check out some of the other nature-based titles in the series!
Earth Rising: 20 Years to Transform Our World
Players: 1-6
Playing time: 90-120 minutes
The Earth needs a hero!
You have 20 years to save the planet from environmental destruction. However, you can’t do it alone. It is up to all of humankind – and your team – to work together.
Each turn represents one year. You have 20 turns to complete the board and bring the world into harmony. Balance the population with the Earth’s resources to take us out of poverty and reduce our ecological footprint. Replace activities to become more sustainable and fight off large corporations that want to maintain their harmful status quo.
It’s a race against time. Can you come to the rescue before it’s too late?
Aqualin
Players: 2
Playing time: 20 minutes
Aqualin is a tile-placement game with an aquatic theme. It’s easy to learn and plays fast – making it an excellent option for a quick nature game.
The game is played on a 6×6 grid representing the sea. Your goal is to form schools of sea critters. Since it’s a 2-player game, one player aims to gather animals of the same color while the other collects the same species.
Take turns adding one animal to the pool. Fish tiles can swim to make space – changing the placement of other tiles. Use strategy to move particular creatures out of the way to sabotage your opponent.
When all the sea creatures are swimming in the ocean, it’s time to add up tiles. The player to create the biggest school wins.
Canopy
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 30 minutes
Go wild in this rainforest! The land is full of possibilities and rich soil. You must create a vast, lush rainforest covered in canopies.
Picking cards make your rainforest grow. You’ll need to weigh your risks accordingly when drafting from the deck. You get to choose from three stacks of cards. But once you look at the next pile, you sacrifice the first. So will you risk your luck? Or stick with the option in hand?
Tall trees, various plants, and diverse wildlife will get you points throughout the three seasons. It’s a game of starting small and growing as you go. For example, you’ll need a trunk to create a tree and can add height to it later. When it’s done growing, cap it off with a canopy – solidifying the total points on that tree.
A balance of the elements is necessary for any habitat. Rain and Sun cards are required to grow your wildlife. While animals are worth points, two mating ones will develop your environment further. But beware of pulling drought or disease cards! They may affect your opponent as well as yourself.
Create the best canopy in the rainforest to win!
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best nature board games! If you’re an outdoorsy type or a nature lover, these board games and card games allow you to enjoy nature from the comfort of your own home when you can’t be out there in the wild.
Have you tried any of these games? Did we miss any of your environmental favorites? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.
Cheryl is a teacher, writer, and board game fan. She likes incorporating games into all areas of her life, from classrooms and family nights to lively parties with friends. While she’s played too many to count, her favorites have always been classics like Codenames and chess.