I play a lot of video games. It’s my primary activity when I am by myself, as it’s much easier to get started in than a solo board game. While we have been seeing a lot of board games making their way into the digital realm (thanks to tablet board games), we don’t see much cross over going the other direction. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any. In fact, there are actually quite a few really good board games based on a video game. Sure, some are pure garbage seeking only to capitalize on the fan base of the video game, but many are solid tabletop games. It’s those that this list will focus on.

Top 10 Board Games Based on a Video Game

10. Dark Souls

A brutally hard video game has spawned a brutally hard board game thanks to its £1.8 million Kickstarter campaign. Unfortunately, while the video games toughness is what makes it legendary, the board game can get to be a bit of a slog at times. This one is only for the most die hard of Dark Souls fans.

1-4 PLAYERS • AGES 14+ • 120 MINUTES • $120

9. Bloodborne: The Card Game

Much like Dark Souls, the Bloodborne board game is based on another difficult video game. Designer Eric Lang decided to try and channel the games intensity and frustration into a contest of death between the players. Expect to die in Bloodborne, a lot. However the game also doesn’t feel cheap and can be a lot of fun for those willing to take on the challenge.

3-5 PLAYERS • AGES 14+ • 45 MINUTES • $30

8. Starcraft: The Board Game

This heavy game seeks to take one of the most popular realtime strategy video games ever and turns it into a turn based board game. While Starcraft: The Board Game is deficiently not for the light hearted, it does provide a faithful representation of the factions present in everyones favorite RTS game. With a modular board and some great looking minis, Starcraft is a great game for fans of the series.

2-6 PLAYERS • AGES 12+ • 180-240 MINUTES • Out of Print

7. BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia

What’s interesting about the Bioshock Infinite board game is that players don’t take on the role of Booker and Elizabeth, the protagonists from the video game. Instead, players will control either the Founders or the Vox Populi, as they build up an army to fight for control of Columbia. And they need to do all of this while dealing with the aforementioned enigmatic pair who are zipping around Columbia causing chaos.

2-4 PLAYERS • AGES 13+ • 60 MINUTES • $25

6. The Witcher Adventure Game

In this adventure game, players will control one of the four iconic characters from the Witcher video game series: Geralt, Triss Merigold, Yarpen Zigrin, or Dandelion. While The Witcher Board Game can feel bit abstract at times, it does play pretty smoothly and has almost an RPG-like feel as each character has their own deck of development cards they can use to customize their characters throughout the game. I should also note that a tablet app has been made for this game if you wanted to test it out first.

2-4 PLAYERS • AGES 16+ • 120 MINUTES • $60

5. Gears of War: The Board Game

This cooperative board game has players controlling the four main characters from the Gears of War video game series. Players will embark on a series of mission that will have them fighting a variety of locusts and using all the classic weapons from Gears of War. As expected with a cooperative game, Gears of War: The Board Game can be difficult to win, especially if the dice don’t go your way.

1-4 PLAYERS • AGES 13+ • 60-180 MINUTES • Out of Print

4. Doom: The Board Game

This new edition of Doom has recently been updated from its aging predecessor. With this new version, one player will control the legions of demons, while the rest of the players must work together as the Space Marines to complete their mission. The space marines will have a variety of tasks to accomplish, while the invader will be using his demons to try and slaughter those marines as much as possible.

2-5 PLAYERS • AGES 14+ • 120-180 MINUTES • $75

3. This War of Mine: The Board Game

If you’ve ever played the This War of Mine video game, then you know it can be a depressing and sobering depiction of living in a war torn city. The game feels like it has been ripped straight out of the app as the players must work hard to try and survive. This War of Mine: The Board Game features the same day/night cycles found in the digital version as players scrape to get by. In war, not everyone is a soldier.

1-6 PLAYERS • AGES 18+ • 45-120 MINUTES • $70

2. Sid Meier’s Civilization: The Board Game

While Sid Meier’s name is on the title, I don’t think he actually had anything to do with this one. Designed by Kevin Wilson, Fantasy Flight Games takes the civlization building and exploration from the video game and brings it to our tabletops. In Civilization: The Board Game, players will start as their own tribe, and slowly research technology, build their military, and explore the unknown world all in classic Civ style.

2-4 PLAYERS • AGES 13+ • 120-240 MINUTES • Out of Print

1. XCOM: The Board Game

One of the very first games to utilize an integrated app, Xcom: The Board Game isn’t about controlling a group of marines as they fight off alien invades. Instead, this game takes a more strategic approach as players must run every aspect of the Xcom UFO Defense. Players will be researching new technology, managing a budget, fighting off aliens, and deploying ships and units. Oh, and most of the game happens in real time, so you have to respond to any crisis from the app without trying to panic too much.