Twilight Struggle Review
Previously BGG’s #1 board game, a tense Cold War showdown of influence, strategy, and historical immersion.
Twilight Struggle is a two-player only historical strategy game where you take on the roles of the USA and the USSR, competing for global dominance during the Cold War. Games typically last 2-3 hours.
Video published January 27th, 2025
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Launch coups to destabilize enemy governments and seize control!
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Roll to dominate the space race!
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Call your opponent "An Evil Empire!"
The Story
Set during the Cold War, Twilight Struggle plunges you into a world of political intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering. As one of the two global superpowers, you’ll vie for influence in regions across the globe, wielding covert operations, propaganda, and diplomacy to outmaneuver your rival. The story unfolds through event cards, which bring pivotal moments of history to life, whether through nuclear brinkmanship or revolutionary uprisings.
We collectively played over 30 games of Twilight Struggle, with an average duration of 2.5 hours per game.
Need to learn how to play? Or want more reasoning for our points? Our review video’s got you!
Component Pros - Designed for Function
The influence system uses bold, contrasting colors that make it easy to track control on the board.
Battleground countries are distinctly marked, emphasizing their strategic importance.
The game includes thematic details, such as a Cold War timeline and leader changes over decades, drawing players into the setting.
Cards feature period-appropriate historical photographs, reinforcing the connection to real-world events.
Cardstock is thick and shuffle-resistant, holding up well to repeated use.
The deluxe edition includes a sturdier board!
The rulebook includes a design diary and historical explanations, appealing to players interested in the real-world context of the events depicted.
Gameplay Pros - Tactical Decision-Making
Influence placement and adjacency rules create tense regional conflicts.
Players must balance investment in battleground countries with expansion into less contested areas.
Scoring cards require strategic timing, creating opportunities for bluffing and outmaneuvering opponents.
Victory conditions, including 20 VP, regional dominance, and DefCon manipulation, provide multiple strategic paths.
Gameplay Pros - Immersive Theme and Historical Integration
Cards like the Marshall Plan and Fidel mirror real-world significance, increasing immersion.
Regional scoring reflects historical trends, such as Southeast Asia being used once mid war and then being discarded, or Central America becoming vital later in the game.
Events like Tear Down This Wall and Cuban Missile Crisis give the game a sense of gravitas.
Gameplay Pros - Card Play and Deck Management
Dual-purpose cards force players to weigh operational points against triggering events, adding strategic tension.
High-value cards like NATO or Warsaw Pact are permanently removed when played, influencing long-term gameplay.
The China Card creates powerful swings in Asia while presenting a tactical dilemma for both players.
The Space Race offers an alternative way to discard undesirable cards while rewarding strategic play.
The evolving deck and region-specific scoring create fresh dynamics in each game.
Component Cons - Flawed Designs
Tokens are too small, with text that is difficult to read from across the table.
The board tends to warp out of the box, requiring paperweights to keep markers in place.
Some map connections, such as Israel-Jordan or Iran-Iraq, are unclear and can disrupt gameplay.
The deluxe edition offers minimal upgrades, with few additional features beyond a sturdier board and a handful of extra cards.
Much of the card art is simply black and white historical photographs. Some cards use clipart.
Confusing usage of the words “turn” and “round” serve only to cause headache.
Gameplay Cons - Challenging to Master, Punishing to Play
The steep learning curve requires players to familiarize themselves with the deck and rules, which can feel overwhelming.
Scoring mechanics, such as domination versus control, are unintuitive for newcomers.
Hands filled with opponent-favoring cards often force reactive, defensive play.
Many mid and late war cards can totally upset early game maneuvers, demanding intimate player knowledge of all cards.
Sudden Defcon losses can feel like frustrating "gotcha" moments, especially for new players.
Gameplay Cons - Balance and Randomness Challenges
The USSR’s early-game advantage often leads to one-sided matches, and extended sessions can feel unnecessary when one player dominates early.
Single-die rolls for coups and events create significant swings that can undermine strategy.
Failed Space Race rolls, while powerful for discarding enemy cards, feel like wasted turns.
Gameplay Cons - Thematic and Design Inconsistencies
Geographic oddities, such as Turkey classified as Western Europe or South Africa’s limited adjacencies, disrupt immersion and gameplay flow.
Certain cards also miss the mark, such as Olympic Games (your opponent boycotting means you start nuclear war) or Brush War resolving in Europe.
As less familiar historical events dominate the late game, the thematic connection weakens for many players.
The static starting layout reduces variability, leading to predictable openings and strategies.
Recommender’s Score - 8/10
Twilight Struggle pits the USA and USSR against each other in the Cold War, with players vying for control of regions, fulfilling scoring cards, and navigating a shared deck of historical events. The game earns a solid 8/10. It's great. This is one of those games where the design brilliance shines in how it condenses 45 years of history into a board game. It must have taken a monumental effort to decide which historical events to include, assign values, and balance them for gameplay. History buffs will find joy just flipping through the cards, seeing how the designers reflected real-world importance through mechanics.
However, Twilight Struggle is not for everyone. It strongly benefits players with at least some Cold War knowledge. Without that, the game can feel like a series of arbitrary card effects and reactive gameplay. Learning the game can also be a struggle, especially as the USSR's early-game strength can lead to one-sided matches for beginners. To truly enjoy the game, you need to be familiar with its mechanics, like why South America isn't critical early in the game or how Southeast Asia only has one scoring card. It's a game that rewards preparation and understanding.
Certain cards demand foreknowledge. For instance, the USA must play around Blockade or risk losing control of West Germany. Late-game cards like Star Wars can let the US retrieve discarded cards like War Games to trigger an unexpected victory. Similarly, Our Man in Tehran disrupts the deck shuffle and requires advanced planning. Another rare mechanic, re-alignment, relies on dice rolls to change influence in regions but is seldom used compared to coups or direct influence placement. These nuances become more apparent as you become a veteran player, but they add layers of complexity that newcomers might find overwhelming.
Thematically, the game isn't perfect. Some country adjacencies feel off. Turkey is considered part of Western Europe, although it's geographically closer to the USSR. Similarly, South Africa doesn't connect to nearby countries like Zimbabwe, and Syria isn't linked to Iraq. While these design choices support gameplay balance, they can confuse new players looking at the map in geographic terms. Other thematic quirks include Brush War, where a conflict can happen in places like Italy, and Duck and Cover, which can unexpectedly end the game through DefCon loss.
The game's reliance on dice rolling adds a layer of randomness. Critical moments, like coups or card effects, often depend on high rolls, which can lead to swingy outcomes. While this randomness mirrors the unpredictability of the Cold War, it can feel frustrating when it undermines player strategy. Adding to the challenge, Twilight Struggle requires players to manage hands filled with their opponent's favorable cards, often forcing tough decisions on when and how to play them. The space race, a side mechanic, feels lackluster as players must roll to advance, with failures wasting valuable turns.
Despite these flaws, Twilight Struggle offers an unparalleled thematic experience. Its card system, rooted in historical events, integrates seamlessly with gameplay. Hotly contested battlegrounds like Cuba and Iran reflect their real-world importance, and the gradual shift in regional focus—from post-WWII Europe to Reagan-era conflicts—gives the game a sense of historical progression. Including unique mechanics like the China Card adds depth and showcases the designers' ingenuity.
Ultimately, Twilight Struggle is highly confrontational. Every move is a push-and-pull against your opponent, and progress in one region often comes at their expense. This creates a highly competitive environment that rewards experience and punishes missteps. For some, this intensity is thrilling; for others, it can feel draining, especially in games that drag on after one player has secured a significant lead.
The game is best suited for history enthusiasts or those willing to invest time learning its intricacies. While plenty of modern games offer similar mechanics with smoother onboarding, Twilight Struggle remains a landmark in board gaming, showcasing how theme and mechanics can come together to create something truly memorable.
If you're intrigued but hesitant about the game's complexity or components, trying it digitally may be the best way to experience its brilliance without the hurdles of its physical edition. The digital format alleviates many of the issues with tokens, board design, and lengthy playtimes. We also recommend trying Paths of Glory, Hands in the Sea, or Strike of the Eagle for games with similar card mechanics but different themes. For those who love history, strategy, and card-driven gameplay, Twilight Struggle is an enduring classic worth exploring.
