Miniature skirmish games like Battletech, Infinity and Kill Team are poised for an explosion in 2025

Miniature skirmish games have exploded in popularity in recent years, and with nearly a dozen high-profile titles currently in active development, the genre is poised for a breakout year in 2025. But what makes these wargames so popular with fans?

Most mainstream miniature wargames require dozens, sometimes a hundred or more miniatures to be on the table at the same time. Games like Warhammer 40,000, Flames of warAnd Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings clearly fall into this category. But many modern gamers simply don’t have the time to paint all those miniatures, or the space in their home to store them. That’s where skirmish war games come in.

Skirmish games require only a handful of miniatures on either side of the table, often from six to twelve for each battle group. That makes it easier to set up and take down the games, and even easier to store on a shelf or in a cupboard. The genre thrives on collectibility, with small unit numbers making it easier for players to own and control multiple factions. But they also encourage customization, with kit bashing and exotic paint jobs attracting attention online and in person.

Here are our picks for the nine best miniature skirmish games on the market right now, with details on what you can expect from them in the coming year.

Catalyst Game Labs is just one of the modern maintainers of the combined BattleTech/MechWarrior license, and the team there has made incredible progress in reviving the beloved 1980s tabletop game. With dozens of different models of mechs available for purchase online and at your local game store, this is one of the least expensive ways to get into the modern tabletop hobby. Miniatures always come fully assembled and ready to paint, and the game has multiple play styles. Whether you like it fast and spicy or slow and crunchy, these big stompy boys have a lot to offer — including the new ones BattleTech: Mercenaries box set will hit retail stores early next year.

Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone

Monster Fight Club has licensed the intellectual property of Cyberpunk Red from R. Tassorian Games, whose original work appears on it Cyberpunk 2020 became the basis for CD Projekt Red’s epic role-playing video game Cyberpunk 2077. That partnership led directly to the launch of the skirmish miniatures game, Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zonein 2023. Thanks to an affordable starter set, easy-to-assemble miniatures and an extremely simple ruleset, the experiment was an instant success. Expect the latest entry, Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Battle Zoneto be a winner again when it hits retail early next year.

Mantic Games revived the Halo franchise on the tabletop in 2024 Halo: Flash pointa skirmish game with small units and lots of style. Although the game has its roots in the classic video game series, the gameplay is truly unique. It uses a cube-based movement system that encourages fast, fluid movement of the terrain in the game. It’s learning incredibly quickly, and I can’t wait to see how the British company expands the franchise in 2025.

Spanish game maker Corvus Belli has been trying new things in board games and 3D printing in recent years, only to return to the venerable Infinity line late in the year. It posits a near future dominated by powerful mega-corporations, and its gritty and strategic gameplay style will delight fans of turn-based tactical games like XCOM2. While the latest ruleset, known as Infinity N5was a bit late to the market, a lavish new box set titled Operation: Sand trap full of beautiful miniatures dropped in December. It features units from Panoceania and the Japanese Secessionist Army, so if you like nimble warriors with longswords, you’re in for a treat. However, keep in mind that Corvus Belli still makes white metal miniatures, which require different tools and skills than more modern plastic miniatures.

I honestly thought the Necromunda franchise was coming in 2024, but the game got an excellent new starter set this year. It represents the warlike state of what amounts to civil society in the dark and distant future and is a breeding ground for bloody, uneven narrative campaigns among friends, as well as some of the most stunning works of art in miniatures. A newly published one rules compendium puts everything you need to learn the game in one place. If you’re looking for a crunchy and rewarding new hobby, there’s never been a better time to dive in.

Atomic Mass’ newest Star Wars license, Star Wars: Shatterpointappeared on the scene at the end of 2023. The larger-than-usual 32 millimeter ‘heroic scale’ miniatures are a joy to work with, and they handle modern materials such as contrast paints with ease. For newcomers, it’s also nice that most factions only require three or four miniatures to get started. Add to that the fact that there are currently 30 (!!) different squads to choose fromand you have one of the most diverse and competitive games on the market. Expect Fantasy Flight Games’ miniature imprint to double its gains in the new year.

Joseph A. McCulloughs Star Grave is a miniature-agnostic, small-unit skirmish game that continues to earn new fans thanks to its proven, highly flexible rules system. If you have some little guys that you previously painted for another gaming system, they are more than welcome to join this skirmish war game. And that’s not all: Osprey Publishing also publishes McCullough’s fantasy theme Frostgrave and the horror theme Silver bayonet. Between these three games there is probably a setting that suits you and your gaming group.

Packed with incredible art from prolific concept artist Michael Franchina (Diablo), with rules and lore co-developed by Games Workshop veteran Tuomas Pirinen (Mordheim), Trenches Crusade is perhaps the biggest success story of the year when it comes to miniatures gaming. It posits an alternate historical view of World War I, where the Crusaders unlocked an actual portal to Hell, turning the “war to end all wars” into a fight for the souls of… well, basically everyone on the planet. The Kickstarter campaign, first previewed here at Polygon, netted the pair more than $3.33 million and a player base of more than 20,000. The rules are available now, with physical miniatures on their way to backers in the new year. Meanwhile, 3D printing files can get you where you need to go quickly.

Warhammer 40,000: Team Killing

After an excellent restart in 2018, the rules for the fourth edition have been established Warhammer 40,000: Team Killing was released in 2024, to the delight of fans and critics alike. It draws its small warbands from across the franchise’s fictional universe, so you can collect T’au, Sisters of Battle, Orcs and more in addition to the traditional Space Marines. An excellent new one Starter set made its way to shelves in the fall, and new faction boxes are popping up at retail. Expect this highly regarded game to continue to thrive in 2025 and beyond.