You can learn a lot from games, but some subjects are easier than others. In the summer of 2025, my family began learning about chemistry. Crash Course and Khan Academy formed the backbone of our first introduction, but I wanted to add some chemistry games. We already had some great ones and were able to acquire the rest of the chemistry games we used.
Big Chemistry Games
Periodic and Subatomic are the two big-hitters here. Both are made by Genius Games and Subatomic can double as a physics game. In Subatomic, players build out their decks to create subatomic particles to build elements.
Periodic is an amazing game that incorporates periodic trends and groups into learning about elements and what they’re used for.
Small Card Games
Valence and Chemistry Fluxx are both fast, fun games that require minimal chemistry knowledge. Valence includes more chemistry learning, while Fluxx’s ever-changing rules mean no two games are ever alike. The games are small enough and different enough that it’s worth getting both.
Medium-Sized Chemistry Games
Compounded, Ion, and Covalence fill in the gaps here. Of these, Ion and Covalence are made by Genius Games, but Covalence is out of print. Gameplay is so different for each!
Compounded probably has the least educational value, but it definitely gives me flashbacks to all the years of chemistry I took in high school and college with all of the lab tools.
Ion is a pick-and-pass game in which you are building neutral compounds, while Covalence is a clue-giving game to build different molecules.
Overall, my family has enjoyed supplementing our chemistry learning with these seven games. We enjoyed them all, but if I had to pick only a few, I would go with Periodic (unless you want to use Subatomic for physics), Ion, and Valence for the most chemistry learning.