Quick answer
Choose the Gloomhaven campaign if you want the most content for your money, a complete story arc, and the deepest expansion support. Choose the Frosthaven campaign if you want a tighter, more focused narrative and the option to play the entire campaign solo. Neither is objectively more rewarding; they reward different kinds of commitment.
Frosthaven
Frosthaven and Gloomhaven share a world, a designer, and a cooperative legacy, but they ask for different things from your group. The Gloomhaven campaign is a sprawling, award-winning cooperative game for 1 to 4 players with a GM-less experience, and it has years of expansions behind it. The Frosthaven campaign is the follow-up, built with the lessons of the first game in mind.
The real question is not which game is better. It is which campaign will still feel rewarding after forty sessions. That depends on how you play, who you play with, and whether you want a finished story or a living one you can keep expanding.
Story structure: sprawling vs focused
The Gloomhaven campaign is famous for its branching, open-ended structure. You unlock scenarios, retire characters, and unlock new ones, and the story moves through a large world with many side paths. That breadth is the reward: you can play for a long time and still find new content. The trade-off is that the narrative can feel loose, and some groups lose momentum when the map opens up.
The Frosthaven campaign is generally described as a more directed narrative. It still branches, but the through-line is clearer, which helps groups that want to feel like they are moving toward something. If you have ever stalled in a Gloomhaven campaign because you did not know which scenario mattered, Frosthaven's tighter focus is the reward you are looking for.
- Track your campaign progress in a shared notebook so everyone remembers which story threads are open.
- If your group meets rarely, a focused campaign is easier to resume than a sprawling one.
Solo and small-group support
Both games support solo play, but the Frosthaven campaign has a dedicated product for it. Frosthaven: Solo Scenarios is a set of scenarios specifically designed for strategic solo play, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each class and forcing players to learn each class masterfully. It includes a 24-page scenario book of 17 all-new solo scenarios and a deck of 17 item cards as rewards.
Gloomhaven also has solo content, but it is spread across the base game and expansions rather than packaged as a single, class-by-class solo path. If you mostly play alone, Frosthaven's solo support is a concrete advantage. If you play with a steady group of three or four, that advantage matters much less.
- Solo players should budget for the solo scenario book in addition to the core box.
- Rotate characters in a solo campaign to see how each class plays before committing to a favorite.
Expansion depth and long-term value
The Gloomhaven campaign has a longer tail of official content. Gloomhaven: Forgotten Circles is the first expansion for Gloomhaven 1st Edition, featuring twenty new scenarios that take place after the events of the original campaign and introduce one new character class, the Aesther Diviner, and her attempts to prevent an approaching calamity. That is a direct continuation, not a side story.
Gloomhaven: The Complete Bundle collects the base game plus promotions and accessories in one purchase, which is the most cost-effective way to start a Gloomhaven campaign if you are ready to commit. Frosthaven's expansion catalog is smaller, so its long-term value depends more on how much you enjoy the core campaign loop.
- Check whether an expansion requires the base game before buying; Forgotten Circles requires Gloomhaven 1st Edition.
- If you dislike permanent changes to components, plan for removable stickers from the start.
Component permanence and replayability
Both campaigns use stickers and legacy-style changes, which can make a finished campaign feel locked. The Frosthaven: Removable Sticker Set replaces all of the normal scenario, enhancement, and building stickers in Frosthaven with vinyl stickers that can be removed at any time with no damage to the components. That makes a second Frosthaven campaign practical without buying a new box.
Gloomhaven has a removable sticker set as well, and it is included in the Complete Bundle. If replayability matters to you, treat removable stickers as a required accessory, not a luxury. The trade-off is that removable stickers take more care to apply and remove, so they add a little setup friction.
- Apply removable stickers slowly and press firmly; peeling them early can lift edges.
- Store unused stickers in the box so a future campaign has a full set.
Promos and small content drops
Small promo packs can extend either campaign, but they are not a reason to choose one game over the other. Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs 2024 Promo Scenario Pack contains 4 promotional Scenario Cards released by Cephalofair in 2024, including Scenario 2.5 - Narrow Escape, Scenario 5.5 - Arena Challenge, Scenario 12.5 - The Beast Tamer, and Scenario 20.5 - Another Tale. It requires Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs to play.
That requirement is the key trade-off. Promo content is only rewarding if you already own the base product it plugs into. Buy promos after you have committed to a campaign, not before.
- Read the requirements line on any promo pack before adding it to your cart.
- Promo scenarios often work best as a break between major campaign chapters.
The trade-offs at a glance
- Content volume vs focus: The Gloomhaven campaign offers more total scenarios and a longer expansion tail, while the Frosthaven campaign offers a tighter narrative that is easier to finish. Pick Gloomhaven for breadth, Frosthaven for momentum.
- Solo support vs group play: Frosthaven: Solo Scenarios packages class-by-class solo play with 17 scenarios and 17 item rewards. Gloomhaven supports solo play but spreads it across products. Solo players get a cleaner path in Frosthaven.
- Replayability vs permanence: Removable sticker sets exist for both games, but they are optional. Without them, both campaigns permanently change components as you play. Buy removable stickers up front if you plan a second run.
- Promo value vs prerequisites: Promo packs like the Buttons & Bugs 2024 Promo Scenario Pack require a specific base product to play, so they only reward committed owners. Add promos after you own the base game, not before.
Product facts that shape the decision
- Gloomhaven: The Complete Bundle: Gloomhaven is an award-winning, sprawling cooperative board game that includes everything 1 to 4 players need for a GM-less playing experience. The bundle includes Gloomhaven, Gloomhaven Solo Scenarios, Gloomhaven Removable Sticker Set, and Gloomhaven ConQuests (2025). Shipping to US only. This is the fastest route into the Gloomhaven campaign with solo content and removable stickers already included, but the US-only shipping restriction rules it out for some buyers.
- Frosthaven: Solo Scenarios: A set of scenarios specifically designed for strategic solo play, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each class. Includes a 24-page scenario book of 17 all-new solo scenarios and a deck of 17 item cards as rewards. If you play alone, this is the clearest reason to pick the Frosthaven campaign over Gloomhaven, because it gives every class a dedicated solo challenge and reward.
- Frosthaven: Removable Sticker Set: This set of vinyl stickers replaces all of the normal scenario, enhancement, and building stickers in Frosthaven. The vinyl stickers can be removed at any time with no damage to the components. It makes a second Frosthaven campaign realistic and protects your box from permanent changes, which matters if you like to replay or resell.
- Gloomhaven Forgotten Circles (3rd Printing): Third Printing, last remaining copies. The first expansion for Gloomhaven 1st Edition, featuring twenty new scenarios that take place after the events of the original Gloomhaven campaign and involve one new character class, the Aesther Diviner. This is direct post-campaign content for Gloomhaven, so it only rewards players who have finished or nearly finished the base campaign.
Which campaign fits your table?
Best for
- Groups that want the largest amount of campaign content and a long expansion tail, including Forgotten Circles and the Complete Bundle.
- Solo players who want a structured class-by-class challenge, using Frosthaven: Solo Scenarios.
- Players who value replayability and plan to use removable sticker sets in either game.
Not for
- Players who dislike legacy mechanics and never want to alter components, even with removable stickers.
- Groups that cannot meet regularly and need a campaign they can finish in a few months.
- Buyers outside the US who want the Gloomhaven: The Complete Bundle, because it ships to US only.
The more rewarding campaign is the one your group will actually finish. If you want maximum content and expansion depth, start with Gloomhaven. If you want a focused story and real solo support, start with Frosthaven. Either way, add removable stickers before your first session and you will keep the option to play again.
