New board games are constantly emerging, and it can indeed be quite challenging to keep track. But if you’re eager to play the best and latest games, don’t worry. Here are some of the outstanding board games that hit the market in 2024.
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Arcs
Image: Leder Games
Undoubtedly, the best and most highly acclaimed board game of 2024 is Arcs by Leder Games (the creators of Oath and Root). It’s a thrilling trick-taking space game that centers around seizing initiatives, timing, and the art of improvisation. The system of player actions in Arcs is determined by a unique card system that builds upon the standard trick-taking framework. The actions players take enable them to build up an army to engage in battles with other players or pursue a variety of other actions to fulfill their chosen ambition and claim victory in the game. Additionally, there is a captivating campaign system in Arcs, which not only elevates it to be the greatest board game of the year but also positions it among the best in the standard category.
The system of player actions in Arcs is determined by a unique card system that’s based from the standard trick-taking system. The actions the players take will allow them to build up an army to fight other players, or a series of other actions, to reach their chosen ambition to win the game.
There is also a campaign system for Arcs, only elevating it to become not just the greatest board game of this year, but one of the best standard.
Botanicus
Image: Samuele Tabellini, Ferrari Vieri Masseini
Botanicus is a light yet tightly crafted game that involves arranging beautiful gardens to please paying customers. In a worker-placement gameplay style, you and your opponents will share an action board, meaning you can snatch up actions that your opponents desire to thwart their progress. This game surprises with its quick pace, and it is gorgeously illustrated, making it an excellent choice for casual gamers and families while also catering to strategists and avid board game enthusiasts. The need to plan your garden to meet the needs of your customers adds an interesting variable that makes each game unique.
This is a surprisingly quick game, and it’s gorgeously illustrated, meaning it’s a great pick for casual gamers and families whilst also catering to strategists and fervent board gamers. Having to plan out your garden to satisfy your customers makes for an interesting variable that makes every game unique.
One of the most serene games to be released this year, Botanicus offers strategic gameplay that can be enjoyed by all.
Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age
Image: Stan Kordonskiy
In a setting that is not typically seen, in Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age, players will assume the roles of the heads of Minoan clans, vying for the title of Minos. Unlike other board games with a similar objective, you won’t be raising armies and laying waste to the other players. Instead, each player will be forging the identity of their clans through building, trading, and fending off outsiders. Allocating dice to these actions allows players to benefit from high and low rolls, and the tableau-building mechanic is highly satisfying. A game with only four rounds, every action in Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age counts. The player who establishes themselves the most will earn the title of Minos, so good luck!
In a setting not typically seen, in Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age, players will be the heads of Minoan clans, fighting for the title of Minos.
Unlike other board games with a similar goal, you won’t be raising armies and laying waste to the other players. Instead, each player will be carving out the identity of their clans through building, trading, and fighting off outsiders. Allocating dice to these actions allows players to benefit from high and low rolls, and the tableau-building mechanic is satisfying.
A game with only four rounds, every action counts in Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age. The player who establishes themselves the most will earn the title of Minos, so good luck!
Wilmot’s Warehouse
Image: CMYK
Wilmot’s Warehouse is somehow a memory game that’s incredibly fun, silly, and reveals just how good (or bad) your memory is. In this colorful game, you and your friends will be organizing a warehouse filled with dozens of abstract goods. However, when you place a tile, it goes face-down. Once the dozens of items have been placed and the warehouse is full, you all will have to work together to complete the memory game. To make your task easier in Wilmot’s Warehouse, you and your team should come up with stories to help you remember where everything is in relation to each other. Due to the strange nature of the goods, any story you create will be quite silly indeed.
Wilmot’s Warehouse is somehow a memory game that’s incredibly fun, silly, and shows you just how good (or bad) your memory is.
In this colorful game, you and your friends will be organizing a warehouse of dozens of abstract goods. However, when you place a tile, it goes face-down. Once the dozens of items have been placed and the warehouse is full, you will all have to work together to complete the memory game.
To make your job easier in Wilmot’s Warehouse, you and your team should make up stories to help you remember where everything is in relation to each other. Due to the strange nature of the goods, any sort of story you make up will be a silly one indeed.
Harmonies
Image: Johan Benvenuto
Harmonies is a beautiful game of tile placement to secure points for victory. You’ll be given habitat cards that will instruct you on how to create a habitat by arranging a select combination of different colored tiles, and you’ll have to place tiles on your board to form them and score points. It’s super stylish and highly satisfying, and Harmonies will challenge you to fit as many of these arrangements on your boards as possible, leading to advanced puzzling and requiring different perspectives. The tile placement isn’t just 2D; you’ll be forming pillars with the tiles on your small grid. A simple yet deeply tactical game, Harmonies is a stylish puzzle game featuring wonderfully sculpted and painted tokens.
Harmonies is a beautiful game of tile placement to secure points for victory. You’ll be given habitat cards that will instruct you how to form a habitat out of a select arrangement of different colored tiles, and you’ll have to place tiles on your board to form them to score points.
Super stylish and satisfying, Harmonies will have you try to fit as many of these arrangements on your boards as possible, leading to advanced puzzling and requiring different perspectives. The tile placement isn’t just 2D, either. You’ll be forming pillars with the tiles on your small grid.
A simple yet deeply tactical game, Harmonies is a stylish puzzle game of placing wonderfully sculpted and painted tokens.
Operation Barclay
Image: Salt & Pepper Games
Operation Barclay pits two players against each other in the relatively untouched Mediterranean theatre of World War 2. One player will be the Abwehr, who are trying to gather intelligence and evidence about the Allied military placements. The LCS, however, will be attempting to mask and conceal evidence from falling into enemy hands. Players will conduct their battle of espionage and counterintelligence through playing tricks with 5-card hands. However, there is more to the game than simply winning tricks; placing correct bets will earn more tokens than simply winning, meaning that bluffing and playing your opponent is worth more than the luck of the draw. The card game in Operation Barclay is incredibly interesting, as each card features raid or reconnaissance icons, and each player has more than one deck to draw from.
Operation Barclay pits two players against each other in the relatively untouched Mediterranean theatre of World War 2. One player will be the Abwehr, who are trying to gather intel and evidence about the Allied military placements. The LCS, however, will be trying to mask and conceal evidence from falling into enemy hands.
Players will conduct their battle of espionage and counterintelligence through playing tricks with 5-card hands. However, there is more to the game than simply winning tricks, as placing correct bets will earn more tokens than simply winning, meaning that bluffing and playing your opponent is worth more than the luck of the draw.
The card game in Operation Barclay is incredibly interesting, as each card having raid or reconnaissance icons, and each player having more than one deck to draw from.
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
Image: Repos Production
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is an exciting asymmetrical card game for two players. It’s like a heavily condensed version of War of the Ring, with one player representing the Fellowship and the forces of good, and one player taking on the mantle of Sauron. This game is not just a reskin of 7 Wonders Duel, but a whole new game that simply borrows its systems. The pyramid of shared resources is present, with players trying to grab both what they need and what their opponent might need. But there’s also a very unique track that depicts the Fellowship running away from the Nazgul’s, and a board where armies will be placed. The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is an incredible game that truly adapts the systems of 7 Wonders Duel into something much greater, at least in my opinion.
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is an exciting asymmetrical card game for two players. It’s like a heavily condensed version of War of the Ring, with one player representing the Fellowship and the forces of good, and one player taking the mantle of Sauron.
This game is not just a reskin of 7 Wonders Duel, but a whole new game that simply borrows its systems. The pyramid of shared resources is present, with players trying to grab both what they need and what their opponent might need. But there’s also a very unique track that depicts the Fellowship running away from the Nazgul’s, and a board where armies will be placed.
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth is an incredible game that really adapts the systems of 7 Wonders Duel into something much greater, at least in my opinion.
Windmill Valley
Image: Dani Garcia
In Windmill Valley, players take on the roles of tulip farmers and entrepreneurs in the famous Bloemen Route in the Netherlands. An already gorgeous scene, the board game brings it to life with wooden windmill tokens and many colorful tulip tokens that will soon litter the board. Ultimately, Windmill Valley is a euro game, as players build up their engine to fulfill contracts, plant tulips, build windmills, and trade for exotic tulips to earn more points at the end of the game. As players build up their action wheels and plant tulips, the board will become much prettier and more valuable. The theme may be an unusual one for this type of game, but Windmill Valley does it justice by providing an accessible game that’s easy on the eyes.
In Windmill Valley, players take on the roles of tulip farmers and entrepreneurs in the famous Bloemen Route in the Netherlands. An already gorgeous scene, the board game brings it to life with wooden windmill tokens and many colorful tulip tokens that will soon litter the board.
Ultimately, Windmill Valley is a euro game, as players build up their engine to fulfil contracts, plant tulips, build windmills, and trade for exotic tulips for even more points at the end of the game. As players build up their action wheels and plant tulips, the board will become much prettier and much more valuable.
The theme may be an unusual one for this type of game, but Windmill Valley does it justice by providing an accessible game that’s easy on the eyes.
Stamp Swamp
Image: Stomemaier Games
Stamp collecting may not sound like the most thrilling activity, but Stamp Swap brings this infamously boring hobby to life. Stamp Swap‘s main mechanic is the organization and splitting of your stamp collection to swap with another player. The groups will engage in head-to-head competition and divide their collections, and then each group will swap one of their stamp collections. The constant trading and swapping of large groups of tiles is always an enthralling and tense process. You’ll never quite know what you’re going to get. Every round, you can use your collection to score one of four goals, but you’ll have to be careful as each can only be scored once in each game!
Stamp collecting may not sounds like the most riveting thing, but Stamp Swap brings this infamously boring hobby to life.
Stamp Swap‘s main mechanic is the organization and splitting of your stamp collection to swap with another player. The groups will go head to head and will divide their collections, and then each group will swap one of their stamp collections. The constant trading and swapping of large groups of tiles is always an enthralling and tense process. You’ll never quite know what you’re going to get.
Every round, you can use your collection to score one of four goals, but you’ll have to be careful as each can only be scored once in each game!
Beyond The Horizon
Image: Simone Luciani
Beyond The Horizon is a civilization-building game where players will be competing head-to-head to build up their land to create the most successful and influential society. With technological, developmental, and expansion factors at play, there are many ways to score points and outperform your opponents. Interestingly, Beyond The Horizon will only end when enough goals have been reached among the players. As players build and expand, they’ll be earning points, and when the game comes to an end, the player with the most points wins. Having an end point that can vary between games keeps Beyond The
