As soon as Kill Team: Exodite was announced, folks went nuts for its dinosaur riders. And you know what? That's fair. Space elves on the back of dragon-esque velociraptors is one hell of a sales pitch. However, this hides the most appealing thing about the box set.

Aeldari cavalry are all good and well, but the real gem is what they're sitting on – a kickass singleplayer or co-op campaign. This is far more in-depth than I'd expected, and while it's not going to dethrone Warhammer Quest: Darkwater, Kill Team: Exodite feels more like the best board games than I'd anticipated.

If you haven't been keeping up with the grimdark future, this is the latest installment for Warhammer 40K's smaller, leaner spinoff that brings back the eponymous Exodites – isolationist Aeldari who fled to "maiden worlds" before the collapse of their civilization. These guys are famous for riding dinosaurs (or "dragons," as they call them) into battle, so you're getting three here alongside a couple of what I like to think of as emotional support dinos. This Kill Team is being pitted against the Beast Snagga Boyz – Orks that love the thrill of the hunt.

As you might expect, this puts the two on a collision course. The Orks are keen to hunt those maiden worlds for their wildlife, while the Exodite Dragon Masters are honor-bound to protect those same planets. There's no chance of a peaceful solution here, so players must saddle up as dino-knights to see off the Orkish invaders across a sprawling campaign of missions. These greenskins are controlled by a clever matrix of behaviours, meaning you don't need anyone to control them.

Much like Armageddon, the launch box for Warhammer 40K's latest edition, Kill Team: Exodite does a great job of making you feel as though the weight of an entire world rests on your shoulders. A lot of time is spent building up the lore of the maiden world that the Orks have invaded, and the campaign itself features branching paths based on the approach you want to take or your success. This really puts you in the driver's seat and makes you feel in charge of this story.

However, unlike the previous box set, Kill Team: Terror on Devlan, your characters earn upgrades as they progress. This only helps enrich that sense of ownership.

Is it odd that Kill Team has focused on two singleplayer/co-op campaigns rather than its traditional competitive match-type? Yeah, a bit – and I'm now eager to see what the next 'season' holds, because we're due a head-to-head box set with a new Kill Zone to fight over. (I can't believe it's already been a year since we last got that with Kill Team: Tomb World.) But I shouldn't complain, because this fits a niche that 40K didn't really have – a legitimate singleplayer mode. We don't all have regular gaming groups or friends who like to play, after all, so this is a great way of getting matches in solo.

Plus, you do get some awesome dragon-riding space elves. So there's always that, if nothing else.

Looking for other recommendations? Don't miss our guide to the best tabletop RPGs. As for more Warhammer, the Ogor Mawtribes have won me over with how gross their mechanics are.

I used to love the heroes in a half-shell as a kid, but I didn't really remember how much until I cracked open some MTG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle booster packs. This crossover is such a love letter to the series, with deep cuts that had me going "oh yeah, I remember them!" and generally geeking out.

Designed to be fully compatible with core Magic: The Gathering, MTG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards can be played with most match types… and they're currently a lot cheaper to get hold of than usual thanks to Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale. Numerous box sets – from the co-op Turtle Team-Up to fast-paced Draft Night – are on offer right now, and the prices here are far better than I'm seeing at the likes of Amazon. Because Magic's one of the best card games, such massive savings aren't as common.

Now, there is some consternation amongst the community about crossover sets like these because of whether or not they 'fit' Magic's aesthetic… not to mention how they're taking up increasingly more space on the release schedule. Indeed, the issue recently blew up when MTG head designer Mark Rosewater says fans must adapt or "walk away" if they don't like Universes Beyond. While I agree with those concerns (it's jarring to see Donatella fighting alongside high fantasy goblins, for example, and I'm bummed out at them taking up 50% of the lineup), I don't think you could ever claim that Magic isn't putting 100% into the design of releases like MTG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Besides boasting sumptuous art, they have clever mechanics – like Sneak, which allows you to swap out cards and hit your opponent with a nasty surprise – that genuinely enrich the game. As such, I do understand the appeal.

Particularly if you're a diehard fan of the franchise in question. Like I say, I was instantly transported back to being a kid in front of the cartoon on Saturday morning when opening packs, and that's the kind of feeling I wish I could bottle.

• Browse more MTG deals at Amazon

For more tabletop recommendations, be sure to stop by our guide to the best board games and the best tabletop RPGs.

Jimothy, the viral raccoon from Seattle with suspected short spine syndrome, has been added to numerous games by modders, and many developers have paid tribute on social media with art featuring the raccoon in their games' style. Wizards of the Coast has gone one step further, though, by creating an official Dungeons & Dragons stat block for the "beloved cryptid."

Companies often try to jump on viral trends as part of their marketing, and few things have gone as viral as Jimothy's long legs and rotund frame. The raccoon with the rare mutation can be found all over the internet, not just in the few clips of him frolicking around the neighborhood.

The teams behind Cult of the Lamb, World of Warcraft, Old School Runescape, P.I. Mouse For Hire, Dead by Daylight, Among Us, and undoubtedly many more have all released pictures on social media of Jimothy rendered in their games' art styles. Modders who are enamored with Jimothy have also added him to Skyrim and Stardew Valley.

Triptherift's mod will let you interact with and talk to Jimothy in Skyrim. Kirbysteaks has added Jimothy to Stardew Valley as a type of livestock, and plurffle has made a mod that allows you to purchase Jimothy from Marnie, once you have your pet license, of course.

However, to our knowledge, only one company has been brave enough to officially add our latest overlord into its game. Wizards of the Coast has released an official stat block for Jimothy in Dungeons & Dragons and has bestowed upon him the title of "Beloved Cryptid." His special skills include 'Compact Frame,' which allows him to squeeze through gaps less than four inches wide, and 'Hurl Garbage,' a ranged attack that bludgeons and poisons the target.

Jimothy hasn't officially shown up in a video game yet, but we're sure it's only a matter of time.

Hasbro CEO says "you should expect more" crossovers for D&D

MagicCon Amsterdam 2026 had a lot to say, to the point that I'm still reeling. Between announcements for brand-new sets in 2027 and a host of Secret Lair drops, it was a flurry of reveals that didn't stop hitting across the weekend. Fans of the best card games were eating well, let's just put it that way.

Because so much was unveiled, and keeping up with it all is something of a headache, I've rounded up the biggest news from MagicCon Amsterdam 2026 (an annual celebration of Magic: The Gathering with big news and community events) right here. That includes a bite-sized summary, so you can catch up on the latest happenings quickly.

2027 release schedule

As well as giving fans the lowdown on 2026's releases, we got the lowdown on next year's lineup – and it feels pretty stacked. There are three new sets dropping in 2027 that introduce new settings or bring back old favorites, interspersed with three Universes Beyond sets that have yet to be revealed.

Nauctis: The Sunken Realm – February 7 2027

Magic is finally getting its underwater setting! This has been one of the most requested planes for a while, and players will be able to explore the oceans from shallows to abyss in this set. Humans are the outlier here and must use diving suits to get by in a world of sea-dwelling species like lobster folk.

Kamigawa: Titanbreach – June 4, 2027

The Japan-inspired plane of Kamigawa returns next year, but it isn't alone; it's being invaded by Ikoria, the plane of monsters. Basically, that means a Magic spin on Pacific Rim – we're talking mechs vs giant kaiju.

Zhalfir – October 1, 2027

One of Magic's oldest settings is returning at last after a long absence, this time in its own plane. The Afrofantasy Zhalfir is getting a full set for the first time, split between a world of endless day that's lit by five suns and the spirit realm of eternal darkness.

Universes Beyond

Although Wizards of the Coast announced that we would be getting three crossover sets in 2027, including when they'll arrive, there's no word on what they'll be. You can start theorizing now, in other words.

• Universes Beyond set – April 9, 2027
• Universes Beyond set – August 6, 2027
• Universe Beyond set – November 19, 2027

Reality Fracture

This year's final mainline set (Reality Fracture) was a major focus for Magic Con 2026, and we finally know what we're up against. Narratively, it's the culmination of longtime hero Jace's fall from grace. After suffering some pretty rotten luck over the last few years, such as being assimilated/'compleated' by the evil Phyrexians, he decided that enough was enough; this multiverse sucks, he thought, so it's time for a new one.

That's his mission in the set: replace the real world with his 'improved' multiverse (the "Echoverse") that removes villains like the Phyrexians. The downside is that it'd destroy the MTG world we've come to know and love. Because most people don't like the idea of being erased from existence, MTG's heroes are opposing him… but the Echoverse has created twisted reflections of each hero, so they'll be met by bizarre doppelgangers. Cue a massive fight.

Mechanically speaking, these Echoverse characters mirror their inspiration. The fire-wielding Chandra Nalaar is challenged by a frost-powered version, for example, while others flip the character's classic color association. As a case in point, standard green Garruk wants creatures to enter, while Echoverse black Garruk wants them to leave.

However, it's not just Planeswalkers who are getting mirror images. Every booster pack for the set features an 'echoed pair,' showing the normal version alongside a twisted variant. Similarly, a lot of classic MTG staples have also received Echoverse versions that flip the script.

Reality Fracture is available from October 2, 2026.

Secret Lair

All eyes may have been on Reality Fracture and 2027's lineup, but Secret Lair was quietly churning out surprise after surprise.

• Stardew Valley Superdrop: This is a crossover I never expected, but it's bringing the goods. A staggering number of cards have been created for the drop (as shown on MTG's blog), and they include a new-to-Magic Stardew Valley land card alongside a mechanic for gifting cards. It's out on July 27, 2026.
• Hatsune Miku: As of August 10, 2026, a Secret Lair Commander Deck themed around the virtual singer will take center stage.
• Hobbit Superdrop: It's not enough for The Hobbit to be getting its own set, because Secret Lair is getting in on the action with a range of different cards on August 14, 2026. That includes some very handsome food tokens detailing a hobbit's meal plan (from breakfast to supper) along with some gorgeous alt treatments that use drastically different styles like claymation.
• Masters of the Universe: Yes, He-Man and co are making their way to MTG as of September 14, 2026.
• A Perfectly Normal Superdrop: This range is available as of September 1, 2026 and features an incredibly random lineup of cards from Marvel characters like Joe Fixit to the return of classics such as the Shivan Dragon.
• Chaos Vault Het Moment Is Daar: Five cards bedecked in beautiful classic Marvel art became available during MagicCon, ranging from Scarlet Witch's Hex Magic to Spidey villain Hammerhead.
• Festival in a Box Amsterdam 2026: This drop went live during MagicCon and sold out pretty much instantly. A green-themed treasure trove, it featured a Mystery Booster 2 Display, four exclusive promo cards, and the Wild in Bloom drop.

The Hobbit

As the next set on the release schedule, MTG's Hobbit got plenty of love at Magic Con Amsterdam 2026. The focus was primarily on new cards, with an emphasis on those that introduce new or returning mechanics. The most notable ones are "Storied," which provides permanent bonuses if you control three or more artifacts, legendary permanents, and/or Sagas, and "Recruit," which lets you pick up a card, discard a card, and create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token if it was a nonland.

We also got our first look at some of the alt-art treatments for the set, which include old-school book cover cards and dwarvish language cards.

Community events

It wasn't just new sets and card reveals for Magic Con 2026; Wizards of the Coast also showed off the litany of community-focused events that'd be coming our way next year. Here are the headlines.

MagicCon 2027

Rather than just having a couple of MagicCon events for 2027, there will be four scattered across the globe next year.

• MagicCon Detroit: February 26-28, 2027
• MagicCon Tokyo: May 14-16, 2027
• MagicCon Las Vegas: August 27-29, 2027
• MagicCon Amsterdam: December 3-5, 2027

Mystery Booster Commander Edition

The Mystery Booster format is wildly popular despite only being available from in-person events like MagicCon, and it features both old favorites and weird playtest cards for a one-of-a-kind experience. So popular, in fact, that the idea is now being given a shakeup with a Commander-themed version. Besides the usual mix of previous cards, it's adding over 50 brand-new ones not seen anywhere else. A great example is Tolabow, Loch Rascal, which creates 1/1 otter tokens whenever you cast an instant or sorcery.

Hall of Fame

Think you have what it takes to become one of the best Magic players around? Now's your chance, because Wizards of the Coast is looking for new additions in 2026 and 2028. You can get the full details via the MTG blog, but you've got to have five "Top Finishes" in major events – e.g. you have to be in the top eight for the Arena Championship or have won the Magic Online Showcase over the past few years.

Want something to play while you wait for all this juicy Magic goodness to drop? Don't miss the best board games, or the best tabletop RPGs.

They say a change is as good as a rest, and by the end of Warhammer 40,000 10th Edition, I was in dire need of either.

Not that 10th Edition wasn't great – it had just gotten a little samey. Well, that's all out the window now because Warhammer 40K 11th Edition is here and I've smashed my way through a tournament's worth of games over the past two weeks to get the lowdown on the new version of the wargame.

We didn't get a full rules overhaul this time around – which means all our 10th edition Codexes still work and most of the core rules remain relatively familiar – but that doesn't mean that there haven't been some significant changes to the way we play Warhammer 40,000.

The good

Off the bat, I'll say this: I like Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition. It feels like a refined version of the game that we've all been playing for the past three years, with a lot of quality-of-life upgrades baked into it.

The overhauls to both terrain and objectives – which resulted in terrain becoming the objectives – have massively shaken up what a 40K board looks like, while the new army dispositions and asymmetric primary missions have given a similarly seismic shuffle to how we build our lists and play the game itself.

Secondary missions feel fairer too, because you can stockpile them, so you're never punished for drawing "Behind Enemy Lines" in the early game or pulling "Assassinate" when all your opponent's characters are hidden.

Getting to build your army towards a specific goal instead of generic missions adds a ton of flavour; my Necrons don't care much for reconnaissance, but they do love to stand in a place and proudly declare dibs, and I can build a list almost exclusively with that in mind now. I love the new detachment system, which lets you glue multiple detachments together to buff different unit types. It helps massively in the flavour department, something that was often lacking in 10th.

Battleshock is more impactful; attached characters no longer forget half of their rules when their unit dies; flying units can actually fly over buildings again… the list of improvements goes on and on.

To top it all off, this feels like the most balanced start to an edition of Warhammer 40K that I can remember, and, most importantly, the game is fun to play. I'm having a great time, and so are my opponents. What more could you want?

The bad

OK, now for all the "more you could want".

I said this is the most balanced start to an edition of Warhammer 40K that we've ever had, and while I stand by that, some balance issues are creeping up already, specifically around the five dispositions. Take & Hold, Priority Assets, and Reconnaissance all seem to be broadly in line with each other, but the other two have some issues.

Purge the Foe is just too strong and too singularly focused as it stands. While other dispositions need to vary up their game plan a little, Purge the Foe just needs to kill you stone dead. There's a danger it pushes the game into a "who can table who first" competition, which is rarely a fun time for Warhammer.

Disruption has the opposite issue; it asks too much of players, and the rewards are just a bit weaker than those in other detachments. You need an ungodly number of trash units to make it work, which means you can find yourself bleeding resources just to keep up, while your opponent has a much simpler and less costly objective to achieve. The missions can be tweaked, so I'm not too worried here long term, but it's an issue to acknowledge.

Some matchups also feel a tad noninteractive – games where players can avoid getting into a serious brawl with each other and still score 80+ points each. This can lead to some boring-ass games of 40K, so I'd like to see tweaks to these mission combos to force some engagement.

Another elephant in the room is that "toeing into terrain" is back. In 10th edition, if you touched a unit (like a tank) partially into a building, you could see into it, but not out the other side – you needed to be entirely within that terrain piece to shoot out the other side. That's no longer the case in 11th, and when combined with the new terrain layouts, it results in some frighteningly long sight lines across the board.

Fast guns are always strong in 40K, but this rule change is stacking the deck further in their direction. 10th Edition was smart enough to avoid this mistake. Again, this is an easy fix, and I suspect 11th will eventually revert to the old ways, but for now, prepare to get blasted from downtown.

The unknown

We're less than a month into the lifespan of Warhammer 40K 11th edition, and we have no idea what's in store for us as the edition progresses.

The codexes remain a mystery, beyond a brief glance at the contents page for the debut book – Codex Orks – from the Big Summer Preview, and they're certainly going to shake up the foundations of the game in a big way. We've seen a taster of how they'll work with the swathe of 1DP detachments that were added to the game alongside the Armageddon launch box, but these are bolt-ons to make the 10th Edition books work with 11th Edition.

The codexes will be built with this new edition in mind, and that offers a lot of opportunities for great (and terrible) things. GW are no strangers to releasing an overpowered codex at the best of times, but now they need to balance books built for 11th against a bunch of hangers-on from the previous iteration.

Hell, even some of the 1DP detachments they've already added are a little too strong, with the Librarius Conclave and Sekhetar Cohort both springing to mind. We've got our first balance pass due any day now, and I'm sure they'll get some appropriate nerfs, but it's a constant game of whack-a-mole that we've seen before.

For something to play in between matches, why not check out the best board games?

If "murderhobo" was an army, I think it'd be the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Ogor Mawtribes. These monstrous gluttons are interested in one thing: eating and fighting. Well, that's two – but in my defense, they're one and the same thing for these horrors.

The mechanics of the Mawtribes' overindulgence force me to really play up to that idea, which ends up the perfect marriage of theme with gameplay. Everything about the Ogor Mawtribes is designed to make them hit hard and chow down harder, with combat often allowing your troops to take literal chunks out of other Warhammer Age of Sigmar armies. They're utterly disgusting, and that really helps them stand out from their rivals.

Barbaric goodness

This faction of gross gourmands was first introduced in 2005 for the Warhammer Fantasy Battles system, but back then, they were simply known as Ogres. Their range didn't change much with the introduction of the streamlined Age of Sigmar wargame; they simply got a new title and were left to it, becoming a nomadic species known for their love of food and fighting. That means many of their models are now decades old, and while they've held up surprisingly well to the ravages of time, they're in dire need of a spruce… and that's exactly what 2026's refresh does.

The Ogor Mawtribes Army Set is our first chance to take this revamp for a spin, and I was able to get my hands on a copy early following its announcement in the Big Summer Warhammer Preview 2026. Although it's lighter on headcount (which should tell you something about how hard the faction hits), there's plenty of barbaric goodness inside. Besides a full Spearhead force featuring a Tyrant leader, Maulbeast Cavalry, elite Ironguts infantry, and Gluttons foot-soldiers, the set includes a special edition version of the Battletome alongside 52 Warscroll cards.

I went into this unsure of what to expect, because my only experience with Ogors have been via mercenary units for the likes of Cities of Sigmar (a faction that brings back the weird, old Warhammer I love so dearly). However, it's immediately obvious that these new models are so much more dynamic than their forebears while still honoring their distinctive vibe. As is probably befitting their more… to-the-point attitude, they're really not that complicated to make. However, that doesn't mean they lack personality. There are plenty of customization options (more so than last year's excellent Helsmiths of Hashut, anyway), and while you'll need to be careful of certain heads only working on specific torsos, you can personalize the force a decent amount.

Bowled over

Their gameplay is an equally no-fuss affair. The Ogor Mawtribes aren't interested in the art of war or complex weaponry; they just wanna hit stuff, and then eat it whenever possible. This translates to incredibly tough troops who hit hard but will always be outnumbered – particularly with the Mawglutt Maurauders Spearhead featured in this box, whose troops don't all turn up until later in the game. This apparently represents their nomadic nature, but it also likely evens the playing field.

That kind of theme-to-mechanics thinking carries over into visceral, hard-hitting rules that make this army a lot of dumb fun to use. I adore the "Eat 'Em Alive" rule, for example; it shows your Ogors having picked up enemy body parts to chew on during the fight phase, providing numerous benefits like adding to their Control score or giving them dangerous bonuses. The "Bull Charge" is also a laugh; after charging, you can move your target three inches back to represent them being bowled over like tenpins.

All this makes the Ogor Mawtribes army a great fit for anyone that prefers the "just smack things" approach to Warhammer, or as a starter force that doesn't need to deal with much complexity. Mawtribes is also a great choice for a second army as a result, because its smaller number of models makes it easier to paint quickly, and the rules don't require quite as much juggling as others.

In other words? This is one of the few times where the game actively encourages you to be a murderhobo…

Looking for something else you can play on the tabletop? Don't miss our guide to the best board games.

MTG has revealed three new sets for 2027, featuring both fan-favorite and unfamiliar settings that will arrive alongside as-yet unnamed Universes Beyond products.

Revealed as a part of Magic Con 2026, these three new sets will launch between February and October of next year. They divide attention between long-requested ideas like an underwater setting and the return of beloved realms – in this case, Kamigawa and Zhalfir. Fans of the best card games will likely recognize the latter two as they've been part of MTG lore for a long time, but these upcoming appearances drastically shake things up. For Kamigawa, it's being beset by giant monsters… forcing citizens to armor up in powerful mechs. As for Zhalfir, it's getting a full set for the first time and will dive deep into rich Afrofantasy lore we've not seen before.

So, what about those Universes Beyond releases? It's certainly a hot topic right now (especially after MTG head designer Mark Rosewater says fans must adapt or "walk away" if they don't like Universes Beyond), but publisher Wizards of the Coast is staying quiet for now. All we know from Magic Con 2026 is that three unnamed sets will launch in April, August, and November – with more details to follow.

Nauctis The Sunken Realm – February 5, 2027

This water-world takes us beneath the waves of a brand-new setting, charting welcoming shallows to the deepest abyss. While we've seen plenty of underwater creatures and locales throughout Magic's history, this is the game's first purely ocean-bound set.

That means a host of new species beyond the merfolk you're likely to expect, ranging from lobster folk and strange penguin sages to walrus warriors. (Humans are the minority here, requiring diving gear to get anywhere.) Taking place under the sea also makes this the first set in a long while, if ever, to ditch MTG's 'flying' mechanic. You can't fly underwater and positioning isn't such an issue when you can swim in any direction, after all. While we don't know much about it, MTG devs are promising an evasive replacement.

A unique challenge of Nauctis was apparently working out how all five mana colors look – and operate – underwater. MTG's solution includes the likes of green-adjacent kelp forests, black-themed whale carcasses on the ocean floor, and hot springs to represent red.

Kamigawa Titanbreach – June 4, 2027

We're going back to the Japan-inspired plane of Kamigawa next summer, but it's not quite as you remember – and that probably has something to with it being invaded by Ikoria, the plane of monsters. The result is basically Pacific Rim; kaiju are rampaging across the world, and mechs are deployed to stop them. Chunks of Ikoria itself are also tumbling into Kamigawa like meteors, so it's very unlikely either setting will come out of this the same.

According to the design team, a lot of focus has been placed on how the people of Kamigawa cope with the invasion of monsters that literally dwarf everything around them – and you quickly get a sense of that from artwork where heroes are tiny specs on artwork featuring larger-than-life foes. What does it mean for these two worlds to combine, and what happens to the citizens stuck in the middle? It feels like we may end up with an MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed situation going forward, where both realms are entwined together.

Zhalfir – October 1, 2027

One of Magic's older locations is finally making a triumphant return toward the end of next year, and this is the first time we're seeing it explored as its own setting (Zhalfir was originally located on Dominaria but phased out during the First Phyrexian War, and has come back as a plane in its own right). It's divided between a world of endless day lit by five suns and the spirit realm, a place of eternal darkness that's home to ancestors… but also monsters.

This Afrofantasy world is heavily inspired by African culture and mythology. With that in mind, the team worked to make sure it was as authentic and Afrocentric as possible, using cultural consultants, Afro-futurist authors, and African historians to ensure it stayed true to that ideal. (It's also worth noting that the trailer for the set featured a predominantly Black development team.)

"I hope the people who see this and haven't seen themselves represented in such a way, I just hope they feel empowered, excited, energized, and inspired to also know that they are represented, their body-types are represented," says senior art director and concept artist for Zhalfir, Lauren Brown.

Want something to play while we wait for these new sets? Try the best board games.

The debate over third-party franchises in MTG has raged for years now, but the issue just came to a head with head designer Mark Rosewater suggesting that those who don't like Universes Beyond should either adapt or leave the game behind.

In response to a fan expressing concern over how Rosewater responded to previous complaints about Universes Beyond, the designer writes on tumblr that there are only three paths forward for fans of the best card games: they must either accept the change, find like-minded players who don't want to use crossover sets, or "walk away" from MTG altogether.

"None of those is inherently easy," Rosewater says after comparing some fans' dislike of Universes Beyond to his own struggle in adapting to the player-led Commander format. "I really do understand your pain." However, he warns that there's no going back to how things used to be; the genie's out of the bottle.

"This just isn’t the way the game or the world works. Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it’s just not going back in," he suggests. "Whether you like or dislike Universe Beyond, it has fundamentally changed the nature of what the game is. It’s taking the game to a whole new level, in both scope and awareness, much like Commander forever changed how people saw and interacted with the game."

Fans on reddit are taking issue with that comparison to Commander, though. As pointed out by user Anubara in the thread's most upvoted comment, "there's a difference between 'I don't like commander, so I will continue playing 60 card formats and not interact with commander', and 'I don't like universes beyond, but it's legal in every format.'" Many seem to be in agreement; KARLWHEEZER says that "the issue is that it really is unavoidable at every level of magic aside from draft and cube," while others criticize how Commander is an opt-in format compared to Universes Beyond now being available across most major playstyles.

For what it's worth, I understand fan frustration. While it looks like a cool set, it'll be jarring to see the likes of Captain Kirk in November's Star Trek (which features ultra-rare cards signed by actors) beating up dragons. Yes, we had the sci-fi Edge of Eternities last year, but that was designed from the ground up to be a part of the MTG multiverse – it shared a lot of design language with Magic mainstays. By contrast, Star Trek, TMNT, and the rest can feel sort of… thematically tacked on, as it were, despite having a lot of love put into them both mechanically and in terms of overall design. (I'll argue with anyone who says they're phoned in, because that's simply not true.)

Still, I also understand where Rosewater is coming from. There's no denying how popular Universes Beyond is, and as he says, you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube now; it's too much of a success for that. After all, last year's Final Fantasy set was one of the fastest-selling MTG sets ever made, period - and according to MTG owner Hasbro's Q1 2026 financial report, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a big hit too. Plus, the simple fact that more Universes Beyond sets are being produced than ever suggests this hasn't been an isolated incident. As such, I suppose we've got no choice but to find a way of living in a world where Universes Beyond make up 50% of annual MTG releases.

It may not always be this way, of course; in a tumblr response to fan feedback, Rosewater has reiterated that Magic "will always follow the will of the players, as a collective whole [...] Just because we do something one way doesn’t mean we will always do it that way. If opinion shifts, we will shift with it."

In short? Universes Beyond might not always be the focus it is right now.

Any change would come down to the community voting with their wallet though, and at the moment, sales indicate that many are digging Universes Beyond... even if those sets aren't to everyone's liking. Rosewater addresses this directly by pointing out that "what you personally believe the direction of the game should go might not be the current desire of the collective whole. And recognizing your perspective is not lined up with that of the larger collective can be hard to do."

All the same, Rosewater makes it clear that he isn't trying to silence fans by saying this or with previous talk of walking away. In his response, he writes that "we very much listen to what you all are saying, and I never want people to feel that they shouldn’t be empowered to share their opinion."

What do you think? Is Universes Beyond pushing you away from MTG, or are you all in on crossovers? Let me know in the comments.

Want something to take your mind off all this? Try the best board games or, if you're planning a vacation, the best travel board games.

We've now got our first look at MTG Star Trek after months of waiting, and fans of the franchise should set their phasers to "holy crap" – it includes some incredibly cool but impossibly rare cards collectors will wanna get their hands on.

Alongside the reveal of a (surprisingly extensive) product lineup that ranges from Commander Decks to beginner boxes, publisher Wizards of the Coast pulled back the curtain on the set's most valuable cards: extremely limited character cards signed in person by the actors. While there are seven of these cards in total (including Captain Kirk and Captain Janeway so far), only 200 or so have been made for each one across the entire MTG Star Trek range.

As you might expect, these aren't going to turn up just anywhere. The signed autograph cards can only be found in Collector Booster packs, so fans of both Star Trek and the best card games should make a beeline for those when MTG Star Trek launches in November 2026.

Naturally, those weren't the only cards to be shown off. We also got our first look at an Enterprise card (the Enterprise D from Next Generation) that brings back the 'Station' mechanic from last year's sci-fi Edge of Eternities set. In essence, you've got to use creatures to power it up with charge counters until it activates, at which point it becomes a powerful artifact creature in its own right. This represents crew-members manning their posts.

By the looks of things, thematic mechanics such as this are laced throughout MTG Star Trek. The Borg can assimilate and take over rival creature cards, for example, letting you infect the table. (Resistance is futile, after all.) Meanwhile, Captain Janeway 'Explores' just as she does in Voyager – you reveal the top card of your library, and if it's a land, you put it into your hand.

Thematic mechanics like this will be seen in full force throughout MTG Star Trek's four Commander Decks. Speaking of which, here's everything you need to know about them along with the other products launching as part of MTG Star Trek:

We'll apparently get more details about MTG Star Trek over the next few months, with a large info dump to come in October. The set will then launch in November, 2026.

For something to play before then, why not check out the best board games? As for more Magic, MTG Hobbit reignites the "no pumpkins allowed in Middle-earth" debate, and yes, it's as wild as it sounds.

I wasn't expecting a board game to unlock this primal fear of the sea within me, but here we are. Trapped beneath the waves and running out of oxygen with an armful of treasure weighing you down? Er, no, thank you. I'll pass.

Except I won't, as Deep Sea Adventure is a bloody excellent board game.

Developed by Oink Games (those of Scout fame), this aquatic board game is all about nabbing as much loot from the ocean floor as possible before running out of air – you're playing chicken with the sea, basically. It's clearly taken notes from the best travel board games, too; it comes in a tiny box, doesn't take ages to play, and is pretty simple yet very replayable.

The tricky part here is knowing when to call it quits. There are four tiers of treasure with increasingly high points values to choose from, but the most valuable gear sits right at the bottom of the ocean. Because this uses up the most oxygen to carry back, and the round ends once your shared air reaches zero, you've got to weigh up when to keep going or when to rush back to homebase. Plus, these treasure tiles being so far from the sub means you've got more ground to cover on your return journey. Seeing as you only move as many spaces as you can roll on two dice, going that deep is a risk – particularly late in a round.

Sure, luck plays a definite role – if you roll badly, you're in trouble. But that's why it's so important to judge when to stop. That's where the skill is; knowing your limits, as in many of the best board games.

I found this to be a really enchanting challenge. It's not difficult to grasp, but requires a lot of thought to come out on top. For me, that makes it a great choice for taking on vacation. OK, so I might not recommend it for a cruise – my nerves have limits, after all. But as a travel board game, it really cuts the mustard.

I'll just try not to think too hard about the imaginary divers who perished on our playtest sessions…

For more tabletop recommendations, don't miss the best family board games. As for something else on the go, you need this travel-size pirate card game.

The Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set is like a good science teacher; it's patient, generous, doesn't take itself too seriously, and delights in blowing shit up for educational purposes. If you're new to Warhammer (or wargaming in general), rest easy. You're in good hands here.

Rather than tackling a 40 year-old game that's now on its 11th edition head on, this beginner box takes a different approach – it breaks everything down into bite-size, step-by-step chunks that are easy to get your head around. The Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set also provides everything you need to get started in this hobby, from paints to accessories. Although there are some compromises (clippers would have been a nice addition, and it could do with extra paints like white), it's surprisingly good value overall.

Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set features & design

True to its name, the Warhammer 40K Introductory Box Set aims to give you a taste for the game – and provide a springboard you can use to jump into full games. The box furnishes you with a small armory of content, and I'm genuinely impressed with what you get.

First up, you'll become the proud general of six Space Marines (five Intercessors along with a Lieutenant) and just as many Orks (five Boyz and a Boss Nob). These come in pieces that you simply twist off the sprue and push together - no glue required. Even if it's your first time making a Warhammer model, it shouldn't take much more than a half an hour per side. Everything slots neatly and logically into place.

Second, you receive a handful of paints along with a paintbrush to slap some color on your models. When combined with a range ruler, dice, a battlemat, and thin card scenery, your tabletop battles will start to look fancy.

Finally, you'll find a streamlined rulebook with an introduction to the game's mechanics in addition to some backstory that helps ground you in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

In other words, it's a comprehensive starter pack. While I think a couple of extra key paints and clippers would seal the deal (the latter allows you to remove pieces from sprues without leaving plastic nubs on your models), I'm genuinely taken aback at how good this offering is.

Plus, the models aren't repeats - we've never seen them before. While it would have been easy to include the same Space Marine Intercessors and Ork Boyz featured in other sets (such as this edition's launch box, Armageddon), these sculpts are unique. Crucially, I'd argue that they're more dynamic on the whole. They feel like individuals with distinct characters, not unlike operatives from Warhammer's Kill Team skirmish game.

Gameplay

If you're concerned about being overwhelmed, don't be; although there's a lot to take in with 40K, the Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set breaks it all down into bite-size chunks that drip-feed everything you need to know across multiple missions. Much like the Kill Team Starter Set, it does this with step-by-step actions that are given a light-touch narrative so you aren't just drudging through dry mechanics. There are plenty of examples that help contextualize what's going on too, so most should find they have a good grasp of what's going on before long.

Once these tutorials are finished, it's time for war. You're then let loose with all the box's models on scenarios that provide your first proper taste of Warhammer. This isn't the full Warhammer 40K, of course; it's a stripped back version so as not to overwhelm newcomers. However, this will give you the grounding you need to jump into 40K proper.

Are you going to hunger for something more once you've run a few matches? Absolutely. Those flimsy card terrain pieces leave something to be desired as well, because they're incredibly thin so could tear or bend under pressure. But as a first step into Warhammer 40,000, I'd say this Introductory Set nails the assignment.

Should you buy the Warhammer 40,000 Introductory Set?

In the end, whether you should buy the Warhammer 40K Introductory Set can be answered with a single question: are you undecided about whether you'll commit to Warhammer 40,000, or are you totally new to wargaming? If the answer to either of those is yes, it's the perfect on-ramp. It has everything you need to get going, and those bite-size missions ease you into the mechanics.

If the answer is no, though, you may be better off looking elsewhere. The full Starter Set provides Warhammer 40K's complete rules and features two full Combat Patrol armies alongside a table's worth of plastic terrain. It's excellent value overall. Meanwhile, the individual starter boxes for Space Marines and Orks get you a playable army with the necessary paints and quickstart rules. They're a money-conscious way of starting an army if you just want one of those factions, not both.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

This sample was provided by the manufacturer.

League of Legends trading card game Riftbound is set to release its fourth set, Vendetta, later this month on July 31. Previews of cards for the upcoming set have already begun, and we here at GamesRadar+ have our very own duo of cards to share with players excited to see what's coming next for one of the best card games in recent years.

It's worth noting here that Vendetta is set to introduce new mechanics like Flow, Burn, and Empower alongside the new unit type Unit-Gear (which counts as both) as well as "decrees" – all of which you can read about in the official Riftbound: Vendetta overview.

Zed, From the Shadows

Our big reveal for this particular set is the Overnumbered Champion Unit Zed, From the Shadows. He's got 4 Might and costs 4 Energy on top of the requirement to recycle a Fury rune. Fairly straightforward, but that's about where things end.

"You may discard 1 as an additional cost to play me" gets its own line, and technically is its own ability. While this Zed card doesn't feature Flow, Burn, or Empower, discarding to the trash is an interesting ability given how many different mechanics now play with the trash.

If you've paid the additional cost while playing Zed, you can also play a 0 Might Shadow Clone unit token. But, what does that mean, exactly? I'm so glad you asked…

Shadow Clone

On paper, a 0 Might unit token isn't necessarily going to wow anyone, but Shadow Clone's ability to banish a unit from your trash when attacking in order to give it Assault 4 on a turn (+4 Might when attacking) can be fairly menacing. Something that was once harmless is suddenly rather deadly with a single banished card. Because the Shadow Clone operates as its own unit, this also opens up all sorts of other shenanigans based on positioning or unit-targeting spells.

Further Riftbound: Vendetta cards are expected to be revealed through July 18, so be sure to keep an eye on the official Riftbound card gallery. As noted above, Riftbound: Vendetta is set to release on July 31, and we'll be sure to keep you updated on where to buy Riftbound cards.

For recommendations on what to play while you wait, why not try the best board games? If you're arranging a vacation, on the other hand, here are the best travel board games.

We're just a month or so away from the release of MTG The Hobbit, but those tricksy halflings are up to mischief already – the community has cottoned on to there being pumpkins in Magic's version of the Shire, and it's reignited a debate that's sent me down one hell of a rabbit hole.

As often happens with new sets for the best card games, MTG The Hobbit features specially themed cards… including seasonal basic lands that follow a hobbit hole through the year from Spring to snowy Winter. One card has pumpkins in pride of place outside the door for Fall, and that's where our problem begins. You see, pumpkins aren't allowed in Middle-earth. As in, at all – and the Tolkien estate has a history with making damn sure these squashes are forcibly evicted from Lord of the Rings.

In a reddit thread discussing the cards, user PublicOutcome27 points out that "it's really weird to see giant orange pumpkins (Themselves a modern breed from the 60s/70s [...]) in the Shire" before giving a very insightful explanation as to why that blew my mind. Middle-earth is apparently supposed to be prehistoric Europe in a time history forgot (with the Shire being roughly where modern-day Oxford is in England today), so Tolkien was dedicated to making sure it highlighted local flora and fauna you'd find on that continent. Because pumpkins are found in North America, they shouldn't be available here. Sorry, Bilbo Baggins – no Jack-o-Lantern for you.

While MTG seems to have gotten away with this, other developers haven't been so lucky. As originally discussed in a Polygon article, developers who'd worked on Lord of the Rings-related video game projects told stories about how the Tolkien estate came down hard on them for including pumpkins and even tomatoes in their work. Hidden Path Entertainment CEO Jeff Pobst says that his team at the time "had pumpkin patches in the Shire" for a Fellowship of the Ring game from the early 2000s, "and the Tolkien Enterprises people went nuts about it." They then had to pause production while these were removed.

Honestly, it feels like a bit of a weird hill to die on – and Tolkien himself had to backtrack after including New World produce in his work like potatoes, corn, and tobacco. (He suggested that Aragorn's ancestors, the Numenoreans, may have shipped it over.) And as pointed out by Fit-Government8676, "i could be wrong but i dont think there were elves and nazgul in europe either."

What do you think? Would you prefer that pumpkins stay away from Middle-earth, or are you happy for the halflings to invent pumpkin spice lattes a few millennia early?

For recommendations on what to play before MTG The Hobbit arrives, why not try the best board games or the best tabletop RPGs? As for gaming on the go, we're also covering the best travel board games right now.

Former Grinding Gear Games co-founder and Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson previously sold parts of his Magic: The Gathering card collection "to fund the company" during PoE's development, but has since amassed one of the biggest and most valuable Magic collections the world has ever seen, as he demonstrates in a new video.

Wilson could – but in this video, does not – claim to have one of the top 10 or even top five biggest Magic collections known to exist.

Showing off "My Oldest Magic: The Gathering Cards," Wilson shows page after page, pile after pile, of high-value and hard-to-find Magic cards dating back decades. From Alpha icons to The Dark, Legends, Antiquities and many other early sets, in this brief look – which seems to represent a fraction of Wilson's library, which includes tens of thousands of Lands alone – the man comes across like a dragon walking you through his treasure hoard.

The headliner is obvious: 14 copies of Black Lotus, the most famous Magic card around, crown Wilson's collection. With 12 sleeved in a binder and two more 9-grade Lotuses safely encased in plastic slabs, Wilson is sitting on a fortune in cardboard flowers.

Wilson never really talks about the value of these cards – beyond turning his nose up at the prospect of paying modern prices for more Black Lotuses – and it can be difficult to price some rarities in a turbulent market. But these are apparently "raw Alpha copies" of Black Lotus with black borders, which can easily sell for five digits apiece, and often much closer to six digits, even ignoring private collectors who've reportedly shelled out millions for a Lotus.

The Lotuses are one thing, but there are also random pages in Wilson's binders that could kill a Magic player. The Magic: The Gathering Reddit community was agasp at collection bombs like 24 copies of The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, a hotly contested Land which can go for thousands according to TCG Player.

Wilson has one or even two dozen copies of tons of cards that many people have never held in their life. He rifles through piles of the fabled "Power Nine," a set of cards – spiritually related to Yu-Gi-Oh's Power Five – from early sets that offered enormous advantage, often in the form of extra mana, but also via extra turns a la Time Walk.

The Power Nine were printed back when the goblins in the Magic designers' brains flip-flopped unpredictably between pack filler that will never be played because it's unfit to even absorb beer can condensation on the kitchen table, and nuclear weapons that can never be played because they're banned in every galaxy. Thank goodness Magic players don't have to deal with that anymore. The Black Lotus, a bite of free mana, is just one of these nine.

Condition is obviously a factor in resale value, but Wilson has at least 12 near-mint copies of every Mox artifact in Alpha, and he talks over them like nothing. Those are just the ones in a binder; he has loose, more damaged copies of even more Power Nine, including yet more Moxes. The video feels like a fever dream; I wouldn't have the patience to make proxies of all these. Wilson alone commands a non-trivial portion of the entire Alpha market.

"Alpha is special," he says of the formative Magic set. "Because this is the original history of the game. These are cards that dictated the future of what was gonna happen and set it in motion. If Alpha was bad, the rest of the game would never exist. But thankfully Alpha captured a generation of people and that's why we're still playing Magic to this day."

Gobsmacked Magic players also latched onto standouts like the sheets of Mishra's Workshop and Candelabra of Tawnos. Likewise, Wilson has 12 honest-to-god, white-border, Unlimited Ancestral Recalls. Don't worry, he says he "limited" himself to just a dozen because it would be "silly" to try and get 24 today. Signed Alpha cards dating back to the original artist run naturally round out the dizzying video.

"It just makes me feel so happy to go through sets like this and just appreciate the cool old stuff they printed – in my opinion, back when the game was even better than it is today," Wilson says. "Of course, that opinion's gonna vary."

Path of Exile co-creator tells developers "don't survey your players" because "'your audience is good at recognizing problems and bad at solving them'"

A Ghost in the Shell tabletop RPG is inbound, and it plunges players straight into the beloved story by letting them create their own Section 9 agent.

Developed by Mantic Games (the studio behind wargames like Halo: Flashpoint) and due to launch on Backerit later in July, this Ghost in the Shell tabletop RPG is based on the manga by Shirow Masamune rather than the anime. It promises to be "the most authentic tabletop roleplaying experience ever created" for the franchise, and features a custom system put together by the legendary designer Alessio Cavatore (co-creator of Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, Mordheim, Kings of War, and more) alongside Zak Barouh, an award-winning tabletop RPG writer.

It's still early days so we can't tell for sure how this system will compare to the best tabletop RPGs, but Mantic promises that it "combines fast-paced, narrative-driven mechanics with the philosophical depth and visual flair that define The Ghost in the Shell." Judging by the sneak-peek via DrivethruRPG, it appears to use different dice to represent your character's skill rather than static numbers that provide a bonus. They might use a d8 for reflexes but have a d12 for hacking, say.

A lot also seems to hinge on your character's "Synthesis Conflict" that represents an inner conflict they're fighting. This provides "a way to reflect character development through a personal story tied to each Player Character," and uses aspects like duty vs. family, humanity vs. technology, or tradition vs. progress.

Not that the Ghost in the Shell tabletop RPG is purely philosophical, of course; you'll need to arm up with cybernetic enhancements along with a host of weapons to battle corruption in this dystopian future, and it seems as though you'll be able to use miniatures for fights if you'd like.

We'll be able to find out soon enough. The Ghost in the Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game will launch on Backerit this July 28, and backers will immediately receive the full digital rulebook as a PDF after the campaign ends.

For more tabletop recommendations, why not drop in on the best board games? If you're planning a vacation this summer, it's also worth visiting our guide to the best travel board games in case there's something you can add to your suitcase.

Vacations are looming and time off is all anyone can think about, so the only thing left to do is clear some space in your suitcase for the best travel board games. No matter whether you're taking a break with family, friends, or your partner, these portable favorites will brighten up the trip. Personally speaking, my family and I adore trying to outdo each others' high scores over the course of a holiday.

Where should you start, though? I've been writing about and reviewing the best board games on GamesRadar+ for almost eight years now, and that means I've got plenty of recommendations. These are the best travel board games our experts and I make a beeline for when we head on vacation, so they'll hopefully add a little sunshine to your trip as well. Bananagrams always finds its way into my suitcase because of how replayable it is, for example, while Hive is an excellent choice if you want to play something compact on plane or train tray tables.

These choices span a range of interests and costs, so there should be something to suit you regardless of your budget!

Quick list

Best travel board game overall

Countless fans (and our own writers, no less) swear by Scout, and honestly? I can't argue with them. It walked away with the industry's most prestigious game of the year award in 2022, and it continues to be highly recommended by the community now.

For starters, it travels exceptionally well due to coming in a small box while only using a few cards and tokens. That means you've got a lot of entertainment crammed into one small space.

Secondly, it's dead easy to learn but has a hidden depth that should keep you coming back. Your aim is to create sets of the same number or sequences of a higher value than the last one laid down, but you can't change the order of the cards in your hand. That means you've got to be clever in the way you gather and play new cards, giving plenty to think about. As our Scout review notes, "its emphasis on speed and uncertainty makes for an addictive 'just one more match' feeling that's hard to beat."

Best travel board game for families

Looking for a game everyone can enjoy, regardless of whether they like board games or not? Try Bananagrams. It's a high-speed crossword that anyone can understand, and it also travels brilliantly. For one thing, it's all stored in a single soft case that's easy to find room for. Next, it can be played anywhere with a flat surface.

The idea here is to use up all the letter tiles in front of you to create your own crossword, with words that all connect to one another. Each time you use up the supply, you shout "peel" and everyone must grab a new tile. Play then continues until every single tile is gone. It can become incredibly speedy once everyone gets the hang of things, and what may have sounded like a dry word game becomes a frantic race to the finish.

Enjoy competitive challenges? This will very much be your jam. It's a test of speed, skill, and flexibility, because rearranging your crossword when progression becomes impossible is key. While that can be overwhelming if you fall behind, there's no better feeling than outsmarting your rivals - particularly if you've gone from the back of the pack to pole position. You'll be dining out on that high for a while if you win.

Best travel board game for friends

There's nothing better than a hidden role game, if you ask me - and this one streamlines the mechanics of my favorites, including Unfathomable (which I said was brilliant but took too long to play in my Unfathomable review).

The aim is to take the gameplay excellence of those fan-favorites and condense them down into a 20-minute experience that's easy to understand and even easier to play. One side are pirates, while a small number take on the role of mutineers (the number of which varies depending on how many players there are). The pirates are trying to build up the value of their treasure chest and meet a specific goal, like 11 points in total. Meanwhile, the mutineers are trying to reduce that chest's value. To do this, everyone places a card from their hand into the chest each turn - and these cards have a value of +1, 0, or -2. If you're a pirate, you'll want to add as many +1s or 0s as possible. If you're a mutineer, it's all about those 0s or -2s. Once a pirate thinks the required goal has been met, the game ends and you check the chest... but you won't know if you've succeeded until you flip the cards over.

Things get interesting because you're encouraged to play fast and loose with the truth as a mutineer. You're meant to discuss what you've put into the chest each round, and mutineers can obviously lie. "Oh," they say after slapping down a -2 in secret, "me? I put in a +1. Definitely, yes sir." A pirate's only defence is to give anyone they're suspicious of three 'walk the plank' cards and banish them from the game, though they can also use ability cards to turn the tide.

Best travel board game for 2 players

It's impossible to discuss the best 2-player board games without Hive being mentioned. This is an utterly stone-cold classic that's been going strong since 2001, and there's a good reason for that. Despite being very accessible and portable enough to be used anywhere (be it a plane tray or a beer garden table), there's enough strategy powering it to keep you coming back.

Basically, Hive is like an easier-to-understand version of chess. Your aim is to surround and trap your opponent's queen, but all your tiles have to be connected to something else - you can't have bugs out on their own. Because they all move in different ways, you have to cleverly outmanoeuvre your foe whilst keeping you queen safe, all as they try to do the exact same thing. It's a shame only two people can play at once, but hey; it's good enough to make up for that shortcoming.

Enjoy competitive games or head-to-head challenges? Make sure this is in your collection.

Best strategy travel board game

If you want a travel board game that'll make you think but isn't going to stretch your gray matter too far out of shape, Catan: On the Road is a great choice. Actually, I started recommending this travel game to everyone after playing it once. That's the highest praise I can give.

This on-the-go spin-off condenses everything brilliant about the original (which our Catan review calls a must-have) into a streamlined version that takes between 15-30 minutes to play. Your aim? Build up seven Victory Points by settling the island of Catan. How players do that is up to them, though - you can increase your score through building cities, constructing the longest road, or gathering the largest army. Each path offers advantages that may tip the scales in your favor, so choose wisely. Cities allow you to draw extra resources every turn, for example, while knights protect you from Robber cards that may steal your goods.

When you throw in wrinkles like trade (which provides a short-term boost but may nudge your opponent one step closer to their goal), Catan: On the Road provides more nuance than you might expect. It's not perfect by any means, and those with an early advantage may run away with the game. However, it's just as easy to catch up if you've played your cards right... and there's something deeply satisfying about leap-frogging your foe into first place.

Best travel board game for kids

Even though it isn't just for kids (everyone can have a great time with this vacation board game), Sushi Go is particularly good when travelling with younger family members. On top of an inviting cartoon style, it's very easy to get the hang of and only lasts 15 minutes or so per session. It also comes in a hard-wearing metal tin, so can be taken pretty much anywhere.

Your aim is to create the most delicious sushi menu around, and you do that by choosing cards from a deck that's being passed between players. Each card scores differently, so you've got to choose wisely; they either provide points straight away or can be combined for a more powerful combo if you collect enough of an item. That gives plenty of options, but it also risks you winding up with nothing if you (literally) don't play your cards right. When multipliers, sets, and 'puddings' that only count at the end of the game are added to the mix, this straightforward game shows that it's got more than enough to chew on.

Honestly, Sushi Go is one of my ride-or-dies in terms of travel games; it goes with me everywhere.

For more recommendations, don't miss the best tabletop RPGs.

The Old World Core Set is like a time capsule; it's filled with bric-à-brac from the past wrapped in fond memories. As is the case with so many time capsules, though, this is an idealized version of history. The bad has been trimmed away, leaving your best foot forward.

This is the cantankerous Warhammer Fantasy Battles (AKA Old World's inspiration) on its best day. There are grand armies with gorgeous models sweeping across the battlefield, crunchy rules with endless depth, and enough dice being thrown to form a bone-white carpet on your table. However, The Old World Core Set goes one better than its predecessor. It's made a noticeable effort to be as beginner-friendly as possible, and it's a shining example of what The Old World should be. In fact, it's the best entry-point to the game yet.

Don't get me wrong – this is still the most complicated entry in Warhammer's arsenal. It can be overwhelming in its ambition, too. But if you're able to stick with it like a block of spearmen bracing for the charge, you'll be richly rewarded.

The Old World Core Set features & design

• This is a crunchy, rules-heavy game
• Includes two Battle March armies & everything you need to play
• Brand-new Warriors of Chaos vs. Grand Cathay

Much like The Horus Heresy, this is a ganglier, more complex beast than anything else on Warhammer's lineup. It's far denser than Age of Sigmar and makes 40K seem trite. This is a game of edge-cases and sub-rules; everything from flanking to the willpower of your units is included, and there are a staggering number of mechanics to define the most unlikely scenario. It's far crunchier, too. The Old World still has you consulting to-hit and to-wound tables, comparing your unit's scores against your opponent's.

You'll know just from reading that paragraph whether The Old World Core Set is for you. If you find mathematical tomfoolery like this intimidating, run. But if you find today's wargames too lightweight, prepare to feast. This is the ultimate tactical experience, with so much to factor into your strategy.

Not that you're thrown in at the deep end, of course. Before now, you had to fully commit with a massive battalion box or by buying individual units to start playing Old World. This Core Set fixes that with two smaller, but still competitively-recognized, "Battle March" armies that are far less intimidating to make. (An all-new range of Chaos Warriors is featured here alongside last year's Grand Cathay line.) They're supported by the full rulebook, stats for all your troops, a battlemat, reference guides, and all the accessories necessary to play. In other words, you've got everything you need to get stuck in here other than terrain.

In terms of construction, these models are far more advanced than you'd find in a box like the starter sets or Armageddon; they're incredibly 'bitty' in a way that's reminiscent of the Horus Heresy Custodes models. They look phenomenal and are far more dynamic than the majority of (in some cases decades-old) miniatures in the game, but they require more patience.

Gameplay

• Incredible depth leads to so many tactical options
• The complex mechanics make its warriors feel like real people
• You'll need to flip between multiple books at first as you learn rules

There's nothing quite like seeing two enormous armies of ranked infantry, resplendent knights, and grand warmachines marching into battle on the tabletop. It's a sense of scale you rarely see from the hobby, which normally limits itself to skirmishes with a loose handful of warriors per unit. As a result, formations and where you charge the enemy are far more important factors here. Flanking maneuvers and well-timed cavalry attacks can be devastating, just like they would be in real life, and you'll have to keep an eye on your army's morale to make sure groups don't turn and flee under strain.

I grew up with this back when Fantasy Battles was still a thing, and I don't think I realized how much I missed it until I was pitting The Old World Core Set's Chaos Warriors against Grand Cathay. Soldiers turning tail or to-hit tables representing the cut and thrust of combat makes it all feel much more real. I became a lot more invested in my troops as a result.

I just hope you're prepared for a lot of flipping back and forth through the rulebook (or between booklets) while you get used to the rules. Each unit's stats are included in the same pamphlet, while info like to-wound tables are kept elsewhere, so you'll be bouncing from stats and back again throughout your first matches.

That's my one criticism about The Old World Core Set; I think it could do with separate datacards for each unit of the kind you'd find in Kill Team: Terror on Devlan, because then there's far less hassle jumping between pages. Similarly, a separate summary sheet of key terms would also have been handy. It's fine consulting the rulebook's glossary to find what you need mid-match, but it does bring things grinding to a halt.

Still, that'll become less of an issue the further down the road you go. And because both armies are a strong foundation from which to build a greater force, it's an off-ramp to exciting possibilities.

Should you buy Warhammer The Old World Core Set?

If you're looking for a crunchy, in-depth game system with a lot of weight, you'll be in heaven here; The Old World's complexity makes it feel so much more alive than its peers, and the result is immensely satisfying. This Core Set is also the best route in by far. Although it could do with some more player aids to assist with those early days, it provides everything you need to get stuck in.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Warhammer The Old World Core Set

This product sample was provided by Games Workshop.

After familiarizing myself with the rules and constructing models from the box-set, I tried a test-match pitting both armies against one another in a full battle (as laid out in the Muster Lists booklet). This allowed me to get a practical sense of how gameplay worked in practice.

For more on our process, be sure to check out how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

For recommendations on what to play next, don't miss the best board games or the best tabletop RPGs.

Wingspan Pocket has just been revealed as a smaller, travel-friendly version of the family-friendly birding board game – and you'll be able to pick it up in just a few weeks.

Although it uses similar gameplay and comes from the same designer, Wingspan Pocket "distills the Wingspan experience down to a lighter, shorter, card-driven game" according to the official description. It'll be available to buy from publisher Stonemaier Games this July 15, 2026, followed by a wider retail release in late August.

While we adore the original here at GamesRadar+ and gave it four-and-a-half stars in our Wingspan review (putting it in contention with the best board games), there's no denying that it's a chunky critter. It contains a flock of playing pieces and takes up a lot of space on the table, so isn't exactly easy to stuff in a suitcase. Wingspan Pocket is the opposite, however; it's a card-based game that sees players activate just one row of cards per turn rather than an entire board of birds. These all provide benefits as usual, but each card is double-sided with food on one side and a bird (one of 106 from around the world) on the other. That means you've got to weigh up what to play, and when - a level of strategy that should hopefully put it on par with the best travel board games.

I'm a huge fan of this idea. I'd argue that the series stands amongst the best family board games around (Finspan became my summer obsession last year, for instance), but they're not the easiest to get into… or travel with. A more accessible, portable entry-point fills that niche, and it means we can take the experience with us. That means Wingspan doesn't have to stay home this summer if you're going away.

There's certainly an appetite for portable games like this. More of them are emerging from the woodwork with each passing year, and they usually make a point of streamlining things without compromising what made the original so beloved. I played Catan On the Road once and am now recommending it to everyone, for example.

Will you be picking up Wingspan Pocket, or migrating to something else?

If you want something with a little more bite, a Kingdom Come: Deliverance board game with all the gritty RPG elements fans love is on the way from the award-winning developers of Codenames and SETI.

A Kingdom Come: Deliverance board game is coming this Fall from a pair of award-winning developers, and it's every bit as grungy as its inspiration.

This sprawling RPG is set in 15th Century Bohemia and looks every bit as gritty and sim-heavy as the video game it's based on; you'll need to hunt to stave off hunger, for example, while the condition of your clothing (which may get messy if you move through 'muddy' spaces) can have negative effects… like getting you kicked out of town if your get-up is in a state. The Kingdom Come: Deliverance board game also features "rich storylines unfolding in the background" chosen from several possible options, meaning you're unlikely to have the same playthrough twice.

This is all very exciting, but the most eye-catching news is that it's being made by developers behind some of the best board games. Vlaada Chvátil put together modern classic Codenames, while Tomáš Holek is the rising star behind SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – a critical darling that swept the awards scene last year. The fact that they're responsible for Kingdom Come: Deliverance The Board Game is enough in itself to get me invested.

Rather than playing as video game protagonist Henry, you'll see a peasant from rags to riches. Well, in theory; there are plenty of jobs to complete, side-quests to chase, or NPCs to work for, but players must also contend with Encounter cards that can put a twist in the tale. Whoever earns the most points at the end of five in-game days will be declared the winner, so you better hustle.

We don't have an exact release date for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance board game yet, but it's due to launch at some point in Fall 2026. You can pre-order it direct from publisher Czech Games Edition's store, and that seems to be the best way of securing a copy in the short term; while CGE is hopeful it'll go to retail later on, there isn't a timeline for that yet.

In terms of price, the core game weighs in at €149.99 via the publisher's EU store. Meanwhile, the US version costs $199.99. Why is it so much more? Well, Czech Games Edition CEO Petr Murmak notes on a BoardGameGeek post questioning the decision that it's due to a mix of tariffs going into the US (15%), shipping, and an uncertain future.

"Shipping to US also costs us something, so we have slightly less profit on one copy in US than in EU," Murmak points out. "Moreover there is uncertainty about tariffs in the future (they might go up - there were some threats already from US government), or dollar might go down like last year..."

For recommendations of what to play next, why not check out the best tabletop RPGs or the best card games? As for something lighter, Wingspan Pocket shrinks the beloved board game down in size.

I hope you're ready to chase a Pokedex's worth of new gear, because the Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration set is going big with a faintly alarming 27 products to its name.

Following a reveal that showed off the game's new card rarity earlier this month, the Pokemon Company is finally pulling back the curtain on everything that'll be launching as part of the Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration range. Take a deep breath, because it's a lot; as is only right for a franchise that's stood strong amongst the best card games for decades, it's bombing shelves with well over two-dozen items. The usual Elite Trainer Boxes and Booster Bundles are included, yes, but you're also getting collections with figurines alongside Ultra Premium Collections and tins galore.

It's worth noting that these won't all arrive at once, though; an Elite Trainer Box, two ex Boxes, two ex Tins, a Poster Collection, and two Tech Sticker Collections will arrive on September 16. Everything else will follow later in 2026. While you'll obviously be able to grab all this from the Pokemon Center, I'd recommend keeping an eye on Miniature Market in the US and Wayland Games in the UK for pre-orders over the next few months. In my experience, they're the most reliable places to get Pokemon cards at a decent price.

Still, that comes later. For now, here's the full Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration lineup:

Want something new to play over while you wait for the 30th Celebration? Definitely take a look at our guide to the best board games.

I know it's hard to believe considering how focused Games Workshop has been on 11th edition, but today's Big Summer Warhammer Preview 2026 proves that there is life beyond Armageddon. Indeed, the company is now offering even more Warhammer 40K on a platter, the promise of a new Age of Sigmar army, a brand-new Kill Team box set (with space elves riding dinosaurs, for goodness' sake!), Old World goodies, Horus Heresy action, and plenty of other reveals besides all that. Phew - take a deep breath. There's a lot to go over.

To save you time, I'm rounding up the all of the announcements from Big Summer Warhammer Preview 2026 right here. These have been divided into quick summaries across individual sections, all so you can easily skip ahead to the system you're interested in (be that Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, or something else).

Personally speaking, the thing that's seized me by the throat is the return of the Exodites. Longtime Warhammer players, you're not misreading that; the dinosaur-riding Aeldari are back, and they're absolutely badass.

Warhammer 40K

Despite 40K being the talk of the town right now thanks to the arrival of Armageddon (which was very much Christmas come early for fans), the grim darkness of the far future wasn't left behind in the Big Summer Warhammer Preview. Here's a full roundown of what we got.

New starter sets

As expected, a slate of beginner boxes are on the way for Warhammer 40K. However, these don't follow the previous structure – instead, there's one massive Starter Set with what look to be two Combat Patrols (Orks and Space Marines, both drawn from the Armageddon box set) alongside a wealth of unpainted terrain. However, if that's not your jam (you just want one of the factions or already have terrain), you can get individual Ork or Space Marine starter kits with a Combat Patrol alongside some paints. Finally, there's a smaller, more affordable Introductory Set which includes a handful of Space Marines and Orks – all with new poses, by the way – in addition to paints.

New Ork Codex and models

The greenskins get the first Codex for 40K 11th Edition, and it feels like it's going to be the definitive version of the book. All the rules here are useable in every type of game, and there are 15 Detachments to try as well. Alongside this tome, a brand-new Mek and Trukk were shown off. More miniatures will apparently drop in the not-so-distant future, so keep an eye out.

New terrain (both painted and unpainted)

What's a new edition without some scenery to fight over? An all-new set of ruins and sci-fi machinery is on the way, available separately or together (all unpainted). Don't fancy painting all that? A mega-sized, pre-painted box set called "Battlefield" is on the way too.

Age of Sigmar

It seems that the legends were true! After months of rumors, the Ogor Mawtribes have finally been revamped for Age of Sigmar. This update has been a long time coming; it remakes and revitalizes models that are, in some cases, decades old. Here's what's on the way.

• Army Set: Our first chance to try these gluttonous brutes out will be via the boxed set, much like the one we saw from the Helsmiths of Hashut last year. It features the Battletome rules book, data cards for use in-game, Glutton footsoldiers, Ironguts elites, Maulfiend cavalry, and a Tyrant to lead them.
• New heroes: Following the launch of the Army Set, we can look forward to a host of hero characters for the faction. These include the Cleavers (who seem to do exactly what they say), the shamanic Gutseers, and a remade Butcher who's more or less a wizard chef. These are all led by Redd the Maw, High Slaughtermaster. He's basically an Ogor priest who rides to war on top of a massive, body-filled cauldron.

Kill Team

OK, who had "dinosaur-riding space elves" on their bingo list for the Big Summer Warhammer Preview? I certainly didn't.

Yep, the Aeldari Exodites are back in a big way with the latest Kill Team box set. Warhammer old-timers like myself may remember these guys fondly, but if they aren't ringing a bell, they're basically an offshoot faction with a penchant for riding space dinos that exist in pockets of idyllic nature... and really don't like when anyone comes knocking.

I was expecting an all new season of Kill Team with a fresh Kill Zone plus terrain (surely we're due one soon?), but this box set is more of a one-off. Actually, it's very similar to Kill Team: Terror on Devlan because we'll be facing off against non-player foes in a solo or co-op campaign.

The enemies the Exodites are crossing swords with are Ork Beastsnaggas - in essence, a group of hunters who landed on an Exodite world and decided to set up shop hunting down all the animals that live there. These greenskins seem even more ragtag than usual, wearing animal skins or furs and riding raving squigs.

Horus Heresy & Legions Imperialis

We're going back to the Custodes in the Age of Darkness, because a handful of old kits are getting multi-part plastic models for Horus Heresy. To be precise, the Gyrefalcon Jetbike Sodality is gliding into war alongside the absurdly filigreed (but really rather imposing) Telemon Dreadnought. Because Custodes are a truly elite group that can't be fielded en-mass due to their prowess, the Pallas Grav-Attack tank is being added to the lineup. This should keep your golden warriors safe as they march slowly but surely across the battlefield.

As for Legions Imperialis, it was all about Titans... which are now resplendent in plastic. First up is the ridiculously massive Warlord Titan, followed by the smaller, nimbler Reaver Titan. These can be armed with a devastating variety of weapons like a Volkite Destructor or Graviton Obliterator.

Speaking of Legions, I wonder if we're far off a new box set? We must be getting close to an update for the core game; the original Legions Imperialis starter set dropped back in 2023, so we're right on track for a three-yearly update that Games Workshop typically sticks to.

The Old World

If you've wanted to try Warhammer The Old World but felt put off by its scale (there's usually a lot of infantry to paint after all), publisher Games Workshop hears you – it just announced a new core set.

This new Warhammer The Old World Core Set features everything you need to play; besides a revised rule book, dice, range rulers, and a battlemat, two armies are included; a totally revamped Warriors of Chaos force with all-new models alongside models from the recent Cathay range, which did a lot to convince us to get into The Old World this time last year. A lot of attention is gonna be paid to those new Chaos models, however, and rightly so; they are beyond imposing.

These will be joined before long by a new, massive Lord on Chaos Dragon that you can also make as a Sorcerer on double-headed monster. It's a pretty jaw-dropping model.

Necromunda

If you had a suspicion Necromunda was due a new core set (it's been a while since Necromunda Hive Secundus dropped, after all), give yourself a gold star; a fresh entry-point for the game was shown off during the Big Summer Warhammer preview. Besides kickstarting a new edition, "Necromunda Skirmish" is being pitched as a beginner-friendly way into the game with the core rules, an underhive battlefield, and two new gangs to take control of – the Escher Blades of the Matriarch and the Goliath Forge Smelters. These guys feel like the '80s vomited all over Mad Max, and I love it.

A box set of terrain will also drop alongside Necromunda Skirmish, providing you with more underhive scenery if you want to make your table feel properly grungy.

Blood Bowl

Seeing as we only just got a new edition of the game, it was pretty light on updates for this fantasy football extravaganza. To be precise, we received a new pitch board to go with some beefy players to bolster Chaos teams – Skaven Rat Ogres and Minotaurs. Also making his appearance for the first time in plastic is the most iconic Blood Bowl player of them all, Morg ‘n’ Thorg. He'll play for almost any team, so you can outfit the model with pieces to reflect that shifting allegiance.

Live updates

Ready for some reveals, gang? The Big Summer Warhammer Preview Show 2026 is about to begin. GamesRadar+ Tabletop Editor and lifelong Warhammer nerd Benj here, ready to chat about everything the stream has in store for us.

What are you hoping for?

What are you looking forward to? Is there anything in particular that you're excited about? Personally speaking, I can't wait to see what Kill Team's next instalment has in store. It's roughly time for a new Kill Zone, and I'm crossing my fingers that we get a jungle theme. The game could do with more wild terrain pieces, and an alien forest would do the job nicely. Plus, it'd be a great excuse to redo those old, old Catachan Jungle Fighter models...

Will we get new Orks or Space Marines? A Codex for one is guaranteed

It's not entirely clear yet whether we'll see reinforcements for the new Ork or Space Marine factions yet, or whether they'll be reserved for the aftermath of the Death Mire campaign (this is a worldwide event where you submit the results of your battles for Warhammer 40K 11th Edition). We were promised that the victors would get to see new goodies for their faction, after all...

New 40K Starter Sets, inbound!

OK, the live show is go! First up, Warhammer 40K. Things are kicking off with a brand-new Starter Set for the 11th Edition of the game, featuring Combat Patrols for both Orks and Space Marines (e.g. a good chunk of the Armageddon box set) alongside terrain and everything you need to play.

Look out, there are smaller 40K starter sets too

We're not done with Warhammer 40K beginner boxes quite yet! If you just want the Orks or Space Marines and don't fancy grabbing both (or the terrain), you can get a box set for either one with the Combat Patrol, some paints, and tools included.

There's also a smaller Introductory Set with a smaller selection of models and some paints. These feature new Space Marine Intercessor sculpts and Ork Boyz, also with new poses.

Terrain, as far as the eye can see

Hey, did you spot the terrain in that Starter Set? Well, you can either pick those pieces up separately and unpainted in individual sets (with the ruined buildings or sci-fi equipment sold separately), or as part a fancy-pants, pre-painted terrain box set. This is called "Battlefields" and features all of the above for an Incursion-sized match, but ready-painted. These come on sprues and must still be assembled, but at least you don't need to slave away painting it all.

It's time for some WAAAAGH, because a new Ork Codex and models are on the way

The first Codex isn't Space Marines, as I'd expected! No, Orks have that honor instead. This will be accompanied by a host of miniatures, the first of which is a fresh Mek (the greenskins' engineer, basically) and an incredible new Trukk. This thing is so, so full of character; it feels like Mad Max crossed with something from Wacky Racers.

That's not it, though; more is apparently on the way, following the worldwide Death Mire campaign I mentioned earlier.

A new way into Warhammer

Looks like there's a new way into the Warhammer hobby! Welcome to the Warhammer Academy, a beginner-friendly site to learn everything you need to know about Warhammer. This will launch alongside the aforementioned Warhammer 40K starter sets.

Chaos falls upon the Old World with a new core set

We're now diving headlong into fantasy with The Old World - the mass-battle system that sees you fielding enormous hordes on the battlefield. First up is an all-new core box with everything you need to play: the core rules and two armies to battle with. Those forces are Cathay vs. an all-new range for Warriors of Chaos. We've already seen Cathay's lineup, but Chaos? Those are new. These heavily-armored behemoths are incredibly imposing, and my goodness, are they good-looking. We've come a long, long way from those mono-pause dark knights from the '80s.

This will be followed by a Lord on Chaos Dragon, which is simply enormous. This thing towers over the field and can be built as a Sorcerer on two-headed Chaos dragon if you'd prefer. No matter which version you choose, you can have either the Lord or Sorcerer on foot as an extra.

Time for kickoff

It's time for a brief break in the world of Blood Bowl now. Alongside a new Sevens pitch, some individual big-hitters you can add to your Chaos-themed teams - Minotaurs and Rat Ogres - are inbound.

For the Emperor, Custodes are inbound

We're on a whistle-stop tour to the Age of Darkness, and it's time for the Custodes to shine in this year's Big Summer Warhammer Preview. Previous resin models have been remade as multi-part plastic miniatures, namely the Gyrefalcon Jetbike Sodality and the very impressive, very filigreed Telemon Dreadnought. These are backed up by the Pallas Grav-Attack, which should be able to keep your rather expensive, veteran troops safe.

The Ogor Mawtribes are stomping their way to Age of Sigmar

Well, it looks like the rumors were true! A revised, refreshed version of the Ogor Mawtribes are on the way to Age of Sigmar, and it's a much-needed revamp for some models that are a couple of decades old. Because the old ones were designed for Fantasy, they were a bit limited in posing because they had to rank up - but not now. The result is some very dynamic posing.

We'll get our first crack at these guys with the Ogor Mawtribes Battleforce, a bit like the box the Helsmiths of Hashut got last year; it contains many of the new miniatures for the range, not to mention stat cards and the Battletome. In terms of models, the lineup includes my personal favorite, the Maulbeast riders (Raiders or Cavalry). They look like something from Star Wars, and I really wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those massive jaws.

This box will be followed by a variety of hero units like the Cleavers, Gutseers, and a remade Butcher that is basically a cross between chefs and wizards. These will be led by Redd the Maw, High Slaughtermaster; this Ogor priest rides into battle atop a huge, gore-filled cauldron.

A fresh entry-point to Necromunda

Ready for some post-apocalyptic gang-action? Necromunda is getting a facelift with an all-new core box called "Necromunda Skirmish." This feels like Cyberpunk meets Mad Max meets Fallout in the best way, with two new rag-tag gang alongside the core rules, some terrain, a board, and accessories. You'll choose between the Escher Blades of the Matriarch group that look as though they've walked out of the '90s and the more robotic Goliath Forge Smelters.

Aeldari riding dinosaurs for Kill Team? Um, yes please!

Oh my goodness, it's happening! The new Kill Team box set brings us the long-awaited return of Aeldari Exodites. These are basically space elves riding dinosaurs, and lemme tell you, I'm in love. These are an absolutely elite group; there are only three of them, accompanied by a few dino pets that come along for the ride.

These will be going up against Orks Beastsnaggas, a group trying to take advantage of a world of monsters they're very keen to hunt. These are non-player operatives that can be used within a larger campaign you can play solo or with a friend.

And that's it!

And that's it - we're at time! The show has come to a close, and phew, it was crammed with goodies this time around.

Now that the dust has settled, what was your favorite announcement? Personally, I was all about the Kill Team: Exodite box set. Aeldari riding dinosaurs? Damn, I'm so in. I'm already looking forward to painting these guys up.

Now, I can hear you already: where were the Ork bikes and all the other new 40K miniatures we know are on the way? These are presumably going to be shown off in full following the worldwide Death Mire campaign, which pits Orks vs. Space Marines and will be decided by the outcome of the community's weekly matches. Whichever side is victorious will get a whole bunch of miniatures shown off, so we just need a little patience on that front.

Ok, I'm calling it there! Thanks for following along with me - I hope you've had fun, because I'm feeling pretty jazzed about all these new releases.

I've just gone back through the announcements and made sure the summaries are all up to date, so now you've got bite-size breakdowns of everything shown off for the Warhammer Big Summer Preview. Got a favorite announcement? Vote for it below!

What's great about Prime Day board game deals is that they make keeping up with a tabletop gaming obsession slightly more manageable on the wallet. While we've spotlighted some of our favorite board game deals that lean a bit nerdier, I have to admit that the classics like Monopoly still have a place. And, with big discounts, there's never been a better time to revisit the game and one of its newer licenses.

Monopoly has come a long way since the '30s. The iconic, economics-driven board game used to feel like simple reskins when adapting partnered franchises, with varying results. Now, a lot of the licensed Monopoly games introduce special rules and set-ups that fit the franchise, such as Dungeons & Dragons using a D20 dice, or the FIFA World Cup one using the idea of collectible soccer stickers of your favorite footballers.

Monopoly isn't just a single game type, either. Monopoly Junior is more approachable for younger players. Monopoly Deal is a (thankfully) speedier way to play with just cards. Monopoly Go, the mobile game, even has its own board game adaptation. Across them all, I've picked out some of the best Monopoly Prime Day deals that should be of interest, no matter how long you have to play, and which licenses you prefer.

Take a look at my best Prime Day PS5 RPG deals for more bargains!

The Prime Day board game deals are always welcome, as being into tabletop can be one pricey hobby. We've been spending the last few days picking out board game deals, but I've noticed that Unmatched has been standing out. This ever-expandable board game is as much a tabletop system as a game in and of itself, which does mean a ballooning collection can get pricey. But, that just makes it a good time to stock up.

The premise of Unmatched is simple. It's a unified combat system of abilities and manoeuvres that make for iconic face-offs between legends. Almost every set is playable on its own as two to four characters are included, but can also be used alongside one another for epic crossover clashes across your entire Unmatched boards and characters collection. In our Unmatched: Battles of Legends Vol 2 review, we said it's "a striking lesson in how designers can get maximum variety from simple rules".

Unmatched sets range from myths, historical figures, and licensed properties, including The Witcher, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and many more. Almost like the VS System many years ago, this makes for the tantalizing promise of proper crossover bouts. For a new player, I'd recommend getting a four-character, bigger set for variety, and it's worth keeping in mind the couple of 'Adventures' set introduce new co-op rules. But, otherwise, grab the characters you're interested in! Stick with me, and I'll run you through the best Unmatched board game deals for this Prime Day.

Take a look at my best Prime Day PS5 RPG deals for more bargains!

There's been a real resurgence of interest in board games over the past few years, and it's trendier than ever to roll dice together at game night or in your local board game cafe. However, while the industry is a vibrant and electric place full of incredible ideas that put old favorites like Monopoly to shame, it can be overwhelming if you're new to the hobby - there's almost too much choice. That's why I've gathered up some good starting points here.

I've been reviewing and writing about the best board games on GamesRadar+ for nearly eight years now, but I've been playing them for a lot longer. That means I've got plenty of suggestions for where newcomers should start... and I've listed my four favorite beginner-friendly board games below. For me, these are the ideal starting point and should ease you into the hobby.

It's worth noting that a few of these are on offer for Prime Day, too; most have been heavily discounted as part of the sale, so now's a great time to dive in. Just remember, the event ends tonight (June 26) so you don't have much time to take advantage of the discounts!

Looking for other tabletop recommendations? Don't miss the best family board games, the best 2-player board games or the best card games.

Warhammer 40K 11th Edition is finally upon us! The Armageddon launch box is out in the wild, and both Space Marine and Ork players are bathing in the warm glow of new models.

Delightful for them — congrats, happy for you, nice etc — but what about the rest of us? There's definitely plenty more plastic crack on the way for us to add to our collections, and the Big Summer Warhammer Preview event on Friday, June 26, will be our first chance to see what's in store.

I'm too impatient for that, though, so I'm going to shout out one new model or unit that every faction needs in Warhammer 40K 11th Edition. This list sits somewhere in the no man's land between predictions and wishlisting, but I'm pretty confident most of these will happen during the 11th edition. If I'm wrong, I owe you a drink*.

*Ian does not owe you a drink

Space Marines

1. Space Marines - Land Raider

The obvious joke answer here is another bloody Marneus Calgar model, but I'm going with my heart on this one. The Land Raider is the most iconic tank in the Space Marine army, and the current model is 26 years old. While it still looks great, it's an absolute bear to build, so let's get a new kit that's as lovely as the Horus Heresy one.

• Honorable mentions: Rhino/Predator — the other iconic tank chassis

2. Black Templars - Eternal Pyre

After a sizable range update in 9th Edition, the Black Templars aren't really missing anything, which means I'm going to have to think up a new unit for the Eternal Crusaders.

The Land Raider Crusader would be a nice cop-out answer, but I feel like the Templars are missing a big centerpiece model… something that screams "religious crusaders" loud and clear. Enter, the Eternal Pyre — a procession of Templars carrying an enormous funeral pyre that is kept alight by a never-ending fuel of heretics, witches, and traitors. Picture the Triumph of St. Catherine, but way darker.

• Honorable mentions: Honestly, I've got nothing. Another dude with candles and a loincloth.

3. Blood Angels - Baal Predator/ Baal Gladiator

I can hear the Blood Angels players screaming "Sanguinary Guard" in unison, but it's not going to happen. Some model refreshes give the rizz, and some take it away, but GW is not going to redo them again so soon.

Instead, let's revive another classic Blood Angels model that's showing its age — the roasty toasty Baal Predator. Obviously, this flamethrowing variant would come alongside a refresh for the generic kit, but this is THE iconic Blood Angels tank.

• Honorable mentions: Librarian Dreadnought — A psychic flying dreadnought? Sign me up.

4. Dark Angels - Ravenwing Black Knights

Dark Angels got a tasty model refresh in 10th edition, but it was very focused on the Deathwing side of the chapter. The Ravenwing are long overdue for an update, and the Black Knights are their most iconic unit. Sure, Outriders are perfectly cromulent as a throwaway unit, but it'd be great to see a biker unit with some punch on the table.

• Honorable mentions: Sammael - The master of the ravenwing is nearly 20 years old at this point. Give him an update, for pity's sake.

5. Space Wolves - Thunderwolf Cavalry

I generally prefer it when the Space Wolves lean into the Viking aesthetic, and away from the big wolfy wolfmen in space thing (god, I hate the Wulfen), but the Thunderwolf Cavalry is such an iconic unit for the Sons of Fenris that they need a redo because the current models look goofy as all hell.

It could be dudes riding big wolves, or it could be bikers riding wolf-pelt-adorned choppers into the battle, but either way, it needs to happen.

• Honorable mention: Bjorn the Fell-Handed — I really don't want to see the old box dreadnought characters fade away, but also not sure I want to see them updated as Redemptors.

6. Deathwatch - Watch Master

Honestly, Deathwatch players should just keep their heads down and hope GW doesn't try to squat your army again in 11th edition.

I don't think the Xenos hunters are getting much beyond their recent Kill Team refresh, but a new Watch Master model seems like the safest bet here. The current model came out in 2016, well before the Primaris upscalling of Space Marines, and he's starting to look rather stubby next to his brothers.

• Honorable mention: Watch Captain Artemis — The special Watch Master.

7. Grey Knights - Kaldor Draigo

From an outside perspective, it was extremely funny that GW decided to squat the leader of the Grey Knights last edition — especially given his prominent role in the Grey Knight-focused video game Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters — but it's time for the Supreme Grandmaster to make his return… preferably alongside an entire range refresh for the pint-sized hammers of Titan.

• Honorable mention: The entire GK range — They need it, Strike Marines look hilariously small next to Primaris Marines, and their Terminators are barely taller than a guardsman.

Armies of the Imperium

1. Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard) - Catachans

Here is a picture of the current Catachan models.

I rest my case.

• Honorable mentions: Steel Legion (Feels like cheating as we know they're coming)

2. Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle) - Repressor

Sisters are so well kitted out — their entire model range is only a few years old, and every classic model has a current edition… well, almost every model.

Back in the early 2000s, Forge World released an upgrade kit that dared to ask the question "What if the Rhino was well hard?" Enter the Repressor. This was a heavily armoured version of the classic transport that also sported a Dozer blade that was perfect for clearing heretics out of the way.

Let's bring this one back as a chunkier alternative to the humble Rhino.

• Honorable mention: Generic living saint model

3. Adeptus Custodes - Vertus Praetors

The Golden Boys and Girls of the Adeptus Custodes just got a stunning range refresh… in Horus Heresy. GW is being unusually coy about what's going on with the 40K range, but I think it's time to just embrace these new sculpts as the current range.

Some iconic Custodes are missing from the stylish new 30K line-up, though, and chief among them is the Vertus Praetors. These big old banana jetbikes are cool as hell, but the current kits are a bit chunky and clunky looking for my liking.

• Honorable mention: Allarus Terminators

4. Adeptus Mechanicus - A big tank

The Adeptus Mechanicus are the guys that make all the tanks and weapons for the rest of the Imperium, so why don't they have a massive tank? Something bristling with guns. Yeah, the Dunecrawler and Scorpius are both cool, but they're more akin to a Predator. Ad Mech needs a Land Raider/Monolith equivalent

It doesn't have to be a conventional tank — Ad Mech loves that weird stuff, so make it a big centipede walker or something like the AT-AT from Star Wars.

• Honorable mention: Any of the Horus Heresy robots they don't have in 40K.

5. Imperial Knights/Chaos Knights - Plastic Acastus Knight Porphyrion

I'm grouping the spikey and non-spikey Knights together for this entry, because the answer is the same for both: give us a plastic version of Acastus Knight Porphyrion.

The Porphyrion is the biggest and coolest Knight in the range, and at the moment it's a £460 resin monstrosity. GW has been steadily converting the Forge World knights into plastic, so I'm pretty confident this will happen.

• Honorable mention: Another Armiger/War Dog variant with a slightly different gun.

6. Agents of the Imperium - Inquistorial Stormtroopers

Agents are not a real army. They're a PDF that got out of hand, but if we're giving them a codex, then I guess they get a new model too. Bring back the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers to give them a reliable battleline unit so it doesn't feel like someone deployed 12 random Kill Teams in front of you whenever you face them.

• Honorable mention: Inquisitor Coteaz — look how they massacred my boy. I know I said we're not redoing the Sanguinary Guard, but this one was so much worse. Just do it again, and right this time.

Chaos

1. Chaos Daemons - Furies

Another faction that should probably just be happy to still exist, GW seems to have chilled out on their mission to roll Chaos Daemons into the various other Chaos codexes. The model range is relatively solid, if a bit cartoonish by modern GW standards, but rather than redoing any specific model, I'm voting that we undo an injustice and bring back Furies.

Furies are the generic Chaos Undivided daemons. They were stuck with ugly ass models from 2002 until 2019, when we got a stunning refresh as a Warhammer Underworlds warband. Then, in one of the many injustices hurled at Daemon players, they were promptly sent to Legends a year later when 9th edition rolled around.

Daemon players were understandably… furious.

• Honorable mentions: Bloodletters (they so ugly)

2. Chaos Space Marines - Bikes

Another easy win here. The majority of the Chaos Space Marines lineup has been refreshed over the last couple of editions, including the infamous Defiler (which would have topped my list otherwise). As it stands, it's the Chaos bikers that stand out like a sore thumb now. They're literally from last millennium. Sort it out, Abaddon.

• Honorable mention: Chaos Terminators (they're not that old, but the update their loyalist brothers got in 10th edition has left them looking a little stubby).

3. Death Guard - Plague Marines

OK, this is a controversial choice, but I really don't like the current Plague Marine models. Nurgle's aesthetic used to be rot and decay, but these guys are all about weird tentacles and bony growths, which was always more Tzeentch's thing.

The Death Guard range is the healthiest of the divergent legions, so they don't need anything else desperately. Let's fix up the rank and file, and bring back some of the grim decay of Papa Nurgle's favorite sons.

• Honorable mention: Death Guard Hellbrute

4. Thousand Sons - Psychic Hellbrute

The Thousand Sons range is quite limited, and yet it's tough to come up with a unit they really need. So, I'm going to use this soapbox to campaign for unique dreadnoughts. Thousand Sons already have a psychic dreadnought in the Horus Heresy — the Contemptor-Osiron — so let's get a 40K Hellbrute version of that.

• Honorable mention: Another magical golem-type construct (they're wizards, let's lean into that).

5. World Eaters - Red Butchers

Nice simple one here. The Red Butchers are the World Eaters' special brand of Terminator in the lore, and they were conspicuous by their absence when the Twelfth Legion broke away into their own codex.

• Honorable mention: Khorne Berserkers of Juggernauts (aka stop releasing characters designed to lead units you haven't made yet).

6. Emperor's Children - Sonic Hellbrute

I am once again asking you for another Legion-specific Hellbrute. Back when Chaos Space Marines still used Dreadnoughts, Forge World sold a Sonic Weapon upgrade kit (alongside an Emperor's Children-specific Dreadnought chassis), and they were awesome.

This isn't just me begging for a cool model, though; an updated Sonic Hellbrute would provide some much-needed long-range firepower for Emperor's Children players now that Noise Marines shooting only has an 18-inch range.

• Honorable mention: Doomrider

Xenos

1. Aeldari (Eldar) - Karandras

It was very funny when GW gave the Aeldari range a massive refresh, redid all the Aspect Warriors and their respective Phoenix Lords… and then randomly decided not to do Karandras. Good joke, GW, you got us…

OK, but now redo Karandras.

• Honorable mention: Falcon/Wave Serpent

2. Drukhari (Dark Eldar) - Grotesques

The real answer is their entire range, but if I had to pick one unit (and I'm being told that contractually I do), then it's got to be Grotesques.

The unit was sent to Legends in the 10th edition, but even before that, it barely existed at all. A monopause, monosculpt, resin model that you had to buy individually, even though you ran them in units of six.

I don't think I ever saw the official model, because every Drukhari player I ever played converted them from something else to avoid the misery of spending a fortune on 18 identical resin models.

• Honorable mention: The rest of the Drukhari range

3. Necrons - Trazyn the Infinite

This one seems like an inevitability, given that he's the only finecast Necron character that still hasn't been sent to Legends. He's also wildly popular thanks to the excellent The Infinite and the Divine novel, and his model looks like… well, it's showing its age, which is impressive for a Necron.

Oh, and while you're at it, GW, could you maybe redo his rules so that he doesn't suck? Thanks.

• Honorable mention: Lokhust Destroyers

4. Orks - Kaptin Badrukk

Orks are the main antagonists of 11th Edition 40K, starring alongside Space Marines in the launch box, so they're going to be getting a ton of new models. We already know that Warbikers are getting a resculpt, alongside a new Warboss and all the goodies in the Armageddon launch box itself. So I'm going to avoid the obvious stuff and make a bold prediction: the return of Kaptin Badrukk.

Why?

He's a pirate-themed Ork Warboss. No further arguments, your honor.

• Honorable mentions: Grot tanks

5. T’au - Crisis Suits

The current Crisis Suit models don't look terrible… until you stand them alongside the newer Commander and Twin Blade kits. They need a redo that scales them up a bit, and hopefully engineers a way around some of the horrendous seam lines in the current models. Throw some new gun options in there because the Tau love developing new guns, and we're laughing.

• Honorable mention: Devilfish/Hammerhead

6. Tyranids - Shrikes

I already scolded GW for making leaders but not giving them an appropriate model to lead, and I'm doing it again. They gave us the Winged Tyranid Prime in the 10th edition starter box, and we all rejoiced, because we thought it was heralding the arrival of the Shrikes (AKA winged Tyranid Warriors).

So, where are my Shrikes? I demand Shrikes.

• Honorable mentions: Gargoyles

7. Genestealer Cults - A big drill platform

Genestealer Cults players have resigned themselves to getting another random character every time their turn swings around, but we can do better than that. They need a centerpiece, and a massive mining machine is the way to go.

The worshippers of the four-armed Emperor are supposed to be blue-collar, working joes who have risen up against their Imperial oppressors, grabbing whatever tools they had at hand. If that was me, and there was a massive drilling platform on wheels lying around, you bet your ass I'd be driving that into the local Ministorum building.

• Honorable mention: Another random character.

8. Leagues of Votann - Land Train

When the Squats made their triumphant return under the rebranding of Leagues of Votann, they forgot to bring their most iconic unit with them. Bring back the Land Train, you cowards!

Will it be massive and wildly impractical on the tabletop? Yes. Do we care? No.

• Honorable mentions: A flyer.

Looking for what you can play between matches of 40K? Why not check out the best board games, the best card games, or the best tabletop RPGs?

The trouble with a wargame as massive as Warhammer 40K is finding a way in. The rules can be labyrinthine, there are so many factions to choose from, and it's often difficult to find a starter set with everything you need; they're often . That all changes with a new edition, though.

Warhammer 40K 11th Edition has just gone live, and it's the best jumping-on point we've had for the hobby in years. Unlike the best board games, Warhammer 40K is constantly changing; its rules are eternally being refined and built upon, resulting in a knot of mechanics. When a new version of the game drops, though, there's an emphasis on making things more streamlined and sanding off any rough edges. Each edition traditionally arrives with a launch box as well, providing the most comprehensive entry point to the hobby while stocks last. Armageddon is the latest one, and I'm still impressed at the value of this thing.

In terms of what's inside, two massive armies are included (Space Marines and Orks) alongside the full core rulebook, a lore primer for catching up on what's what in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and a host of cards used to run both missions and campaigns. Yes, you can guarantee that official starter sets will follow at some point soon. But those won't include many of the items featured above.

I've been hands-on with Armageddon myself, and it's Christmas come early for fans. For starters, those miniatures are incredible. While the Orks steal the spotlight in almost every regard (they're endearingly scrappy, if not outright weird at times), there are incredible models on both sides.

In addition, I've been impressed with how refined and easy to use the core rulebook is. Besides giving a lot of thought to how readable it is, it's trimmed away all the backstory that traditionally gets packaged with these books - and it's much more practical as a result. Not having to cart around a several-hundred-page tome to matches is a relief.

Having those game and campaign cards in the box is useful too. These are sure to coset a pretty penny separately.

Actually, that's true of the entire Warhammer 40K Armageddon box set; we don't know how much this will all cost individually yet, but it's always a lot more than launch boxes like this wind up being. In other words, you're saving a lot here... especially with that discount.

• See today's best Warhammer 40K deals at Amazon

Looking for more tabletop recommendations? Don't miss the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs.

I've been completely caught off guard by this year's Prime Day board game deals. They're usually somewhere in the vicinity of "fine" and "good," but 2026's offering? It's downright great.

I've been rolling dice for longer than I can remember, and have picked up more than a few lifelong favorites in that time - the sort I think deserve a spot on every shelf. They're the kind of experience that sets up camp in your brain, keeping you coming back for more. And luckily, more than a few are on offer in this week's Prime Day board game deals. The best board games for a whole chunk less, with some at or near record low prices? Uh, yes please.

That's why I've used my decades of experience to pick out absolute must-have titles included in the sale, ranging from modern classics like Catan to award-winning newcomers such as Sky Team. If you buy anything in the 2026 Prime Day board game deals, I'd suggest it be these must-haves.

If you want to see what else is out there, why not drop in on our guide to the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs?

Sometimes, you want a board game with more bite - and family fare just isn't gonna cut it. That's where the best strategy board games come in, and oh boy, but you need to be careful with these. Give them a try and they may sink their claws into you, never to let go.

I'm a huge fan of strategy board games, and while I appreciate something a bit more straightforward here and there, they're my true tabletop love. That's why I've rounded up a few of my favorites here. If you like to think of yourself as an armchair tactician as well or just want something with a bit more depth, these are the options I'd recommend first. We've reviewed each and every one here, and they're amongst the best board games overall.

As it so happens, plenty of them have been hit with discounts in this week's Prime Day board game deals as well. That means now is a pretty good time to pick them up, because most are weighing in significantly below their usual price.

• See today's best deals on board games at Amazon

For more recommendations, don't forget to check out the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs!

If you are a board game fan, then you know it is a blessing to get your family hooked on the hobby. After all, it's easy to organize a play session when you are all (lovingly) stuck together. I'm a big fan of family board games myself, and after hours of hunting Amazon's store page, I've rounded up the best Prime Day deals for any fellow fans looking for a new offering to bring to game night.

Now, it's important to remember that all the games listed below are family-centered. That means I've looked for titles that both adults and kids can enjoy, and that also means that while young children can play most of these, a lot have an 8+ age recommendation to them. They strike the perfect balance between being accessible and simple enough for everyone to understand, yet never boring or too easy. Most also need 2-4 players (though four is ideal in most cases). For more recommendations that span age ranges, you'll have to head to our main Prime Day board games round-up, or you can look over our list of the best board games of 2026.

But if you are ready to make some new cherished memories with your love ones or start some good old-fashioned family feuds, read on to see the best board games that Prime Day currently has on offer.

For more savings, check out our guides on all the Prime Day Lego deals and Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals.

Running D&D games is one of my favorite things to do, as is nattering on about my favorite modules, so the Prime Day sale is always a dangerous time; it gives me yet another excuse to ram adventures under everyone's nose and yell "look, isn't this great?" Anyway. Many of my favorite modules are actually on offer right now, and you know what that means. Here I am to wax lyrical about why they deserve a spot on your shelf.

If you ask me or my colleagues who also love rolling dice in D&D, these are the game's best products - if not highlights from the best tabletop RPGs overall. There's a bit of everything in this roundup; horror-tinged adventures to spook you, classic fantasy odysseys, sourcebooks full of goodies to put into your next campaign, beginner-friendly stories, and more. And as luck would have it, Amazon seems to have discounted most of them as part of its Prime Day sale. The savings may not be as steep as we're seeing for the latest Prime Day board game deals, but they're still pretty decent nonetheless.

So, let's dig in - roll initiative! If you want the very best D&D books at a bargain price, here's where I would start.

Looking for other discounts? Don't miss the best Prime Day Lego deals.

Prime Day board game deals don't always pull their weight, but this year? Phew. The sale is firing out genuine bangers, with huge price cuts on both modern favorites and all-time classics.

I've been writing about and reviewing the best board games on GamesRadar+ for around eight years now, but have been collecting and playing them for decades more. That means I've got a pretty good idea of what's worth checking out in the sale, not to mention what's a decent saving. (This isn't my first time covering Prime Day board game deals, after all.) That's why I've rounded up what I think are the very best offers below, split across a variety of categories so that you can head straight to the stuff that interests you.

Of all today's offers, two really stand out - and they stand at drastically different ends of the spectrum. At one end is Oh My Pigeons, a really daft party game that's currently 29% less than normal at Amazon. It's thoroughly silly fun that has became an instant favorite amongst my family. At the other end of thew scale is Sky Team, a truly brilliant two-player strategy game that has you trying to land a plane together. It's been reduced by 25% at Amazon right now, and I can't remember the last time a board game had me so on the edge of my seat.

Of course, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Let's dive in, shall we?

• Get top-rated board games from just $7.39 at Amazon

Prime Day board game deals under $15

Prime Day board game deals for families

Prime Day strategy board game deals

For more recommendations, why not check out the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs?

Following the introduction of Toy Story, Brave, and The Incredibles in April’s Wilds Unknown set, Disney Lorcana’s upcoming Attack of the Vine! is getting ready for the next wave of Pixar movies, and leading the way is my absolute favorite of all time, Monsters Inc.

Lorcana was first revealed in 2022 and joined the best card games shortly after, so I’ve been waiting for this moment for almost four years. Mike Wazowski, Boo, Randall, and, most importantly, James P. Sullivan himself are finally here, and these six cards show there’s a lot more to the Monsters than just looking scary. There’s a powerful deck in here, if you can generate the energy needed to run it.

We scare, because we care (about having more ink than we know what to do with)

Lots of the properties in Lorcana have a shared mechanic underpinning them. For instance, Encanto goes hard on the Madrigal characteristic, and Sword in the Stone has a bounce-heavy archetype. But we’ve yet to see one lean so overwhelmingly into a key strategy like we do with Monsters Inc.

Almost every card here cares about you squeezing every bit of juice out of your inkwell as possible, and it does that in two key ways. The first is in simply having a massive inkwell, which is seen on Boo - Human Child’s +2 Lore value if you have five or more cards in your inkwell.

We’ve also got some symmetrical ramp with Power Surge, a Sapphire Action card that lets you dump the top two cards of every player’s deck into their inkwell. I could maybe see this getting some use in the Sapphire/Amethyst control decks that already use cards like Hades - Infernal Schemer to throw cards into your opponent’s inkwell where they’re less of a threat, but really this is a way to trigger the likes of Boo.

Doing some serious exerting, putting up some big numbers

The second theme of Monsters Inc is one we’ve not seen a whole lot of so far; rewarding you for exerting all of your ink each turn. Randall Boggs - Envious Coworker is already impressive as a 3/1 evasive character for just two ink, but if you’re fully spent he’ll also gain an additional two Lore value to boot.

A key difference between Lorcana and Magic: The Gathering is that, in Lorcana, you can’t ‘float’ an ink. You can only exert ink to pay to play cards, rather than just tap all your lands for floating mana in Magic. That means you need to get a bit creative for some of these payoffs.

Sulley - Protective Monster is an uncommon take on this ability. He helps enable the fully-exerted strategy by optionally exerting all your ink when he enters, and as long as you have no readied ink, he’ll be able to challenge the turn he enters by gaining rush.

If you’d rather play it a bit safer, Scream Canister is another exertion enabler, with the added upside of being a control piece. Pay two ink and exert it to exert all your other ink and a character an opponent controls with two strength or less - the big downside being it itself can’t be inked.

As you’d likely expect, this archetype really helps push aggro to the fore in a meta that is largely dominated by control and tempo decks. Simply playing a load of cards and abilities to go fast and use up your resources every turn will be enough for Sulley to pick up rush and become a threatening beater.

Put that card back where it came from or so help me

The final card doesn’t neatly fit into the Monsters Inc archetype, which is a perfect bit of flavour considering Mike “Googly Bear” Wazowski never made it as a scarer like Sulley or Randall. Instead, his card - Mike Wazowski - Heroic Climber - is a non-character hosing card that really could become a big counter to the dominant meta.

Whenever he enters or quests, you and your opponent reveal the top card of your deck. If it’s anything other than a character, it gets put to the bottom of the deck, otherwise it goes into its owner’s hand. You might not get too many triggers of Mike’s ability, but getting rid of even one Junior Woodchuck Guidebook or Let It Go is going to be worthwhile.

Monsters Inc in Lorcana was well worth the wait

Sulley is my all-time favorite character in any media, and so I’ve been chomping at the bit to finally build a Sulley-centric deck in Lorcana, and it’s great to see the final result be so on-theme for the movie and so darn synergistic for the game.

I would have built a Monsters Inc deck regardless of how well it performed, but, much like how Wilds Unknown’s Toy Story cards gave Toys a reliable archetype, I can see Monsters Inc doing the same with inkwell-matters. It’ll be scary good.

Disney Lorcana’s Attack of the Vine! launches on July 24, with prerelease events being held starting July 17.

I love a good board game, but I don't impress easily. That's why Catan: On the Road caught me so off guard. It only took a single session for me to fall head over heels in love with this 15-minute family game. Did I win? No. But that tells you something about how much fun I had. Now I'm recommending it to anyone who'll listen - and I'd argue that it's a must-have for vacation, not to mention one of the best travel board games overall.

Designed for three to four players, Catan: On the Road is a streamlined version of classic Catan (AKA one of the best board games ever produced, in our humble opinion). Despite being much smaller, it's surprisingly similar to its classic; like the original board game, your aim is to earn the most points. You can do this in a variety of ways from gathering the largest army to constructing vast cities, so you've got plenty of strategies to try.

Rather than using a crap-ton of board tiles and tokens like the original, though, On the Road whittles all that down to a single deck of cards. While you'd think that boils off most of what makes Catan unique along with its nuance, nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, both my family and I were surprised at how much it felt like OG Catan.

Basically, you're still gathering resources each turn (they're randomly-drawn cards, mimicking the probability-based nature of the original Catan) and using them to purchase items or buildings. These, in turn, allow you to get more resources or special bonuses that will help you in your mission. Once you've gathered seven Victory Points overall, it's game over.

Plus, its size and the fact that it plays on a smaller surface makes it ideal for travel or taking with you on vacation. Besides fitting into a pocket, it doesn't require a massive dinner table for setup. That's ideal if you want something that you can chuck into a suitcase for your summer holiday; you can play it wherever you're staying, on the train, or at the airport while waiting for a flight.

Now, I will point out that it's not perfect despite being a ton of fun. I found in my test session that those who managed to buy a City card early (which gives you extra resource cards each turn rather than just one) can quickly build up steam because they're obviously getting more to work with. But at the same time, this doesn't mean those who take a different approach will get left behind. I came in second despite taking an entirely different approach, for instance - I focused on getting the longest roads and the biggest armies instead.

Similarly, there are a host of new 'event' cards that adjust the balance of power each time they're drawn. These range from the classic robber who steals resources to special festivals that provide free resources for those who are struggling. Oh, and don't forget players' ability to trade (with others or the bank) when needed.

All this comes together to make a game with that 'special sauce'; I was very eager to try again once we finished. For me, that makes it a very easy recommendation.

For more suggestions, don't miss the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs. As for portable games, Wingspan Pocket shrinks the beloved board game down in size.

The tiny Gloomhaven spinoff, Buttons & Bugs, is getting its first expansion that introduces a new quest and classes.

Due to launch later this year, the Gloomhaven Buttons & Bugs: Pub Crawlers add-on features new enemies to battle, an all-new adventure with 17 scenario cards, two classes with teeny miniatures, and more. Although we don't have a release date yet, it'll be shipping in September (though fans of the best board games can pre-order it for Gen Con 2026 pick-up via publisher Cephalofair if they want early access). Just bear in mind that you'll need the original Buttons & Bugs – which you can find for $20 at Miniature Market or £15.99 via Wayland Games UK – to play.

In terms of specifics, it looks like our pair of new mercenaries are the Fungal Monk (which looks like a walking pink mop with a bone staff) and Whistlecry, which seems to be a cross between a flying squirrel and a fairy. It's unclear what adventure they'll be going on, but it adds a new Struggle/Ease Difficulty Deck alongside a new enemy dial and cube. Because of the title (not to mention the cover art), I'd hope we're scurrying around a pub causing mischief like boozy Borrowers as well.

If you haven't encountered Buttons & Bugs before, it's a much smaller take on the original Gloomhaven that's designed to work as a travel version of the popular RPG. While you're still getting the deep, tactical card-based combat the franchise is known for, it's playable in under 20 minutes and comes in at a fraction of the size. That makes it even more accessible than the slimmed-down entry-level game, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion.

Buttons & Bugs: Pub Crawlers will launch toward the end of this year and costs $17.99/£17.

For more recommendations, why no check out the best tabletop RPGs or the best card games?

If you have a nagging feeling that the Pokemon card hobby isn't what it used to be, you're not alone – fans are letting their frustrations out at the prevalence of grading culture. The general consensus? It really, really sucks.

I spend a lot of my time reporting on the best card games, and I'm seeing this take crop up more each month. In a reddit thread with 3K upvotes so far, that feeling has boiled over. "Are there still collectors out there who just buy cards because they like them?" Poster deckdossier writes in a thread venting irritation at those who are chasing the most valuable, highest-graded Pokemon cards. "Honestly, the market has become a lot less enjoyable because of this mindset."

Judging by the rest of the thread, this isn't an unpopular take. The top response (with 1.2K upvotes and counting) from SuchSoup4335 reads, "I never liked it, it feels like a huge detriment to the hobby." They're not alone in that assessment; a wealth of comments from the same thread share that sentiment.

I'd have to agree. I never want to yuk anyone's yum, but it feels as though those in deep with the grading game occupy a similar space to resellers (who are arguably ruining the hobby for everyone else – just look at how hard it is to buy Pokemon TCG Pitch Black for an example). In other words, they couldn't give a hoot about the hobby itself and are purely there for profit. It's aggressively transactional, which is off-putting for both newcomers and more established players alike. It's certainly not a pleasant atmosphere; it often feels more like the stock exchange than the easy-going retreat Pokemon should be. When everyone rolls their eyes at a new expansion with comments like "this would be great if I could actually find any cards in store," something's wrong.

Will this change as the 'craze' runs out of steam? I'd like to hope so, but it feels like a self-sustaining loop now. Grade-chasing isn't a new phenomenon, just like resellers aren't a modern blip. The wild popularity of Pokemon cards (along with nostalgia for the franchise) leads to high demand, and high demand leads to opportunities like this for those who just see dollar signs. While the Pokemon TCG remains as popular as it is, I don't see that changing.

Anyway, enough of my thoughts – what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

For more tabletop, why not check out the best board games? You can also get your fill of Pokemon with the best Pokemon merch.

An XCOM miniatures game has been officially revealed by the team behind the Fallout and Elder Scrolls wargames.

Finally breaking cover after it was teased back in April, XCOM: The Miniatures Game is a solo and co-op "adventure wargame" from Modiphius Entertainment due to launch toward the end of 2026. Based on the XCOM Enemy Unknown video game but using the 'Five Parsecs From Home' system, it sees you building up the XCOM organization with an upgradable base, an elite squad you've created yourself, and by researching technologies to aid in your fight (presumably using a system not unlike those seen in 'Legacy' versions of the best board games to track long-term progress).

All of this makes it sound as though the XCOM miniatures game will follow a long-running campaign. Indeed, the Modiphius press release notes that "new aliens will start to appear each month during the war," with the option for players to "purchase encounter sets that match the months to grow their game collection as they go."

This XCOM adaptation isn't just a team exercise, though. Like so many other wargames, it also includes a head-to-head mode where one of you takes control of the alien menace.

Pre-orders are set to begin in July, with a range of accessories and miniatures up for grabs alongside the core rulebook. If you pre-order that rulebook you'll get a PDF copy immediately, allowing you to test-drive those rules with proxy minis.

Speaking of minis, a six-member XCOM Operatives squad will be available to pre-order in July. These drop alongside a host of aliens (Sectoids, Sectoid Commanders, Thin Men, Outsiders, Floaters, Chryssalids, and Seekers) in addition to XCOM terrain by way of Infection Pods. Plenty more are apparently coming later on, and you can sign up directly via Modiphius for news as it happens.

Personally, I've got a good feeling about this one. While miniatures wargaming is a crowded market to say the least, Modiphius has ample experience via the likes of The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms, particularly when it comes to games with light RPG elements. That's what gives me hope about XCOM: The Miniatures Game, actually. The fact that it includes an upgradable base, research projects, and what seems to be a slowly developing war against the aliens gives a strong narrative foundation that should help it stand out from the crowd. Hopefully being able to try those rules in July will shed a little more light on the matter.

What do you think? Will you be giving the game a try? Shout about it in the comments below.

For more tabletop recommendations, don't miss the best tabletop RPGs or the best card games.

It looks as though it's gonna be "game over, man" for a whole new crew of Colonial Marines, because the Alien RPG is getting an all-new campaign that's shoving them through the meatgrinder. I'm sure they'll be fine, and their mission will go exactly to plan with no issues whatsoever.

Following the launch of its new version earlier this year (Alien RPG Evolved Edition, which we gave four and a half stars in our review), Operation Leading Edge is a standalone adventure designed for three to five players. It'll launch in Q4 2026, and is up for pre-order via publisher Free League's store now.

While it can be played as a one-off, publisher Free League says that Operation Leading Edge is actually part two of the Jeremiah Saga trilogy (following on from Rapture Protocol, launched around the same time as Alien's Evolved Edition). With the exception of the core rules, it contains everything you need to run the campaign; you're getting the adventure itself, double-sided battlemaps, five pregenerated characters, playing cards with info on character agendas, tokens, and handouts. In terms of the story, it apparently "lets the players take the roles of a team of Colonial Marines sent to secure a rich mineral deposit on the remote moon Jeremiah VI. Just a routine drop n’ stop mission. What could possibly go wrong?" What indeed.

Judging by our experience with the Alien RPG, the answer is "a lot." We've long held this up as one of the best tabletop RPGs around, and I honestly think you'd struggle to find a more tense experience. The way it builds up and ekes out anxiety is masterful, and it's a struggle not to be perched on the edge of your seat. I played through the Alien RPG Evolved Edition Starter Set a few months ago, and it was perfectly unsettling – it absolutely nails the sense of desperate dread the movies are known for.

This was just one announcement of many, though; Free League also showed off Evolved Edition versions for previous releases, including the Chariot of the Angels cinematic adventure, the Colonial Marines sourcebook, and the Building Better Worlds book. While the previous versions were technically compatible with Evolved Edition, these reprints bring everything up to date.

For more recommendations on what to play next, why not check out the best board games?

I've been an on-and-off Pokemon card collector for 13 years now, and while I've always enjoyed the collection aspect, there's no doubt that the hobby has... shifted slightly in the last few years. However, with a new goal and mindset, I'm now having more fun with it than ever before, and I'm once again feeling the magic for one of the best card games after the prominence of resellers killed my enthusiasm.

In the Pokemon trading card game (TCG) space, it's a universal experience to want to collect the rarest cards – not much beats the thrill of seeing something cool and sparkly at the back of a pack – but since around 2020, for many people, it's become less about the cards, and more about their value. It's extremely rare we see new TCG sets release these days without being immediately resold to oblivion at launch and beyond, with folks buying as much stock as possible to either resell it sealed, or rip open the packs to resell the hits, all at ridiculously inflated prices. Look, I think Ascended Heroes's Mega Gengar secret illustration rare is as cool as the next person, but you can't tell me that a new card that's still being printed could possibly be truly worth over $3,000.

You now see this monetary-focused mentality in a lot of TCG content, even if it's not from resellers. There's nothing inherently sinister about it, but content creators listing the value of all the cards they pull drives the normalization of the idea that the potential resale value is the most important aspect of collecting, and more money equals a better pull.

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with this if that's how you enjoy the hobby most, but for me, it's honestly sucked a lot of the joy out of it. I mean, for a start, the level of reselling means it's not all that often you even see packs in stores at regular prices, and as a casual collector, I'm definitely not about to start paying triple or more for them.

Beauty in bulk

Simply, I realized I'm not cut out for how many people seem to be engaging with TCG these days, so I needed to find a different way to enjoy the hobby. Well, what better way than appreciating my stacks of bulk?

Bulk – the common, non-hits that make up the majority of the cards you'll get in a pack – aren't usually worth much. They're the ones listed as being worth pennies on those aforementioned videos, and many hit-chasers skip over them entirely just to look at the last few cards to see if they got anything rare. Anyone who's opened packs over the years will inevitably have a lot, and looking at mine, a thought crossed my mind – how much of the complete Pokedex might I have collected over the years? How many more would I need to get to complete a full (and enormous) Pokedex binder?

I'm not the first to have this idea, of course, but as soon as I set about figuring out how many Pokemon I had, I was already looking at my collection in a whole new light. Obviously, there are multiple different cards for every Pokemon, but I decided it made sense to make my Dex as personal as possible by picking only my favourite artwork for each one. It makes for an eclectic mix of cards, and it's somewhat odd to see a common from Plasma Blast alongside one from Perfect Order, but that didn't matter – I was assembling a collage of favorites, built on years of love for the franchise.

As for what I had already, well, I'm certainly not close to done. While I have a significant amount of the Kanto, Hoenn, and Unova 'mons, overall I'm only around a third of the way there. But honestly? I'm glad this is the case.

That's because it's already affecting the way I think about my new cards as I open them. I recently did my first opening of the latest TCG set, Chaos Rising, and my new goal gave me a surprising chase card.

Stunky is one of my favorite Pokemon. I think real-life skunks are adorable, and as someone who grew up with Pokemon Pearl and Platinum, the existence of the little Diamond-exclusive Poison-type was flaunted in my face for years, despite me never being able to use one. I was thrilled to finally play Diamond in my adulthood and put a Stunky on my team, and I've had a soft spot for it ever since.

A new goal

Alas, there are not many Stunky cards. Up to now, nine existed, and none from sets I'd opened. But looking through the card list for Chaos Rising, I saw something – my beloved skunk was a common card, and not only that, this one had the cutest art out of all the previous Stunky cards that have ever existed.

Needless to say, I had a goal. Looking at the illustration and secret illustration rares in the set, I was also eyeing up the adorable Cinccino SIR, but Stunky had to come home, and nothing else mattered.

Over the course of 17 packs, I was lucky enough to open a gorgeous Crobat illustration rare, as well as an ultra rare Mega Floette ex, but it was only in the last three packs that it finally happened. There it was, the common Stunky – immediately followed by an uncommon Skuntank to complete the evolutionary line. It was like it was meant to be, and I can honestly say that those two cards sparked way more joy than any of the objectively rarer hits I pulled during the course of the opening.

Although Stunky was a highlight, it was a joy for every pack to see what new Pokemon I could add to my physical dex, and it once again makes me glad that I still have so many missing. It'd be easy to get carried away and commit to buying all the missing cards I need right now, but I've decided I want this to be a long-term project. I can't imagine how long it's going to take, but I'm looking forward to slowly building it up each time I get my hands on new packs, something I suspect I'm probably more likely to do more often now that I'm not chasing the unlikely hits alongside everyone else. My chase cards now just got weirder, and I can't wait to find out who my next underrated hit is.

For suggestions of what to play next, why not check out the best board games or the best tabletop RPGs?

I've had my eye on the Toniebox 2, the upgraded audio entertainment system for kids, for months now ever since a family friend gifted us the previous version of Toniebox. There are any number of reasons to make the jump, but the simple fact is that there are now some interactive characters or materials that simply don't work on the original.

That includes, but is not limited to, the newly revealed Tonieplay Hasbro Collection, which brings some of the best board games like Monopoly, Guess Who?, and The Game of Life to the Toniebox 2. When the opportunity arose to give some of them a shot for myself, bringing together something my family already enjoyed with new board game experiences, it felt a bit like kismet.

If you're completely unfamiliar with Toniebox – let alone Toniebox 2 – you can think of it a bit like child-friendly experiences by way of proprietary amiibo. Both are soft red (though you can get other colors, this is the baseline) cubes with little ears to turn it on and adjust volume for the speakers on its sides that also has a reader on top for the magnetic "tonies" to sit on. They're fairly simple devices that do still require an internet connection, but once you've bought the box itself and the figure, there are no ads or screens or unintended offramps to worry about.

They're designed for kids, and my family has had a grand time letting ours listen to kid-friendly podcasts, Spider-Man stories and songs, and so on. They've also had their fair share of time with the Nintendo Switch and locked-down tablets, so playing games isn't beyond them. The Tonieplay Hasbro Collection felt like it would be a natural extension of what they've already done.

And having now played both the Guess Who? And The Game of Life Tonieplay games, that is, by and large, true. Both are specifically designed for 5+, and we even had a newly minted 5-year-old kid play and win Guess Who? the first time we broke it out. The Toniebox 2 basically does all of the work with relatively little setup required.

To begin, you have to put a punchout on top of the Toniebox 2 that sort of sits over the aforementioned ears to provide a series of options along the edges. You then have to use the proprietary Controller in the middle, which has a button and an arrow, to pick and choose various elements. In Guess Who?, for example, the Toniebox 2 walks players through a series of stories that feature clues about colorful, playful monsters to try and determine which one is the culprit at the end of the day.

It's hard to say whether Guess Who? Or The Game of Life is more complicated in this format. Guess Who? features 30 total monster pieces with required stickers while The Game of Life has a full-on foldable board and pieces. Up to 4 players can take on The Game of Life while only 2 can do Guess Who?, though both are more playful than cutthroat.

The positive aspect here is the closed garden nature of the Toniebox 2 – you can hand these off to kids and they can play all on their own without any concern that some unfiltered internet might seep in around the edges. They also encourage imaginative play, as several different parts of The Game of Life had us acting out silly scenarios. But it's also not a cheap investment; the Toniebox 2 is roughly $150, another $25 (when discounted) for a game, and then $15 for the proprietary Controller. All told, $190 before tax to play Guess Who? is a bit of an ask.

More likely, this is aimed at people that are already within the ecosystem. Have a Toniebox 2 for all your favorite tonies to play on already? Why not extend that to games for a nominal fee? It's certainly more deliberately interactive than simply listening, and from direct experience, I can tell you that there's nothing quite like the look your kid gets when The Game of Life suggests a career they really want and then has them act out different scenarios about it.

Not that my kids picked "writer" when it came up.

The Tonieplay Hasbro Collection is currently available to pre-order on the official Tonies site, and is expected to be available at all major retailers on July 7.

The Toniebox 2 and relevant games and controller were provided by Tonies PR for coverage purposes.

For more game recommendations, don't miss the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs.

I don't know about you, but after a months-long D&D campaign with stakes heavy enough to squash you underfoot, sometimes you need a break. A holiday, even – and with this new release, I think I've found the perfect destination.

What's the perfect antidote to world-ending conflict? Causing all sorts of mischief as a hobbit, of course. If you want a palette cleanser from the best tabletop RPGs, it doesn't get much better than Free League's The One Ring: Hobbit Tales or its D&D equivalent, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying: Shire Adventures. These books are less "harrowing odyssey" and more like Merry and Pippin mucking around at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring. It's a surprisingly refreshing take; rather than epic adventurers, you're low-level halflings getting into all sorts of shenanigans. It's the epitome of light-hearted.

Usually, the One Ring and Lord of the Rings Roleplaying see you galivanting across Middle-earth in a bid to undermine the growing Shadow (they're set between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, after all). Yet this hobbit-focused sidebar is a definite exception to the rule. You play as upstanding members of Shire society that have been cajoled into nonsense by none other than Bilbo Baggins. You see, Bilbo has long-since returned from his quest to the Misty Mountain and seems rather… bored. Therefore, what better way to generate some excitement than stealing an old map from the local museum? This sets up a series of low-stakes adventures that gradually increase in drama, but remain pleasantly easy-going from start to finish. It's low-stakes, but in a cozy sort of way.

That's just a third of the book, too. The rest is dedicated to mapping the entirety of the Shire and its environs, giving your players other places to explore or the kernel of quests you can flesh out into full adventures. With that, your journey doesn't need to end with the climax of the written campaign; you can continue creating havoc across the hobbit's homeland should you so choose. There's even an opportunity to encounter figures from the lore like Tom Bombadil.

As noted above, this once featured as part of the old One Ring Starter Set and I've run it in that form a couple of times. My players always had a blast. It serves as a great intro to roleplaying games or a breather between bigger storylines, so I'd certainly recommend adding it to your collection.

In terms of which book to get, I think there are advantages to both. Personally, I adore The One Ring's bespoke system and think it's easy to get into; it's on the lighter side, focusing on drama at table rather than a litany of stats. Its Fellowship and Shadow mechanics feel incredibly true to the books, too. However, you will have to get your hands on the core rules as well to learn it – probably via the main rulebook (which you can find easily enough at DriveThruRPG). Again, I don't think that's a bad thing; this system is fab, so is worth delving into beyond Hobbit Tales.

Your other option is to grab the D&D-based Shire Adventures, and being realistic, this is probably the better option for most. You don't necessarily need the Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Core Rulebook (available at Amazon) to join in because the self-contained adventure doesn't really touch on anything outside of core D&D, and it includes pre-generated characters. Plus, it's in a system your players are likely to know already. It's the path of least resistance.

Either way, I'd highly recommend trying one of them. I have a lot of fond memories mucking about in the Shire, and I'm willing to bet your players will too by the end of all this.

For more recommendations, why not check out the best board games or the best card games?

I will openly admit that I have never been someone who has given much time to playing board games solo. Alongside my collection of the best board games are shelves of video games, saying nothing of my Steam library (I’m a sucker for a good Steam sale), so typically, whenever I get the urge to play a game, I opt for the digital variety, saving me from the setup time and space requirements that tabletop options require. Unstoppable from Renegade Game Studios may just bring enough to the table to get me to put my controller down.

Designed by John D. Clair, Unstoppable is a cyberpunk/sci-fi deck-building title where you and up to one other person work to fight off waves of enemies while trying to take down the looming and ever-present boss before either time or your life runs out.

At the start of your turn, you will draft a new card into your deck and utilize your hand to take out that round's line-up of enemies or prepare as best you can to absorb the damage of anyone you can’t take out. Much like games such as Star Realms, cards can be associated with various factions and building out a deck whose cards synergize with one another and can take advantage of faction bonuses, will help see you through and truly become unstoppable.

The big twist comes in the form of Unstoppable’s card crafting system, where each card is composed of a core side - attacks, allies, resource generators, or other boons to help you out - and a threat side, which are enemies that are trying to kill you. Coming with a bunch of card sleeves, you will be putting both a core card and a threat card in the same sleeve as you play, with additional upgrade cards that can be purchased, slotting in between them. It really is pretty nifty.

Going solo

Being a part of Renegade’s “Solo Hero Series” line of games, Unstoppable shines with single-player, but does come with official rules if you want to team up with a friend, though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. The two-player rules feel more like a tacked-on afterthought included on the back of the box, as opposed to doing anything particularly exciting. You double the health points on the boss, but everything else plays out the same as if you were playing solo, with the only exception being that you can attack enemies on your partner’s side. That said, if one of you goes down, you both lose. The couple of times I tried it, having a partner almost felt more like a hindrance than an exciting addition.

I’m someone who loves deck-building games, with the likes of Dune: Imperium and Clank frequently coming off my shelf for game nights, and I even have a small-box copy of Star Realms in my car’s glovebox. Compared to those others, Unstoppable forces you into a much more offense-focused style of play. Unlike other deck-builders, where you have a draw phase in which you replenish your hand of cards, the only way to draw more cards is by defeating enemies, on whose reverse side are the cards you have previously drafted or that compose your starting deck. You can’t simply turtle up for resources here; you need to always be working out the best way to dish out the most damage you can in the most cost-efficient way, as each card you play has an associated action point cost. As I played Unstoppable, it almost felt more like a puzzle game than a boss battler, and certainly distinct from other card games like it that I’ve played.

To help you along in tackling your objective and enemies, you will need to upgrade your cards, done by slotting modifiers into the sleeves your cards are in. Cards feature cutouts, with upgrades filling those cutouts, such as allowing you to deal more damage or earn credits that you can spend on even more upgrades. But every upgrade is a double-edged sword, as each will not only benefit you, but also the enemy that appears on the other side of your card. More than once did I find myself cursing my earlier decisions as I got smacked for extra damage or made a particularly nasty enemy sturdier courtesy of an upgrade I bought and applied to it. Unstoppable does tell you what enemy upgrade is present on the other side at the bottom of the good side, so the information isn’t hidden from you, but it still feels like stubbing your toe - you have no one but yourself to blame, but it doesn’t stop you from wanting to shake your fist at the sky.

When it comes to the bosses your end goal targets, you have three options to pick from, including the Harbinger (your most basic foe, where you simply need to dish out damage before time runs out), The Triumvirate (basically a cartel of three gangs whose bases you need to take down before you can take the boss itself down), and Duomo’s Menace (which really changes things up, featuring a branching story deck you need to get through until you reach specific victory cards). While I certainly wouldn’t be against a couple more options, I really do enjoy how varied each of the three victory conditions is, and how they manage to pose vastly different puzzles to solve. It’s unfortunate, however, that the four characters you can choose from don’t rise to the same standards.

Chores

Saying that Unstoppable has characters to pick from feels a bit disingenuous, as outside of their own unique portrait cards, the “characters” themselves are just a set of three unique cards in their starting decks. These are fine as a jumping-off point and help direct you, but I enjoyed doing a sort of draft at the start instead, picking three cards from all 12 unique cards. This little bit of homebrew paired with the adjustable difficulty options is great for mixing things up and keeping the game challenging.

Some games, take The Lord of the Rings - War of the Ring board game, for example, have their theme and aesthetic so intertwined with what the game is that it almost becomes a component of the game’s design itself. Unstoppable falls on the opposite side of that spectrum, where its science fiction visuals never felt like more than set dressing, and you could swap out the guns and corpo cards for swords and brigands and have a high-fantasy version without batting an eye. This is a mechanic-centric game, and thankfully, Unstoppable’s mechanics are solid!

Perhaps the biggest mark against Unstoppable for me is the component management and, more specifically, the teardown process. Considering that a core aspect is slotting cards and upgrades into sleeves, that means at the end, you will then have to unsleeve those cards before you box up the game. I’m no stranger to putting cards into and taking cards out of those handy protective covers, being a TCG player, but it isn’t something I necessarily look forward to. Having that chore looming like a space creature peering over the box at me is more menacing than the boss itself, and has stopped me from sitting down and opening the box more than once.

Should you buy Unstoppable?

While I wouldn’t say that Unstoppable has turned me into a complete solo tabletop believer, making me want to take my consoles and handhelds to an e-waste disposal site, occasionally a solo board game will come around that manages to entice me enough to cause me to set down my controller. Even with the annoying unsleeving process at the end, I’ve found myself reaching for Unstoppable instead of a controller a couple of times now, but I found it to be a particularly good game to bust out during my lunch at work, thanks to its fairly compact box size and a game time of under an hour most times.

With a new addition focusing on the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series coming out soon, I’m excited to dive in and see how well Renegade designs the games to work with one another (if at all), and with the ample space in the box yet to be filled, it’s clear that the plan is for Unstoppable to be an expanding game system and not a one-and-done affair, and that does make me excited. Even with its blemishes (some of which could be solved with a digital version, just saying), I hope that Unstoppable is true to its name and doesn’t stop anytime soon, as it's one of the most unique deck-building games I’ve played in a long time.

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For a complete overview of our process, don't miss this guide to how we test board games or the full GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Even if I'd set aside a week to browse every board game at UK Games Expo 2026, I don't think it'd be enough. Walking into the show is like being faced with a buffet including every delicious meal you can think of; as one of the biggest tabletop shows around, and certainly the biggest in the UK, there's no shortage of cool shit jostling for your attention. That includes secret projects and hits-in-waiting which are primed to set the industry on fire. Trying to make your way around the show is even harder when all you can think about is a game tailor-made to eat up your free time.

I was able to playtest my way through the show while quizzing developers on the board games that visitors were loving, and Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft was the most popular game at publisher Ravensburger's booth by a long way. Actually, it became so sought-after that more playtest tables had to be set up to cater for demand. Having now seen the D&D crossover in person (and having followed it since we exclusively revealed the project a couple of months back), I understand the hype. Classic horror fans, pay attention. Besides resurrecting mechanics that draw inspiration from the best board games, it's sublime gothic eeriness in a box.

If you're new to the Horrified series, think of it as a cross between Pandemic and Betrayal at House on the Hill. It challenges you to defeat a collection of monsters – ranging from classics like your garden-variety werewolf to legends from Greek myth – before they chow down on innocent civilians. This serves as your countdown timer, and it leads to a masterful balancing act. You've got to juggle each foe's unique takedown quest (they can only be defeated after completing specific objectives) with making sure you protect villagers at the same time. If too many innocents die, it's game over… so some difficult sacrifices may need to be made.

That concept carries over to Ravenloft, but there are some twists in the tale you should beware.

For starters, it builds on the class mechanics that helped last year's Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons stand out. These provide unique powers for each hero that are activated using D&D's iconic d20 die, and Ravenloft provides a host of extra classes not included before – the Warlock, Ranger, Druid, Sorcerer, and Paladin are being brought to bear this time around. Their abilities range from adding a bonus to your dice rolls or ignoring damage to a character, but that's not the interesting bit. No, the thing that caught my attention was the ability to furnish them with 'Dark Gifts' from eldritch patrons. These provide a vital boon such as moving monsters or characters out of danger, but they come at a literal cost that may see you discarding cards… or worse. Plus, this requires flipping over your character card to reveal a 'corrupted' version of the hero. You may save the day, but you aren't coming out of it a paragon of virtue.

This ties into the second change Ravenloft introduces. To be precise, it exchanges high fantasy from the last D&D Horrified for a more gothic approach. That's because it's based on the most popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign of the current edition, Curse of Strahd. This is basically Dracula meets D&D, so expect big Van Helsing energy. Vampires and a Baba Yaga-style walking hut are just some of the enemies you'll face.

Such classic horror vibes mean their mechanics are rooted in the unsettling. The demonic Gulthias Tree has the power to keep summoning hordes of Twig Blights that'll overwhelm your party, for example, and it won't stop until you've torn it right out of the ground like a weed.

I adore the original Horrified thanks to its similarly gothic tone, and it's still my favorite entry in the series. As such, Ravenloft harkening back to that vibe is music to my ears.

In much the same way, its aesthetic is doused in the macabre. Shadow-drenched artwork, baroque stained glass depicting the heroes, and a color palette that says "you can never have enough eerie purple" make it feel like wrapping yourself in a blanket of pure Halloween. Similarly, the board's locations (which are pulled directly from Curse of Strahd) echo the OG Horrified's Transylvanian backdrop. While they don't always tally with what we get in the D&D campaign, it's all about vibes here – and Ravenloft passes that particular check with aplomb. Why not stick skulls on our architecture or construct every house from sagging gray stone that looks as depressed as our villagers, it says.

In other words, it'll go down very well if you love classic horror – and because it arrives in July, it'll be more than ready for spooky season once summer turns to fall.

I just hope we'll be able to get our hands on a copy, considering how popular it was at the UK Games Expo…

For more game recommendations, don't miss the best card games or the best tabletop RPGs.

Pathfinder publisher Paizo has revealed a sweeping slate of changes that include layoffs, and it's all thanks to millions of dollars in stock being held by the company's old distributor.

In a sobering announcement, the company (which is responsible for some of the best tabletop RPGs, including the sci-fi Starfinder) revealed that it's facing the "devastating" loss of almost $2 million thanks to its old distributor, Diamond, going bust and holding onto around $10m in Paizo goods. Paizo then had to write off "nearly half a million in additional sales covered by the bankruptcy." Book-trade sales also "remain far below historical levels," so even though there's been growth via Paizo's online store and hobby retailers in that time, it's not been enough to offset those blows.

Heartbreakingly, this has resulted in layoffs across the company (12 staff are impacted). Thanks to the rising cost of making scenarios for organized play, Paizo is making changes there too. Along with reducing the number of scenarios it produces to two per month as of October 2026 (one for Pathfinder and one for Starfinder), it's stopping free non-Society PDFs for volunteers and putting more emphasis on community-created content. More specifically, it is "bringing independently created Pathfinder and Starfinder products directly into the spotlight on Paizo.com."

In the meantime, the situation with Diamond continues to grind on. Indeed, the incident isn't just limited to Paizo; in the company's post, it notes that "dozens of other publishers" have been in court to see their product released. Seeing as Diamond owed D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro over $1,900,000 at the time it filed for bankruptcy, I can certainly believe it.

The situation doesn't look as though it's going to be resolved any time soon, either. Paizo's exclusive contract with Diamond prevented it from moving forward with a new distributor, and despite a judge having terminated that contract earlier in 2026 (allowing Paizo to partner with Independent Publishers Group to "rebuild our book‑trade presence"), Diamond has appealed the termination which is delaying this whole situation.

Still, there is hope. The company is apparently in a better position now than it was in 2025, though it sounds as though it'll be a long road to recovery.

If this has you feeling down and you want to distract yourself with something new to play, check out the best board games or the best card games.

Now that 11th Edition is here, you may be wondering where to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon (the launch box for this shiny new version of the game). And if you are, I've got good news; unlike so many new Warhammer products, it's widely available... and at a discount.

This is why I've rounded up a hit list of the best offers here, including reliable retailers to try if and when the Warhammer 40K 11th Edition box set inevitably drops out of stock. That means you'll have options no matter when you plan to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon.

Intriguingly, the box set seems far more widely available than I'd expected as I write this. Rather than it being slim pickings, I've been able to track down where to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon at multiple stores, often with a price cut. Does that mean the other shoe is gonna fall soon? Maybe. This is a limited release, so with that in mind, I'd probably grab it sooner than later just in case it drops out of stock.

Where to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon in the US

Looking to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon in the US? Not a problem. Head straight to Miniature Market to get the best, cheapest deal.

Miniature Market

Amazon

Rogue Traders

eBay

Other retailers to watch

• CMO Games | Check stock
• Brookhurst Hobbies | Check stock
• Frontline Gaming | Check stock
• Armada Games | Check stock
• Warpfire | Check stock

Where to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon in the UK

For those hoping to buy Warhammer 40K Armageddon in the UK, I'd head straight to Wayland Games. That's because the launch box is heavily discounted there, offering the best price I've seen after checking multiple retailers.

Wayland Games

Amazon

Zatu

Magic Madhouse

Firestorm Games

eBay

Other retailers to watch

• Element Games | Check stock
• Goblin Gaming | Check stock
• Travelling Man | Check stock
• Hobby Workshop | Check stock

Warhammer 40K Armageddon FAQ

Not entirely sold on the launch box for Warhammer 40K 11th Edition just yet? Here's a whistle-stop tour of everything you should know about Armageddon.

For more tabletop recommendations, don't miss the best board games, the best card games, or the best tabletop RPGs.

With heated discussions for or against Magic crossovers and a growing argument that six sets a year is "too many," MTG Marvel Super Heroes isn't facing a stroll through the (Central) park. There's a lot of pressure weighing down on this set, but publisher Wizards of the Coast isn't shying away from the fight ahead; it's putting its full weight behind the release with the biggest launch lineup of 2026 so far.

During a press preview for the super-heroic set, the team was at pains to explain that this isn't a mere crossover; it's being seen internally as a full-fat Magic: The Gathering set, just like MTG Secrets of Strixhaven. And to be fair, I quickly got that sense after an hour going over its many mechanics. There are some genuinely inspired ideas here that do well to marry source material and gameplay, like the 'Power Up' system which gives your cards a game-changing boost. As an example, you can use one of each mana to give Thanos the ability to wipe out every creature with an odd or even attack/defence score. Besides being a powerful MTG Marvel Super Heroes card, that's an OP Magic card – period.

Sure, Marvel being rolled into all match types and the MTG Arena digital game means that it'll be everywhere before long – and I appreciate that some aren't keen on the idea of Iron Man rubbing shoulders with Jace or Spidey riding an Ixalan dinosaur into battle. However, taken on its own merits, there's no denying that it's been well thought out. It brings a lot to the table, literally and metaphorically.

So, is MTG Marvel Super Heroes worth trying? And what makes it so special, anyway? I've got all the details you need below, including where to get it for less.

MTG Marvel Super Heroes essential info

• Fourth MTG set of 2026
• Second crossover of the year
• Basically an Avengers set

This crossover is the fourth set of the year and follows on from MTG Spider-Man to expand the Marvel/Magic universe, this time including the Avengers and their supporting cast. That means you can expect appearances from heroes like Captain America to villains such as Doctor Doom.

MTG Marvel Super Heroes release date

We've only got a few weeks to wait until fan can get their hands on MTG Marvel Super Heroes; it launches toward the end of June, though you can get access to it early if you attend a prerelease event.

Here's a full breakdown of what's to come.

• Prerelease: June 19-25, 2026
• MTG Arena: June 23, 2026
• Tabletop release: June 26, 2026

MTG Marvel Super Heroes mechanics

• A host of mechanics drawn from the comics
• Teamwork & powering up play a big role
• There are even mechanic cameos from previous sets

As with any major Magic set, MTG Marvel Super Heroes adds a host of new mechanics to keep things fresh. This is where Wizards' dedication becomes obvious; the design team have clearly given a lot of thought about how to weave themes that Marvel is known for into gameplay, be it secret identities or the team-ups that have delighted fans for decades.

MTG Marvel Super Heroes products

• The usual boosters (including Jumpstart)
• Four Commander decks
• Lots of box sets, from a starter set to Draft Night

Wizards of the Coast is going all out with MTG Marvel Super Heroes, and it may be Magic's biggest product launch of the year. No matter your skill level or interest in the game, there's gonna be something to suit you here. As usual, there are three kinds of product on offer; boosters for those wanting to make their own decks or collect the set, premade Commander decks for Magic's most popular play format, and box sets which offer an array of boosters or beginner-friendly content.

Boosters

Commander decks

Box sets

MTG Marvel Super Heroes Alt-Arts

• Alt-arts range from comic covers to logo cards
• The borderless variant Mind Stone is this set's chase card

As always, this MTG set has alternate artwork and card designs for collectors to chase. Many of these draw direct from the comics with panels ripped straight from the books, while others reimagine the Marvel universe through Magic's lens. Here are the primary things to keep an eye out for.

MTG Marvel Super Heroes deals

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If you stopped playing Star Wars Unlimited a while ago and feel as though the game's moved on without you, this brand-new 'mini' set has been designed specifically with you in mind.

Called Icons, the expansion serves as a jumping-on point for lapsed players or those who are familiar with the best card games but haven't tried Star Wars Unlimited before. It'll debut over the next few months, e.g. at some point between now and July's Ashes of the Empire set.

As a more streamlined release, Icons focuses on core Star Wars Unlimited gameplay and ignores any major changes from the last few expansions. Think of it as baseline Unlimited without the extra bells and whistles that've been introduced since launch.

According to the press release and my own experience talking with representatives from Fantasy Flight Games at this year's UK Games Expo, that's because anyone returning to the game after a break may find the wealth of changes introduced since they last played daunting. Icons combats that with a streamlined, back-to-basics approach. However, it's still a step up from the simplified Intro Battle: Hoth boxed set (which is normally available for around $15 at Amazon) that's made for complete TCG newcomers.

That doesn't mean established players should give it a miss, though. Besides sporting competitive power levels, it brings back old favorites that are now out of rotation and introduces all-new Rare/Legendary character cards that they'll want to chase. This includes a hard-hitting version of Anakin Skywalker that can search decks for a Darth Vader card once defeated. It also ignores aspect penalties on Darth Vader cards while Anakin is in the discard pile.

In terms of what else this mini-set offers, here's the lowdown:

• 194 cards: There are fewer cards in Icons than the usual 250+ you'd expect from a normal set.
• Reprints: All Common cards and some Uncommon cards are reprints from earlier sets. A few Uncommon cards have been given new artwork.
• New cards: As well as some new Uncommon cards, all Rare/Legendary cards are brand-new.
• Eight new Leaders: You can get a host of leader cards ranging from Darth Vader to Leia Organa.

Again, we don't have a release date for Star Wars Unlimited Icons yet… but if it's due to launch before Ashes of the Empire in July, we'll surely find out when it arrives soon.

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Just a few months after the toy company put out a call for fan-made Lego Pokemon card submissions, the finalists are in – and honestly, I can't decide which one I love more. They certainly give the best Lego sets a run for their money in terms of creativity.

Although more than 750 designs have been submitted so far, only five have been put into the fan vote by Lego. Their popularity will help determine which one becomes an official kit in the not-so-distant future (Lego makes the final call, but takes community preference into consideration), so make sure you get your vote in before the June 11 cutoff if you want your favorite to become a real model you can buy.

The five contenders all take a very different approach, with some creating a 2.5D scene while others opt to have their Pokemon literally leaping through the card. The 'Joltik Charges Up!' set has the electric bug smashing through the top of a card and sending electricity blasting off to the sides, for example, while 'The Mythical Arceus' has the Legendary pocket monster cantering through a hoop in the middle of the card like a prize show dog. The advantage to this latter approach is that both Pokemon can be removed from the frame and displayed separately.

While these are very, very cool (I'm a particular fan of Rowlet leaping out from a riverside scene in 'Rowlet Razor Leaf'), I think my vote has to go to 'Gyarados: Sunset Splash.' It may not be as imaginative as Joltik or as cute as 'A Mew Soaring High,' but it's the one that most looks like a Pokemon card and would likely be the most practical to both make and display.

No matter what's chosen, they'll make a very different kind of model compared to the existing range. The current kits are all supersized figures (even the smallest, Lego Eevee, is several inches long) that sit alone or come with a display stand like the one seen with Lego Pikachu and Poke Ball. By contrast, these feel more at home in Lego's Art range.

Which one are you going to vote for?

• See all Lego Pokemon sets at Lego

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After teasing a new expansion that no-one seemed to understand a few months back, the Pokemon TCG has finally revealed its full 30th Celebration set alongside a brand-new rarity.

Unveiled in a flashy promo video that shows off cards both old and new, the Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration launches on September 16, 2026 and tips its hat to all eras of the franchise. As an example, it brings back 30 classic cards that fans are sure to recognize along with introducing 30 new Pikachu foil cards… not to mention the new 'Futuristic Rare' rarity tier. Considering how vehemently fans of the best card games chase existing rarities, I can only imagine how feral folks are going to be for those.

Because this set celebrates three decades of the Pokemon franchise, no expense seems to have been spared; every single booster will contain 100% foil cards, and a guaranteed unique Pikachu (one of the 30 mentioned earlier) can be found in each pack. As for those Futuristic rare cards, they feature illustrations from renowned Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN that the press release says is "evocative of hope toward an unknown future."

However, fans are already doubting they'll be able to find any in stock thanks to resellers. The Twitter/X announcement is full of comments bemoaning existing availability issues and doubting it'll be any different here. Even as a glass-half-full kinda guy, I don't blame them for being cynical in this case. Pokemon cards are notoriously hard to find in the wild as is, never mind when you're introducing a celebratory set with an all-new rarity everyone wants to chase.

Speaking of which, I think I agree with dizzie07 on reddit and their 2K upvoters that the 'Pikachu squishes his face through stair banisters' card by Okacheke deserves to be this set's chase. It's painfully adorable and is much too cute for this world.

Anyway: brace yourself for when pre-orders go live. I suspect there's gonna be a stampede for 'em.

• See today's Pokemon card deals at Amazon

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Breaking open launch boxes like Warhammer 40K Armageddon is a bit like setting up a shiny next-gen console. It's a fresh start wrapped in cardboard and plastic; you excitedly tear off the packaging as if it's Christmas morning, breathe in that heady 'new' smell, and then get to work. For those first few hours, you're living on promise and possibility and endless horizons.

If ripping into a set like Armageddon is Christmas, this is a good year. I was able to go hands-on with it all early, and after just a few days building its armies and poring over the new rules, I'm convinced you're gonna dig it. That applies no matter whether you're an experienced player or newcomer, by the way; while some will get more from Warhammer 40K Armageddon than others, it's a crowd-pleaser. I suspect most of us will walk away satisfied.

If you're new to the hobby or are transitioning over to 40K for the first time, this is a good first step; it's not the most beginner-friendly package around because it lacks dice and terrain, but you've got everything else you need to play casual or competitive matches. Plus, the miniatures aren't going to tax you much even if you've never made a Space Marine before. (With the exception of the Vanguard Veteran leader with Jump Pack – that guy's a prick whose pieces refuse to go together nicely.) Each model here is push-fit, meaning you don't even need glue to keep them together. Simply clip pieces off the sprue and slot them into place.

However, I would guess that a huge proportion of those buying Armageddon will know their way around 40K already – and honestly, that's who this feels made for. The box set is a sumptuous treasure-trove for long-term fans, soaked in nostalgia but with a sleek, forward-looking attitude to rules.

Sure, those push-fit minis lack the customization that you'd expect from more complex kits. But if you're anything like me, it'll be a pleasant break from the usual sprues. I was amazed at how quick it was to construct each army, for example; if you're really trucking, I think you could probably get both done in an afternoon. It'll feel as though you're hobbying on double-speed.

That doesn't mean they lack dynamism, though. The design team's done a phenomenal job of ensuring its troops look fluid and energetic, making a mockery of any limitations imposed by their push-fit nature. A lot of that is thanks to the incredibly clever (if initially baffling) way those parts fit together; it's like a cross between madness and sorcery that looks nonsensical at first until it all comes together. This is Games Workshop showing off.

Armageddon also feels like Games Workshop finally learning a lesson. For years, its rulebooks have been divided between mechanics and lore. This led to a monstrous tome with material most wouldn't use on the regular, because do you really need the intricacies of Imperial politics close to hand when working out how to make your friend's army explode in the most efficient way? Warhammer 40K is doing away with all that now, splitting its rules and backstory into wholly separate books. This box set is the first example of such a divorce, and… well, I don't know if I could go back. I have fond memories of poring over the worldbuilding of each rulebook between childhood and my grand old age now, but realistically, it makes the whole thing unwieldy. All I need during a game are the basic rules and an easy-access glossary of terms, which this provides.

That doesn't mean the lore is going away, of course. The box set contains a lavish breakdown of the new war for planet Armageddon (called 'Operation Imperator') with every flashpoint and faction in more detail than I'd expected. This is followed by the 'Combat Patrol' book, sold separately, which breaks down the 40K universe at large for newcomers. We don't know what the pricing for any of this will be yet, but for the time being, it's a good idea in principle.

What about the rules themselves, then? A lot has already been said about what's changed (if you want the lowdown on all things 'new,' check out these 11 changes we're most excited about), and I've not seen anything eyebrow-raising beyond that on an initial pass. Still, I did note how well laid-out and easy to follow everything is here. If you're ever felt intimidated by Warhammer 40K, you'll find it surprisingly straightforward to learn as a result.

In short, this is a great start to a new edition. Sure, Age of Sigmar's Skaventide launch box or Kill Team's Hivestorm set hold the crown as Warhammer's best 'starter' boxes so far as I'm concerned (they upped the ante with fantastic scenery), yet this remains good value nonetheless. The lack of dice or terrain mean that it's not the perfect beginner package, but I'd argue this says a lot about who Armageddon is designed for anyway – and those more established fans will feel very well-catered for. For them, it's Christmas come early... so happy holidays, I suppose.

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With summer on the horizon and everyone's thoughts turning to their next vacation, Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown is taking a trip of its own; it's going to the jungle, and some familiar faces are leading us through that wilderness.

That's because this is the first time we're getting Pixar characters in what is fast becoming one of the best card games. Yep, that's right: Toy Story, The Incredibles, Brave, and more are finally making their way to Lorcana. While beloved classics from Mickey Mouse to the cast of Atlantis still feature, Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown is primarily about introducing the likes of Woody or Buzz Lightyear.

Hoping to get a full breakdown of the set's new mechanics, story, and where to get cards for less? Not a problem - let's dive in.

Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown essential info

• The 12th Disney Lorcana set
• Introduces Pixar characters for the first time
• Themed around a jungle wilderness

Although it's only the second set of 2026 (it follows on from Disney Lorcana Winterspell), Wilds Unknown is the game's 12th overall set since it launched a few years ago. As the name suggests, it focuses on new, unexplored lands teeming with secrets - mainly Pixar characters.

Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown release date

Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown is now available, meaning you can pick up its cards online or in brick-and-mortar stores as we speak. Here's the full release schedule.

• Prerelease: May 8, 2026
• Full release: May 15, 2026

Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown products

• Offers boosters, an Illimineer's Trove, & Prerelease
• Features a 2-player starter set
• No pre-made single-player decks

Unlike the previous set, Winterspell, Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown adds a few more products to the lineup. Alongside the usual booster packs and Illumineer's Trove box sets, a Prerelease pack has been added for the first time. The expansion also introduced a new two-player starter set featuring decks led by Buzz Lightyear and Mrs Incredible.

Disney Lorcana Winterspell mechanics

• No major changes to gameplay this time
• New Toy and Super card types

As with all Disney Lorcana sets, Wilds Unknown introduces plenty of new cards to the mix... but there aren't any brand-new mechanics we've not seen before beyond individual character abilities. Because there's so much emphasis on synergizing between the expansion's Pixar cards, perhaps that's a good thing. We'll be kept plenty busy working out how to make those combos sing.

However, there are two new card types being introduced here: 'Toy' and 'Super.' The former obviously applies to the Toy Story cast, while the latter is used for The Incredibles.

Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown story

• Characters & Illumineers have been scattered across the realm
• There are three new biomes to explore (jungle, mountains, desert)

After Elsa accidentally caused a widespread winter across the realm (as seen in Winterspell) when trying to rid it of the mysterious vines that'd suddenly appeared, Illumineers - e.g. players - have been scattered across the realm. Now they have to get back home, all while surviving these strange new lands.

There are three primary biomes we're fighting through; a jungle, mountain range, and desert. Wilderknot is a dense rainforest filled with ruins and unexpected danger like quicksand, while the Torchlight Peaks are riddled with lava flows and hidden caverns. Finally, the Great Empty Sea used to be an ocean but is now a vast desert stalked by a massive Leviathan.

Should you buy Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown

As the name would suggest, we're going into new territory with Wilds Unknown - and that makes it a great starting point for newcomers as well as a fresh challenge for existing players. Having been hands-on with the set, I'd argue that it caters to both camps nicely.

For starters, there aren't game-changing new mechanics to turn things on their head. That allows beginners to find their footing amongst established and now very well-balanced systems. Yes, Lorcana is a more complicated game than it was at launch. But thanks to the likes of the new 2-Player Starter Set, Wilds Unknown provides the perfect jumping-on point.

That's especially true with widely beloved - and widely recognized - characters like Woody or Buzz headlining the set, timed perfectly to coincide with Toy Story 5. This provides some welcoming faces to ease newcomers in. While lesser-known Disney projects still put in an appearance, the emphasis is on mega-stars here. When you're unsure of how this all works and you aren't versed in the meta, it's far easier to get hyped about card draws if you're getting heroes or villains you love.

As for more established players, there's a fascinating synergy between these new arrivals; their abilities are very closely linked. Indeed, you can create dynamic new decks revolving around the Toy or Super archetypes. Woody, Jungle Guide provides an extra defence to fellow Toy characters just by being there, for example, while Jessie, Lively Cowgirl lets you draw a card if there are two or more Toys in play when she quests. At the other end of the scale, Edna Mode, Fashion Designer gives Super characters an extra available Lore whenever she quests.

In essence, competitive players can really hone into and master specific card types for Wilds Unknown.

Part of me wonders if we're going to lean harder into card types going forward - something rivals like Magic: The Gathering already do. Judging by what I've seen here, I certainly wouldn't mind that...

Disney Lorcana Wilds Unknown deals

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