Jamey Stegmaier is both a publisher and game designer. He’s best known for Scythe, which cleverly blends a complex resource optimization puzzle with the pushing and shoving of area control, delightfully packaged in a novel steampunk universe with giant mechs. But that universe also features in another of his games, Expeditions, where players take the part of explorers, controlling individual mechs, delving into darkest Siberia in search of a mysterious meteorite.

Multiple games set in the same shared universe is nothing new. But Stegmaier’s latest offering, Duel of Meloch, is a very novel take worthy of the best board games in terms of ambition: it’s a stand-alone game that allows two players to go head to head, one using the rules from Scythe and the other the rules from Expeditions, with a little judicious tweaking. You don’t need to have either of those titles to play but, if you do, you can use their factions or characters in the duel, and vice-versa.

Triple the rules

This means, as you might have guessed, that playing Duel of Meloch requires you to learn three different sets of rules: one for Scythe, one for Expeditions and one for the Duel itself, which is mercifully simple compared to the other two. Neither of those games are particularly lightweight so, unless you’re already familiar with one or both of them, this is a fairly herculean task. Neither are their rules included, so you’ll have to crib them from the internet if you need them.

Running a game with two entirely different rules sets feels like it shouldn’t work, but the secret sauce is that both titles use similar hex-map boards and have similar victory conditions. In Duel of Meloch, each hex space has double the number of icons, some of which are used in the Expeditions rules and some of which are used in the Scythe rules. The latter, for instance, is an engine-building game, so the hex icons you need to pay attention to are what kind of benefit they provide if your workers take a “produce” action there as you spread your miniature empire across the board. The former, meanwhile, is more about card management and allows you to take actions to play or refresh those cards based on the icons of the hex your mech is currently in.

In both games players race to earn stars by fulfilling certain conditions, and the same is true of Duel of Meloch, which hands victory to the first player to gain four stars. The included “triumph track” has eight possible spaces for stars, with different conditions for both players printed on each. Both games have a coin resource, for example, so there’s a star available for the Scythe player earning 12 and the Expeditions player earning 9. Often the requirements are very different however: another star is available for the Scythe player deploying their fourth mech, and the Expeditions player upgrading their mech three times. Importantly, and unlike the base games, these stars are exclusive. So once one player has taken a slot, it’s blocked to the other player.

This immediately makes the game more directly interactive than either of its parent titles, but that’s not the only point of interaction. The two players can also fight directly in Duel of Meloch, basically using the card-based combat system from Scythe. The Expeditions player can gain these cards from using certain map icons and combat is triggered if their mech moves into a hex containing mechs or workers belonging to the Scythe player which, given the relatively small board, is pretty common. In combat each player secretly selects how much of their power resource they're willing to spend, plus bonuses from optional combat cards, one per unit in the fight. This gives the Scythe player an edge in fights, as the Expeditions player only ever has one unit.

Double the fun

The most astonishing thing about Duel of Meloch is how well these two entirely different systems work together. It’s a bold experiment, and mechanically speaking it’s entirely successful. Both Scythe and Expeditions are very enjoyable games in their own way, and this Duel version preserves that enjoyment near-perfectly.

The Scythe player is still focussed on the complexities of building their engine through optimal movement and resource management. Indeed, arguably, Scythe here is marginally more fun than it is in the original game, particularly for beginners, as the sheer scope of the full board can feel overwhelming. Expeditions is still about the struggle for card management and collecting upgrades that fit your strategy as you try and tame corruption across the board. This portion of the game suffers a little from the smaller board and the lack of face-down hexes that give the original a real feel of exploration, but it’s still plenty fun enough.

However, the degree to which the two games meld into one in Duel of Meloch is almost too perfect. There’s a nagging question as to why, given the smoothness of the translation, you’d choose to play this format over simply playing one of the original games with two. It’s true that both parent games work better with more than two, but that feels like a relatively thin reason to have to internalize both different rules sets, plus modifications, to play a single game. You can, however, use the small maps here to play quickfire two-player games of just Scythe or just Expeditions, if you own that particular original game.

A potentially more compelling reason is the degree of interaction in this head-to-head version. Expeditions isn’t a very interactive game at all. Scythe is more so but it’s deceptive; although it looks and feels like an old-fashioned combat game, growing your engine is a far more important plank of victory than combat. The relatively cramped maps in Duel of Meloch - there are two, on opposite sides of the lovely neoprene mat that serves as a board - do ensure more interaction, but not as much as the game seems to promise. The Expeditions player can stop the Scythe player’s workers from producing in a hex, so it’s tempting to use that blocking power on undefended hexes. But because they’re weaker in combat they need to pick their battles very carefully, making actual fights relatively rare.

It’s a similar story with the triumph track. While, in theory, having each space as mutually exclusive should invite competition, it also makes it dangerous. If one player draws ahead in a race for a particular slot, it’s generally wise to stop competing for it, otherwise you’re potentially wasting precious actions. As a result, the bulk of each faction’s gameplay is still very much focussed on doing the core things from their own parent game rather than engaging with the things that make Duel of Meloch stand out.

Where this box really shines, though, is when you own and are already familiar with both of its source games. Having a new faction for Scythe and a new character for Expeditions is great, and both are designed to feel distinct from the existing options. Plus the miniatures for these new options look great, really adding to the visual pop of the original games. Similarly, having both parents allows you to swap their factions and characters into Duel of Meloch, giving you a ton of variety to mess around with. While you’ll mostly be sticking to the rules and actions of the source box, lining different options up against each other in the included “Tournament of Meloch” campaign version.

Should you buy Duel of Meloch?

There’s a pretty simple path to recommending Duel of Meloch: if you have access to, and enjoy, both Scythe and Expeditions, it’s entirely worthwhile. Having it as an expansion to the base games is reason enough. The option to play a two-player Duel campaign, or use the included components for fast, two-player variants of the originals, is just gravy.

If you’re not, or if you only own one of the games, not only is there not really enough here to engage with but the entry barrier is frustratingly high. You’ll need to learn an entire new game to enjoy Duel of Meloch and the results feel too similar to the original games to stand out. While it’s a fascinating experiment in mechanical blending, you’re better off simply picking up one of those games, or sticking with whichever you already own.

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more details on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Beloved D&D board game Castle Ravenloft has risen like a vampire from its coffin, and a new version is due to terrorize fans again early in 2027.

Resurrected by Renegade Game Studios, the publisher responsible for Heroscape and Unstoppable. Although it brings back that classic co-op gameplay that sees you battling your way through Castle Ravenloft in a bid to defeat vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich, it gives the board game a total visual overhaul to match modern D&D.

Alongside a standard edition with unpainted miniatures for $100, there will also be a premium version of Castle Ravenloft which contains pre-painted models ($200). Both will release in February 2027 and are up for pre-order via Renegade Game Studios now.

According to the press release, this new spin on Castle Ravenloft (which originally came out in 2010 and has been incredibly difficult to find in the years since then) "refreshes the game's artwork, logos, and graphic design to align with the current Dungeons & Dragons ruleset while preserving the gameplay that made the original a modern classic."

If you're new to Castle Ravenloft, it's a classic dungeon-crawler; 1-5 players will plumb the depths of the eponymous fortress battling monsters and finding treasure before eventually facing Strahd himself. Like many of the best board games, it isn't a one-and-done affair either. There are 13 replayable adventures here in total.

This board game adapts the Curse of Strahd campaign's final challenge, an epic dungeon-crawl through the vampire's castle before fighting its master in an all-or-nothing brawl.​ As such, it's a solid alternative for anyone who wants a slice of that magic without needing to commit to a months-long adventure. It's also a nice way of revisiting that world if you've already played Curse of Strahd; it's like a victory lap.

The game will launch this coming February, so I guess you better start gathering your party now – there's a vampire to slay.

Strahd's popularity is carrying over to TV, too; Neflix orders Dungeons and Dragons TV show based on Ravenloft from Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón.

• See the latest offers on co-op board games at Amazon

In 2011, Iello and Richard Garfield released King of Tokyo, a kaiju-centric game in which players wrestled for control of Tokyo. The heart of the game used a Yahtzee-like mechanic, in which players repeatedly rolled a set of six dice. Different symbols translated to different results, ranging from gaining resources, dealing damage to other monsters, or gaining victory points. While the game has seen several variant versions over the years, it always wore its largest inspiration on its sleeve – the iconic monster franchise Godzilla.

After 15 years, Godzilla is now part of the King of Tokyo franchise. This summer, Iello released a new King of Tokyo: Godzilla game, featuring six monsters from the Godzilla series. The new edition is a loving homage as a result, with dozens of art pieces made by Markus Erdt. Not only does the new game pay proper respect to the monster IP that inspired what is one of the most enduring and arguably best board games, it also wisely retains the core King of Tokyo franchise, making it extremely accessible to players of all skill levels.

Power up

King of Tokyo: Godzilla sticks with a time-tested game formula that has held true for the last 15 years. Each player controls a single monster, each of which comes with a bespoke game board and an evolution deck. The game board tracks a player’s overall health and victory points. In certain conditions (which we’ll get to later), players can draw from their evolution deck and choose an evolution that upgrades their monster in some way. Each monster has their own evolution deck, with abilities that range from one-time uses to persistent buffs.

The final "piece" of King of Tokyo: Godzilla is the power deck. The power deck consists of generic abilities that any player can purchase if they have enough energy. These range from one-time use abilities to persistent power-ups that stay in play for the rest of the game.

So far, so familiar.

The one new wrinkle in King of Tokyo: Godzilla's gameplay is the use of Event cards. These enter play when placed into the power card marketplace. Every Event comes with an effect that impacts all monsters for the duration that the card remains in play, as well as a discard ability. Players can purchase the Event with energy and discard it, gaining some kind of benefit.

While this is the game's major change, it's not the only addition. Another way that King of Tokyo: Godzilla stands out is its premium wooden components. The dice, and energy markers are all made of wood, and even the cardboard standees are built from sturdier material than other games in the series. While King of Tokyo: Godzilla isn’t billed as a premium edition, it certainly feels like one solely due to the quality of the game components.

Be prepared

King of Tokyo: Godzilla’s gameplay is precisely the same as the base version of King of Tokyo, so your mileage will vary depending on how familiar you already are with that system.

Players take turns rolling a pool of six dice, setting aside the results they want to keep. You can usually re-roll your dice up to two times, and every result returns different effects. A monster footprint deals damage to other players, a heart restores life, energy symbols gain energy that can be used to purchase power cards, and victory point symbols score victory points (but only if a player gets three of the same number). If a player rolls three hearts, they can bypass the healing and opt to gain an evolution instead. It's nice and simple.

Outside of rolling dice, players also battle for control of Tokyo. You score victory points for entering the city and gain more for remaining in control of it at the start of your turn, so it's the prize everyone's got their eye on. This is where the game's strategy rears its head; while in Tokyo, a player’s attacks can target all other monsters, thus dealing waves of damage to each opponent. However, you'll also be the target of every other player’s attacks and can’t heal on your turn either. Because you can leave Tokyo at any time, you've got to weigh up risk versus reward. How long do you stay?

There's an added layer to contend with as well. If a player cedes control of Tokyo, whoever's turn is next will immediately enter the city, so you need to always be prepared for the potential of taking a round of attacks from others. There's more to juggle than you might think.

Gameplay continues until one of two victory conditions are met. Either a player gains 20 victory points or one player is the last monster standing. I’ll note that in all my years playing King of Tokyo, I’ve never seen a game go until 20 victory points. That’s not to say that it can’t happen, but it’s far more likely that the game becomes an all-out monster brawl instead of a strategic race for victory points.

While King of Tokyo: Godzilla isn’t technically a party game, it’s enjoyed best in large groups. The game can be quite chaotic and a lot of the game is outside of a player’s control. Sure, players can take advantage of power cards and evolution cards, but there’s no way to mitigate bad dice rolls, and there’s few ways to block damage. The key to enjoying the game is to just embrace the chaos – you’re not going to win every game of King of Tokyo, but if you don’t take it too seriously, you’ll have a good time.

Should you buy King of Tokyo: Godzilla?

King of Tokyo: Godzilla is essentially a premium version of King of Tokyo. It has better components, better artwork, and actual recognizable monsters instead of generic homages to different sci-fi movies.

However, it’s still King of Tokyo, one of the more popular board games released over the past 20 years. If you have a base version of King of Tokyo, this version features a few new mechanics found in various expansions. If you’re a King of Tokyo fanatic, all this game offers is some new monsters and a single new novel mechanic.

Still, this was an easy buy for me. My family loves King of Tokyo and Godzilla, so this was a day one purchase for me. The artwork is fantastic and gives the game a very unique vibe that, when coupled with the premium components, makes this game feel a bit different from the base version. Even my veteran board game group ooohed and ahhed when I pulled this game out, precisely because it looks and feels so nice. So, if you like Godzilla or want a premium King of Tokyo experience, this game is definitely for you.

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Looking for another new spin on an old favorite? Horrified: Ravenloft is a slam-dunk for D&D fans, but innovation is starting to be 'mist'.

This copy of the game was bought by the reviewer. For more details on our process, see this guide on how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft is a cozy board game, and you can't tell me otherwise.

OK, I hear you. The world it takes place in is a pulsing mass of awful that's as far from 'homey' as you could possibly imagine. But because it takes a beloved franchise back to its gothic roots by crossing over with what is arguably D&D's most popular adventure, it feels… well, nostalgic. That's why I've been more excited to try Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft than most of its predecessors. It's a homecoming.

The Mists take you

As the name would suggest, Horrified leans hard into horror tropes – but you aren't tackling them alone. This is a co-op game first and foremost, meaning you win or lose together. There have been numerous versions since the series launched in 2019 (ranging from the original which focused on Universal Monsters like Dracula to a Greek Myth-inspired spin-off), but the core mechanics remain the same regardless; complete unique challenges to defeat monsters who roam the board, all while trying to stop them from eating villagers. If a monster successfully attacks you or kills a villager, the 'terror' meter rises. Hit a certain 'terror' level and it's game over.

This leads to some fiendish Catch 22 moments. Sometimes you'll be stuck between a rock and a hard place by choosing whether to save a villager or let them die so that you can secure a vital advantage against your enemy. Time is of the essence, after all, and sometimes the ends justify the means.

Horrified Ravenloft uses the same framework, but brings back the class system introduced in the D&D-themed sequel. This time you're able to use the Warlock, Paladin, Druid, Ranger, or Sorcerer, each with special abilities activated by using a d20 die.

Seeing as it's based on D&D's iconic Curse of Strahd campaign where the party finds itself trapped in a grim world ruled by monsters, it also pits you against four foes from that setting: Baba Lysaga and her walking hut, the demonic Gulthias Tree, a creepy Carionette (which doesn't appear in the adventure but has since been added to Ravenloft), and the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. Each one possesses unique powers to ruin your day, and they can only be defeated by completing a special challenge.

These challenges are pulled directly from D&D, so fans will get a real kick out of the process. Randomly-drawn tarot cards determine the location of three items needed to kill Strahd, for example, and you must go to fortune-teller Madam Eva's tent to learn what they are… just like in the tabletop RPG.

Dark Pacts

That reverence for the source material is clear throughout Horrified Ravenloft. Whether it's seeing familiar faces amongst the villagers, exploring major and minor locations on the board, or drawing cards featuring obscure characters from lore, this game has clearly been made by fans.

It makes full use of the setting to introduce some wrinkles, too. While we've seen class abilities before, this version of the game shakes things up with Dark Pacts – the kind you can dabble in throughout Curse of Strahd. These provide a permanent bonus (like being able to take a free move action) but come with significant drawbacks. Visually 'corrupting' your player card is the least of it; my Ranger would damage any other player character sharing my space if I ended my turn there, for example.

Because you can use these Dark Pacts at any time, the tricky bit is knowing when to deploy them.

Similarly, the monsters are nuanced – and different – enough to provide a lot of entertainment. As a case in point, you've got to complete a maze puzzle to defeat Baba Lysaga, clearing her minions from each path so you can slide a gem token to the bottom. Meanwhile, the Gulthias Tree stays in place… but sends out malicious Tree Blights across the board in its stead.

All this combines with the already rock-solid Horrified formula for a compelling twist of the tale. Yes, the same issues still lurk beneath the surface. Luck plays a significant part in where monsters move and how hard they hit, for instance. You can also be screwed over by chance – villagers spawning on top of a monster or the item you need not appearing, say. Nonetheless, all the good bits are still here too. If anything, Ravenloft's additions only enhance them. It's engrossing from moment to moment, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

It's one of those games that's paradoxically harder yet more fun with more people, too. While monsters don't get 'extra' turns (they always act after every player, no matter whether that's two or five), it takes longer for your turn to come around in a multiplayer match so there's a greater chance of trouble. Seeing a monster march inexorably toward you when there's nothing you can do about it is tense to say the least.

Again, some may become frustrated by the fact that you can't plan too far ahead because you never know where the monsters will go. But for me, that's part of the fun. You're battling the unknown and Horrified Ravenloft is always hurling curveballs your way, so you constantly have to think on your feet. That's where the strategy comes in; it's about triaging priorities and being able to pivot.

Should you buy Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft?

Whether it's worth grabbing Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft will depend on how familiar you are with the franchise. If you've played many of the previous versions, you're unlikely to be bowled over by these additions (unless you skipped the last D&D Horrified, anyway). This is the same game with a few minor updates, not an overhaul.

If you don't have much experience with Horrified, on the other hand, you'll have a blast. This is a great introduction to the series and returns to its classic horror roots. I still think the original (Universal Monsters) is top dog, but Ravenloft gives it a good run for its money. Even if you have no idea who Strahd is, you'll enjoy this for its gothic feel and twisted baddies.

Love Curse of Strahd, on the other hand? Well, that's enough to circumvent most of the problems I raise above. You'll get a real kick out of battling foes you've spent hours opposing in D&D, and this is a vertical slice of everything that makes the campaign sing. It's nostalgia for Strahd in a box, so you'll often find yourself saying "oh, I remember that!" with much fondness.

Buy it if...

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For more recommendations, why not check out the best 2-player board games or the best tabletop RPGs?

This review was conducted using a sample provided by the publisher. For more on our process, check how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

Two new Discworld board games are inbound, and one of them gives a fan-favorite a Terry Pratchett-inspired makeover.

Revealed by developer Modiphius Entertainment (which is also responsible for the Discworld TTRPG), 'Kill Sam Vimes' and 'Readers Digested' allow players to mess with some of the setting's most beloved characters. While the first sees you attempting to outscore your rivals and murder the eponymous City Watch Commander, the second reimagines award-nominee Blue Moon City by legendary designer Reiner Knizia. Both Discworld board games will be available to pre-order soon.

Originally released in 2006, Blue Moon City sees you rebuilding a destroyed fantasy metropolis and was a nominee for numerous honors when it first launched - including the coveted Spiel des Jahres, which is arguably the industry's most prestigious award. Readers Digest is a licenced reworking of the idea that shifts the action to Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University. Players work as assistant librarians to restore order during chaotic reading week, and they've got to escort students to the exam hall. It's made for two to four players and will take approximately an hour per match.

Meanwhile, Kill Sam Vimes is a competitive strategy game for two to six players where you work as a trainee assassin to outsmart both Vimes' traps and your opponents.

Knizia is something of a legend amongst the tabletop community with plenty of awards to his name (one of his most recent projects was the excellent Hobbit: There and Back Again roll and write game, which you can find for just under $40 at Amazon), so the fact that Readers Digested adapts his work is enough to put it on the radar so far as I'm concerned. If you missed the original Blue Moon City, this is also an opportunity to try a game that is still warmly received amongst the community 20 years after it first hit shelves.

It's unclear when the two Discworld board games will release, but they'll be up for pre-order via Modiphius from August 20, 2026.

Speaking of new ways to enjoy old favorites, this Disney Lorcana digital game sounds like a cross between MTG Arena and Pokemon TCG Pocket.

• See all Discworld offers at Amazon

Cooperative campaign tabletop games are getting leaner and more abstract. Traditionally, campaign games have acted as stand-ins for Dungeons & Dragons, complete with big boxes that contain a multitude of parts and an equally thick rulebook. However, we’ve seen a handful of campaign games skimp on the components recently in favor of really digging into the game system and squeezing out every last variance that it can support.

Take Time, a new title designed by Alexi Piovesan and Julien Prothière, is a very unique cooperative campaign game that makes the most of a simplistic system. Over the course of 40 rounds (divided into 10 chapters), players will attempt to work together to solve a relatively simple puzzle using the same deck of 24 cards. Each round features a unique set of challenges to overcome, with players either succeeding or failing as a group. The result is a campaign game that’s easy to pick up, with rounds that pass by in a few minutes and chapters with unique challenges that will leave players frustrated at times but exultant when they’re finally conquered – normally a preserve of the best board games.

Take Time features & design

Take Time isn't necessarily telling a story; it's abstract, like Azul. Publisher Libellud describes it as a limited-communication game that "invites players to slow down, reflect, communicate, understand one another, and build mutual trust."

Gameplay is split into three phases – a strategy phase where players discuss potential gameplay, a placement phase in which cards are played, and a resolution phase in which players see if they’ve passed that round's requirements. To win, players must play cards (generally facedown) next to segments of a clock, aiming to have the value of each segment arranged in an ascending order. However, you can't discuss which cards you have during play. You'll need to come up with a plan beforehand and attempt to guess what your team is hoping to do next based on their actions.

For a campaign game, Take Time is remarkably simple. There are 10 chapters, each of which contains a sleeve filled with four 'clocks' (e.g. four rounds) made of solid quality paper cardstock. Each clock consists of six segments, some of which have particular rules that must be followed during the course of the game. While there is some commonality between types of rules (which usually limit which cards can be played in specific segments), every clock is unique and the rules become increasingly granular and complicated as you progress through the chapters.

Gameplay

The goal of each round in Take Time is the same – players play cards in segments, aiming to have the value of all cards played on a segment either equalling or exceeding the value of the preceding segment. Basically, players are trying to arrange their cards so they resemble the face of a clock. The catch? Players can’t discuss what cards they’re playing on their turn and the cards generally have to be played facedown, much like Sky Team. Each round essentially becomes a guessing game where you’re trying to figure out what cards are in play and trying to figure out the optimal segment to play your cards.

Complicating matters is that each clock has at least one segment with a rule limiting what cards can be played on it, represented by various symbols. Some rules are simple – such as stating that a segment has to have two cards played on it or that a card can only have Solar or Lunar cards on it. Other rules are more complex, such as stating that a segment can’t have cards of a certain number played to it or stating that the highest card in play needs to be played in a certain segment.

The other complication is that players will only use half of the deck during any round, so there’s no guarantee as to what cards will be in play. The random selection of cards particularly comes into play when dealing with segments that have high or low card requirements. While you can assume that a "low" segment will contain low cards, you can never be sure if you’re getting a 1, a 2, or something even higher.

Players will never go into a round of Take Time totally blind though. Each round starts off with a Discussion Phase in which players can discuss general strategy options, such as where to play cards of a general value range. However, while cards are distributed to players before the discussion phase, they can’t actually look at them. So, players can only come up with a general strategy, and nothing specific to their actual hands.

Once a round starts, players have one more proverbial arrow in their quiver. On their turn, players can choose to play their card face-up. These face-up cards provide valuable information to the other players, often dictating how subsequent cards will play out. For instance, if a player plays a 7 on a segment that requires a value of 10, other players know that they need to play a 3 (or cards that add up to 3) to satisfy that requirement. At minimum, players will have three face-up cards to utilize on each round, but players get an additional bonus face-up card each time they fail a round.

In short, it's a fun challenge – but there are some niggles. One important thing to remember about the clocks is what constitutes a segment. While it might be easy to assume that a "segment" is the area between two points, it’s actually a portion of the clock consisting of a point and two line dividers. The line dividers are stylistically incorporated into the artwork of each clock, so it’s not quite intuitive. My gaming group wrongly assumed that a segment was the area in between each point, so we were confused about which segment a rule corresponded to. A good rule of thumb is to remember to play cards on points of the clock.

Should you buy Take Time?

Take Time is a fun cooperative game that mixes campaign elements with a set of simple mechanics that’s easy to learn but hard to master. Since players are never guaranteed to have the “right” cards for a specific clock, a lot of the fun comes from coming up with a strategy and then trying to implement it with an imperfect hand. However, it can be a little frustrating to play Take Time, as you’ll occasionally come up with a solid strategy but have to wait for the right hand to get dealt to implement it.

Although they’re very different games, Take Time reminds me a bit of one of my favorite games of recent years – The Two Towers Trick-Taking Game. Both games opt to dig into their respective game mechanics, exploring every nook and cranny of a rather simple set of rules as opposed to trying to overtune a game with a complex rulebook. Players will have an understanding of Take Time quickly, but mastering the game will come from understanding how to adapt their knowledge of gameplay into a series of increasingly complex scenarios.

Ultimately, Take Time is a fantastic game, which is why it ended up on the recommended list for the Spiel des Jahres. Every clock is a puzzle to conquer, and half of the fun comes from guessing how the other players are making decisions over the course of a quick-paced round. What’s even better – a failed round doesn’t cost a lot of time. Since each round takes just a few minutes to complete, a bad hand or a bad strategy won’t leave players feeling frustrated. At worst, it just takes time to beat Take Time. Well… time and a good strategy.

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The fan-favorite second edition of Arkham Horror is coming back with improved rules, all-new art, and totally different graphic design for the cosmic horror board game.

Revealed as part of developer Fantasy Flight's "Vault Series" that revives classic titles, Arkham Horror Remastered takes the long out-of-print second edition board game and gives it a drastic makeover for an October 2026 launch. While the visuals are different, its gameplay is still the same; the project has simply been "upgraded with new quality of life components."

Crucially, this game seems to resurrect Arkham Horror 2nd Edition's full suite of expansions. While the core experience is beloved, the complete collection has a reputation to match the best board games amongst cosmic horror fans. Unfortunately, we don't have any details on these expansions yet – but the fact even some may be included in the revival should cause a stir, because these are even harder to find in the wild than the core 2nd Edition game.

If you're new to the Arkham Horror franchise, it's based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. That means it's a cosmic horror adventure where you play investigators trying to stop cults or eldritch beings like the Old Ones from taking over. Expect a race against time and horrific, gribbly monsters that challenge your character's sanity as they grapple with concepts the human mind simply isn't equipped to comprehend.

As for Arkham Horror Remastered itself, this new version sticks to the same vibe but drastically updates (and improves, in my opinion) the visuals from that original game. It'll be familiar to longtime fans, but feels more high-budget and atmospheric. It also brings the visuals more in-line with modern Arkham Horror instalments or spinoffs like Unfathomable.

This project should land in October 2026, and we'll get more details soon via its crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound. We'll hopefully learn what other old-school games will be included in the "Vault Series" as well. Personally, I'd vote for a revamp of Star Wars: Imperial Assault. It's increasingly difficult to get hold of but still provides a great RPG experience like Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, complete with an ongoing story and character upgrades as you progress through the campaign.

What would you vote for? And are you excited for Arkham Horror Remastered? Shout about it in the comments below.

It's a good time for fan-favorites coming back; D&D Icons resurrects Greyhawk and Dragonlance. Meanwhile, post-apocalyptic D&D world Dark Sun is also returning in the not-so-distant future.

• See all Arkham Horror games and expansions at Amazon

Gen Con 2026 visitors were treated to their first glimpse of an official Final Fantasy board game that recreates the original three video games, and damn, it's looking beautiful so far.

Developed by KessCo, Origins of Light: A Final Fantasy Board Game draws inspiration from the Pixel Remaster series which ressurects classic FF titles with new 2D visuals. Judging by the Gen Con preview posted on Reddit by xander574, this licensed Final Fantasy board game brings that same aesthetic to tabletop. Based purely on how it looks, mission accomplished; it's gorgeous.

I'll be honest; although I spend a lot of time covering the best board games, this one completely passed me by. Aside from a quick announcement toward the beginning of 2026, there's not much information out there about this Final Fantasy board game beyond what I've seen on reddit and the game's tease via Kickstarter.

We don't have any details about gameplay either. However, looking closely at the Gen Con preview shows off truly bizarre – but very fitting – crystal dice alongside character and boss cards that may as well have been dragged straight from the 16-bit screen. It appears there's also an overworld map and a town board with space for quests, but the resolution is too low for me to see much else.

Basically, it may be worth keeping an eye on this one if you're an FF fan. Just apply some tempered expectations here; while KessCo has a vast library of IP games to its name, their reception can be mixed.

Still, KessCo's Sonic Knock puck-based board game sold out at this year's Gen Con and appears to have generated the right kind of buzz amongst the community. Hopefully its new Final Fantasy game follows suit.

From what I've been able to find, Origin of Light: A Final Fantasy Board Game will launch toward the end of 2026. Meanwhile, the Kickstarter promises to get going soon. In other words, we should hopefully be able to find out more before long.

This is the second cool Final Fantasy reveal I've found over the last couple of days; a fan's made an incredible Lego Final Fantasy set, and now I'm hoping it becomes a real model.

• See the full MTG Final Fantasy range at Amazon

Wingspan Pocket is like one of the apex predators it depicts; it swoops in, claws outstretched, and carries you away before you even know what's hit you. I love the original version, but after getting my hands on this travel-sized follow-up… well, a new board game rules the roost in this house.

Based on the mega-popular Wingspan, this smaller, nimbler variant is designed to be played in just 25 minutes or so. Because it's made up of cards and a few tokens, it also requires much less real estate. (The original board game had some spectacular plumage, but it ate up table space like a gannet.) However, the most crucial difference with Wingspan Pocket is that it's so much easier to play… but is arguably just as fun. I spend a lot of time testing the best board games so would like to think I've got a good idea of what works, and I've got a very good feeling from this. My family enjoys Winspan but can feel overwhelmed by it if we haven't played for a while, so I appreciate that this one streamlines the system into something much more manageable.

You're still collecting birds here, but you don't need an entire menagerie; you just have to get six. Once half a dozen are arranged in a flock on the table, that's it – game over. Players then get another turn until everyone has had an equal number of goes, and you tally up your score. This means you can be done in a fraction of the time.

The way you get birds is the same too, but has been similarly tidied up. Rather than relying on dice rolls to earn resources, each bird card has a random resource symbol printed on the back. These are laid out in a row of four decks you can draw from each turn, and they'll be used to pay for any feathered friends you'd like in your flock. It's so much more deliberate than the original, because even though you're still at the mercy of chance based on what's at the top of each deck, there are always four to choose from at any given time. Plus, there seem to be a lot of 'double' resources available, with certain bird abilities allowing you to swap or ignore specific values. Canny players have options as a result.

The key is when to strike. Actually, that's true of everything about Wingspan Pocket. You have limited space for birds so must balance how many points they'll earn you at the end with their abilities. In addition, those abilities can only be used when the bird card is locked into your flock… so get ready to make some tough, quick-fire decisions on what to use, and when. Should you deploy something that allows you to use a resource in place of anything else, even though the bird itself earns you fewer points when all is said and done? Or are you better off going for a bird with a higher score, but less interesting abilities? I've only just started scratching the surface of this board game, and there's already a lot to consider.

This extends to the fact that your match draws to a close when anyone has added six birds to their flock. It adds a ticking clock to proceedings, because you don't want to be caught out by the endgame without having done everything you want… and by the same token, it adds pressure to keep an eye on what your foes are doing in case they're planning to end the game early to stop you in your tracks.

Even if it all goes awry, this only adds to the "one more match" element of Wingspan Pocket. There's always some new tactic or approach you'll want to try, and that's catnip to me. I can see it being a great travel board game as a direct result, because it'll keep you amused across many evenings of play on vacation.

It reminds me of Catan On the Road, which sunk its hooks into me nice and early too. Both condense their inspiration into something much more bitesize, all without losing what made the originals special.

Just proceed with caution, though; if you're anything like me, Wingspan Pocket may sweep you off your feet too.

For something else to play on the go, don't miss the best card games. As for something you can enjoy with your loved ones, be sure to check out our guide to the best family board games.

• Browse today's best discounts on board games at Amazon

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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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.

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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.

The original Brass was named after northern British slang for money, which was not only a fitting title for a board game that simulated the booming economy of the industrial revolution but, as it turned out, a prophetic one. Brass (later renamed Brass: Lancashire) was popular, but a second iteration on the design that smoothed out its harder edges, named Brass: Birmingham, proved one of the most popular hobby board games of all time – if not one of the best board games overall. Not content with resting on their laurels, publisher Roxley is now working on a third version set in the gilded age of the United States called Brass: Pittsburgh.

You might suspect this is mere cash-in on a popular title, but it’s something fans have been thirsting for since the previous version came out in 2018. "People have been asking for another sequel for years," explains Gavan Brown, who designed Brass: Birmingham based on Martin Wallace’s original. "I have always believed the Brass system has a vast unexplored design space."

A greater challenge

For those familiar with the series, the new board and cards will be instantly recognizable. There’s still a network of cities, with spaces for different types of industry tiles, and players still have a tree of industries they can pay cards, cash and resources to place onto the board. Many of these create resources that other players can utilize, using networks created by their opponents. Spending up all the resources on an industry flips it, creating profit for its owner. It’s this clever circularity, where players are partially dependent on each other, that's made the game so popular: a rare mix of demanding strategy with enough theme and social interaction to keep it varied, engaging and believable.

Once you dive into the details, the new aspects of Brass: Pittsburgh become apparent. Brown cites three key changes identified by playtesters as standing out. "First, we have decentralized markets: you now sell resource cubes to different connected cities instead of to a centralized market," he explains. "Second, one of the new resources, coke, takes time and clever tactics to set up, but rewards the player with 4VP for every cube sold. Third, the oil resource has special pipelines, which allow players to 'prospect' an oil field. Oil travels first by pipeline, which awards the pipeline's owner with various possible rewards."

The result is a game that boasts a much greater strategic challenge, with many more factors and resources to juggle, while still retaining the social interdependencies that characterize the original. Brown has deliberately rejigged aspects of the game to ensure players have to react to the dynamism on the board rather than relying on tried and tested strategies.

"There is no rail on the board that will guarantee you a ton of points," he says. "When you place a rail, you need to forecast what your opponents will want to build in the locations adjacent to it, or have a plan yourself of how to make those rails worth something. There are also no tiles on your player board that are 'auto develop.' Every tile has a use in the game, and you need to figure out a plan for how to maximize their value."

[Rail]roads paved with gold

In both the existing games, there’s a mid-point switch between the canal networks players begin with to transport their goods and resources, and the more efficient railways that come later. This is a thematic abstraction of how the industrial revolution unfolded; the canals are literally removed from the board and players start re-building their networks. In Pittsburgh, players start with railways initially but there’s still a similar mid-point switch with existing networks disappearing and needing to be re-built, unless they strategize around investing in another new option, more expensive 'heavy' trains which stay on the board.

This can feel jarring, but Brown is broadly aiming to make the game feel more thematic, not less. "Historical accuracy is of paramount importance to me, so the research performed during the design of Pittsburgh represented an immense amount of work," he explains. “An example of this is making all resources travel by rail, versus having iron 'teleport.' Also the decentralized market system better represents that different regions of the map may need to pay more for commodities than other areas." He also suggests that the gilded age is a better fit for the game’s social dynamics than the industrial revolution, noting that "the interdependence of the main industries of the time was a perfect fit."

Interestingly, much of the playtesting for this game has taken place on the digital board gaming site BoardGameArena. This is a novel approach that allows the team to get faster and wider feedback from testers, supported by measurable metrics. It means that Brass: Pittsburgh will have a ready-made module for the site when it hits retail, a useful selling point. It’s also created a baseline from which additional creative possibilities can be explored, and Brown reveals they’re in the pipe. "For Pittsburgh I had to come up with the most innovative mechanisms and dynamics I could think of, which led to many more ideas that we will explore in future Brass titles," he says.

It sounds like there could be a lot more brass to come, in every sense, for players and the publisher alike.

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Things went wrong for me in Kill Team: Terror on Devlan as soon as boots hit the dirt. Our crack Kill Team of Spectre Squad operatives fanned out across the Imperial ruins, ready to seal tunnels that xenos scum kept scuttling out of. Yes, the fabled 'Red Terror' – a monster famed for eviscerating platoons with ease – was still out there. But we had time before it arrived. The key was speed and focus. Right? Wrong. This wasn't our ambush; it was theirs.

Lesser Tyranid bioforms darted in and out of cover to pin us down, firing from all sides. Others hurtled forward in a swarm, ripping into my sniper as if he were a sack of jello. Flanking maneuvers made us pay for every inch gained, and while we killed plenty of them in return, they kept coming. Then the Red Terror (the undisputed star of Kill Team: Terror on Devlan) showed up. And yep, shit really hit the fan.

All this is to say that Kill Team: Terror on Devlan is hard. Bloody hard, in every sense of the word. As the first box set to focus exclusively on co-op and single-player gameplay, it's also an anomaly. Whether that's a good or bad thing will depend on what you want from Kill Team, but I came away impressed.

Kill Team: Terror on Devlan features & design

• Features solo/co-op missions
• Astra Militarum commandos vs. Tyranids
• The iconic Red Terror returns with an all-new model

Unlike most large box sets for Kill Team (Warhammer 40K's smaller, faster sibling), Terror on Devlan doesn't kick off a new competitive season with fresh terrain. It doesn't pit two new squads against each other like usual, either. Rather, it's all about you (and maybe a friend) taking down alien hordes. These can be controlled by another person, but they don't have to be; deigned 'non-player operatives,' their behaviours are dictated by a clever mix of if/when scenarios.

No matter who does what, it's all based on an old piece of 40K lore from previous editions: the loss of the planet Devlan to a hideous Tyranid offshoot, nicknamed 'the Red Terror.' However, this set expands and enriches that idea with horrifying context. Half the rulebook is dedicated to backstory, and it's a chilling read. The mounting tension is palpable as reports trickle in of unexplained murders and missing bodies, making Tyranids feel like inscrutable monsters that can't be defeated – only outrun.

Then you get to take it on yourself in a series of missions that can be run as one-offs or as part of a larger campaign. If you string everything together, your wins or losses dictate which scenario gets played next.

Of course, you'll have to build everything first… and despite the impressive Red Terror scything through scenery in a gravity-defying pose, it's a pleasantly straightforward process. I didn't struggle with the Red Terror, its push-fit Tyranid underlings (making a reappearance from the Warhammer 40K starter sets) or the Astra Militarum Spectre Squad. The only thing I'd say to do is paint your Red Terror before attaching it to the base. It'll be so much easier.

Speaking of easier, one quick thing to note: Terror on Devlan is designed to work with the Volkus Kill Zone terrain pack, sold separately. You can adjust things to make other scenery work, of course, but scenery is needed even so. You don't get any in the box, so bear that in mind before charging in.

Here's what comes in the pack:

• Dossier: This is the box set's rulebook, combining lore and backstory with mechanics and missions for all the models contained within.
• Data, ploy, and equipment cards: You'll need these to run both Spectre Squad and the Tyranids.
• Tokens: You get tokens for Spectre Squad and the Tyranid Red Terror, allowing you to keep track of their special abilities in play.

Gameplay

• Missions are a real challenge
• Spectre Squad are finicky, but hugely effective
• Will likely be too tricky and complex for beginners

Terror on Devlan has a very different feel compared to previous Kill Team sets; while the likes of Kill Team: Tomb World were tense, tactical head-to-heads, this has more in common with the best board games. Even if you're going into battle with a friend at your side, your goal is to overcome an automated foe powered by cards and an easy-to-follow set of behaviours.

Don't think it'll be straightforward if no-one's on the other side of the table, though. It's an exercise of cat and mouse, but I'm not sure we're the cat. Enemy behaviours are meticulously detailed, and there's an emphasis on them doing whatever will make your life harder each turn. No, really, that's what it says in the rulebook – it urges you to take whatever action will benefit the Tyranids and jeopardize your mission most. In addition, they… well, they just keep coming. Trying to wipe them all out is an exercise in futility as a result. More can, and probably will, emerge in their next activation. As such, getting around them to your real objective is challenging enough… and that's before the Red Terror gets involved.

The trick is working out how to use those set (and therefore predictable) behaviours against the foe, luring them into traps or distracting them so you can sweep in and complete your mission. This is immensely satisfying when done right, and a worthy challenge for those already familiar with Kill Team.

It's even more gratifying if you can avoid being mauled by the Red Terror in the process. This monster lives up to its name – if you aren't afraid, you should be. The first time I faced it, it eviscerated one of my strongest fighters in a single attack. It then re-emerged a short while later and swallowed my heavy gunner whole, at which point it vanished back underground in the biggest "up yours" I could imagine. Just like that, my meticulously-laid plan was in tatters. When combined with the smaller Tyranids that are still likely to be sprinting around the battlefield, you'll really feel up against it. Difficult decisions will need to be made.

That's what Spectre Squads excel at, though. This Astra Militarum Kill Team thrives on finesse, clever planning, and a willingness to pivot. While few of the individual troops will stand out much, the group's special abilities help it punch far harder than you might expect. Its Elite Fieldcraft power lets you act before a foe uses an action, for instance, potentially giving you a (devastating) bonus shot or allowing you to regroup to a more advantageous position. It takes some getting used to, and there's a fair amount to juggle where ploys are concerned, but the team will sing in the right hands.

With that in mind though, the one thing I'll say is that this won't suit beginners – or at the very least, it'll be one hell of a trial by fire. For one thing, Spectre Squad is tricky to get the most out of. Secondly, the missions are difficult as is. Indeed, they'll strain even the most experienced commanders.

Should you buy Kill Team: Terror on Devlan?

Whether you buy Terror on Devlan depends on a couple of things. If you're an experienced player, you'll find so much to dig your teeth into. If you want a way to play Warhammer solo, it's also ideal. Oh, and if you already have Kill Zone: Volkus, were gonna buy that terrain, or are happy to DIY a solution using scenery you already have? Great.

If you're new to all this, though, I'd steer clear. There are better entry-points to the hobby, even playing solo (I'd recommend Hivestorm), and it's punishingly hard. You need an established setup with terrain as well, none of which is included in the box. Beginner can obviously have a blast here, but it's an uphill battle.

Hoping to test your mettle as a seasoned veteran, on the other hand? I'd definitely recommend trying this set. I've had a lot of fun so far, and am desperate to even the score with the Red Terror. I doubt it'll go well.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Kill Team: Terror on Devlan

This product sample was provided by Games Workshop.

After familiarizing myself with the rules, I went about assembling every model in the box and painting whatever I could over the course of a few weeks (that included multiple members of Spectre Squad, the Red Terror, and some lesser Tyranids). I then dove into test matches direct from the pack to see how they handled in practice.

For more on our process, see how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

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Have you ever been tempted to say "screw it" and go lose yourself in a galaxy far, far away? Short of booting up the movies or hopping on a plane to visit Galaxy's Edge at the Disney Parks, the best way of immersing yourself in the Star Wars universe is by breaking out one of the many excellent Star Wars board games currently lining shelves.

They're not all created equally, though; some are definitely a cut above the rest. My colleagues and I have tried a galaxy's worth of Star Wars board games between us, and as card-carrying Rebel scum, there are a handful I'd always recommend over all the others. Besides taking inspiration from some of the best board games, these cover a range of interests and skill levels – there's something to suit every kind of fan, no matter whether you want to hit the battlefield and command the Galactic Empire or adventure as a forgotten Jedi in an RPG quest.

Naturally, there's no shortage of Star Wars board games I could recommend to you. But for me, these are the cream of the crop.

Are there any you'd add to the list? Shout about them in the comments below!

• See all Star Wars board game deals at Amazon

For more from a galaxy far, far away, why not check out the best Star Wars toys?

Warhammer Quest has been around for a while now – 31 years, in fact. It's arguably become one of Games Workshop's most beloved titles, with a fiercely devoted player base and a place amongst the best board games. Despite that, Games Workshop itself has never seemed able to quite settle on a consistent format. Darkwater is the sixth title in the series and the fourth entirely new take on the game.

The most recent editions, Blackstone Fortress and the appropriately-named (given its many behind-the-scenes troubles) Cursed City, seemed to have perfected a more modern take on the dungeon crawler format, but took an age to set up and pack away. For the latest edition, Darkwater – which is once again set in the realms of Age of Sigmar – it's clear that speed and convenience are the order of the day. This feels like it's taken the core elements of the last two editions and pared everything back into a more compact and streamlined game.

Warhammer Quest: Darkwater features & design

• Take on Chaos in a ruined chapel
• Fight through a hardback map book of missions
• 49 miniatures, including seven heroes

First impressions are important, and Darkwater makes a good one. The old school artwork is printed on a sturdy box that will survive plenty of wear and tear. Unlike some of Games Workshop's big boxes, this one feels built to last and the envelope system used to store your cards during a campaign is simple and efficient.

Inside the box you get 49 miniatures. They break down as seven heroes and four enemy bosses, plus the rank and file monsters. The heroes are:

• Edmark Valoran, The Manticore Knight
• Bren Tylis, The Renegade Saint
• Drolf Ironhead, The Grizzled Explorer
• Inara Sion, The Cleansing Blade
• Drasher Vorn, The Rampaging Beast
• Kelthannor, The Forest Prince
• Jacobus Vyne, The Jade Wizard (plus an accompanying forest spirit named Wisper)

Of those, Edmark, Bren, Drolf, and Inara are playable right out of the box, while the remaining three are "unlocked" as you play through more of the game, much like Gloomhaven. They're all really great models, with my personal favorites being Jacobus Vyne (gotta love a nature wizard), Edmark, and Bren.

The monsters are one of the areas where Darkwater really excels. Where the previous Quest game went fully goth with its town full of vampires and zombies, this one concentrates on the servants of Papa Nurgle. The Jade Abbey is a flooded temple, so there's a manky, dingey theme to most of the enemies here. In the box you get five different types of enemy:

• Mire Kelpies: Annoying little beasts that vomit toxins on your heroes
• Pox-Wretches: Basic shambling 'ham baddies
• Pestigors: Plague-themed Beastmen – some really nice models
• Blight Templars: Bloated and rotting champions of Nurgle
• Cankerborn: Two hulking and suitably nightmarish daemons

There are also four bosses: Shaman Foulhoof (a Pestigor who I can't not call Falconhoof); Mulgoth the Cleaver (boss of the Blight Templars); Belga the Cystwitch (half witch, half worm and the best model in the box); and the big bad, Gelgus Pust, who is prone to showing up in early games and laughing at your heroes.

The game itself also looks quite different to previous editions of Warhammer Quest. While the early games all used cardboard tiles as their play surface, Darkwater's biggest innovation is the use of a large book that opens up to reveal 19 different playable maps. The concept is not new – it's already been used by games like Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion – but the Darkwater book is fully hardback and works exceptionally well. It feels high quality and, crucially, lies perfectly flat.

Gameplay

• Play one-off Encounters or a three act campaign
• Campaigns are made up of shuffled Encounter and Event cards
• 19 maps and lots of variety

A Darkwater campaign is split into three acts, with each involving opening new decks of cards. Each session consists of drawing a deck of 15 cards, which are split into Encounter and Event cards, plus one randomly selected boss card.

Encounters are your skirmishes and missions where you turn to a new map and lay out the miniatures. Events are brief things that happen during the campaign – for example you encounter a strange character lurking in the Jade Abbey.

You draw two cards from the deck and choose which one you want to play, discarding the other. So, for every act in the campaign, you play seven Encounters/Events and then take on a boss. When those are done you've completed the act and move on to the next one. Because you'll have discarded half of the cards, however, you'll have to work through the game multiple times if you want to see everything. The large number of treasure cards to be found also means that completists will need to put in the time to get their hands on everything.

You draw two cards from the deck and choose which one you want to play, discarding the other. So, for every act in the campaign, you play seven Encounters/Events and then take on a boss. When those are done you've completed the act and move on to the next one. Because you'll have discarded half of the cards, however, you'll have to work through the game multiple times if you want to see everything. The large number of treasure cards to be found also means that completists will need to put in the time to get their hands on everything.

An event takes place on one of the 19 maps. In the Hero Phase you position your miniatures in the starting hexes and then use a three card Core Ability system for each character. The abilities are Move, Attack, and Aid. Move and Attack correspond to stats on your character cards. To use these you must expend "energy" by turning one of your Ability cards horizontally. The jist here is that while you have the Move, Attack, and Aid cards, they are basically interchangeable.

For example, I might want Drolf to move twice, then attack. To do so I would first use the energy of the rarely-used Aid card to move. I would then expend the actual Move card to move again. I would then use the final card, Attack, to take a shot at one of my foes. These cards are all recharged at the end of the Hero Phase.

In the Enemy Turns you follow the instructions on each enemy card and roll for each relevant model. These actions tend to be fairly self explanatory: Advance and Reposition are movement actions, Onslaught, Quick Attack, and Grievous Blow are different ways that they lash out at the heroes. It's pretty straightforward and works well enough as a system, though it can sometimes feel like a repetitive slog rolling through hordes of enemy models.

All Encounters take place on a timer – you have four Battle Rounds to complete the Encounter and reap the rewards. If you fail and lose the encounter, that will have its own impact on your ongoing campaign.

And that's kind of it. For the most part, this system works well. There's a good deal of variety across the Encounter cards, while the different character and treasure cards add their own twists to the rules. Some cards do feel significantly tougher than others, though. The Act 1 card Deep Trouble has already become infamous for its cryptic wording that renders the Encounter almost impossible unless you have movement-boosting treasure. Thankfully Games Workshop has since amended the wording in an errata. Still, if you lose an Encounter each character must discard four reward cards. If they can't do that, then the campaign is immediately over. That's pretty stark!

Should you buy Warhammer Quest: Darkwater?

Warhammer Quest remains Games Workshop's truest game-in-a-box experience. You really do just buy this one set with no need for any additional armies or warbands. It's super-easy to get to grips with and neatly solves the problem of how long the previous editions took to set up before you could start playing.

It's also pretty good value – as these things go, anyway – especially if you can pick it up at an independent game store and take advantage of the price discounts. You get loads of miniatures which are all to Games Workshop's usual high standards, and the boardbook feels really good quality. I've been playing the game for months and there's a lot of variety in here to keep you busy.

It's not my favourite version of the game. That's still Blackstone Fortress which, for all its fiddliness, felt like a characterful game with a lot of depth. I will also always have a big soft spot for the 1995 first edition, and – as I wrote here – I really wish Games Workshop would make my nostalgic dreams come true and do a made-to-order reprint of that.

Still, this is Warhammer Quest through and through, just in a slightly more streamlined form. It's a huge amount of fun and ideal for those nights where you've got some mates round and fancy adventuring into a peril-filled dungeon over a couple of beers. Just make sure you keep the drinks well away from the map!

Buy it if...

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How we tested Warhammer Quest: Darkwater

This review was conducted using a copy provided by the publisher.

Our reviewer was able to spend many weeks testing Warhammer Quest: Darkwater, allowing them to get a full sense of how well it plays alongside the game's longevity. They started the process by familiarizing themselves with the game's rules before playing it multiple times, all with different player counts to see how the experience differed.

For a more thorough understanding of our process, don't miss how we test board games or the GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

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Popular zombie board game series Zombicide is rising from the grave, and it's shuffling back onto our tables with a swashbuckling pirate spinoff set on the high seas.

Zombicide: Dead Men Tales is the franchise's comeback after its previous publisher, CMON, hit rough financial waters last year (if you missed the news, industry giant Asmodee then swept in to rescue Zombicide from an uncertain future). This piratical version of the game shakes things up with fresh traversal options, cannons, grog, buried treasure, and foes that come at you from everywhere – even under the waves.

While it's still early days, those selling points seem to be doing the trick for fans of the original (which is often viewed as one of the best board games for co-op players); the project just started a crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound, and it's more than 490% funded already as I write this. Zombicide: Dead Men Tales being handled by veteran studio Fantasy Flight won't be hurting those prospects either, as that factor certainly piqued my interest.

In terms of how it works, this is still a combat-heavy team game for one to six players that sees you face off against a horde of undead… but the twist comes from nautically-themed mechanics that have washed ashore. Characters can swing from ship to ship via rigging on what appears to be a modular board, fire cannons to take out larger enemies, seek out buried treasure, or consume copious amounts of grog (here called "Grom") for buffs mixed with drawbacks. Your foes also seem capable of walking the ocean floor to erupt from the beneath the waves, making it harder to predict where they might come from next. Good luck planning for that.

We enjoyed the core Zombicide game enough to give it four and a half stars out of five in our Zombicide 2nd Edition review, so Dead Men Tales has a lot to live up to. However, the pirate theme gives it one hell of a headstart. I think there's only so much you can do with the core, modern-day zombie experience without retreading old ground (short of adding Marvel superheroes, I guess), so finding quirky ways into that genre makes it feel suitably fresh. Well, fresher than the corpses you'll be fighting, anyway. The franchise has previous with this tactic, of course; it visited the Wild West a few years back with Zombicide: Undead or Alive in 2023.

Speaking of unique approaches, this campaign appears to bundle a few extra goodies in for good measure. Pledges include the core Dead Men Tales game, yes, but you can also pick up Zombicide's upcoming tabletop RPG (Plaguebearer) and graphic novels. That's enough to keep any self-respecting fan of Zombicide busy, in other words.

It's unclear when Zombicide: Dead Men Tales will be available at retail, so for now, your best bet is to pledge on Gamefound if you want to guarantee all that booty for yourself.

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Elizabeth Hargrave, the esteemed board game designer who brought us the avian delights of hit Eurogame Wingspan, has returned with the delightfully seaside-themed Sanibel. In this latest board game, Hargrave delivers us to the sandy isles of Florida for a nature-inspired foray into the timeless hobby of beachcombing. But as does every scavenged shell and gnarled piece of driftwood, Sanibel harbours a hidden story.

Speaking to Hargrave, I learned that Sanibel isn't just a game about collecting and collating oceanic detritus. It's as much a cozy contender for best board game as it is a time capsule, seeking to reawaken the nostalgia-starved hearts of kindred holidaymakers. It's a delicate dive into deep-seated family values of curiosity and compromise. Moreover, Sanibel marks a final farewell of a dedicated daughter in mourning of her late father.

A wave of inspiration

For we quiet few, tabletop gaming has long provided a sanctuary from the outside world. From board and card games to TTRPGs and solo journaling, tabletop gaming is a space to recharge and bolster our mental health, ready to take on the horrors of the world. For designers in the space, too, our beloved hobby has an incredible capacity to heal our wounds through the process of creation. Having lost her father back in 2025, Hargrave announced in the wake of Sanibel's release that it was a game dedicated to his memory. "This one has a special place in my heart because I made it for my dad who was an insatiable shark tooth collector and who loved shells as well," the post recalls.

"There are thousands of shark teeth in my parent's house", Hargrave tells me. Her father's love of which is clearly reflected in the game's scoring, since the player with the largest cluster of shark teeth gains a trio of bonus points. Collecting them is as easy as breathing, too. Players simply wander along the beachy board at their own pace, picking up the best if they get to a section first, or the most if they take their time. The challenge then is arranging your collection in an almost Tetris-like fashion on your personal board to create clusters and score points.

Years before Sanibel's creation, following an afternoon stroll along the real-life shores of that Floridian island, it was Hargrave's father who first sparked the idea for the game. "I have family that live near the beach in Florida, so my immediate family would go and stay with my aunt and grandmother near the beach. We'd go out for a good chunk of the day and read books on the beach, take long walks, pick up shark teeth and seashells" Hargrave remembers. "One day we came back and we were eating lunch, and my dad was like 'You should make a board game about collecting seashells on the beach!', and I was like 'Oh yeah! I can't think of one, and it seems like such an obvious thing to do a board game about'", she says. It's clear how palpable the idea felt at the time. "There's an immediate spark: We collect things in games, we move around in games. That clearly can fit with game mechanics," she muses. "It's just such a universally enjoyed thing that so many people can relate to."

Of course, plenty of games feature seashells as a resource – Doggerland, for example, lets you harvest shells and turn your stash into handicrafts to earn points – but very few games focus their entire theme around it. While Kula Kula uses collected seashells as a central currency to be traded up or stolen in a sail-by robbery, it seems most similar games lack that "chill but positive" vibe Hargrave tells me she was aiming for.

Warming the cockles

Sanibel could easily have been a chaotic race against the clock, but Hargrave says she "wanted it to be literally walking down the beach picking up seashells". No rushing, no panic, just the tranquil sensibilities that her family instilled in her through all those years of carefree beachcombing. "The style of games that I like to play is usually pretty chill without a lot of direct confrontation," she notes. It's something we've seen spill into her design work time and time again. "The only confrontation in Sanibel really is people picking up things before you do, but that creates a really nice point of tension."

Using a Tokaido style of movement in which it's always the lagging player's turn and players choose exactly how far to move, you're constantly pushing your luck and potentially sacrificing a treasure trove of goodies along the way. As Hargrave puts it, "The further forward you jump, the farther back you fall." It's almost as if you're in contest more with your own self than you are with each other.

"All of my designs are naturally nonconfrontational," Hargrave says. "That's just my personal vibe and probably something that I got from my family". This is a family who she says used to play a lot of Scrabble, a game many consider a classically cozy word game… until of course someone starts with the two letter words. Even as a peaceful soul, that kind of gameplay ruffles Hargrave's feathers as much as it does mine.

"My brother broke out 'za'", she says. "I was like 'what the f– what's za?' Apparently it is an acceptable abbreviation for pizza." Maybe on the East Coast, my dude.

Hargrave laughs as I remark on the stresses of knowing how far behind you are in a board game, and how easily that can create a confrontational atmosphere. In games like Sanibel, where obscured scoring keeps you guessing as to your opponents point total until the final moment, she says "I don't really know how I'm doing until the end, and I just enjoy the process and enjoy building up the thing". I can certainly relate as an avid detailer, and creative gamer.

Speaking about her games in general, Hargrave makes it clear that "They all have a sort of curiosity about the natural world, which definitely comes from my family and my upbringing." From Wingspan to Undergrove and beyond, nature is a constant theme in her work, and one many of us are drawn to on an almost primordial level.

As a fellow nature lover and board game designer, I'm excited to see what conches she's keeping up her sleeve with Sanibel, because a stroll down the beach sounds idyllic in light of current world events. We have the full review on the site now, so keep an eye out for that if chill seashell collecting is your kind of bag.

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Spearhead has been a game mode in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar for the last few years. Effectively a compact and streamlined version of AoS, with pre-set army lists, it's a very fun and competitive system that's easy to pick up and play.

In theory, the skirmish game holds a similar function (though very different rules) to Kill Team, which is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. In practice, however, there's been confusion in some areas of the fandom about what Spearhead actually is, with some players not even realizing that it's a fully-fledged game in its own right, rather than a simple branding exercise for army sets, à la 40K Combat Patrols.

Part of this is likely down to the fact that it has always been presented alongside the main game, rather than as a standalone boxed product – until now. Yes, City of Ash is, slightly bafflingly, the first time that Spearhead has been issued as a standalone game in a box, with two complete forces that go toe-to-to over a small 30" × 22.4" game-board, that's also included.

Warhammer: Spearhead – City of Ash features & design

• Two armies in the box: Cities of Sigmar and Skaven
• Terrain and a double-sided game board are included
• Dice are not – and you'll need a lot!

The two factions in the box are Cities of Sigmar and Skaven – specifically Clan Eshin. The really cool thing here is that, with the exception of one Skaven hero, these are all brand new models. That alone should make the box a must-buy for Cities and Skaven collectors.

I've been looking for a way into the Cities of Sigmar range for a while. I've got the Warcry warband, but otherwise haven't really explored further until now. In the box you get 10 Freeguild Grenadiers, split into two five-man squads, while five Freeguild Gallants make up the elites choice.

I love these guys, all of which come with optional knight's helms, which I stupidly didn't realize while building until I'd already made three of them. Always read the instructions thoroughly, William.

Leading the army is Jorvan Kreel and his Ash Panther Thexa, while an unnamed Mallus Forgepriest provides magical assistance.

The Skaven half of the box provides 10 super-speedy Gutter Runners (in two units of five), 10 Night Runners, plus two Bomb Rats. Leading them is Deathmaster Crixxit (more on him later) and the box's only older sculpt, a Skaven Deathmaster.

Rounding out the models are two ruined manor terrain pieces, and five relic objectives. The battlefield itself is fairly terrain light, but that makes sense in the context of the game.

You also get a 72-page Handbook detailing the rules, a durable double-sided game board, a battlepack book with missions for the board, and a deck of 36 Spearhead cards.

One small gripe here: putting the miniature build instructions in the rulebook is a bit annoying, as you can't lay the pages out flat, as with a standard paper pamphlet.

Warhammer: Spearhead – City of Ash gameplay

• Two forces clash in a fast-paced skirmish game
• It's effectively a scaled down Age of Sigmar
• You use pre-set army lists with minimal customization

In terms of the actual game, this is pretty much Spearhead as we already know it, aside from the specific rules for the new units and missions. If you've played the game before then this will all be reassuringly familiar. This isn't meant as a reinvention of the system, but as an introduction to it.

The Cities of Sigmar force (Sentinels of Embergard) is nice and flexible. The Grenadiers are intended as your ranged combat unit and, with 2 attacks per person, they're OK and more than capable of clearing out a Skaven unit quickly – though both the Gutter and Night Runners get reinforcements when a unit has been wiped out.

The Gallants are a decent for targeting enemy heroes, with 2 attacks, rend 1, and a nifty special rule called Unbreachable Will, which removes 1 rend from enemy weapons if the Gallants haven't charged that turn. That's super useful because the Skaven Gutter Runners all have rend 1 on their Eshin Blades.

In terms of the characters, Jorvan is solid if unspectacular in combat with 6 attacks, rend 1 and, if you choose to equip him with throwing knives as one of his enhancements, a ranged weapon that deals a mortal wound on a 3+ hit. His Battle Trait and Regiment Abilities are also handy for moving your troops around the board.

The Mallus Forgepriest, on the other hand, is straight up disappointing. Sure, 3 attacks with his hammer isn't bad, but he's too fragile and his main skill is being able to cast a 5+ ward on friendly units when they're contesting objectives. Handy, but too specific.

The Skaven side (Crixxit's Kill-Pack) is very fast and very murdery. All the models here have a movement of 7" meaning that they can get up close and personal quickly. The Gutter Runners have 3 attacks and rend 1, while their accompanying Bomb Rats can inflict 1 mortal damage on a 3+ – if they don't self destruct, which happens quite often. The Night Runners are slightly less effective, but have a reasonable ranged weapon.

Deathmaster Crixxit is the definition of a glass cannon. He can deal an astonishing 13 attacks, meaning that if you put him into combat with a unit like the Grenadiers, they are almost certainly immediately dead. He's vulnerable to melee with large units, though, or a barrage of weapons fire and his 6 health depletes very quickly. Luckily he has a very handy Battle Trait for getting out of such situations, being able to shadow-travel on a 3+, meaning that he stands a good chance of being able to simply shift out of combat to within 6" of another fight.

Finally, the old Deathmaster is good for performing precision strikes, with 5 attacks and the Anti-Hero ability.

It's also worth pointing out that all the models here, from the heroes to the lowliest rats have Crit (Mortal). Ouch.

Should you buy Warhammer: Spearhead – City of Ash?

If you've never played Spearhead before and want an easy way into the game, then – finally – this is it. It's fast, fun, and you get everything you need to play right here in the box except for dice.

You also don't get the full set of rosters for every army in the game, as you do in the Spearhead book that comes with Age of Sigmar 4th edition. That's not really a deal breaker, though. You can download the rules easily enough.

The models are great, too. Cities of Sigmar has quickly become one of Age of Sigmar’s most exciting ranges and these are all beautiful sculpts, even if the head on one of the guys I've painted above does look a bit like Frasier Crane.

I'm less into the Skaven, but that's just a general antipathy on my part towards the rat boys. They're still lovely models and a clear step up from the previous versions of the Night Runners. That said, some of the miniatures are a little tricky to build. Not super difficult, but I can see someone new to the hobby being intimidated while making the Skaven miniatures.

City of Ash, then, seems aimed more at existing hobbyists (like, say, established 40K players) rather than at complete newbies. Either way, it's a lot of fun and if you're into one or both of these factions then you'll want to grab it as soon as possible.

Buy it if...

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This product was provided to us by Games Workshop.

One of last year's most anticipated Star Wars board games, Battle of Hoth, has come down to what is very nearly a record low price… and just in time for May 4, AKA Star Wars Day. Unlike C-3PO, I don't have a bad feeling about this.

There was a lot of buzz for the game when it dropped a few months ago, and as noted in our Star Wars: Battle of Hoth review, it's an "excellent introduction to a whole galaxy of gaming." That means today's price cut of 20% (bringing the Star Wars board game down to a few cents off its lowest ever price) is well worth paying attention to. Want an easy-to-learn wargame or more competitive strategy? This should scratch that itch, yet won't overwhelm you. Indeed, it'll also serve as an introduction to the best board games if you're trying to tempt fans to the Dark Side of tabletop gaming; it's much more accessible than you'd think.

The name doesn't lie; this Star Wars board game is all about reliving the Battle of Hoth, only with you and a pal commanding the Rebels or Empire. You'll vie for dominance across 18 scenarios, each one underpinned by the excellent 'Commands & Colors' system. There's a reason this has spawned an entire series – it's something you can quickly get your head around, but offers enough tactical depth to keep you invested.

While existing fans of Commands & Colors may find Battle of Hoth a little light, that makes it the perfect choice if you want to play wargames but find them too overwhelming or time-consuming. Like our review notes, "If you’re new to the game system as a whole this is an easy recommendation, an accessible and thematic introduction that will let you experience what’s made it so popular and perhaps give you a taste for the bigger, more complex versions like the outstanding Commands & Colors: Ancients."

Sure, it may not have the longevity its siblings do. But the appeal of commanding vast Star Wars armies outweighs any of that, in my experience. It's a great on-ramp for more complex wargames such as Star Wars Legion (which we've made a guide to starting, by the way) or Star Wars: Shatterpoint, too.

Have you got any Star Wars board games on your wishlist, or any you'd recommend? Let me know in the comments!

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The Horrified board game series is returning to the world of D&D, this time taking players to the appropriately terrifying realm of Ravenloft.

GamesRadar+ can exclusively announce Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft, a new installment of the Horrified franchise and the second title to merge the monster-hunting board game series with D&D. In this new version, players will work together to face off against four new threats, including the iconic vampire Count Strahd Von Zarovich. The game will be released on July 19^th, with pre-orders available now through Target if you want to add it to your collection of the best board games.

In Horrified, players roam across the board, collecting items used to defeat various monsters. In Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft, players will challenge up to four new monsters: Ravenloft’s most dangerous Darklord, Strahd, the murderous living doll Carrionette, the witch Baba Lysaga and her walking hut, and the sentient, supernatural Gulthias Tree. Each monster has different conditions needed to defeat it and can fell innocent bystanders with a single attack. Players will have to protect bystanders and guide them across the board, while simultaneously avoiding the monsters and collecting items along the way.

The first Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons game introduced unique characters based on D&D classes, each of which had abilities that were activated by the roll of a d20. Ravenloft builds on this by introducing five new player classes: the Ranger, Druid, Sorcerer, Paladin, and Warlock. As with their predecessors, they all have abilities that are activated by a d20 roll, with the number rolled determining which ability is activated.

As with some previous Horrified games, players can mix and match the monsters of Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft with the previous Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons game, along with several previous installments.

The new Horrified game was designed by Peter Lee, who has designed 15 other Dungeons & Dragons-based games to date (including last year’s Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons). Lee is also behind the popular Lords of Waterdeep and the Castle Ravenloft game, which features Count Strahd as a villain.

The timing of Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft comes shortly after the reveal of another visit to that horror-soaked realm. D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast recently showed off Ravenloft: The Horror Within that brings back our favorite setting with new subclasses, new ancestries, and new details on the iconic Darklords who are both prisoners and rulers of the setting. This is part of D&D’s "Season of Horror," the first in several planned seasons coinciding with the release of various D&D products announced at GAMA 2026.

"We’re always looking for new ways for players to immerse themselves in the worlds of D&D. Since its introduction in 1983, Ravenloft has been a beloved campaign setting," says Kara Kenna, Franchise Creative Director at Wizards of the Coast. "Being able to continue our collaboration with Ravensburger by bringing the rich characters and lore from the Domains of Dread through the mists and into Horrified’s narrative-driven adventure and cooperative gameplay felt natural. Timing couldn't be more perfect as we enter the Season of Horror celebrating Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, the newest Ravenloft release available June 16."

The 2025 Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons was one of the strongest installments of Horrified yet, with the d20 roll providing an extra twist to ensure that no player’s turn went unwasted. With new character classes to choose from and new monsters to fight, Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons – Ravenloft will be great for either longterm fans of Dungeons & Dragons or for those interested in immersing themselves in one of D&D’s best-known worlds.

The new game is available for pre-order at Target now for $29.99 (slightly less than the $34.99 MSRP).

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Please join me in pouring one out for another fallen board game franchise that's gone too soon, because the Gloomhaven-style Descent: Legends of the Dark is no more.

Developer Fantasy Flight has announced that its dungeon-crawling series (Descent: Legends of the Dark and its expansion, Act II) is being discontinued. This is because, "Simply put, the game is too expensive to make." That means the upcoming Act III expansion is no longer in development either, so the franchise's ongoing story has come to an abrupt end. I was a big fan of how Descent combined mechanics from the best board games with a video game-style app that heightened its RPG elements, so the news has taken the wind right out of my sails today.

However, I do get it. Increased costs are taking their toll everywhere right about now, and the tabletop gaming industry has been hit particularly hard. As we've discussed on GamesRadar+ at length over the past year, tariffs made life difficult for publishers across the board because much of their printing infrastructure was/is based overseas – thus making production far, far more expensive than it had been. While things have since calmed down due to a variety of factors (not least of which was February's Supreme Court ruling that use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to instate tariffs last year was illegal), it's still rough out there. This development is proof of that.

"Between ever-increasing manufacturing costs, lengthy and pricey app development timelines, and global economic shifts making everything more expensive to produce, it became abundantly clear that continuing to make this game is just not feasible," Fantasy Flight writes in a post announcing Descent: Legend of the Dark's end. That also goes for the unreleased Act III. Although Fantasy Flight investigated a variety of strategies to deliver the expansion (even if it was digital-only), none of those options "proved to be feasible, and so the only path left to us is to cancel the expansion outright."

It's not all doom and gloom, though. The Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent video game is still on its way, for example, and Fantasy Flight hasn't ruled out a return to the Descent franchise. "While we don’t have anything to share at this time, there is always a possibility that we will revisit Descent in the future. It would take a different form and would not be Legends of the Dark, but this game universe is near and dear to FFG’s heart."

Fans should keep their fingers crossed, in other words. It's goodbye for now, but this might not be the last we ever hear of Descent.

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Combining the exceptionally relaxing hobby of board gaming with the all-time favorite pastime of beachcombing, Sanibel swaps the usual heated competition you'll find in the best board games for warm sands and sea views. As a gently-paced game with Tokaido style movement and Tetris-like tile placement, Sanibel is a tranquil race up and down the shell-strewn sands to collect and collate the best set of treasures ever to be happened upon.

You'll spend your turns building up your own personal patterns with the items you collect, working on tricky goals that will fall into place as time goes on. Sanibel is a game of constantly weighing up how much you're willing to sacrifice for a potential leg-up in subsequent rounds, because, in the words of Elizabeth Hargrave herself, "The further forward you jump, the farther back you fall."

Sanibel features & design

• Push your luck to claim more shells but go last next turn
• Collect and bank specific shell arrangements without blocking yourself in
• Work toward personal goals as you Tetris your way to victory

After choosing a counter and matching board, players spend their turns meandering away from the deckchairs on the far left of the central beach-themed board, along the seafront to the lighthouse, and back again in a loop. Along the way, you'll build up your shell collection, with your bag growing fuller and more complex as you sift along the strip of sand. As you play, you'll work toward the personal goal (or goals) printed on two lighthouse tiles randomly dealt to each player at the start. These goals are cemented at the half-way mark, which we'll get to in a moment.

Movement works on a last-player-first basis, though as long as you move from your current beach segment and remember to stop at the lighthouse for others to catch up, you can move as far up the board as you like. The further ahead you go, the more shells you earn, but the reverse turn order means you risk sacrificing precious shells next round. Once you've picked a spot, you'll gather up the number of shells printed on your chosen space – everything from different Echinodems, to Bivalves, to Snails, and even Shark Teeth – dropping them in to fill up the grid on your player board. In order to actually score points with them, you'll need to cleverly slot them into specific combos. There's a handy Sanibel field guide for every player so you don't have to remember every potential arrangement, too.

Now, dropping shells into the bag requires some spatial planning. Shell tiles can't poke out the sides or top, and have to touch either the bottom of the bag or the top edge of another tile. The grid and tile shapes means it's easy to accidentally block off small sections if you're not careful. It's a case of carefully selecting each shell in perfect order, so you're not left with unfilled gaps or incomplete chains.

While the beach will start to deplete as you round up the most applicable marine detritus, it's consistently replenished by the rolling wave that follows along behind you. The wave spits out a certain number of hex or diamond tiles per beach section, depending on the number of players. And while there always manages to be a surplus, their usefulness varies.

Stopping at the lighthouse the first player there gets their pick of bonuses. Again, the furthest forward gains the most benefit but misses out on going first in the next round. This is where your lighthouse tiles come in, with either one or two now being slotted into your bag for a (hopefully) big bonus alongside any shells you've nabbed. Lighthouse tile bonuses range from easy to downright impossible: everything from a point per triangle piece or unique bivalve, to impressive arrays like pinwheels or rows of horizontal diamond pieces.

Racing back along the final stretch is much of the same game-loop, with the final round offering yet more bonuses to top off your score. These include some extra points, to a final stash of shells for your bag – provided you can fit them in!

Gameplay

• Two player is a tranquil stroll, while four player is comparatively stressful
• The agency to slot tiles as you see fit is incredibly satisfying
• Precarious player boards stress me out

As with many competitive board games, the more players you're up against, the more intense the run. While a two player game is a gentle stroll with little take-that action, a four player game has far more potential to end in death stares and broken friendships as you scramble for the perfect shells. It betrays the tranquility the game promises a little, but while other players can jump in and grab the shells you want first, there's no direct take-that action. Besides, player count is at least a factor you can control.

Control is a big theme in Sanibel too. While you're beholden to whatever treasures the wave washes up, there's a great deal of agency offered around movement and tile placement. It makes the journey a very personal one, and cleverly encourages the first player advantage to ebb and flow as players naturally relinquish the first move for a bigger stash, or vice versa. Players with a hankering for pattern arrangement are certainly catered for with each completion sending a little hit of dopamine.

While the components are lovely, adorned with painterly illustrations that infuse perfectly with the theme, a triple layer player board would have been much appreciated to help prevent accidental slips. One knock of a player board almost ruined the game for us several times, since scoring hinges on some pretty precarious arrangements. It's almost like playing Buckaroo with children or pets running around.

With the addition of sand crabs that let you steal tiles from other beach sections, and random goals for everyone, play is elevated with little moments of cheeky delight and novelty. It doesn't sound like much, but these really go a long way to add layers to otherwise very simplistic gameplay.

Should you buy Sanibel?

Weighted on the simpler side, Sanibel is a lovely short board game that doesn't require too much player interaction or brain power. With gentle, satisfying gameplay and a speedy setup, it's definitely one for interim game sessions or after dinner game nights that you don't want to last into the early hours. Sure, it's unlikely to hold the attention of players leaning into the heavier side of strategy, but it's definitely worth a play whether you're a beachcombing enthusiast or just looking for something a little lighter. Plus, you can play it over and over, and never end up with the same pattern twice.

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