Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with me, and you will see why Nemesis is the best horror board game to be playing this Halloween…

That rhyme kinda got away from me there at the end, but the point stands; Nemesis rules, and Halloween is the perfect time for you to grab some friends and dive into its claustrophobic, alien-infested corridors.

Horror is a difficult thing to nail for even the best board games. As a setting, it's perfect, and there are loads of spooky-themed games out there. Betrayal at House on the Hill, Arkham Horror, Horrified… the list goes on, but none of these games are particularly scary. It's tough to inject fear into a board game when it's essentially a group of friends sitting around a table, chatting and having a good time. As a result, most horror board games are more akin to interactive Scooby-Doo episodes than a starring role in a slasher flick.

The exception, though, is Nemesis.

For the uninitiated, Nemesis is Alien. Oh sure, all the names have been changed, and the copyright logos have been sanded off, but it's Alien. You and your buddies are trapped on a rickety spaceship with extraterrestrial monstrosities that want to bite your face off or implant an embryo in your chest, and you have to work together to survive the nightmare.

So what makes Nemesis scarier than other games? The brutal difficulty, for one thing. I've died an order of magnitude more times than I've survived playing Nemesis, and it's the fear of getting your ticket punched that drives the terror.

There is also a masterful tension curve in Nemesis that builds slowly as the game goes on. At the start, players all wake up from their hibernation pods with no idea what's going on. There's a corpse on the floor, and — thanks to a convenient bit of hypersleep-induced amnesia — no memory of the ship's layout, resulting in some clumsy exploration to figure out the ship's randomized configuration. As you explore, you'll make noise, which will eventually draw out the Xenomorphs Intruders.

The Intruders are savage, and fighting should really be a last resort. Your odds improve dramatically if you have help from the other players, but you can't always rely on that. See, I said you all have to "work together" earlier, but that cooperation comes with an asterisk.

You see, every player has hidden objectives when the game starts, and while most of them are pretty chill, some of the corporate objectives require a tiny amount of betraying your teammates and leaving them for dead. This creates a wonderful sense of paranoia amongst the group; will Sarah really come to my aid? Did Steve really fix the engines like he said he did? Why is Dave smuggling an intruder egg around under his jacket?

Your death in Nemesis will usually come at the hands of salivating monsters popping out of the vents or the ramshackle spaceship exploding, but never forget that people are the real monsters. I've been abandoned, blown up, locked in a burning room, and sent into deep space, and I will forget none of these betrayals. Payback is coming, my friends, in this round of the next.

There are actually three different versions of Nemesis at this point: Nemesis, Nemesis: Lockdown, and Nemesis: Retaliation. There is also a Legacy version on the way, and I cannot wait for that.

Nemesis: Lockdown is set on a secret research base, and Nemesis: Retaliation is the Aliens to the original's Alien, with players taking on the role of a crack squad of marines.

They're all different flavors of the same experience, and while I'd recommend the OG Nemesis, it can be tough to find, so the best Nemesis to play is the one that you can get your hands on.

Whichever version you do end up playing, though, you'll have an amazing time. Nemesis is a real story-generating machine and the perfect way to spend a spooky Halloween evening with your friends.

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Horrified is like a board game version of Frankenstein's monster; it stitches together parts from many of the best board games, giving them new, shambling life. The result is one hellishly potent tincture soaked in atmosphere, but drink with caution. It's the kind of mix that'll keep you coming back for more, long after Halloween is done.

There are scarier board games out there, and some of those are deeper. But if you want one that'll entertain your family just as well as it delights your friends, I'd argue that Horrified is the perfect choice. I've played a lot of spooky things in my time reviewing and reporting on the industry, but I'd argue that this best threads the needle between genuinely good strategy and family-friendly scares. While young children won't get on with its blend of tactics and teamwork (this is recommended for ages 10 and up, so I'd advise starting anyone younger on something like Zombie Kidz Evolution instead), everyone else should be left with a game they can really sink their fangs into.

In Horrified, you emerge from the mists into a classic eastern European village that's so gothic it'd probably come up if you searched "dark and stormy night." It's the stuff of classic horror films; creaky windmills, creepy institutes, and castles on the hill. Naturally, that means it's the perfect haunt for monsters – and a host of them are descending to chow down on the hapless locals like it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Don't assume you'll be able to fight these villains head on, of course; like so many of the best Halloween board games, there's a twist. In this case, every single monster has a unique set of challenges you must complete to defeat them, be it destroying Dracula's coffins or finding the Creature from the Black Lagoon's lair. Because you choose two monsters (or more, if you're feeling brave) to play against every session, you'll need to juggle both objectives at the same time if you want to win.

This is where Horrified gets deliciously wicked. Because they're bad sports, the monsters won't stay idle while you're trying to gather everything you need to defeat them or complete their mini-games; each monster could activate at random after every turn, with some going more than once depending on the event card you've drawn. They'll then prioritize moving toward and attacking civilians or players whenever possible – and if a villager is eaten or you're hurt, the global 'terror' level rises. Pass a certain terror threshold and it's game over.

This is a similar system to the one seen in Pandemic (another superb team game), and it rachets up the tension just as much. You need to work on beating each monster, yes, but you've also got to keep the villagers who randomly spawn safe. You'll often be forced to choose between the mission or civilians/your allies, and it's a dastardly position to be put in. Additionally, you can protect yourself from attack by giving up items… but these are usually needed to defeat monsters. The result is an engaging challenge; good communication, a battleplan, and thinking ahead are essential here.

It's true that you can be scuppered by bad luck, especially if villagers spawn too close to monsters early on or the items you need haven't been drawn yet. But in my experience, there's usually a way back if you're clever about your moves and prioritize well. Plus, starting on the backfoot is true to the horror genre; it just adds to the underlying tension.

This is true across the Horrified series, so even if you're not a fan of the Universal Monsters theme, there are plenty of alternatives. As a case in point, you can tackle an X-Files style spin-off via North American cryptids or cross swords with classic D&D foes. The most recent instalment is Horrified: Ravenloft, which still uses D&D as a setting but goes back to Horrified's gothic roots. Basically, you can pick your poison.

No matter what, I maintain that these are a great Halloween choice. They nail the spooky vibe but don't rely on aesthetics alone, providing a watertight co-op experience that most everyone will be able to get involved with. Want something you family or friends can play and, crucially, enjoy this October? Horrified is a very solid choice.

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At face-value, horror board games are running at a disadvantage compared to movies. Creepy visuals, jump-scares, eerie music… none of it carries over to the tabletop. But when you're limping through the endless corridors of a haunted mansion while being pursued by another player with the tenacity of Michael Myers, all that anxiety comes flooding in.

That's the Betrayal at House on the Hill experience. I've been playing this horror board game series for well over a decade now, and I'm still not bored of it; thanks to a host of unique scenarios that trigger based on the cards you draw, its haunts are always unexpected. Best of all, it's downright fun. Many of those missions will become watercooler moments or the source of in-jokes for your group, and it's rare for you not to be on the edge of your seat when they get going. If you ask me, it's one of the best Halloween board games weighing down shelves right now.

Taking on the role of horror cliches like the jock or creepy kid, you arrive at a totally normal and not at all haunted house for a randomly-selected reason (from paranormal investigations to a mysterious summons). You then begin to explore, but don't expect a standard board. Unlike so many of the best board games, each room is a randomly drawn tile. That means the mansion is always different no matter how many times you play. Most contain a supernatural event or item to help or hinder you, so tread carefully.

One of these could be an Omen, a special artefact that provides a major bonus… but could trigger one of the game's 50 unique scenarios too. Because you roll a die for each of the Omens in play and start a mission on a result of 5 or more, the clock truly is ticking down to doomsday.

You see, that title isn't an empty threat; many of Betrayal's 50 scenarios turn a player against everyone else, resulting in a tense race to the finish line. Both sides have secret objectives, so it's also a game of cat and mouse where you're scrambling to get an upper hand.

These missions range from creepy to tongue-in-cheek B-movie plots, and they may not all be well-balanced. However, they're always a blast. The ghost of a serial killer may be possessing your friend, forcing you to fight for your life. Maybe a faceless man is stalking you through the halls, summoned every time you try to figure out their name and thus banish them. Perhaps the house has started to flood, letting in dark things from beneath the waves. No matter what, it's never less than thrilling.

Sure, there are deeper or more chilling horror board games (Nemesis, say). But few balance accessibility and atmosphere like Betrayal at House on the Hill. For me, it's the best option for the majority of people – and you're damn right I'll be playing it this Halloween.

If you want to see how the newest version compares to the older one, don't miss our guide to Betrayal at House on the Hill 3rd Edition vs. 2nd Edition. As for a new experience, start building these Lego Halloween sets now and you'll be done in time for the spookiest night of the year.

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Monsters are scary, but the best Halloween board games prove that your bog-standard people are infinitely worse – and Unfathomable does it better than most.

Yes, I know. "People are the real monsters" isn't a new or particularly revelatory angle. But Unfathomable doesn't grab the low-hanging fruit; it makes you work to prove your depravity instead. That's because it blends together classic horror board game fare (battling terrors who'd really like to eat you) with deception mechanics, and this is lightning in a bottle. Fighting monsters? That's fun. Having to do all that while working out which player is a traitor? My god, that's so much better – and the result helps it stand out from the best Halloween board games.

Whisking us back to the 1920s where prohibition was the latest fad and gangsters eloquently settled their differences by way of 'tommy gun,' you play passengers of a cruise ship heading across the ocean. Unfortunately, this will be far from a relaxing vacation; a couple of days after leaving port, storms roll in and the ocean begins to boil with activity. Soon, unspeakable creatures are crawling out of the ocean and onto your ship… directed by something titanic that you can barely see in the darkness.

This is one half of Unfathomable's gameplay: hold off these 'Deep Ones' and stop them from destroying the ship or draining its resources, all while repairing anything they do happen to wreck. That's engaging enough in itself, because you're in a desperate battle against time and tide. More will always rise from the depths to replace any you kill, so you've got to keep the horde at bay long enough for your ship to escape.

That's where the second – and arguably more interesting – part kicks in. While most of you are average Joes, some are secret Deep One hybrids. These traitors activate once they hear the siren call of their masters and begin sabotaging the ship in secret. It's everyone else's job to uncover them, so I hope you've got a good poker face.

The way you do this is very clever. Rather than sneaking off and throwing a literal spanner in the works, you ruin things in a more subtle way. You've got to draw event cards each turn that add a new development, dilemma, or catastrophe to overcome, and every player has to contribute number cards to meet a specific total. While you're supposed to add positive numbers to make sure you get it over the line, traitors will contribute negative number cards to undermine everyone else… and there's no way to tell who's done what, because the pile is shuffled.

The result is a favorite of mine. Even though it can take a long time to finish (games last anywhere between two and four hours), I can't think of many games where I've felt more locked in. The paranoia and tension it produces makes it arguably one of the best board games, and one I adore playing come spooky season.

Looking for more recommendations? Modern-day D&D horror adventure feels like Resident Evil mixed with Control, and it's perfect for Halloween.

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You are Dracula, stalking the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian Whitby. Around you patrol your dark spawn, three sisters jumping from roof to roof, balcony to balcony. All of you are searching for prey. Suddenly, the mist coalesces before you into a shape, a coat and hat that your vampire senses immediately perceive as wrong. Where there should be a face and hands there is just nothingness, invisibility. Mentally you direct your spawn to stalk and surround the figure, cutting off its escape routes before you pounce, only to find at the moment of impact that it melts away, leaving nothing but fistfulls of smoke between your talons. From somewhere nearby, you hear mocking laughter.

This is Unmatched: Cobble and Fog, an extraordinarily evocative title for what is, essentially a straight up one-on-one skirmish game. There are a lot of games in the Unmatched series, which pits figures from across pop culture and myth in epic fights, all using the same straightforward core rule. In most of them you get the high-octane action and tricky tactics that you might expect. And you get that here, too, it’s just that you get an additional and effective overlay of gothic horror that brings it in line with the best Halloween board games, elevating it among the other franchise entries.

Some of this game's success is down to the production, from the dark, ink-washed figures, to the double-sided board of creepy locales and secret passages, to the striking pen-and-ink art on the cards. But mostly it’s down to the way each character plays, thanks to their unique deck and special powers.

Our opening encounter is a good example. The Dracula player not only has the Count to maneuver but also three "sisters" tokens that are fragile in fights but can block routes and trap enemies on the point-to-point board. His deck has a number of hard-hitting combat moves that reward surrounding enemies with the sisters but also hypnosis powers that can give you some insight into your opponent’s deck. The Invisible Man, meanwhile, controls three fog tokens that not only offer a defensive boost but allow him to teleport between any of them whenever he moves, making him tough to pin down. His deck is less obviously powerful, but relies on using the fog to make surprise moves and misdirections to trick your foes into making mistakes, allowing you to pounce when they’re out of cards.

Hopefully, you can see how these powers and effects embellish the play with trickery and mind-games that make encounters like our opening paragraph not only possible but common. It’s a similar story with the set’s other two characters. Jekyll & Hyde flips between human and monster forms and is, perhaps, the least interesting option here but still fun to play, while Sherlock Holmes "investigates" his opponent’s cards and gets ranged support from Dr Watson and his trusty sidearm.

All this atmosphere comes on top of the tactical core, proven as rock-solid across the other Unmatched titles in a way only the best board games are. On your turn you can move and draw, play a card for an effect, or play a card to attack. It’s an easy-to-learn framework that nevertheless binds players in an immediate conundrum: you can either draw cards or play them, so if you go on the offence you will, eventually, run out of cards. This not only leaves you hugely vulnerable to counter-attack but risks you losing by running your deck down, forcing you to weigh and plan every play carefully.

Between the tactical thrills, cat and mouse maneuver and atmospheric horror overlay, Unmatched: Cobble & Fog isn’t just a fantastic skirmish game: it’s a creepy feast for lovers of the gothic and the macabre, too.

If you want more eerie tabletop gameplay, this modern-day D&D horror adventure feels like Resident Evil mixed with Control.

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A Diablo board game is on the way, but don't assume it'll be a classic dungeon crawler; the developers are calling it a "dungeon battler" where you'll fight to the bitter depths for glory and loot against unrelenting foes.

So far, it sounds grim enough to gel with Diablo's gritty atmosphere. After selecting a dungeon in the darkest corner of Sanctuary, you'll fill it with a horde of monsters and bosses represented by gnarly miniatures before grinding your way through them using one of four iconic classes (the Barbarian, Paladin, Sorceress, or Rogue). These all feature distinct playstyles, extensive customization, and unique skill-trees, so when combined with what Glass Cannon Unplugged describes as a "highly modular structure," the Diablo board game – officially titled 'Diablo: Unbound' – should be pretty replayable.

Although its crowdfunding campaign isn't due to go live on Gamefound until early 2027, the Diablo board game will be playable much earlier than that. To be precise, you can go hands-on with Diablo: Unbound at this year's SPIEL Essen (one of the world's biggest shows for the best board games) between October 22-25.

"You get the high-stakes showdowns of a boss battler—and hordes of monsters that never let up," says Glass Cannon Unplugged CEO Jakub Wiśniewski. "But you don’t crawl through dungeons. You battle your way down. That’s why we call it a dungeon battler."

Diablo: Unbound isn't a mindless hack-and-slash, though. Each boss has its own unique attacks, for example, not to mention a lair and multiple combat stages. When combined with the game's many ways to earn loot (be it via chests, side quests, defeating Elite enemies, or gaining a kill streak by battling mobs), there's a push-your-luck element where you're always tempted to do just a little more.

You won't be down the proverbial mines all the time, either. A 'Town Phase' takes place before each encounter, letting you improve skills or respecialize character builds.

While the game features three acts with three dungeon levels each (and every dungeon takes up to 90 minutes), the fun isn't over when you've passed the finish line. There's also an endgame 'Torment' mode that lets you take on bosses in their ultimate form, so at least you don't have to down tools like in some RPG board games.

We'll hopefully be able to find out more (and go hands-on) with the Diablo board game soon, but until then, you should be able to get your fill via the Gamefound pre-launch page or if you're lucky enough to be at Essen this year.

Want something atmospheric for spooky season? Here are the nine best Halloween board games available right now.

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Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City launches on October 23, and with booster bundles, prerelease boxes, and an Illumineer's Trove up for grabs, the latest set is already starting to drift onto the shelves. It's worth checking MSRPs if you're wondering where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City before the big day.

Pre-order stock remains pricey at Amazon this week (how much for a pre-release?), but preliminary listings are also going live across GameStop and Target. The full wash of Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City stock should pick up once we're into release day.

With Miguel Rivera leading the pack, Hyperia City introduces Coco to Disney Lorcana for the first time, alongside new song cards from the movie and mechanics that take advantage of "remembering past glimmers" that have made their way to your discard pile. Whether you're here for the Riveras or the new inkdrop mechanic, we're showing you where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City right here.

Where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City in the US

Ahead of release, only one store is offering Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City pre-orders this week - though I’d hold off until launch day. Amazon has the new set on the shelves, though with “high prices” cited on both the Booster Display and Illumineer’s Trove, I’d keep an eye on Target, GameStop, and Ravensburger’s own site for a better deal. Still, you’ll find the new two-player starter set up for a solid $29.99.

Where to buy Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City in the UK

Game has Disney Lorcana: Hyperia City stock on the shelves and ready to pre-order right now, but supplies are running low across the rest of the web. Keep a close eye here, as well as Amazon and Smyths Toys on release day.

New to the game? Here's where to start with Disney Lorcana, or check out where to buy Pokemon: Delta Reign for other collections.

As a deathly chill descends outside and everyone gears up for spooky season, it's time to wrench the best Halloween board games loose from their crypts. But because this genre is overflowing with options like an obligatory bubbling cauldron, where do you start?

The GamesRadar+ experts and I have a few ideas. We've been reviewing and playing the best board games for decades between us, and that means plenty of creepy designs have crossed our table over the years. While all set an eerie tone, a few stand out as all-time classics. If you want the best Halloween board games to get your horror on, these should do the trick.

Personally, my go-to is always Betrayal at House on the Hill. I've been playing this series for well over 10 years, and I don't think I've seen a horror board game that strikes a better balance of accessibility with eerie scares. There are spookier alternatives or deeper options, but few are as easy to get into. Meanwhile, longtime contributor Matt Thrower's favorite right now is Unmatched: Cobble & Fog. This pits some of horror's greatest icons against each other in a duel to the death.

Quick list

Best Halloween board games

Have you ever wondered how long you'd last in a horror movie? This long-running series lets you find out. Inspired by fan-favorites and shlocky B-movies alike, it mashes up the best genre cliches into 50 unique scenarios. As the name would suggest, these aren't always you against the supernatural; sometimes, one of your team turns traitor. What follows is a compelling cocktail of tension and desperate last-stands.

Despite all those moving parts, Betrayal at House on the Hill is very accessible. After choosing your character and the reason everyone's visiting this haunted mansion, you begin exploring the house. Because rooms are randomly drawn from a huge pile of board tiles, the layout will always be different. These rooms also have unique powers or make you draw event/item cards, so you never know what will happen once you step across the threshold.

Draw enough cards and a scenario (based on the items you've unlocked and the reason your party came here) will trigger, pitting you against the house or each other. The result is a slowly building ramp of tension that explodes into a frantic race to the finish. While those missions aren't always as well-balanced as they could be, they're never less than a joy to play. As mentioned in our full Betrayal at House on the Hill review, that's what keeps you coming back time and time again; a need to see what happens next.

Love classic monsters and gothic horror, or want a game everyone can sink their fangs into? Horrified is your poison. Combining some of the hobby's most compelling mechanics into one team-based horror board game with old favorites like Dracula, it's deceptively simple yet masterfully done.

Dropping you head-first into a nameless but extremely atmospheric village that wouldn't look out of place in a Hammer horror film, your aim is to defeat roving monsters who would really like to devour the townsfolk… and you. The problem is, each monster requires a different tactic or mini-game to beat – and while you're working toward those objectives, they're trying to chow down on villagers. It's a tough balancing act; you'll often be forced to choose between innocents or getting the items you need to finish your quest. It's a delicious conundrum which we've enjoyed grappling with since it first launched in 2019.

While there are numerous versions (including a D&D-themed spin-off and this year's Ravenloft instalment), I still think the original is best. You can't beat a mashup featuring old favorites like Frankenstein's Monster, after all.

A cruise should be relaxing, right? Not in this case. Playing on our fear of what lurks under the waves, this is a holiday from hell. Set in the 1920s, you play as passengers making a long voyage across the ocean… but then unspeakable monsters start pouring from the ocean, directed by something enormous glimpsed through the dark. That's when traitors on board start wreaking havoc.

You see, this isn't just a co-op battle against creatures of the deep; there are turncoats amongst you, treacherous 'hybrids' that will do everything they can to sabotage your ship. Because you don't know who's who, you'll need to sniff out these traitors while trying to keep your vessel afloat. Oh, and don't forget about those monsters clambering aboard.

Although it's a long game, Unfathomable is one of my favorites due to that blend of adventure and high stakes deception (which helped it earn four-and-a-half-stars in my Unfathomable review).

Many horror games go for minimalism in terms of components, but not Zombicide, which is chock full of ghoul-icious plastic miniatures of both player pieces and different kinds of zombies. And you’re going to need them all, since the game demands you divide up at least six characters between the players who then need to work together to achieve a variety of scenario objectives while an ever-growing army of shambling undead stumble around the board, attracted by noise and blood.

The core gameplay loop in this new edition is pretty simple but weirdly addictive thanks in part to the sheer variety of things that can happen. In addition to picking scenarios, or possibly a campaign, a wide number of different enemies can spawn, each presenting unique challenges. Every character has a choice of upgrade paths and, best of all, the item decks you’ll dig through hold the ever-present possibility of awesome new weaponry to splatter all those undead with. This means that every turn presents new tactical challenges to solve and risks to take while the tension - and the number of foes - mount inexorably. We were certainly fans in our Zombicide 2nd Edition review.

Loosely inspired by 2023 video game Dredge, Deep Regrets challenges players to spend a week out fishing on a very strange sea indeed. Your initial trawls in shallow depths, governed by a push-your-luck dice roll, are likely to net you a variety of familiar species but there’s also a chance you’ll land something considerably more disturbing. And the deeper you fish, the greater that chance becomes, as does the degree of awfulness in what you bring to the surface. Returning to shore allows you to sell your catch to buy improvements for future expeditions or you can mount your favourite specimens for points.

The more horrors you witness, the more regret cards you’ll earn, which range from staining your best trousers to murdering friends for money. Between these and the fishing, you can build a delightful horror-comedy narrative while, mechanically, regrets drive you mad, getting you more value from mutant fish. Accumulate too many, however, and you'll lose your best trophy.

Adorned with fantastically evocative art by the designer, this is a game that, ironically, you’re most unlikely to regret spending time with.

If you're looking for a deeper, more strategic experience, it doesn't get better than the Nemesis series. While the masterful first instalment is harder to get hold of these days, the newer Nemesis: Retaliation is widely available – and as mentioned in our full review, "this might be one of the best horror board games ever made."

Basically, it's Aliens with the serial number scrubbed off; you play as a team of elite marines that drop into hell, facing down a horde of xenomorphs who are ready for an all-they-can-eat buffet. While your primary goal will vary (like killing the bug queen or destroying this facility), everyone has a secret, personal objective to work on as well. These often pit you against your teammates, so you're never sure whether you can trust the soldier who's meant to be watching your back.

Because the board is randomly laid out as you go, there's a real sense of stepping into the unknown as well. When combined with how brutal the aliens are (you'll be lucky to survive your stay), the tension is palpable.

H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos has proved an incredibly fertile inspiration for board games, but Arkham Horror: The Card Game is perhaps the most popular and acclaimed of them all. It’s a cooperative deck construction game; each player takes charge of an investigator delving into the horrid secrets of the mythos, with a unique deck of cards representing their skills and abilities in-game. As you progress, you add and remove cards from this deck, allowing your characters to grow in power and giving you the chance to tailor their playstyle as you see fit.

Initially you’ll throw these characters into the mystery scenario included in the box, a mix of modular map cards and choose-your-own-adventure style text paragraphs that, between them, create an intriguing, dynamic and surprisingly tough adventure. Things can spiral in a variety of different paths that lead to further scenarios, giving you reason to replay this core set. Eventually, you may want to buy expansions to continue the story but usefully, this new "chapter two" box resets the narrative, making this an ideal time to dive into the expanding story.

While most creepy board games pit relatively ordinary folk against otherworldly horrors, this one casts everyone as literary haunts and haunt-hunters from down the ages. Take your pick from Jekyll and Hyde, The Invisible Man, Sherlock Holmes and, of course, Dracula and see how they face off against each other. The Unmatched series is all about battles between titanic figures from myth and pop culture, and the four characters included here can be mixed and matched with other entries in the franchise, should you so desire.

For such an ambitious scope, the rules are very simple. You get two actions per turn from a choice of three: draw a card and move on the point to point board, play a card for its effects, or play a card to attack. The smart design comes in the unique deck each character draws from, giving them their flavour and special powers. Holmes, for example, peeks at and manipulates his opponent’s cards while Jekyll and Hyde chooses a form with different abilities each turn. All four play very evocatively and very differently, ensuring you get tons of replay value trying different match-ups from the same box.

Another game based on Lovecraft’s works, the original Mansions of Madness saw one player running the game’s nightmare monsters against the rest of the players, creating an immediate balance issue since the creatures of the mythos are, by definition, too powerful for humans to handle. The second edition outsourced all that work to an app, leaving the players working together to solve the mystery of each scenario, and the game eminently more solo-friendly.

While app-driven games can be controversial, as you’re left to the mercy of updates, it does an incredibly good job of not only running the game but helping build a creepy atmosphere with vivid descriptions and sound effects. The added dynamism means you can have varied conversations with non-player characters and allows it to present puzzles that would be impossible in a physical game. It also seeds the scenario with random changes each time, making the game replayable even once you’ve revealed its core secrets. At the same time you get the delightful physicality of a board game, with miniature representations of the various horrors you can encounter, and the social aspects of working together, which you’ll be extremely glad of when the terror begins to build.

Want a more roleplay-heavy horror game? This modern-day D&D horror adventure feels like Resident Evil mixed with Control, and it's perfect for Halloween.

Whoever came up with pre-painted Warhammer terrain, take a bow; you're a goddamn hero.

After going hands on with the set, I think it's going to make a lot of gamers very happy. Yes, it looks amazing… but the time it'll save you is so much more valuable, and this is one hell of a time-consuming hobby. No matter whether you're putting together a 10-man Kill Team or forging an entire Warhammer 40K army from scratch, it's a marathon. While I think most of us would love to create a battlefield with the same level of care, there are only so many hours in a day – and scenery often seems to hit the bottom of our collective to-do list as a result. Warhammer 40,000 Battlefields: Armageddon is designed to bypass all that by providing fully painted terrain out of the box, and the result is impressive.

The idea here is simple; speedrun a full Warhammer 40K board with as little effort as possible. To that end, Warhammer 40,000 Battlefields: Armageddon pieces arrive painted on the sprue, so all you need to do is clip them out and slot them together (they don't even require glue). Don't get me wrong, I think Warhammer's claim that you can create a battlefield in minutes is generous. There's a lot crammed in this box, so constructing it all will take an hour or two at best. However, that's a fraction of what it'd take to make and paint everything by hand.

Plus, it'll look good straight from the box. While I can see some being put off by the grainy style (an unavoidable side-effect of UV printing, where paint is sprayed on and dried instantly using ultra-violet light), I think that actually works with 40K's grungy aesthetic. There's a literal grittiness to this scenery.

It's fairly low-key too. It fits the grim darkness of the far future without drawing too much attention to itself. Your models are likely to pop against this backdrop, which is only right; they're the real stars of the show.

Crucially, it's more accurate than I'd expected. While some less-noticeable details get lost, the things your eyes are drawn to look fantastic. There's a precision and neatness here that I don't think many of us would manage without dedicating hours to the cause.

Is it perfect? No. My biggest issue stems from the sprue connectors. You have to clip them off, and that obviously leaves a nubbin of gray plastic behind. But even then, many of those connections are hidden on the finished product (with the exception of rounded pieces), and the grungy nature of this terrain obscures them unless you look up close.

Listen, I enjoy cobbling together battlefields. Hand-crafting boards out of foam or 3D-printed materials and painting it all up is my jam, but even I get worn down painting the fiddly details of yet another ruined building. Warhammer 40,000 Battlefields: Armageddon lets you bypass all that effort and get a good-looking table ready with the minimum of effort.

I'll be very interested to see where the idea goes next; it's got so much potential. A pre-painted Kill Team or Age of Sigmar board? Yes please.

Speaking of Age of Sigmar, the Khazalite Holds army makes the old feel new again... but is that a good thing?

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

I feel at odds with myself over the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Khazalite Holds army. This new duardin faction brings us back to classic fantasy dwarves in all their grudge-holding glory, and on the one hand, they look incredible. Actually, they feel like the best versions of that trope rolled into one heavily-armored force. But on the other, they seem safer and more familiar than the outrageously creative designs this game is known for.

Don't take that as an insult worthy of putting in your own book of grudges; I adore these models. Going hands-on with the new Army Set made me fall in love with the faction in a way I haven't since last year's Helsmiths of Hashut, and I cannot wait to paint and take them for a test-drive in battle. If anything, they only strengthen my opinion that Warhammer Age of Sigmar produces some of the company's best models – period. However, when you're used to steampunk sky pirate dwarves and underwater elves without any eyes who ride sea monsters into battle, the Khazalite Holds feel somewhat… well, pedestrian.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, of course. These may well be my favorite 'classic' dwarf models in any game. They manage to capture the species' stocky, redoubtable nature in a dynamic way, with an original armor design that still pays homage to all that's come before. (To my eye, they feel like a cross between Old World dwarves and the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game Dwarf Warriors.) The robotic Gholems of Gazul and cannon are equally evocative, playing on the "genius smiths" trope with drop-dead gorgeous miniatures that you can tell from the off are going to look fantastic if you dedicate some time to them. The cannon is actually something of a mini diorama, which I really enjoyed constructing and will be a centerpiece for any force.

Still, that niggle remains. The fact that this brand-new faction has absorbed the previously-separate Fyreslayer duardin army concerns me as well; I admit that they go nicely together and most of the old units still appear to be available, but it makes me worry the Kharadron Overlords are next (within the lore, this is called out as an end-goal for every dwarf force to be united under one banner). More specifically, I'm concerned we're marching toward a very traditional dwarf faction for next edition rather than the wonderfully bizarre options we have now. Something will surely have to get cut if all three are rolled into one army, after all.

I can't complain about the rules for this new force, though. I always appreciate factions that tie lore so neatly into mechanics, like the Ogor Mawtribes that won me over with how gross their gameplay is. For the Khazalite Holds, that's grudges. They get supremely pissy if you take down their kin, mix up their coffee order, or insult their favorite football team, so losing troops paradoxically makes them more powerful. They're incredibly good at holding objectives as well, which makes sense for stubborn so-and-sos who don't know when to quit.

Enemies should beware both those war engines – the cannon and Gholems – too. The Oathkeeper Cannon offers a variety of rune effects to choose from that debuff opponents on a 3+ each turn in the full game and smaller Spearhead matches, while the Gholems will make short work of most infantry units regardless of which system they fight in.

That could apply to the entire Khazalite Holds army, to be honest; it looks to be a very reliable, sturdy battalion. They're slow-moving but indomitable, like an avalanche steadily and surely obliterating all in its path. I'm really looking forward to testing their mettle on the tabletop, and I love what I've seen so far… but a part of me wishes they were just a little weirder.

Want a kickass table of 40K terrain with minimum effort? After a few hours with the new Warhammer 40,000 pre-painted scenery, I'm already convinced it's an essential purchase.

• See the latest offers on Warhammer Age of Sigmar at Amazon

With the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG in bad shape in the mainstay advanced format, operator Konami has put together an emergency ban list that's expected to be nuclear.

"Forbidden & Limited list updates are coming, to prep for Magnificent Maestros!" reads a post from the official Yu-Gi-Oh Konami Europe Twitter account. "With 34 newly Forbidden cards and 8 Limited cards, we’re revealing the list in 5 parts at YCS Houston – 1 on Friday, 2 each on Saturday and Sunday!"

Magnificent Maestros is a new Yu-Gi-Oh holiday set scheduled to launch on November 13, featuring "re-imagined cards based on characters from the TV series: Seto Kaiba, Zane Truesdale, Jack Atlas, Kite Tenjo, Yuto/Yugo/Yuri, and Varis."

With everything from Blue-Eyes fan service to full-art collector pieces, this is the type of product that would normally excite a range of Yu-Gi-Oh players, but many people currently find the game so tiresome that the response has been blunted. Magnificent Maestros also contains plenty of powerful cards relevant to top decks, and the latest ban list did very little to adjust the long-troubled meta, so players worried it would just make the game worse.

It's no coincidence that alternate Yu-Gi-Oh formats like Genesys, which restricts the card types and high-power cards that players can put in their deck, have recently grown in popularity. Sure, they can be fun in their own right, but people are also actively fleeing from advanced format, the normal way to play, due to a homogenous wave of decks so powerful that games are routinely decided on turn zero with the coin flip to see who goes first.

A useful explanation is provided by Yu-Gi-Oh expert Joseph "MBT" Rothschild. In short, the game has essentially hit a singularity. Yu-Gi-Oh decks and the archetype engines that power them have become so fast, consistent, and flexible that stuffing your deck with a few of the best engines – creating so-called "Pile" decks – is an incredibly effective strategy with access to end boards and routes that have no meaningful counterplay. Resolving one card can launch a game-ending combo, and these decks are full of cards like that.

Yu-Gi-Oh has struggled to balance first-turn advantage, archetype power creep, and one-turn games for a while. It's boiling over today because some of the new archetypes that emerged in this problematic era are working together to feed the singularity, and the from-hand traps meant to rein them in are either powerless to stop today's combos or instantly ending games in different but equally boring ways. When the best players in the world are telling you that their experience matters far less than a coin flip, you have a real problem.

"As a result, gameplay started to resemble Go Fish," says Rothschild, except that game of Go Fish now requires 15+ minutes of comboing off before someone concedes. And "if you've been following [regional tournaments] for the past couple of weeks, you know that attendance is plummeting," he adds, because "people didn't want to play this weird non-format prior to the ban list, and post-ban list they felt no reason to update their decks."

That's where Konami's surprise ban list comes in. In previous slumps, Konami has rushed out silver bullet ban lists to brute force a meta shift. The tenure and dominance of multiple Yu-Gi-Oh archetypes, and the fact that a whopping 34 cards are getting the ban hammer this time, suggests the game is once again taking a sledgehammer to advanced. We'll have to wait to find out which cards are being hit, but Yu-Gi-Oh players already have a lot riding on this list.

Elsewhere in the world of the best card games, MTG Darkhold Destiny is the first Marvel Magic set we've been excited for.

• See today's best Yu-Gi-Oh card prices at Amazon

Hacking terminals or avoiding killer robots with implanted memories in a ruined office building doesn't scream D&D, but that's why Project_Lamordia is so fascinating.

Teased earlier this month with an eerie trailer that felt equal parts Resident Evil and Control, it's a short digital adventure book available now via D&D Beyond that takes place in a modern setting. This isn't your usual swords and sorcery quest; it's survival horror set in a world of heartless corporations and science gone wrong.

Project_Lamordia combines a present-day setting guide with three one-shot adventures that tip players headfirst into Mordenheim Kinetics, a morally-compromised company which promises longevity through tech. Here, the super-rich can upload their consciousness into robot-bodies via ethically dodgy practices… and of course, it's all gone wrong. We're now stuck in the middle of this horror show, and our job is to escape.

I've worked my way through the book, and it's an interesting read. Project_Lamordia isn't perfect, but it is a breath of fresh air. Modern-day trappings change the atmosphere more than I'd expected, whether it's tales of corporate espionage or rerouting power in a flooded lab. The visual design is a similar heel-turn; besides font and computer-coded graphics that wouldn't be out of place on a Fallout terminal, its artwork of creepy office buildings and futuristic corridors with panel lighting are a radical departure from D&D's usual style. It does a lot to signal that this isn't your usual Dungeons & Dragons story.

Speaking of which, the adventures themselves are a similar change of pace. A lot more emphasis is placed on isolation, atmosphere, and character – the cast is small, but each one-shot hinges around a different villain with their own unsettling flaws. Because you're encouraged to play Survivors (characters with very low health and limited abilities), combat also feels far more dangerous.

While I think these adventures could push the envelope further and won't hold up to true horror experiences like Alien RPG Evolved Edition, they do a good job of unsettling you. Plus, their bitesize nature does mean you can feasibly finish them in a single sitting – perfect for a Halloween games night if you don't fancy learning a new system.

Personally, this makes me eager to see more D&D adventures in a modern world… or at the least, a setting that isn't high fantasy. Project_Lamordia doesn't always knock it out of the park, but it's a very strong elevator pitch.

Elsewhere in the world of tabletop RPGs, D&D Star Wars looking so much like Rogue has me excited. As for horror, a terrifying campaign version of our favorite horror board game got fully funded in just 54 seconds.

• See the latest Dungeons & Dragons books at Amazon

If you're anything like me and have been won over by Marvel's supernatural new set, you'll be wondering where to buy MTG Darkhold Destiny. Have resellers gotten to it? Is it even up for pre-order yet?

Because there's already a lot of buzz surrounding this expansion, I'm rounding up every offer I can find for you. As of right now, that's easier said than done; the set isn't as widely available as you might think, with only Amazon and TCGPlayer allowing you to buy MTG Darkhold Destiny. While I'm sure it'll pop up at other retailers before long (Magic is one of the best card games, after all), that isn't the case for now. It's also worth noting that sellers on TCGPlayer seem to have artificially increased their prices from the off. I'd stick with Amazon as a result, at least unless you have no other choice - and if you aren't looking for hard-to-get products like the Collector Booster Box or Collector's Edition Commander Decks.

Personally, I'm excited to see how this set pans out. I appreciated, but wasn't too fussed about, previous instalments like Spider-Man, so this is the first Marvel MTG crossover I've felt excited for (it's a natural fit for Magic). That's why I'm keeping a close eye on both the Commander decks and the Bundle; they offer a quick and easy way into the set.

Where to buy MTG Darkhold Destiny: Commander decks

Where to buy MTG Darkhold Destiny: Boosters

Where to buy MTG Darkhold Destiny: Bundles & boxes

MTG Darkhold Destiny FAQ

Want other cool collectibles? Here's where to buy the Hasbro Legend of Zelda Master Sword.

• See all MTG Darkhold Destiny stock at Amazon

Pre-orders for Magic: The Gathering's latest expansion have emerged like a sorcerer from a sling ring portal, and to be frank, MTG Darkhold Destiny is the first time I've felt excited about a Marvel set.

Following its surprise announcement at New York Comic Con 2026, the supernatural range (which promises to explore darker corners of the Marvel universe) is now up for grabs at Amazon ahead of its 2027 release. I've been looking through the set's array of goodies – from four Commander decks to bundles – and am surprised to find myself tempted by the crossover. This caught me off guard; while the previous Spider-Man and Marvel Super Heroes expansions looked cool enough, I never felt as though they 'fit' the world of Magic. MTG Darkhold Destiny, though, is another matter. With its emphasis on alternate dimensions, spells, and all things spooky, it blends in with other sets so much better.

Magic expansions normally have a strong sense of worldbuilding and internal logic (you're summoning warriors or casting spells, primarily in a fantasy setting), so some crossovers seem out of place as a result. But this one being so rooted in sorcery and the supernatural make it a natural fit. I appreciate that many won't care about this, and just want cards that let them command their favorite Marvel characters. But for me, seeing someone like Iron Man, Captain Kirk, or Optimus Prime facing down a goblin horde pulls me out of the moment. Doctor Strange or the Scarlet Witch, though? It works.

Plus, one really important factor makes me so much more invested: an original story. The previous Marvel sets were a celebration of beloved characters, but it felt superficial somehow; this was a rogue's gallery of heroes, villains, and locations. MTG Darkhold Destiny, on the other hand, is the first time we're getting a bespoke Magic plot that's crafted specifically for the set. It even introduces an original character to the mix. That makes it feel so much more considered.

If that's piqued your interest too, here's everything on the way for MTG Darkhold Destiny.

Looking for more cool projects heading our way in 2027? One Ring RPG designers promise "many adventures ahead" after Lord of the Rings campaign approaches $3 million in pledges. As for another roleplaying game, I wasn't excited about D&D Star Wars at first, but it looking so much like Rogue One changed that.

• See all MTG Darkhold Destiny pre-orders at Amazon

To say the One Ring RPG's crowdfunding campaign has done well is an understatement. This project – which revamps the current rules while adding a bestiary and new adventure book – is well on its way to $3 million dollars in pledges on Backerit. Actually, it smashed its target by 32 times in less than a day.

"For us, it’s one of those rare occasions when we get to see firsthand just how much love and support there is for the game," The One Ring lead designer Francesco Nepitello tells me. "We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it happen."

Besides setting a new record for developer Free League, the project has sailed so far beyond expectations that it may as well have taken a ship from the Grey Havens. It also blew past stretch goals so fast that new ones needed to be made as a result. Although the team had some bonus ideas ready, Nepitello says they "had to think on our feet about what to offer next. There was certainly a bit of a scramble behind the scenes, but nothing a good gamemaster can’t handle!"

"The (One) Ring perceived its time had come"

Fan excitement is understandable. The One Ring (and its D&D equivalent, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying) has more than proven itself since the system launched in 2022 with a beginner-friendly system that doesn't skimp on meaningful depth. It's also one of the most faithful adaptations of Tolkien I've ever seen, from visual design to mechanics that focus on fellowship and roleplay. However, even the best tabletop RPGs need an update every now and then.

"The core system remains very much The One Ring, but we’ve done considerable work on how the rules are organised, explained, and used at the table," says Nepitello. "Combat has received particular attention, alongside refinements throughout the book. After several years of play and feedback, we felt it was the right time to bring those lessons together in a clearer, smoother presentation."

From the sounds of it, combat is enjoying the biggest upgrade; the revised sequence gives you a chance to coordinate in a fight and make more meaningful choices. We'll be able to try this for ourselves when we cross swords with monsters from the new bestiary, 'Creatures Strange and Foul.' This tome covers everything from building your own orc warband to Black Númenóreans, and Nepitello was careful to ensure each foe had something new to offer.

"Over the years, we’ve explored many corners of Middle-earth, and it felt time to give its adversaries the same attention. We wanted to bring them together in one volume, while exploring what makes each a distinctive encounter — their behaviour, their powers, and the stories they can inspire."

Following the Fellowship

The latest campaign setting (The White Tower and the Hall of Gold) also turns its gaze, Sauron-like, to new challenges. Revolving around the kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan, this is the furthest south we've been in The One Ring's history.

"It was always the plan to roughly follow the path of the Fellowship – long ago in the elder days, the plan was to do three editions of the game: one set in Wilderland, one in Eriador, and one in Gondor," The White Tower and the Hall of Gold lead writer Gareth Hanrahan explains. "While the game’s changed publisher over the years, and we’ve ended up doing a revised second edition and a Gondor supplement instead of a full-on third edition, we’re still following the game line as foreseen."

The fact that we're only on edition two (which, by the sounds of it, is more like version 1.5 or the Alien RPG Evolved Edition) rather than three shows how strong the foundations are here; The One Ring came out of the gate sprinting.

Our journey through the world of men won't be business as usual, though. Every other location has been sparsely populated with swaths of wilderness between them; Hanrahan says that there isn't much by way of civilization in Eriador once you leave the Shire or Bree behind, while other northern regions are a patchwork of disparate kingdoms with stretches of desolation separating them. This book, though? It tips us headfirst into a bustling realm.

"Gondor and Rohan are well-established, long-settled regions. Gondor, in particular, has been there for thousands of years. You’re not going to be making long arduous journeys in most of Gondor, as it’s full of towns and villages and inns and well-guarded roads. The wild is far away. It’s a different style of play, emphasizing interaction and intrigue more than lonely journeys and natural perils."

The road goes ever on

Of course, players won't be hiding in the safety of civilization for long, and there are wonders – not to mention dangers – aplenty here. One such spot is the country of Umbar, famous for its corsairs and allegiance to the Dark Lord Sauron.

"I became absolutely fascinated by Umbar in the writing of it," says Hanrahan. "It’s got such history – it’s much, much older than Gondor – and it’s this fascinating melting pot of cultures and factions. You could run lots of adventures there, especially a sort of fantasy-intrigue that I really adore. I also really like Cair Andros – it’s sort of a mini version of Minas Tirth, another bastion in the defences of Gondor, but it’s only barely touched on in the books, so you’ve a lot of scope as Loremaster to set all sorts of adventurers there."

In other words, it feels as though we've got a lot to discover when these books launch. While there isn't a hard release date yet, hardcover versions are estimated to ship in October 2027. Judging by how well the crowdfunding campaign has done, a lot of people will be eagerly awaiting launch day – and the creative team is a little overwhelmed by such success. When I asked what they'd like to tell the fans who've backed this project, Nepitello says "Just a heartfelt thank you. Your enthusiasm and support mean a great deal to all of us, and it’s wonderful to share this journey through Middle-earth with you. The response to this campaign tells us we still have a long road to tread together, and many adventures ahead!"

"Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it, but it’s the essential point," Hanrahan agrees. "It’s a joy and a privilege to get to write about Middle-earth like this, and we hope we live up to both the audience’s expectations and Tolkien’s legendarium."

If you want to show your support for the project and access the unlocked stretch goals, you have until 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT / 8pm BST on October 15, 2026 when the campaign ends.

This feels like a very good time to be playing tabletop games; there's a lot on the horizon. As an example, I wasn't excited about D&D Star Wars, but it looking so much like Rogue One gives me hope. Plus, a terrifying campaign version of our favorite horror board game got fully funded in just 54 seconds.

• See the current One Ring lineup at Amazon

To be honest with you, I was wary when D&D Star Wars got announced. The two franchises don't seem like a natural fit; characters in Dungeons & Dragons are a cape away from being superheroes, and magic is baked into most classes. This feels at odds with an Original Trilogy setting where 99% of the Jedi are gone.

Then we got our first glimpse of the project. It's giving big Andor energy, and that's enough to make me a believer. Not to the degree Han was in Force Awakens ("it's true, all of it"), but now I see the vision behind D&D Star Wars. Yes, class and spell mechanics still need gutting to work with a galaxy far, far away. However, the announcement of a dedicated core rulebook alongside the Tyro Squadron campaign suggests that this isn't a one-off - the crossover is being taken very seriously.

It all boils down to that grounded approach hinted by teaser artwork. Developer Wizards of the Coast seems to be approaching this with admirable restraint; rather than the lightsabers and Force-powered badassery I expected (AKA D&D's bread and butter), it focuses on scoundrels and gunfights. Don't get me wrong, this still looks like a swashbuckling adventure. It isn't – and shouldn't be – a gritty slog a la Mork Borg where every step through the mud is a victory. But there's something down-to-earth about D&D Star Wars which reminds me of Rogue One. And that makes me incredibly excited.

For starters, everything we've seen so far feels suitably 'ground-level' with its focus on a rag-tag group of freedom fighters. (We'll apparently "take the fight to the Empire as part of a secret Rebel crew.") Yes, space magic is a central pillar of the franchise. But I think Star Wars is at its best when it slows down to focus on the people in those conflicts. Andor worked so well because it tapped into grassroots stories, while Clone Wars excelled due to humanizing average clone troopers as well as god-like Jedi. Personally speaking, I find the idea of not playing a chosen one so much more interesting in the best tabletop RPGs.

Moving away from Jedi also opens up a world of possibility. While it's fun to swing a laser sword around or hurl Stormtroopers across the room with a flick of our wrist, it can be limiting in an Original Trilogy setting; you'd struggle not to box yourself into a corner, narratively speaking. If a Force-sensitive individual openly uses their power, they'll get the full might of the Empire raining down on them – including Darth Vader's Jedi-hunting Inquisitors. That's all good and well if your adventure is built around the idea, but otherwise? It could totally derail a campaign. Want to stop an Imperial tyrant oppressing your world with an iron first, or save a beloved NPC from the Hutt Cartel? Sorry, Dave Force-pushed a Stormtrooper off a building and now we're on the run. It's a narrative cul de sac. No, better to limit the Force's use or sidestep the issue entirely.

I still have concerns, of course. As I mentioned earlier, D&D and Star Wars aren't obvious companions. Even if you cut the Jedi or severely limit their use, you'd still need bespoke classes or seriously edited ones to handle everything else. In addition, most spells are out because that kind of magic doesn't exist in a galaxy far, far away. (And when you get to that stage, spinning off as a separate system might be better than Frankensteining Dungeons & Dragons into something it wasn't intended to be.)

It's not impossible, though. Certain spells can stay and be replaced with technology, for instance. Sending Stones? Communicators. Eldritch Blast? Wrist-mounted darts like the Mandalorian uses. Fireball? A rocket launcher. I could go on.

Naturally, the above is speculation; we've got no idea how Wizards of the Coast will handle this. I could be wrong about that more grounded approach, too. But everything D&D Star Wars has shown off so far is promising, which gives me hope. A New Hope, I suppose you could say…

Speaking of cool tabletop games, a terrifying campaign version of our favorite horror board game got fully funded in just 54 seconds. Elsewhere, MTG Marvel Darkhold Destiny has a wild pitch featuring the supernatural and teamups with a "pantheon of gods."

• See the latest D&D releases at Amazon

As is only right now that Halloween's lumbering toward us, Magic: The Gathering has revealed a particularly spooky set with MTG Marvel Darkhold Destiny.

Due to launch in April 2027 and up for pre-order now at Amazon, this expansion dives headfirst into the supernatural; the press release for MTG Marvel Darkhold Destiny promises "the growl of werewolves at the door, the hissing of vampires who thirst for divine blood, [and] the chanting of witches as they enact their dark arts." It also teases MTG Marvel's first original story, with the introduction of a brand-new character who'll we'll meet in a full comic this coming February.

Unlike previous sets that focused on Spider-Man or superhero groups like the Avengers, it looks as though this one will shine a light into the dark side of the Marvel universe instead. "Hel is empty, and all the devils, sorcerers, and vampire-hunting vampires are here," developer Wizards of the Coast promises. Because the Darkhold is Marvel's uber-evil book of the damned, this focus on the supernatural makes sense. It also provides an opportunity for heroes like Doctor Strange, Blade, the Scarlet Witch, and beyond to shine.

However, this set doesn't seem entirely focused on Marvel's gothic underbelly. It also suggests a "dimension-hopping narrative" that has players learning the secrets of the Dark Dimension (y'know, of "Dormammu, I've come to bargain" fame), which involves "joining forces with Marvel's pantheon of gods." Considering how the previous two sets avoided telling a story of their own and focused on celebrating the franchise's many characters instead, this is quite the shift.

I'll be interested to see what fans make of it. Although these Universes Beyond crossovers are wildly popular, they're also controversial amongst the Magic community (with many suggesting that them making up 50% of annual releases is too much). This was only exacerbated in 2026 by MTG head designer Mark Rosewater saying fans must adapt or "walk away" if they don't like Universes Beyond. An in-depth, original story won't change the resentment some feel, but it could go a long way in challenging the perception that these are quick and dirty cash-ins.

While the comic that introduces our new hero for MTG Darkhold Destiny is being written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, the story was made by Magic's Narrative with MTG specifically in mind. That means it should in theory feel more bespoke.

In terms of products, it sounds as though this is getting the works; besides the usual boosters, there will be Commander decks and Scene Boxes.

MTG Darkhold Destiny will launch on April 9, 2027, and it's available to pre-order now from Amazon, TCGPlayer, and other tabletop retailers.

This isn't the only cool Marvel announcement to drop this week; outside of the best card games, the Lego Marvel Skyline was just revealed, and I'm living for absurd deep cuts like the 'Thanos Copter.'

• Find the latest MTG discounts at Amazon

It looks like we could be dogfighting with the Empire and trading blaster-fire with Stormtroopers during 2027's D&D Star Wars books, and I'm getting big Andor energy from the newly-announced adventure.

Revealed at New York Comic Con 2026, Tyro Squadron: Adventures will launch next year alongside a D&D Star Wars core book that provides us with all the rules needed to play. Developer Wizards of the Coast is still keeping its Sabbac cards close to the chest where the latter is concerned, but the adventures apparently take place during the Original Trilogy.

More specifically, we will "take the fight to the Empire as part of a secret Rebel crew. Set during the Original Trilogy, these new stories unfold as Luke and Leia fight their own battles across the galaxy. Fly daring missions, explore new corners of the galaxy, and help shape the Rebellion’s story—your way. "

In other words, we'll be more like the secret cell in Andor than lightsaber-wielding big-shots. Hopefully we'll have more success than the team does in Rogue One, though judging by a cover that features Darth Vader looming in the background, that'll be easier said than done. Is anyone else getting flashbacks to that corridor scene?

The thing that interests me here is talk of flying. This may be a figure of speech, but starships and galactic dogfights are a huge part of the Star Wars fantasy, so I'd be a little disappointed if we didn't get a slice of that action in one of the best tabletop RPGs. However, considering the release of artwork showing a spaceship in orbit over a planet, and the fact that Wizards of the Coast have played with ship mechanics before via D&D Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, I think our chances are good. Plus, there's word of a "star fighter encounter at Star Wars Celebration in April 2027" according to the press release. I'm hoping we'll be the ones in the cockpit.

In terms of what else we can glean, it looks as though we may bounce from a prison to Coruscant based on artwork. If the cover is to be believed, we could also visit Hoth during the infamous battle in Empire Strikes Back.

The fact that the characters are the same throughout raises two possibilities: these are either example player characters of a kind seen in the revised Player's Handbook and recent releases like Arcana Unleashed, or they're allies we'll be working with as part of Tyro Squadron. I'd be tempted to guess the former because of how many there are, but regardless, they seem like the capable sort who'd be found in a hive of scum and villainy.

As for what the core book may look like, I suspect it'll be similar to D&D World of Warcraft (which is currently up for pre-order via Amazon ahead of a November 17 release) or the upcoming Dark Sun revamp - albeit on a larger scale. That's because Star Wars doesn't slot neatly into D&D like WoW does; we'll need entirely new or heavily modified classes and subclasses. Standard spells are out of the window too, unless this crossover allows us to play Force-sensitive individuals. Even then, the spell list would need extensive curating to fit a galaxy far, far away.

Basically, expect the core book to be substantial.

There's no word on when D&D Star Wars will launch beyond a vague '2027' release window, but seeing as the resurrected Greyhawk adventure will arrive late next year, my guess is Summer or Fall at the absolute latest.

It looks like next year will be a good one for tabletop gaming; a terrifying campaign version of our favorite horror board game got fully funded in just 54 seconds, and this $2 million Lord of the Rings RPG crowdfunding campaign is so popular it's had to make new stretch goals.

• See all the new D&D releases at Amazon

I feel like we're missing something big with Warhammer Tone Pro.

There's a lot of talk about how great this new paint line is for experts (it's been so good fans are literally watching paint dry), and in all fairness, it's right there in the name. But having been hands-on with the range for a couple of weeks now, I think that does Warhammer Tone Pro a disservice – it's also great for beginners.

If you're new to the idea, Tone Pro was revealed at the Big Autumn Warhammer Preview 2026 as a revolutionary new paint line with a battalion's worth of improvements behind it. For starters, it's easier to use thanks to superior flow and coverage that mean you only have to put one layer on a model for the perfect consistency (two thin coats are a thing of the past here). What's more, it's far more pigmented for a much greater vibrancy.

Basically, it tackles a lot of requests from experienced Warhammer painters. And yes, those same experts can make some truly phenomenal things with it. But I think those same features make it ideal for newcomers, and I'd actually recommend trying it over anything else because of one key factor: it's forgiving.

The thing that took me aback is how little Warhammer Tone Pro punishes you for cutting corners. Splodging paint onto a model straight from the pot is always a no-no because it dries in massive lumps that obscure detail, but not here. Even if you gloop Tone Pro on with the cheerful abandon of a toddler, its self-levelling properties make sure it dries evenly and in a way that doesn't hide detail. That's outright sorcery so far as I'm concerned.

It also sidesteps an issue many beginners encounter. Most of us who've been in the hobby a while have early models that are a blurry, indistinct lump because we didn't thin our paints using something like a wet palette (which is honestly an essential purchase for every skill level, I use an Army Painter one that you can find cheap enough at Amazon). That seems far harder to do with Warhammer Tone Pro, even if you're using exactly the same techniques.

I'd say the new number system – where colors progress from dark (1) to light (5) – is so much more intuitive when newcomers start approaching layers and highlights. I adore the lore-rich names of older Warhammer paints, but trying to work out progressions can be a headache unless you have the range lined up in front of you. As for Tone Pro, you literally just move up the number scale. I painted Ultramarine Kais Konorius (one of the new Warhammer 40K Space Marines) using Tone Pro wherever possible, and it was such an intuitive experience. Highlighting that iconic blue armor was particularly easy using these paints; rather than trying to work out what makes a smooth transition, I simply started with Blue Gorkshroom 1 and progressed up to 4. The result is probably the best Ultramarine I've ever painted.

Of course, the decider for all this will be price – and I have a suspicion Warhammer Tone Pro will be more expensive than other paints thanks to its impressive qualities. However, even if you just buy one line of paints that you know you'll use a lot (like Blue Gorkshroom 1-5 if you're an Ultramarines fan), I'd say it's worthwhile.

Personally, I'm hoping they make a starter set box like the press sample I was lucky enough to be sent. If they do, I'd suggest Warhammer beginners make a beeline straight for it.

Warhammer Tone Pro will go up for pre-order via the Warhammer Store on Saturday October 10, and it'll presumably appear at indie retailers like Miniature Market or Wayland Games in the UK around the same time.

Elsewhere in the Warhammer world, we're very happy that, after 8 years, Warhammer finally got the Custodes right. Hopefully a few of these show up in the upcoming Black Friday Warhammer deals.

• See the latest discounts on Warhammer paint at Amazon

Are you dreading family get-togethers this year because your folks insist on breaking out dusty old board games like Monopoly? Can't face another dinner table meltdown because a sibling got screwed out of Bond Street? It's a special kind of torture, but it's not one you need to suffer.

There's a whole world of amazing alternatives out there, especially in 2026. As you can probably tell from the explosion of tabletop content on social media or the glut of board game cafes worldwide, it's got a lot more to give. While the sheer amount of options may seem intimidating (particularly when we move toward strategy games), there are some truly excellent beginner board games out there that are perfect for playing with family who've never moved far beyond Clue.

I spend a lot of my time reporting on and reviewing the best board games, so have used that experience to recommend some essential purchases here. These are often called 'gateway' games because they're accessible yet deeper than dusty old classics like Monopoly, and more than a few are on offer right now for Amazon's Big Deal Days. If you want something for Thanksgiving or Christmas get-togethers that aren't going to erode your will to live, add these to your collection; they're true must-haves.

Want something a bit more spooky? Set up the perfect Halloween party with these discounted horror board games. As for more recommendations, don't miss the best family board games.

• Check out today's board game discounts at Amazon

If you're hoping to set up a horror board game night, Amazon just did you a solid and slashed the price on some Halloween must-haves.

I'm a huge fan of spooky season so am always on the prowl for creepy new games I can add to my collection, and I was impressed to see that a few of my favorites (including some horror board games I've been desperate to try) have been slashed in price with a brutal efficiency that'd make Halloween icon Michael Myers nod with silent approval. An entry from our list of the best board games is included in that roundup, so these discounts aren't shlocky B-movies either.

To give you a head-start on your Halloween celebrations, I've rounded up the best offers on horror board games that I genuinely think are worth your time. As an example, the cute but spooky Twisted Cryptids is now available for less than $15... and because it's an incredibly replayable race to scare off as many humans as possible, it won't be a one-hit-wonder. In much the same way, the incredibly gothic Horrified: Ravenloft (which is full to the rafters with classic monsters like vampires and creepy killer dolls) provides best-in-class team gameplay at a new record low price.

Speaking of spooky things, a terrifying campaign version of our favorite horror board game got fully funded in just 54 seconds. In addition, an iconic piece of Joker art is being made into a Lego Batman set, but fans are worried it'll haunt kids' nightmares. The new Dice Throne Nexus hero may also give you a fright, because she's able to hijack your board and abilities.

• See all horror board game discounts at Amazon

The makers of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering have unionized. Today, the developers of the massive tabletop games have announced that they're joining United Wizards of the Coast - CWA, and are calling on their company to voluntarily recognize the union. Among their demands is protection from what they call an increasing push for AI use from Wizards of the Coast management.

United Wizards of the Coast announced its existence in April. Back then, it consisted only of the developers behind the digital card game, Magic: The Gathering Arena. Today, the workers behind Dungeons & Dragons, D&D Beyond, Magic: The Gathering, and Duel Masters announced their intent to unionize under the same banner. This union is supported by the Communication Workers of America, which has previously supported unions at publishers like Activision and Xbox.

Wizards of the Coast itself has until October 13 to respond to the union's request for voluntary recognition. The company did not respond to a deadline for voluntary recognition when the MTG Arena devs first announced their intent to unionize, but the union nonetheless won its election in June.

For now, the union is asking fans to support them by signing an online petition. Among demands like "fair wages," "reliable and easily accessible healthcare," and "remote work protections," the union is also demanding "protection against the encroachment of AI."

"Leadership, without regard for the desires of our teams, has pushed for adoption of LLMs and generative AI," the union claims. "This has to stop; our teams deserve a robust and enforceable AI policy that aligns with our goals and values."

The union has already filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board. If Wizards of the Coast does not choose to voluntarily recognize the union, it'll be up to elections among workers and the NLRB to force the issue.

"It's a new day at Blizzard": Union wins historic contract protecting 1,900 World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and more workers as Microsoft plans another 1,600 layoffs.

A new installment of the beloved Nemesis horror board game series met its crowdfunding goal in less than a minute.

Nemesis Legacy turns the series' alien-infested cat-and-mouse mechanics into a long, bloody campaign where each of your decisions have major consequences. It seems as though fans are very into this idea, because the Gamefound pledge page is well over 6,700% funded… and counting. (The last time I checked, pledges were sitting at €3,354,410 / $3,755,916.)

Although it still trades on the same core idea as its predecessors (survive against alien hordes as they try to hunt you down), this version of Nemesis differs by introducing a 35+ hour story with branching missions that shape what comes next with permanent changes. If you're new to the idea of 'legacy' games in general, this is a defining feature of the genre; you often alter your board or components with stickers as you go to reflect the campaign's highs and lows, meaning the experience is very personal to you.

However, this isn't a one-and-done experience. Unlike many legacy games, this one is "fully replayable" thanks to a recharge pack that lets you clear the board and start the campaign again. In addition, you can use standalone missions via 'Infinity Mode' instead if you'd rather have a one-shot experience.

The original Nemesis is amongst our all-time favorites, and it's arguably one of the best board games ever made if you're a horror fan. The basic premise is pure Alien; you're trapped in a facility with creatures unknown that would really like to rip you limb from limb. To make matters worse, not every player is working toward the same goal of getting out alive. Some have their own selfish objective, so you're never sure if you can wholly trust your teammates. The resulting tension is exquisite.

Legacy ups the ante by stringing all these scenarios together into one coherent storyline with multiple outcomes while adding what seems like permanent upgrades for your characters (assuming they survive, of course).

Based on both the crowdfunding page and the original teaser for Nemesis Legacy, it looks as though our mission is to wipe out the alien threat for good with some kind of bomb delivered deep into their territory, but it seems like a desperate gambit. The trailer emphasizes its many fallen soldiers, so I assume the player character body count is gonna be high. Beware; there will be casualties.

No matter what, Nemesis Legacy is in good hands thanks to being designed by Rob Daviau. If that name doesn't mean anything to you, just know he invented the idea of legacy games in the first place and has met with widespread acclaim for projects like the hyper-popular Pandemic Legacy. Basically, he knows what he's doing with this genre - he almost literally wrote the book on it. If anyone can make a legacy version of Nemesis sing, it's Daviau.

The crowdfunding campaign for the game will last for 21 days, and it includes a variety of stretch goals like more miniatures and a new race of alien intruders. Considering how fast the community is pledging to Legacy, I have a suspicion they'll unlock them before long.

This isn't the only tabletop project to obliterate targets recently: meet the Lord of the Rings RPG that smashed its crowdfunding goal by 32 times in less than a day.

• See all of today's board game discounts at Amazon

GamesRadar+ can exclusively reveal the fourth and final hero for upcoming strategy game Dice Throne, and they feel like a tabletop equivalent of "stop hitting yourself" – she uses your board against you with some particularly vicious powers.

Dice Throne Nexus is the next installment for the hybrid dice/card game franchise, and it's due to launch via Kickstarter on October 13 with four heroes. We've already been introduced to three of them (Snyper, Punch-A-Tron 3000, and The Ghostrunner), but the last has remained a mystery until now. That's fitting, because 'Hacker' exists in the shadows… all the better to deploy some cheeky take-that action of a kind normally reserved for the best board games.

"She doesn’t fight you. She rewrites you," Hacker's official blurb reads. "Wielding a holographic wrist-keyboard, Hacker spawns traps, 3D-prints EMPs, and injects malware directly into opposing Hero boards. You’re not just fighting her; you’re fighting your own hijacked systems."

Basically, Hacker isn't an opponent you can brute-force your way past.

While I'm obviously biased because we're able to reveal the character first, I'd argue that she's one of the more interesting options so far. Rather than brute strength or defensive capabilities, she thrives on messing with your opponent as much as possible. Besides ruining their plans, it can also cause them damage in specific circumstances (like when you use the Server Wipe card that removes all status effect tokens from an opponent but provides a damage point for each one).

She is, in short, a menace – and I'm all for it.

You'll be able to see more of Hacker and the other heroes when Dice Throne Nexus goes live on Kickstarter this October 13.

New to Dice Throne and want to give the game a go before Nexus? Because it revolves around its many heroes (all with unique abilities, boards, and dice), there's no need to pick up an expensive core box. Instead, all you need are hero packs that appeal to you. Plenty are available via Amazon, including a host of X-Men characters like Cyclops, Gambit, and Jean Grey (all featured in this four-hero pack at Amazon).

Want something new to play? Don't miss our guide to the best card games.

• See all today's offers for Dice Throne on Amazon

Sweater season is officially here, and I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything better than snuggling up under a blanket with a hot mug of something and a board game this Fall. It seems as though Amazon agrees, because its Prime Day board game deals have slashed the price on some all-timers.

I spend a lot of time reporting on the best board games whenever I'm not playing them, and so many of my go-to recommendations are included in today's Prime Day sale. That ranges from "gateway" board games (so named because they're a great first step into the hobby) like Harmonies to strategy epics such as Everdell, and some are a mere hair's breadth away from record low prices.

Because so many top-tier board games are rocking a bargain for the event, I've rounded my favorites up below. Short on time and need the quick version? If you want something easy-going for your family to play (perhaps over Thanksgiving or Christmas), I'd recommend Ticket to Ride because it's so accessible but has enough of a strategic undercurrent to keep things interesting. Meanwhile, strategy fans should grab Spirit Island while it's going cheap. I'd argue that it's one of the best team games ever made, and it doesn't often dip down so low in cost.

For more recommendations, be sure not to miss the best family board games or the best card games.

• See all of today's board game discounts at Amazon

The new open-world Dungeons & Dragons video game from Wizards of the Coast isn't going to be as big as beloved RPGs like Skyrim, it seems – but there's a good reason why.

Warlock was first unveiled last year by the D&D publisher as a brand-new open-world game featuring Tasha, an archmage and demonologist well known to fans of the tabletop series.

We haven't heard too much about it since, but we did get to see a whole 10 minutes of its Dragon's Dogma-esque gameplay in August – and, now, Invoke Studios head Dominic Guay is sharing more about the exciting project.

Speaking in a new edition of Edge, Guay describes how the developers don't want to guide players around Darkon. You know, the whole dreaded yellow paint thing? They're not a fan, and that's why they're opting for an open world that's a bit smaller than most folks familiar with the genre might expect.

"Because we wanted this to be exploration-driven, we didn't want the player just to follow a waypoint around," as he says.

So, while the world is "small," it's not lacking in substance. As Guay puts it, "By having a bit more density, we can afford to pull back a little bit on the handholding." That's good to read, honestly – and there's plenty to discover as well.

"There's a lot of really cool spells. Maybe you won't find them, and that's ok, because you'll find others." You know what that sounds like to me? More reason to play through the game again.

The controls sound exciting, too, as Guay describes Warlock's system as one that simulates a "real-time expression of magic instead of something that feels a bit slower."

That should also make the world feel far more alive, if you ask me, and a bit more action-packed to boot – once more reassuring me that size might not matter after all.

It certainly didn't in Baldur's Gate 3, perhaps the best D&D experience to date… and it wasn't even open world.

Baldur's Gate 3 is "a great game," but Warlock devs say their own virtual D&D experience is "very different" from Larian's RPG

It took them four editions, but Warhammer 40K creators Games Workshop have finally nailed one of their most divisive factions.

I was a massive grump when the Adeptus Custodes became a proper faction in 8th edition Warhammer 40K. These were supposed to be demigods on the battlefield — as superior to a Space Marine as they are to regular humans — so it made no sense to suddenly see an army of these guys on the tabletop, getting gunned down by Tau Fire Warriors like a bunch of scrubs.

That cat is out of the bag now, though, and the Adeptus Custodes are a staunch member of the 40K faction lineup. So, if we're going to do the Emperor's best golden boys (and girls), we should at least do them properly. And good news on that front, because the new 11th edition Adeptus Custodes codex is here, and they've finally nailed it.

One of the biggest issues with Custodes has been the disparity between their stats on the tabletop and their impressive depictions in the lore. In one short story, six Custodians defeated an entire Tyranid splinter fleet — well over a million bugs — with one of them even living to tell the tale. That's the kind of badassery that's hard to replicate in a tabletop game,

and while their new statlines won't quite take them to those heights, the 11th edition codex will definitely make the "Ten Thousand" feel like the elite warriors of legend.

Let's look at the statlines: At a minimum, you're looking at Toughness 7, 5 wounds, a 2+ save, 4+ invulnerable save, and a 5+ feel no pain against mortal wounds. That's for your basic rank-and-file (if you can call any Custodes model such a thing). They're tougher than a Space Marine captain, and that's just the basic troops; the tougher units, like the Aquilon Terminators and Gyrfalcon Jetbikes, put even chapter masters like Marneus Calgar to shame. It is going to take serious concentrated firepower to put these lads in the ground now, and even that might not be enough.

Almost every weapon profile has been improved in this codex. The Sentinel Guard's blades have gained an extra attack and increased to damage 2; the Castellan axes wielded by Wardens and Terminators have gone to strength 10 and damage 4, and almost all ranged weapons have gained strength and doubled their shot count. When you get hit by a Custodes unit, you're going to know about it… briefly, before you're dead.

Not to be outdone by the techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes, the Custodes vehicles have also had a substantial glow-up for 11th edition too. Sure, they lost the Land Raider (RIP to a real one), but their own unique tanks are now a step above the competition.

The Pallas Grav Attack's main gun has seen perhaps the biggest upgrade in 40K history, going from a one-damage chaff clearance option into a terminator-deleting machine, and the dreadnoughts are truly terrifying now. With one of the upgrades available in the dreadnought detachment (more on them in a second), the Telemon dreadnought can rival a C'tan for durability.

And as a filthy Xenos player who's going to have to face off against these golden demigods, you know how that makes me feel? Honestly, elated, because I finally get to battle against the Custodes from the stories. In 10th edition, Custodes were an army of jumped-up Space Marine Terminators. These are the Emperor's personal bodyguards, and now they have the stats to back it up.

It's not just the stats that are getting a buff in this new book; the army rule of Martial Ka'tahs — affectionately known as karate amongst fans — gets a big upgrade. Custodes units now start each turn in a "readied" state and can expend this to use one of six Ka'tahs as needed. These range from tactical manoeuvres like being able to perform an action and shoot or move through enemy models, to combat buffs like gaining lethal hits or rerolling hit rolls of 1 in combat.

The codex also adds 13 new detachments that let Custodes players build armies to suit the units and playstyles they prefer. Long-time Custodes fans should be thrilled to see the return of the Shield Hosts — subfactions of the army with their own specialisations — with each of their unique detachments bringing some powerful rules, enhancements, and stratagems.

For example, the Shadow Keepers get tougher on objectives, the Solar Watch have increased mobility, and the Dread Host are masters of manipulating movement around melee combat. They also all have a favored Ka'tah, meaning units who activate that Ka'tah get a bonus. This brings a lot of the flavor that was lost in the 10th edition codex back to the army.

So, how will the new Custodes fare on the tabletop? We're missing one key piece of information at the time of writing: the points costs. They've been thoroughly overhauled, and the army will play very differently now, running a few hyper-elite three-man units instead of the bigger units of Allarus Terminators and Wardens you typically see now. If the points are too low, everyone else is in danger; if the points are too high, Custodes players might find themselves stretched too thin.

Given how strong the first two Codexes — Space Marines and Orks — have come out of the gate, I'm expecting the Custodes to be a little overtuned. But points can be fixed in later balance updates. For now, Games Workshop has nailed the most important thing: the feeling of the Custodes. The vibes are correct; everything else can be fixed in post.

Not your vibe? You can always go for standard Marines instead. I've been hands on with all the new Warhammer 40K Space Marines, and these are the ones you should buy. With any luck, some will go on offer for Black Friday Warhammer deals...

• See the latest offers on Adeptus Custodes models at Amazon

The League of Legends trading card game Riftbound is set to get a bit more radiant when its newest and final 2026 set, Riftbound: Radiance, releases later this month on October 23. As with other Riftbound sets, there are several new mechanics, and GamesRadar+ has its very own preview of a card from the upcoming set that features one of them: Jarvan IV, Martian Paragon. Plus his beach skin alternate art!

Riftbound: Radiance specifically includes three new mechanics: Deploy, Show Off, and Disarm. Deploy lets you play a Gear to a Battlefield, but be wary: if an opponent holds said Battlefield, that Gear is killed. Show Off is basically just revealing a card from your hand or on your board for some stated benefit, and Disarm reduces an enemy Unit's Might when attacking. You can read all about these, and more, in the official Riftbound: Radiance overview.

Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon

Our exclusive reveal for this Riftbound set, Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon has 4 Might and costs 4 Energy in addition to a recycled Body rune. Fairly standard for Champion Units, and certainly in line with our previous reveal of Zed.

What sets Jarvan IV, Martial Paragon apart are his Gear-related abilities. First and foremost, any Gear with Deploy also has Action, which means they can be played during showdowns and are therefore much more versatile than just being played on your turn. Additionally, whenever he conquers a Battlefield, if there's a friendly Gear with Deploy also at that Battlefield in the end, you can channel an exhausted rune.

In other words, our princely lad wants to constantly be conquering Battlefields and playing Gear using Deploy (and therefore Action) whenever possible to essentially create his own combos. If you're at all familiar with his League of Legends gameplay, it's all a bit "flag and drag."

Additional Riftbound: Radiance cards are set to be revealed through October 9, and you can keep up with all of those through the official Riftbound: Radiance card gallery. As noted above, Riftbound: Radiance – which is the final Riftbound set to release in 2026 – is scheduled to officially release on October 23, 2026.

It's been a busy few days for trading card games; for starters, MTG is getting KPop Demon Hunters cards, and they're drop-dead gorgeous. Elsewhere, an absurdly rare Pikachu card just sold for $8.4 million.

• See the latest Riftbound offers at Amazon

KPop Demon Hunters are making their way to MTG as part of an all-new, limited Secret Lair collection that sees them rubbing shoulders with undead Captain America and David Bowie from Labyrinth. (Sounds like a damn cool party to me.)

Magic: The Gathering is gearing up for spooky season with its 'Corn Maze' superdrop this October, and while some of its contents are supremely Halloween-coded, this is an eclectic roundup to say the least. MTG KPop Demon Hunters is a great example, with seven returning cards that have been given a makeover featuring major characters from the movie.

As with most Secret Lair cards, these feature highly stylized art that stands out from standard MTG sets – including other crossovers, like the upcoming Star Trek set which is currently preparing for launch in November.

Speaking of crossovers, the Corn Maze also provides a twisted version of 2026's Marvel Super Heroes set (which is moldering with some rather good discounts via Amazon now that it's a few months old). As you may expect from the title, Secret Lair x Marvel Zombies brings in the undead for a particularly grim drop. Comic artwork has been combined with particularly fitting cards here, with the likes of zombie Wolverine being used for 'Unstoppable Slasher' - a Duskmourn card that keeps coming back from the dead, much like Marvel's merry mutant.

All eight drops will be available from Secret Lair on October 12 in Traditional Foil ($39.99) and Non-Foil ($29.99) while supplies last.

Here are all the sets featured within the Corn Maze superdrop.

• Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Should You Need Us
  • 1x Jodah, the Unifier as “Sarah, Champion to the Lost”, 1x Kogla, the Titan Ape as “Ludo, Rock Caller”, 1x Shigeki, Jukai Visionary as “The Wiseman, Eccentric Oracle”, 1x Wort, Boggart Auntie as “Hoggle, Heart in Conflict”, 1x Kami of the Crescent Moon as “The Worm, Sagely Guide”, 1x Lu Xun, Scholar General as “Sir Didymus, Rider of Ambrosius” // “Sir Didymus, Faithful Companion
• Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Fear Me, Love Me
  • 1x Muxus, Goblin Grandee as “Jareth, Goblin King”, 1x Boggart Shenanigans as “Call Out the Goblins!”, 1x Dance with Calamity as “Dance with Goblins”, 1x Goblin Rabblemaster as “Goblin Cradle-Thieves”, 1x Claim the Firstborn as “The Kidnapping of Toby”, 1x Trinisphere as “I’ve Brought You a Gift”
• Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Through the Labyrinth
  • 1x Timely Ward as “Rescue in the 13th Hour”, 1x Chronomantic Escape as “Under Jareth’s Spell”, 1x Delayed Blast Fireball as “Frenzy of the Fireys”, 1x Tempt with Discovery as “The Goblin King’s Offer”, 1x Rogue’s Passage as “Shaft of Hands”, 1x Planar Temporal Gateway as “Doors of Indecision”, 1x Leveler as “The Cleaners Leveler”
• KPop Demon Hunters: How It’s Done
  • 1x Dawn’s Truce, 1x Unbreakable Formation, 1x Freed from the Real, 1x Swan Song, 1x Demonic Counsel, 1x Tempt with Immortality, 1x Underworld Breach
• Marvel: Zombies
  • 1x Unstoppable Slasher, 1x Zombie Apocalypse, 1x Vogar, Necropolis Tyrant as “Zombie Giant-Man”, 1x God-Eternal Bontu as “Zombie Thor”, 1x Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver as “Zombie Captain America”, 1x Varina, Lich Queen as “Zombie Scarlet Witch”
• Artist Series: Veronique Meignaud
  • 1x Bloodsoaked Champion, 1x Voldaren Pariah // Abolisher of Bloodlines, 1x Ashnod’s Altar, 1x Cabal Stronghold
• Manufactured Grounds by See Machine
  • 1x Ancient Den, 1x Seat of the Synod, 1x Vault of Whispers, 1x Great Furnace, 1x Tree of Tales
• Peace, Love, & Treefolk
  • 1x Dauntless Dourbark, 1x Leaf-Crowned Elder, 1x Timber Protector, 1x Treefolk Harbinger, 1x Doran, the Siege Tower

Elsewhere in the world of the best card games, an absurdly rare Raincoat Pikachu Pokemon card just sold for $8.4 million.

• See the latest Magic: The Gathering offers at Amazon

Pokemon TCG Delta Reign is still a few weeks away yet, but pre-order stock remains difficult to find at the right price. Anyone hoping to snag some cards early either has an arduous stock hunt or inflated rates ahead of them right now.

Those wondering where to buy Pokemon Delta Reign in the US have two options right now. Amazon and Walmart both have cards on the shelves (and the latter has even eased some of its inflated prices in the last week) but those numbers are still looking particularly high. In the UK things aren't looking much brighter. While there's no stock on the shelves, though, I'd recommend keeping an eye on Amazon's invite system and Smyths Toys' in-store offerings.

I've been tracking Pokemon card availability for a long time now, so I've picked up a trick or two on where to look... and how much to spend if you want to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign. I've listed all of this advice below, including where to go first on your quest to rustle up stock for one of the best card games.

No matter what, move quickly if you find cards in stock. They're unlikely to last long, so if they're a reasonable price (which I'll go into later), strike as fast as a ticked-off Arbok. After all, I doubt we'll be swimming in products and there's no chance you'll be able to buy Pokemon Delta Reign for less as part of this year's Black Friday Pokemon card deals.

Where to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign in the US

If you want to buy Delta Reign, head straight to Walmart or Amazon; both are offering a decent selection of cards. While these prices are still inflated, they're not nearly as bad as I was worried they'd be and the former has even dropped a few bucks off its more expensive inventory recently.

Amazon

Walmart

Best Buy

Target

Miniature Market

eBay

TCGPlayer

Where to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign in the UK

The chances of being able to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign right now are slim, as the UK is typically slow to the punch. However, there are a few indie retailers that get stock earlier than everyone else. Watch out for the following!

Amazon

Wayland Games

Magic Madhouse

Zatu Games

Smyths Toys

Argos

Where to buy other Pokemon TCG sets

Even though it's tough to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign, that doesn't mean all sets are off-limits. The longer an expansion is around, the more the novelty wears off... and thus, the easier it is to find in stock. Pitch Black, Chaos Rising, and beyond are more widely available as a result.

That's why I've set our dedicated software the task of rounding up the best offers below. These are updated automatically 24/7, so they'll provide up to the minute pricing.

Pokemon TCG Delta Reign FAQ

Want something to play while you wait for stock? Don't miss the best board games or the best tabletop RPGs.

• See all Pokemon TCG offers at Amazon

A hyper-rare Pikachu card just sold for $8.4 million, making it the second-most expensive Pokemon card to ever hit auction.

Dubbed 'Raincoat Pikachu' by fans because it shows the electric mouse dressed up for a downpour with umbrella in hand, it's rarer than a shiny Mew; this was the result of a global competition so only 100 were ever made as a personal prize, meaning it was never sold in stores. That goes some way to explaining why this Pokemon card in particular fetched such a high price. Indeed, it's now the second-most expensive card to go to auction behind Logan Paul's Pikachu Illustrator card that sold for an eye-watering $16.4 million.

Sold on September 28 via Fanatic Collection (as spotted by Men's Journal), it was rated PSA 10 Gem Mint and earned a whopping $8,400,000 with buyer's premium. The charming Pokemon card was created by artist Fujishima in response to a 2015 competition inspired by Pokemon Art Academy for 3DS (which taught players how to draw Pokemon, unsurprisingly), and their design won under the 'Dress-Up Pikachu' category. As a prize, they received 100 officially printed versions of their card that were never made available to the public or sold anywhere. That means they're exceedingly rare even for one of the best card games.

Because of their rarity, these cards have been sold for a good amount of money before now – but never to this level. Indeed, our friends at Dexerto worked out that a version of the same card with a similar PSA 10 GEM rating sold for $19,200 back in 2025. So, why did this one balloon in value a year later? I suspect the 'Mint' addendum for the 2026 equivalent may have something to do with it; it's that much more desirable for collectors.

No matter the valuation, this card has the distinction of being downright freakin' adorable. There's something very sweet about its goofy, cheerful smile and an aesthetic that looks like it's been taken from a picture book. It certainly cheered me up this morning.

If you're excited about upcoming sets, have you seen our exclusive card reveal for Delta Reign? In the here and now, Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration looks surprisingly generous, which is great for fans in more ways than one. Hopefully that means some cards will turn up in this year's Black Friday Pokemon card deals...

• See all of the latest 30th Celebration offers at Amazon

Black Friday Warhammer deals arrive with the speed and force of drop pods on a battlefield, so being prepared for the sale will come in handy. Because we're faced with price cuts on everything from miniatures to tools (everything hobby-shaped is performing a pincer movement on our wallets this November), it's helpful to know what to expect.

Want to score some plastic at the best possible price? Not to worry, I'm here to help. The GamesRadar+ team and I have tracked sales like this one for many, many years now, so that means we've got plenty of recommendations to take advantage of 2026's Black Friday Warhammer deals. I'll also be bringing you the best offers as and when they arrive.

You won't even have to wait until November to get a bargain; even though official Black Friday Warhammer deals won't kick off for a few weeks, the savings have already started to appear. Think of these like a vanguard before the full army's arrival...

Quick links

• Amazon: Save up to $30
• Miniature Market: Up to $40 off
• Walmart: Browse the range
• Warhammer 40K: Up to $30 off at Amazon
• Age of Sigmar: Up to $10 off at Amazon
• Horus Heresy: Get up to $10 off at Amazon
• Kill Team: Up to $10 off at Amazon
• Old World: Save up to $5 at Amazon
• Paints: Up to $15 off at Amazon
• Brushes: From $7.98 at Amazon
• Airbrushes: Up to $20 off at Amazon
• Books: Savings up to $20 at Amazon

UK

• Amazon: Up to £10 off
• Wayland Games: Up to 20% off
• Magic Madhouse: Save up to £13
• Zatu Games: Up to £15 off
• Warhammer 40K: Up to £20 off at Amazon
• Age of Sigmar: Up to £10 off at Amazon
• Horus Heresy: Up to £15 off at Amazon
• Kill Team: Up to £5 off at Amazon
• Old World: Save up to £5 at Amazon
• Paints: Up to £5 off at Amazon
• Brushes: From £6.39 at Amazon
• Books: Savings up to 31% at Amazon

Best Warhammer deals ahead of Black Friday

Black Friday Warhammer deals FAQ

Want to prepare for other savings? Don't miss the upcoming Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals and the Black Friday Pokemon card deals.

Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals are on their way, lumbering towards us with the slow but steady determination of a troll. Because of how many major releases we've had this year (be it a return to magic school with Strixhaven or a jaunt to the Marvel universe), there should be plenty of discounts to get excited about this year.

To help you sort the treasures from the trash, I'll be here to find you all the Black Friday MTG bargains I possibly can. I've also got plenty of advice for you on how to take advantage of the sale, with suggestions of retailers to watch and what you can expect from the sale. Because I've been covering Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals for so long, I've certainly got enough recommendations.

If there are early savings to be had on one of the best card games, you'll also find them below. I'm posting the best bargains I can uncover before the event right here, so keep popping back every now and then if you want to secure the most tempting discounts.

Quick links

• Amazon: $10 off MTG Hobbit
• Miniature Market: Best prices
• Walmart: Price cuts up to $15
• Best Buy: Up to $10 off
• Target: Get older sets for less

UK

• Amazon: Save up to £10
• Magic Madhouse: Check for price cuts
• Wayland Games: Up to 10% off
• Zatu Games: Get up to £12 off

Today's best Magic: The Gathering deals ahead of Black Friday

Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals FAQ

Want to find more savings? Don't miss the Black Friday Pokemon card deals.

Black Friday Pokemon card deals may not be the first thing that comes to mind where the sale is concerned, and that's fair enough. You're more likely to find everyone fawning over TV and tech discounts, after all. But November strikes with some genuinely good offers on the TCG, from accessories to tins.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think we can expect new expansions to get a price cut. They're devilishly difficult to find right now, and Black Friday Pokemon deals are unlikely to change that. However, you shouldn't give up on saving when it comes to one of the best card games. Binders, playmats, deck boxes, and more enjoy big discounts this time of year. You can also save on previous sets, because the rush has already passed them by.

That's why I'm scouring the long grass for good offers before and during the sale. If you gotta catch 'em all, this is the place to be - I'll be bringing you bargains from now until 2026's Black Friday Pokemon card deals are upon us.

Quick links

• 30th Celebration: Best prices at Miniature Market
• Accessories: Up to $5 off at Amazon
• Playmats: From $5.64 at Amazon
• Binders: From $15.99 at Amazon
• Amazon: Up to $10 off tins
• Walmart: $7 off Journey Together
• Miniature Market: Best price on new sets
• Best Buy: Check for price cuts
• Target: See the offers

UK

• 30th Celebration: Now available at Amazon
• Accessories: From £6.07 at Amazon
• Playmats: From £12.94 at Amazon
• Binders: From £9.97 at Amazon
• Amazon: Save up to 11%
• Wayland Games: Save on accessories
• Magic Madhouse: Check for price cuts
• Zatu Games: Browse the offers
• Smyths Toys: Get new and old sets

The best Pokemon card deals ahead of Black Friday

Black Friday Pokemon card deals FAQ

There are plenty of other offers to choose from, including Black Friday Magic: The Gathering deals and Black Friday Lego deals. Want the latest Pokemon cards, on the other hand? Here's where to buy Pokemon TCG Delta Reign.

The crowdfunding campaign for a Lord of the Rings RPG has proven to be so popular that it's needed to create all-new stretch goals to keep up.

Earlier this week, publisher Free League launched a Backerit page for a couple of new books along with a rules update to The One Ring, the popular Lord of the Rings RPG it's been running since 2022. However, the campaign was so popular that it smashed its crowdfunding goal by 32 times in less than a day, and has now reached $2 million in pledges. Because it only provided stretch goals up until the $1.4m mark, the team has had to create a host of new ones – and even those look as though they'll be surpassed before long.