We add roughly two reviews each week, which means that even awesome games may “fall off the radar” quickly. We’ve gathered the best of the best games we’ve reviewed.
Nearly all of these top rated games have stayed in our (or our reviewers’) permanent collections, and we often recommend them to friends!
Dungeon Academy is a real-time path-finding game for 1-6 players. It’s a blast for ages 10+, and playable by younger kids as well.
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Drop It was designed by Bernhard Lach & Uwe Rapp and published by KOSMOS. It feels a bit like Connect 4 played with tangram shapes, if your object was to make as few lines as possible. Hear our impressions of this strategic dexterity game in about 6 minutes, or read on for more.
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Dragon’s Breath from HABA is fun, easy to learn, and beautiful. You and your fellow players are little dragons, hoarding sparkling stones. But the stones are all stuck in a column of ice! Dragon Dad can melt the ice with his fiery breath, but who can grab the most stones as they fall?
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We thought this might be a Disney-themed Candy Land… but we were surprised! This game is an absolute delight, and perfect for young children to play with their families.
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Decktective is a mystery presented as a deck of cards with a full case for 1-6 detectives to solve.
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Deblockle is a beautiful and elegant game of abstract strategy that’s durable enough to keep on your coffee table – even with kids!
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Compile is a two-player card dueling game with just 18 cards on each side, but a huge variety of possibilities! Why do Andrew and Anitra enjoy it so much?
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Combo is a great unique game for the family! It’s kind of cooperative, in the sense that you can’t create a full combo on your own. You have to work with people at least a little bit if you’re going to score any points. But it’s not REALLY cooperative, because you still want to get the most points, and win.
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Codenames: Disney Family Edition applies a Disney theme to the modern classic Codenames. Does it strike gold like Scrooge McDuck, or is it Eeyore?
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I was surprised and impressed at how simple this game was while being simultaneously incredibly fun to play. This is the kind of game that you lose and then it’s pretty easy to convince yourself you can win the next go ’round.
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Randomly draw crew tiles from the bag, then decide to keep them or flip them. Craft the best crew organization to earn the most treasure and prove yourself the best captain!
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Who can win control of the lake? Block Ness is a 3D area control game, and we review it in 5 minutes.
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Gather pollen to make the most valuable honey in this set-collection game. We’re pleased to review a game that looks so “grown-up” while remaining accessible to pre-reading kids.
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Get the artichokes out of your hand of cards! That’s the concept behind this unique “deck-wrecking” game.
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5er Finden is an unusual roll-and-write search game designed by Jürgen Grunau. Up to four players can play, including a solo mode. Published by HABA, the recommended age range is 7-99 and it plays in about 20 minutes. Search for shapes on your personal board that contain all five colored shapes rolled on the five dice. Flip the timer if
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Maul Peak is a standalone sequel to one of our favorite battling games, Skulk Hollow. What does it add to this game style? Is it the right fit for your family?
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Skulk Hollow is an asymmetric 1v1 battle game where the Foxen smallfolk try to defend Skulk Hollow from various Guardians! Will the Guardians overwhelm the Foxen, or will the smallfolk overcome the Guardian with sheer numbers?
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This game is a gem! It’s worth the intial mental climb… It’s just so fun to play once you get the rules down.
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We love this game that combines bidding for resources with a 3D puzzle. It’s simple to understand but hard to predict, and works well for all ages.
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