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!
We have adored The Grimm Masquerade since we first saw it. It’s easy to learn and accessible, appropriate for a wide range of players. Whether you love social deduction or hate bluffing, you owe it to yourself to try it.
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Similo is a simple cooperative card game. It’s incredibly easy to explain, quick to play, and it will fit into a purse or a pocket.
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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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Gather food, barter, attract mammoths, and protect your tribe – but don’t forget to pet Honga, the friendly neighborhood saber-tooth tiger! Read more about this excellent introduction to action selection games.
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SHOBU is an abstract two player game that immediately feels classic. The simplicity of play and beautiful natural materials are immediately inviting. Splitting your focus between 4 boards and out-thinking your opponent will keep you coming back for more.
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Build your own Jurassic Park and fill it with the best dinosaurs in this short game for 2-5 players.
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I love eating baked goods, but my daughter loves making them. In Filler, 1-6 players are pastry chefs, reporting to work at the bakery. Use your supplies to fill recipes; may the best baker win!
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Get the MacGuffin from Looney Labs is a fast-playing game of player elimination. It’s silly and incredibly quick, even at the maximum of 11 players. Can we find the MacGuffin or were we disappointed?
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Be a pretty princess and save yourself with sweet spells in Sparkle Kitty, a silly word game from Breaking Games. Hear our thoughts in 5 minutes with this audio review.
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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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If your friend orders fries, you may experience regret. But what if you stole some fries from your friend? They won’t notice, right? That’s the idea behind Fry Thief, a quick game for two hungry players.
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Race for the treasure in Gnomes at Night, a cooperative maze game with a vertical board. Your partner(s) may have clear paths where you have a wall, so you’ll have to work together – fast!
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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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Looking for more games to play with the littlest gamers in your family? Corey and his daughter Sasha have got you covered, with this snap review of Where’s Mr. Wolf from Blue Orange Games.
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You’ve been invited to Dinoton Abbey for high tea; one of the most exclusive invites in all of Britain. Adorned in your finest attire, you stroll into the party and survey the room. Everyone is catching up on all the latest gossip and worldly affairs, while sipping tea and eating glorious cakes.
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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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Transport yourself to centuries past to a time when the trading along the spice roads led to great wealth and power. As a spice merchant you’ll lead your caravan to exotic markets to sell your valuable spices. Do you have what it takes to play your cards shrewdly, time your trades just right to acquire five point cards first and
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It’s time to bear down and start building! This week we take a look at one of the hottest games to come out of Origin this year, the tile-laying game Bärenpark from Lookout Spiele and Mayfair. We’ll tell you whether it’s a universally koality* experience, or if we think it’s a bit more polar-izing.
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Whizz! Clack! At first glance, Potion Explosion looks like just a gimmick – a board game adaptation of digital match-3 games like Bejeweled. Pull out marbles, make matches. But there is so much more to this delightful game!
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You are a king (or queen), looking to expand your kingdom. As you explore the terrain, you must decide which territories will be the best and most productive. But watch out! Other monarchs are scouting the territory, too, and may steal your most-coveted lands!
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