Whether gathering with old friends or entertaining a weekly family game night, great board games bring people together and create lasting memories. Even in a year with many game nights halted or canceled, game makers continue to launch some notable new projects.
Here are the 10 best games of 2021, from cooperative party experiences to challenging asymmetrical strategy competitions and everything in between.
For more on some of the best board games of recent years, visit Top center and explore its recommendations.
7 Wonders Architects
Publisher: Repos Production
The original 7 Wonders is phenomenal, but its varied strategies can frighten newcomers. Architects simplify and streamline without losing core fun. Players work to build a wonder of the ancient world with simple card selection as the central mechanic. Attractive cardboard pieces represent the mold as it takes shape. Add in playful art and cleverly designed components, and Architects claims a spot as one of the best new portal games in years.
That portal experience would be a perfect way for enthusiasts to invite new players into the thematic gaming scene. And since the game is very fast, you don’t need to worry that inexperienced players will lose focus. Architect is an elegant and attractive release; it doesn’t replace the larger and more complex 7 Wonders – it’s better because Architects perfectly complements its older sibling.
Ankh: Gods of Egypt
Publisher: CMON
Following in the footsteps of its mythological-focused predecessors, Blood Rage and the Rising Sun, this lavish strategy game puts players in the role of Egyptian gods, trying to stay relevant as old ways of worship have faded. disappear. Asymmetrical power, non-random combat, and tight, tense area control maps lead to fierce confrontation. The fantastic art and miniature sculptures perfectly capture the imagination in a way that some other games can.
While Ankh isn’t exactly a great entry into the board game, its refined, tight strategies and exceptional production value easily win over veterans. One particular feature – how the players in the back end of the group eventually merge and start working together – is the perfect encapsulation of the game’s theme, where we see the old gods die. , combine and change as the epochs pass. Comfortable and beautiful to look at and play with, this one is not to be missed.
Descendants: Legend of Darkness
Publisher: Fantasy Flying Game
Don’t be fooled by the name; The big new entry in the Descent franchise is a standalone dungeon crawler experience that is separate from previous games. With a 3D tile setup and a digital app that doubles as functionality, runs the game, and tells the story, it’s an impressive cooperative fantasy adventure filled with combat and upgrades, perfect for the team was looking for a month-long gaming night.
Fantasy Flight has toyed with app-enabled design for years now, but Legends of the Dark is the company’s most comprehensive and rewarding implementation of the concept. The reliance on the digital element can mislead some players, but if you grasp its potential, the art and storytelling intertwine the physical and digital aspects of the game. create something magical.
Machi Koro 2
Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
Small but necessary changes update this popular family-friendly city-building game. Players compete to build a city of bakeries, stadiums, and gardens, establish landmarks, and differentiate each urban center. The quick playtime and easy-to-learn rules make it an easy pick-and-play experience, but one with a significant element of luck. The pre-game strategy and greater replayability than the original make this the official release and an easy choice for a light night of gaming.
The random cards for each game make a big difference in giving Machi Koro a new contract of life. If you were a longtime player of the original (and its expansions), you have a tough decision ahead of you. Machi Koro 2 represents the sensible modifications the game needs and makes it a stronger overall playing experience. But whether you’re willing to give up the familiarity of the original and its quirks is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.
Merchants of the Dark Road
Publisher: Elf Creek Games
One of the most innovative releases in recent months, Elf Creek Games’ latest release is a fantasy adventure in which brave caravans must brave the night, deliver and recruit Heroes among isolated cities. Players need a balance between prestige and money to win the game, and success requires you to always think three steps ahead. Richly imagined and gorgeously illustrated, this is a great fit if you’re looking for a fresh change of strategy on the tabletop, brimming with fantasy.
One of the most engaging aspects of the game is its use of action dice and its interaction with how you can move your wagon around the board. There are a ton of different gameplay mechanics that work in any given Merchants game, but it’s uniquely interesting to see how they all tie together, especially to promote travel. you go to new places. For many, it’s the creative interconnection between different game systems that will be a key factor here, but for players who prefer a simpler gameplay experience, Merchants of the Dark Road has the potential to Island.
The Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile
Publisher: Leder Games
Leder Games is known for its asymmetrical game design where each player can take advantage of different possibilities to win. Oath plots the progression of a vast empire, and each player assumes a role in that complex combination, from ruling prime minister to exiled revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the regime. In a fascinating twist, the outcome of a game establishes the warm-up conditions for the next play, sometimes even introducing new cards and situations.
It was the ultimate driving force that made the difference to the Oath. It’s not a legacy game by most meaningful measures of that descriptor, but it is a game that develops a literal history and chronicle of events as you invest more time. time and session over on it. That’s an appealing possibility for groups of players willing to return to the same game over and over again, rather than switch to something else. If your game staff is willing to invest in sessions to watch the empire grow, there’s a compelling sense of continuity starting to take shape.
The gods sleep in the forest
Publisher: Red Raven Games
This beautiful movement game follows the crew of a 1929 steamship as it navigates mysterious lands and seas, while defeating monsters, tracking hidden totems and trying to find way home. A spiral atlas is the board, opening up new scenes with each session, while an accompanying storybook fills in a rich story. Even after playing through the entire campaign over multiple sessions, subsequent campaigns can play out completely differently – with over a dozen possible endings.
It’s hard to overstate the fun in-store for storytellers. The Sleeping Gods have some great writing along with clever passages and narrative developments. With the theme of a boundless ocean voyage, your discoveries in a given campaign level always suggest that there’s something else to discover and learn right ahead.
So Clover!
Publisher: Repos Production
Sometimes the simplest concepts are the most rewarding. So Clover! is a cool cooperative party word association game. Players arrange a selection of cards with random words on a grid of four spaces, then write down key words that link the specific terms seen on those cards. Other players work together to try to align the grid in the right direction. Simple yet surprisingly nuanced, this is one of those easy staples you can bring to your table whenever and please everyone.
While comparisons aren’t always the best way to tell a game’s identity, it’s worth mentioning So Clover! fits in a place very similar to other Repos games like Concept, Just One and the hit game Codenames. All of those games rely heavily on word association, deductive reasoning, and dominant ways of thinking, but in simple ways that any player, young or old, can grasp. catch. So Clover! is another success story in that style of play, and quite frankly, it’s one you should feel comfortable adding to your library without hesitation.
Unstable
Publisher: Orange Nebula
Sci-fi fans should take note of this novel exploration and survival game in which all players work together to confront the dangers of deep space, explore new worlds, charting mysterious anomalies and scientific progress. Unsettled has a core game system and connected “planet boxes” that plug into that framework, each providing a unique and independent experience. This is a cooperative adventure for experienced players looking for an engaging and complex themed game.
Like your favorite sci-fi TV show, Unsettled found its success by setting some baseline parameters and expectations. Those expectations are then tested as individual planetary boxes surprise you, and explorers encounter new threats and discoveries. There’s a lot of fun in the way the game effectively helps your team craft a rich sci-fi story of its own. If you like the complexity it takes to put all the figurines together, you’ll be pleased with the results.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Publisher: Z-Man Games
The Pandemic games have a winning plan that has stood the test of time. In this new partnership formula, the first licensed partner board game franchise takes players to Northrend and plays as the heroes of Azeroth as they fend off the Lich King. A fun quest system requires teamwork and each hero brings amazing unique powers to the table, leading to a climactic battle atop the Icecrown Citadel to end Arthas’ reign.
Especially for players familiar with both Pandemic and this classic World of Warcraft expansion, you’ll be amazed at how well the concept and mechanics combine to capture epic conflicts. described as. Another thing that is likely to keep you hooked are the adorable components and card images that fill the game. Z-Man nailed the vibe here and brought one of the most memorable episodes of the MMO game into an eerie spotlight.
2021 is filled with just about any other notable board game to explore, and you’ll find at least some highlighted in Top center. If you especially want to dive into the list of backlog picks for the best game of the year, you can jump straight to the best board games of the year. Year 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.
