The holiday season is fast approaching us, and we know what that means – spending time with family, hanging out with friends, and hopefully lots of time to play board games.
Sometimes it can be difficult deciding what games to play with friends or family, or maybe you want games that you can play with both. Well don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Keep on reading to discover our Top Picks of games to play throughout the holiday season.
1. Meeple Circus
Ever see a strongman on an elephant’s back while carrying a tiger?
Meeple Circus is a super fun dexterity game for two to five players that all the family can enjoy. Your goal is to entertain the audience by creating the most amazing circus. Using Acrobats, horses, and many accessories are at your disposal; you have the chance to give your audience an incredible show, using remarkable dexterity. Do you have what it takes?
Designed by Cèdric Millet, 2-5 players and around 45-minute playing time.
2. Heroes Wanted
There are so many expansion available that add new heroes, new villains, and new scenarios. Elements of Danger is the final expansion (and just recently released).
Maybe you want to be a superhero? This game is for you.
Heroes Wanted is a tactical game for superhero hopefuls, trying to pursue their dreams of becoming a member of Zeta City’s exclusive crime fighting super team: The Champions of Zeta City. In this game, you get to create your own superhero which is a lot of fun in itself. Using two different cards; Hero A and Hero B cards, you will determine your superpower and skill and include powers such as Cosmic: who may use injuries to their advantage and Vigilantes: who can press their luck with dice due to their dedication and high-risk philosophy.
Elf is Travis, our President (and Suburban includes his daughter). Ninja is Kira, our CEO. Owl is Brian, the graphic designer who worked on the game (and is working on Western Legends). And Blond is Chris, our in-house graphic designer.
Once you’ve created your unusual – but unique – superhero, it’s now time to fight off comic book villains and prove you’re worthy to be part of the team.
Designed by Travis R Chance & Nick Little, 1-5 players, 45 minute playing time.
3. Ninja Camp
Be careful to not get ambushed into a trap!
Ninja Camp, the only place you’ll find animal martial artists pit against one another in a training exercise where the best will become the personal apprentice of Sensei Saru.
Each player starts with two cards which will represent a ninja skill. Using the cards in your hand, you will navigate the board, adding new skills to your hand and leaving fewer movement options for their fellow campers. You will also have a unique ninja ability that you can use, but only once per game so use it wisely, to try to turn the game in your favor. A fun, quick game that the adults will enjoy, just as much as the kids.
Designer – Adam E. Daulton, 2-4 players, 15 to 30 minutes playing time.
4. Shadow Hunters
Are you a Shadow? Or a Hunter? What about the person to your left? Can they be trusted?
Shadow Hunters is a survival board game set in the deep dark, devilish forest with three different groups of characters; Shadows which are the creatures of the night; Hunters who are humans that try to destroy supernatural creatures; and Neutrals, civilians caught in the middle of all this.
Struggling against each other to survive, each player will be either a Shadow, a Hunter or a Neutral and will need to hide their identity from the rest of the group – well at first anyway. Throughout the game, you will get clues through actions, cards or even your special abilities.
The game aims to identify your friends and enemies early because once your identity is revealed, your enemies will attack. This ancient battle comes to a head, and only one group will stand victorious.
Designer – Yasutaka Ikeda, 4-8 players, 45 minutes playing time
5. Sagrada
The dice in this game are stunning! Everything is so eye-catching on the table.
Who knew that constructing a stained-glass window would be so fun, and so addictive. Sagrada is a dice rolling game in which players create a beautiful stained-glass window by building up a grid of dice on their player board. During the game, dice are drafted in player order, with the start player rotating each round until the last player drafts two dice. Scoring is different depending on the game you play as you can achieve various patterns and varieties of placement, as well as bonus points throughout the game.
Special tools can be used to help you break the rules by spending skill tokens; once a tool is used, it then requires more skill tokens for the next player to use them.
Designer – Adrian Adamescu, Daryl Andrews, 1-4 players, 20 – 40 minutes playing time
6. Room 25
The ever-moving chambers make every single game different than the last. Watch out for the Mortal Chamber! Enter it and you’re instantly “eliminated.”
Room 25 is a cooperative game for one to eight players. You’re trapped in an ever-changing block of rooms, each having four doors but apparently no exit. Together you must try to find Room 25, the supposed exit to this maze. If one of you is eliminated, you all lose. You can also play in Suspicion mode, where one (or even two) players are secretly guards who are trying to stop you from escaping.
Designer – François Rouźe, 1-6 players, 30 minute playing time
7. Photosynthesis
Who doesn’t add real plant life to their pics of Photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis makes the list for a couple of reasons. Not only does it look gorgeous on the table, but the theme is something a little bit different and very fascinating. Photosynthesis is about, you guessed it, Photosynthesis.
The green strategy board game where you will plant and shape the ever-changing forest as you cultivate your seeds, taking your trees through their life-cycle and earning points as their leaves collect energy from the sun’s rays. Then you must carefully pick where you sow and when your trees grow, as trees in the shadows are blocked from light, you’ll get points.
Designer – Hjalmar Hach, 2-4 players, 30-60 minute playing time
8. Race for the Galaxy
Such a solid shelf staple that a lot of people “bling out” their copy with the Broken Token insert. Game inserts also make great gifts!
Love Space? You’ll love Race for the Galaxy. A game where you must build galactic civilizations by playing cards that represent worlds or technical and social developments. Race for the Galaxy is a victory point-based game, with the winner having the most points at the end of the game.
You gain points by putting planets and developments into play, as well as the victory points earned through consumption and trade. On top of that, you also can also earn bonuses throughout the game. A bit more strategy-based than a lot of our other suggestions but still a lot of fun.
Designer – Tom Lehmann, 2 -4 players, 30-60 minute playing time
9. Flamme Rouge
A game about bicycle racing that’s fun?!? Absolutely!
Another game, another great theme. Flamme Rouge is a tactical bicycle racing game where you will control a team of two riders: a Rouleur and a Sprinteur. Your goal is simple, to be the first to cross the finish line with one of your two riders. You will move your riders forward by drawing and playing cards from that riders specific deck, depleting it as they go. A lot of fun for all the family, and it looks pleasing on the table, too!
Designer – Asger Harding Granerud, 2 – 4 players, 30 – 45 minute playing time
So there we go. Some of our favorite games that we think you will love this holiday season. Let us know in the comments what you will be playing during your holiday festivities.
Happy Holidays!
