The best games based on video games 2026

Dorfromantik: The Board Game transitions the charming and strategic essence of the beloved video game into a tactile family board game experience. Designed by Michael Palm and Lukas Zach, this game invites up to six players to collaboratively construct a picturesque landscape using hexagonal tiles. Players aim to satisfy community demands while strategically extending rivers and tracks, and optimizing points through clever area enclosure with flags.

Project L is a dynamic and visually appealing board game that combines tile-matching with engine-building elements. It's designed to challenge players with its strategic depth, encapsulated within an elegant and simple design. The game features unique triple-layer 3D puzzles and attractive acrylic pieces, making it not only a test of intellect but also a delight to play.

The board-game adaptation of the popular deck-building video game. Craft a unique deck, discover powerful relics and climb the Spire together.

Players are transported to the idyllic landscapes of Japan in this standalone successor to the award-winning board game. With the introduction of cherry blossoms as a new element and over 40 achievements to unlock, there's plenty of exciting challenges to face. Numerous surprises await as players explore the world of Dorfromantik - Sakura.

Dead Man's Draw: Captain Carcass is a thrilling card game for 2 to 4 players, blending strategy, risk, and reward. Players aim to gather the most loot by drawing cards and tactically using their abilities, all while avoiding the peril of busting their hand.

FITS (Fill In The Spaces) delivers a unique board game experience reminiscent of Tetris, where spatial reasoning and strategic planning take the forefront. This game differentiates itself with a physical, tactile approach to the classic video game's puzzle-solving mechanics, catering to a more social, multiplayer environment.

Fallout Shelter: The Board Game transports players into the universe of the beloved Bethesda Softworks mobile game, Fallout Shelter. Here, you dive into a post-apocalyptic world where, as a vault officer, your mission is to ensure the happiness and survival of your vault's dwellers. This worker-placement game for 2-4 players is all about strategic resource management, building, and decision-making to create the best possible future for those under your care.

Jetpack Joyride is a competitive real-time puzzle game adapted from the mobile game of the same name. Players use a stolen jetpack to navigate through three rounds in a laboratory, grabbing game pieces from a shared pool to track their progress. Points can be earned through mission cards or by collecting coins, and the player with the most points at the end of the third round wins.

Based on the online video game HAWKEN, this game offers a dynamic experience for both Hawken and giant mech fans. Players engage in fast-paced, real-time gameplay where they can pause to strategize before battling it out, with the last standing mech declared the winner. It includes decks for sniper and bruiser mechs and is compatible with other HAWKEN real-time card game sets. Suitable for two players aged 15 and up, games last around 30 minutes and feature easy-to-learn rules.

Players act as singles in search of a soulmate. Each turn, a player draws one card from two decks: exciting perks and questionable quirks. The resulting combination forms a potential partner, and players secretly vote on whether they would date that person. Those who best know their friends earn points, and the game continues until one player emerges as the winner by knowing their friends' preferences the best.

Players take on the role of a sniper who must sneak past or overpower German guards. Up to three other players control squads of German soldiers, balancing between defending objectives and hunting the sniper. The game features a bag-drawing mechanism, where the sniper draws tokens to target defenders, while clever tactics can reduce the likelihood of a hit.

Players take on the role of beloved Nintendo characters such as Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, or Donkey Kong in a Monopoly game with a Nintendo twist. Instead of using standard game pieces, each character has unique special abilities, and players earn points by buying properties, collecting coins, and defeating bosses. The player with the highest score wins after facing Bowser at the end.

Plague Inc: The Board Game offers a compelling blend of strategy, evolution, and competition, inviting 1-5 players to take on the roles of virulent diseases aiming to infect and wipe out humanity. Inspired by the highly successful digital game, this board game adaptation challenges players to spread their disease across the globe, evolve with deadly symptoms, and strategically outmaneuver their opponents to be the ultimate plague.

Players embody the small-time crook Oz "Hook" Carpenter, who returns from exile seeking revenge. To succeed, he needs a team with unique skills, as taking on the city's most powerful gangster alone is impossible. Explore beautifully illustrated locations, interact with characters, and solve tricky puzzles to assemble your crew in this immersive, narrative-driven game.

Players can move around the board as Sonic, Tails, Amy, or Knuckles, buying iconic locations like Planet Wisp and Rooftop Run. They will drop and collect rings while earning Chaos Emeralds and Chao tokens. Each character has unique powers, and passing Go triggers a boss battle against Dr. Eggman for more emeralds.

Players travel to the frozen continent of Northrend to confront the armies of the Lich King in this "Pandemic System" game, adapted to fit the setting of Wrath of the Lich King. They take on the roles of legendary heroes from Azeroth, such as Thrall and Varian Wrynn, each with unique abilities to aid in and out of battle. Players complete quests and fight against hordes of undead while facing dark magic and terrifying creatures in their quest to reach the Icecrown Citadel for a final showdown.

The creators of Monopoly have taken the classic format in a new direction with Monopoly Arcade: Pac-Man. Players can relive their gaming experiences as they race around the board to buy, sell, or steal levels while playing Pac-Man on the retro console. Each time a player passes Go, they get to play a mini round of Pac-Man to collect points, and the player with the most points at the end wins!

Minecraft: Builders & Biomes brings the iconic digital world of Minecraft into the realm of tabletop gaming, where players engage in a strategic game of resource gathering, building, and monster battling. The game skillfully translates the open-ended creativity and exploration of Minecraft into a structured board game format.