The best games from Matt Leacock 🇺🇸👨 2026

Looking for a really good game from game designer Matt Leacock 👨? Then we have just the thing: the list with the best Matt Leacock games 2026.

Who is Matt Leacock anyway?

Matt Leacock has been designing dice, card & board games since 1995. The game designer hails from St. Paul, Minnesota, USA🇺🇸, was born in 1971, and currently lives in Sunnyvale, California, USA🇺🇸.

Leacock began developing individual games in the 1990s. Leacock's first published game, Borderlands, came out in 1995 when he was 24 years old - so he's actually been designing games for over 31 years. However, after his first game there was a 5 year break until "Lunatic Loops" - and until his third it took until 2008, so another 8 years.

Famous Leacock games are for example Pandemic, Forbidden Island & the Pandemic Legacy Series.

His daughter, Colleen Leacock, has also taken her first steps as a game designer.

From Minnesota to Illinois to California

Leacock grew up in Long Lake, Minnesota, USA. He then studied visual communications in Illinois at Northern Illinois University, graduating in 1995. He was then drawn to the greats in Silicon Valley.

From employee at IT giants to board game designer icon

Leacock initially worked as a developer for various IT giants such as Yahoo!, AOL, Netscape and Apple as a user experience designer. During his time as an employee, he always developed board games on the side. He finally wrapped up his IT career in July 2014 and switched to designing board games full-time.

"I design the games I want to play and teach. It's hard for me to imagine doing game design for a paycheck." -- Matt Leacock

How good are "Matt Leacock" games?

There are 11 games by Matt Leacock in our Top1000 games list, making Leacock the #11 best game designer out of a total of 708 designers in our database.

More information about Leacock

More information about Leacock can be found on:

List of best games by Matt Leacock 2026

In this list we have listed the best board games that Matt Leacock either designed himself - or was involved in designing.

Unfortunately, not all of Matt Leacock's games are currently available. In the following list you can find all dice, board & card games by Matt Leacock that you can buy 2026:

This list was last updated on June 13, 2026. There's also a print version for this list .
  1. Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West

    Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West

    Players embark on twelve journeys through North America as 19th-century pioneers. Starting on the East Coast, they face challenges while aiming to complete ticket objectives and develop new skills to overcome unexpected events and rivals. As the campaign progresses, players unlock new rules and content, creating a uniquely tailored experience that evolves with their choices, resulting in a game that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

    All details & rating
    2–5 20–90 min 10+ Medium complexity
    + 10 € above the best price
    87 € at Amazon*
  2. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 1

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 offers an extraordinary gaming experience as a cooperative campaign game, immersing players in an overarching story-arc that unfolds over 12-24 gripping sessions. The duration depends on your group's performance and the fate of the world. Here's an overview of this thrilling journey:

    All details & rating
    2–4 60 min 13+ Medium complexity
  3. Pandemic: Iberia

    Pandemic: Iberia

    Pandemic: Iberia is a historical variant of the popular Pandemic series, set in the Iberian Peninsula during the year 1848. This version of the game introduces unique roles and challenges as players work together to combat historical diseases like malaria, typhus, yellow fever, and cholera.

    All details & rating
    2–5 45 min 8+ Medium complexity
    Video reviews 1
  4. Pandemic

    Pandemic

    Pandemic is a highly acclaimed cooperative board game where players take on the roles of disease-fighting specialists. Their mission is to contain and cure four deadly diseases that have broken out across the globe. The game is set on a board depicting major world population centers and requires players to strategize and work together to manage the outbreaks and develop cures before the diseases spiral out of control.

    All details & rating
    2–4 45 min 8+ Easy to learn
    10 € below the next retailer
    30 € at Amazon*
  5. Pandemic: The Cure

    Pandemic: The Cure

    Pandemic: The Cure is a dice-based adaptation of the popular Pandemic board game. It offers a quicker setup and playtime while retaining the core theme of disease control and teamwork.

    All details & rating
    2–5 30 min 8+ Easy to learn
  6. Reign of Cthulhu

    Reign of Cthulhu

    Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu is a thrilling adaptation of the classic Pandemic game, infused with a chilling Lovecraftian theme. Players take on the roles of investigators, tasked with a daunting mission to prevent the awakening of ancient evils, known as Old Ones, from their cosmic prison.

    All details & rating
    2–4 40 min 14+ Easy to learn
  7. Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 0

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 transports you to 1962, at the height of the Cold War, where a mysterious Soviet bioweapon called "Project MEDUSA" threatens global safety. As newly recruited CIA agents and medical graduates, you and your team are tasked with a critical mission: investigate and halt the development of this deadly pathogen. This game stands alone as a thrilling prequel to the earlier seasons of Pandemic Legacy, immersing players in a tense world of espionage and covert operations.

    All details & rating
    2–4 45–60 min 14+ Medium complexity
    Video reviews 1
  8. Forbidden Desert

    Forbidden Desert

    Forbidden Desert is a cooperative adventure game where players work together to recover a legendary flying machine from the ruins of an ancient desert city, while surviving extreme environmental challenges.

    All details & rating
    2–5 45 min 10+ Easy to learn
  9. + 6 € above the best price
    66 € at Amazon*
  10. Forbidden Island

    Forbidden Island

    Forbidden Island is a visually captivating cooperative board game that sets itself apart from traditional competitive games. In this thrilling adventure, players must join forces and collaborate to achieve victory instead of competing against each other. The goal is clear: work together as a team to secure a win.

    All details & rating
    2–4 30 min 10+ Easy to learn
  11. Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age

    Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age

    Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age is a captivating dice game that immerses players in the task of building and advancing their civilizations. This game combines elements of luck, strategy, and resource management, making it an engaging experience for players who enjoy civilization-building themes.

    All details & rating
    1–4 30–45 min 8+ Easy to learn
  12. Fall of Rome

    Fall of Rome

    Pandemic: Fall of Rome is a unique cooperative board game that blends the classic gameplay of Pandemic with the historical setting of the Roman Empire's decline. In this game, players work together as citizens, soldiers, and allies of Rome, tasked with defending the empire against various barbarian tribes like the Anglo-Saxons, Goths, Vandals, and Huns. The game requires players to strategically recruit armies, fortify cities, and forge alliances to halt the onslaught of invaders.

    All details & rating
    1–5 45–60 min 8+ Easy to learn
  13. Space Escape

    Space Escape

    Players take on the role of mole rats in a research station overrun by snakes. They must collect their equipment and escape before getting bitten or running out of time. Players follow instructions on cards, which may involve moving themselves or their teammates, relocating snakes, or adding new ones to the board. Being bitten sends players back to their starting point, and two bites result in death. The game also includes a card mechanic that increases the challenge after certain successes.

    All details & rating
    2–4 20 min 7+ Immediately playable
  14. Pandemic Legacy: Season 2

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 2

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 is an epic, cooperative board game that continues the narrative and innovative gameplay of its predecessor. This game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity struggles to survive after a devastating plague. It offers a unique gaming experience, where players' decisions and actions have long-lasting consequences, making each playthrough distinct.

    All details & rating
    2–4 60 min 14+ Medium complexity
    Video reviews 1
  15. + 6 € above the best price
    35 € at Amazon*
  16. Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America

    Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America

    Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America is a streamlined, cooperative board game that condenses the thrilling experience of the classic Pandemic into a quicker and more portable format. In this version, players unite to combat the spread of three deadly diseases across North America, racing against time to prevent outbreaks and find cures.

    All details & rating
    2–4 30 min 8+ Easy to learn
  17. Era: Medieval Age

    Era: Medieval Age

    Era: Medieval Age positions itself as a groundbreaking evolution in the realm of roll-and-build board games, inheriting the legacy of Roll Through The Ages but carving out its own niche with a unique build mechanic. Players are transported to the medieval era, tasked with rolling dice to assemble a flourishing city using tangible, 3D components such as walls, keeps, and farms, making each cityscape a distinct creation by the game's conclusion.

    All details & rating
    1–4 45–60 min 8+ Easy to learn
  18. Forbidden Jungle
    2–5 45 min 10+ Easy to learn
    + 5 € above the best price
    15 € at Amazon*
  19. Pandemic: Rising Tide

    Pandemic: Rising Tide

    Pandemic: Rising Tide is a thematic and cooperative board game that immerses players in the historical context of the Netherlands during the Industrial Age. The game challenges players to manage and mitigate flooding from the North Sea using innovative hydraulic technologies, strategic planning, and teamwork.

    All details & rating
    2–5 45 min 8+ Medium complexity
  20. Daybreak

    Daybreak

    Players control a world power in a cooperative game focused on climate change. They implement political measures and technologies to mitigate global warming and build resilient societies. If the global temperature rises too high or too many citizens face crises, everyone loses; however, by working together to reduce global emissions to zero, all players can triumph.

    All details & rating
    1–4 60–120 min 10+ Medium complexity
    + 4 € above the best price
    32 € at Amazon*
  21. Thunderbirds

    Thunderbirds

    Players take on the role of International Rescue, a secret organization dedicated to saving lives in a high-octane world filled with disasters. Set in 2065, they operate advanced vehicles designed to tackle various emergencies while thwarting the schemes of the villain "The Hood." Working together, players collaborate with iconic characters and machines to conduct rescue missions and save those in peril.

    All details & rating
    1–4 45–60 min 10+ Easy to learn
    Video reviews 1
  22. Pandemic: Hot Zone – Europe

    Pandemic: Hot Zone – Europe

    Pandemic: Hot Zone – Europe is a compact and quick-playing version of the beloved cooperative game Pandemic. Set against the backdrop of Europe, this iteration maintains the core mechanics of the original game but in a streamlined format that's ideal for players looking for a shorter game time and greater portability.

    All details & rating
    2–4 30 min 8+ Easy to learn
  23. Knit Wit

    Knit Wit

    Knit Wit is a word game where players come up with unique answers to generated categories to score points. Players use numbered spools and loops, creating their own categories during the game. As they brainstorm words related to the spools, they compete to provide answers while avoiding duplication with others, ultimately scoring points based on their unique responses and the value of bonus buttons.

    All details & rating
    2–8 15 min 8+ Easy to learn
  24. Chariot Race

    Chariot Race

    Crowds gather for a spectacle under the scorching afternoon sun, as nervous horses break their harnesses. The race begins, and players, acting as charioteers, speed around the arena in a bid to cross the finish line first. Utilizing dice rolls, players can perform various actions, such as increasing speed, changing lanes, or attacking opponents, but they must manage the risks of collisions and potential damage to their chariots.

    All details & rating
    2–6 15–45 min 8+ Easy to learn
    Video reviews 1
  25. Forbidden Sky

    Forbidden Sky

    Forbidden Sky elevates the cooperative board game experience to new, thrilling heights. As part of the esteemed Forbidden... series, players join forces to brave the dangers of a floating platform, ensconced within the tumult of a fierce storm. The objective is clear yet daunting: forge a circuit of cables to ignite a clandestine rocket, racing against the twin threats of lightning strikes and the perilous wind that seeks to cast players into the abyss.

    All details & rating
    2–5 60 min 10+ Medium complexity
    Video reviews 1

Frequently asked questions

Which game ranks first on this list?

Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West currently tops our list. The ranking is derived from player community ratings and is recalculated continuously.

How many players do the games on this list support?

Most games on this list support 2 to 4 players. The exact player count is listed with each game.

What age are these games suitable for?

Publisher age recommendations on this list start at 7 years. Each game carries its own age rating.

How long does a game take?

A typical game takes about 45 minutes. Each game's playing time is listed individually.

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