The best games from Mike Selinker 🇺🇸👨 2026

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

Who is Mike Selinker anyway?

Mike Selinker has been designing dice, card & board games since 1996. The game designer hails from USA🇺🇸, was born in 1970 and currently lives in Seattle, Washington, USA 🇺🇸. He is also known as Michael Selinker, Michael D. Selinker.

Selinker's first game "WoRDWeRX" he developed in 1996 at the age of 26 - so he has been designing games for over 30 years. Famous Selinker games are for example Lords of Vegas, die meisten Spiele der Pathfinder Adventure Card Game-Serie oder Betrayal at House on the Hill.

Active since childhood

Mike Selinker is a prolific game designer. He wrote for TSR, was creative director at Wizards of the Coast, held a leadership role at Avalon Hill Games, Inc. and is president of Lone Shark Games, a game company he co-founded with James Ernest. He began his career as a game designer with the publication of a Dungeons and Dragons crossword puzzle in Dragon magazine #100 at the age of 15. His puzzles and game articles now appear frequently in Games Magazine, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. He is also known among the various game designers who play at trade shows as a good poker player - he has even written a book about playing poker.

How good are "Mike Selinker" games?

There are 4 games by Mike Selinker in our Top1000 games list, making Selinker the #61 best game designer out of a total of 708 designers in our database.

More information about Selinker

More information about Selinker can be found on:

List of best games by Mike Selinker 2026

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

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

This list was last updated on June 11, 2026. There's also a print version for this list .
  1. 12 Days

    12 Days

    The holiday-themed card game transforms the famous song "Twelve Days of Christmas" into a fast-paced experience. Over twelve rounds, players try to re-gift unwanted cards while keeping strong cards to win the day and earn bonus points at the end.

    All details & rating
    3–5 15 min 8+ Immediately playable
  2. Unspeakable Words: Deluxe Edition

    Unspeakable Words: Deluxe Edition

    Players try to form words using letter cards from their hands, with each letter worth points based on its angles. Test the strength of your word against a 20-sided die roll; succeed to keep your sanity or lose it if you roll lower. The game features unique illustrations of terrifying characters from H.P. Lovecraft's works, enhancing its dark atmosphere.

    All details & rating
    2–8 30 min 10+ Immediately playable
  3. Lords of Vegas

    Lords of Vegas

    Lords of Vegas is a dynamic board game where players take on the roles of developers in a growing Nevada city, aiming to build the most profitable casinos along "The Strip." Starting with mere parking lots, players strategize to expand, reorganize, and gamble their way to success, aiming to score the most points by owning the most lucrative casinos and appointing the best bosses.

    All details & rating
    2–4 60–90 min 12+ Easy to learn
    Video reviews 1
  4. Betrayal at House on the Hill

    Betrayal at House on the Hill

    Betrayal at House on the Hill is a suspenseful board game where players explore a haunted mansion they build themselves, filled with spirits and ominous omens. It's a great choice for an hour of entertainment at parties or casual gatherings.

    All details & rating
    3–6 60 min 12+ Easy to learn
  5. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set

    Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set

    Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set is a cooperative strategy card game set in the Pathfinder universe. Players embark on a fantasy adventure, facing various challenges and evolving their characters throughout the game.

    All details & rating
    1–4 90 min 13+ Medium complexity
  6. Key Largo

    Key Largo

    Players are transported to the Florida Keys in 1899, where they search for treasures in shipwrecks before an impending hurricane strikes. The game features a dual mechanics system where players secretly plan their actions each day, such as diving, selling treasures, or hiring divers, while also managing limited resources to grow their wealth. The winner is the player with the most riches when the hurricane arrives and halts all dives.

    All details & rating
    3–5 30–40 min 8+ Easy to learn
  7. Yetisburg: Titanic Battles in History, Vol. 1

    Yetisburg: Titanic Battles in History, Vol. 1

    Forty years ago and seven Yetis... In the bloody fields of Pennsylvania in 1863, two great armies clashed to determine the fate of a nation. The South rose up, while the North responded with fierce determination, with powerful Yetis at the front and mighty Mastodons hurling boulders from behind.

    All details & rating
    2 30 min 8+ Immediately playable
  8. Pirates of the Spanish Main

    Pirates of the Spanish Main

    Pirates of the Spanish Main stands as the world's first constructible strategy game, inviting players into the swashbuckling world of piracy, treasure hunting, and naval combat. This innovative game allows players to assemble their own fleets of ships from collectible components and navigate the high seas in search of treasure and glory. With a unique mix of strategy, construction, and collectibility, Pirates of the Spanish Main offers an engaging experience for players looking to embody the adventurous spirit of pirates.

    All details & rating
    2–10 30 min 10+ Easy to learn
  9. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Core Set

    Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Core Set

    Your adventure begins here! The tower of Belhaim has just collapsed, its wizard is missing, and local goblins whisper the name of a long-dead draconic arch-nemesis. Players take on the role of heroes battling monsters, dangers, and traps in a cooperative strategy game for 1 to 4 players.

    All details & rating
    1–4 90 min 13+ Medium complexity
  10. Pirates: Quest for Davy Jones' Gold

    Pirates: Quest for Davy Jones' Gold

    Players embark on an adventure for the souls of brave pirates in a quest for Davy Jones' gold. The game focuses on the thrill of looting treasure, with ghosts and sea monsters threatening ships in dark, cursed waters. It features a customizable ship mechanic similar to other pirate-themed games.

    All details & rating
    2–4 30–60 min 8+ Easy to learn
  11. Cowpoker

    Cowpoker

    Cowboy Poker / CowPoker is a game for 2 to 4 live players, with four ranches in play and the rest controlled by automatic players called "Deadwood." Players control a ranch in a humorous cow town, and only cards from their ranch have effects. The game involves a series of card games where players aim to score points and form the best poker hands through strategic plays and winning tricks called "Gunfights" and "Roundups."

    All details & rating
    2–4 30 min 10+ Easy to learn
  12. Axis & Allies: D-Day

    Axis & Allies: D-Day

    June 6, 1944, marks the dawn of a crucial day as Allied forces prepare to storm the beaches of Normandy, determining the fate of Europe. Players experience the largest amphibious invasion in history through detailed components, including a new fortification figure and a specially designed oversized game board. With a unique card deck introducing commands, tactics, and luck, players navigate various phases and strategies while controlling the destinies of major world powers.

    All details & rating
    2–3 120 min 12+ Easy to learn
  13. Simpsons Trading Card Game

    Simpsons Trading Card Game

    Players use a deck based on one of five characters from the TV show, including Bart, Homer, Lisa, Mr. Burns, or Krusty. The goal is to reach 7 points by participating in scene cards, with cards played considered either "completion" or "destruction" depending on their compatibility. Starter boxes are available for the first four characters, while Krusty's cards are found only in booster packs, which also feature foil versions.

    All details & rating
    2–5 20 min 10+ Immediately playable
  14. Veritas

    Veritas

    Players represent a "truth" that diligent, book-copying monks aim to preserve in dark medieval France. They place and copy book tiles in monasteries, collect stacks of books, and distribute them throughout France. As monasteries burn down each round, players can move through the ruins, speeding up travel on the board, while scoring points based on regional dominance. The first player to reach 100 points wins and becomes the dominant truth as the dark ages come to a close.

    All details & rating
    3–6 60 min 12+ Easy to learn
  15. Dungeonville

    Dungeonville

    Fiese Verliese / Dungeonville is a dungeon-crawling card game for 2 to 5 players. Players take on the role of quirky wizards who control five dungeons around Dungeonville. They recruit adventurer groups to venture into the dungeons, earning points by defeating other groups in battle and eliminating other players' characters. Adventurers have a lifespan measured in minutes, and gold is used solely to hire more fools to die on your behalf.

    All details & rating
    2–5 60 min 10+ Immediately playable
  16. Thornwatch

    Thornwatch

    Thornwatch is a graphic-novel adventure game for 2-5 players and a Judge. Players embody the Thornwatch, scarred veterans of the Eyrewoods, who manifest as spirits invoked by an ancient ritual. One player takes on the role of the Judge, guiding the narrative, while others play unique Thornwatch characters, facing challenges and uncovering new adventures through a dynamic storyboarding system.

    All details & rating
    3–6 30–180 min 13+ Easy to learn
  17. Fightball

    Fightball

    In a distant future, players engage in a dangerous sport called Fightball, created by James Ernest. Brawlers from the streets have infused modern professional sports with chaotic elements, leading to a peculiar version of basketball where at least three balls are used, along with extreme violence and robot referees. The game is fast-paced, played over four rounds on a field made of 24 cards, where players score points through successful shots while contending with various card influences.

    All details & rating
    2 20 min 12+ Easy to learn
  18. Risk: Godstorm

    Risk: Godstorm

    Risk: Godstorm offers a mythological twist on the classic Risk gameplay, integrating elements of religion, ancient culture, and the supernatural into the well-known formula of territorial conquest. Players take on the roles of priests from different ancient civilizations, including Greek, Celtic, Babylonian, Norse, and Egyptian, competing to dominate not just the ancient world but also the Underworld.

    All details & rating
    2–5 120 min 10+ Medium complexity
  19. Axis & Allies

    Axis & Allies

    2004 Edition

    Axis & Allies (2004), also known as Axis & Allies Revised Edition, is a refreshed version of the classic World War II strategy board game. This edition, the first by Avalon Hill, offers an immersive simulation of the global conflict, designed for five players but often enjoyed as a two-player game. Players represent either the Allies (USA, UK, Russia) or the Axis powers (Germany, Japan), engaging in strategic warfare across the globe.

    All details & rating
    2–5 240 min 12+ Medium complexity
  20. Michelangelo

    Michelangelo

    Players act as assistants to Michelangelo, splitting their time between his workshop and the bustling political landscape of the Italian Renaissance. By helping Michelangelo, they earn money and points while also forming connections with some of the world's most powerful families.

    All details & rating
    2–5 45 min 12+ Easy to learn
  21. Alpha Blitz

    Alpha Blitz

    Alpha Blitz features two distinct games. The first, Alpha, is a word game for 2 players using 98 letter cards and 10 lightning cards. Players form words with available letters, earning points based on the length and specific letters used. The second game, Blitz, accommodates 3-6 players, where players simultaneously reveal cards and race to name words using the shown letters, with points awarded based on the order of word submissions. The game concludes when certain letter stacks are depleted or covered with lightning cards.

    All details & rating
    2–6 30 min 10+ Easy to learn
  22. Gloria Mundi

    Gloria Mundi

    Gloria Mundi is a board game for 2-6 players set during the decline of Rome. Players act as Roman statesmen struggling for survival amidst cultural decay and political chaos. They must build their careers while managing resources and facing invading forces, aiming to escape further from the doomed city. The game ends when the West Goth reaches Rome or a player reaches the outskirts, with victory going to the one who has fled the farthest.

    All details & rating
    2–6 60 min 10+ Medium complexity
  23. The Ninth World: A Skillbuilding Game for Numenera

    The Ninth World: A Skillbuilding Game for Numenera

    The Ninth World is a card game for 1 to 5 players that can be played competitively, cooperatively, or solo. Players assume the roles of a Nano, Jack, or Glaive, each described by an adjective, a noun, and a verb phrase. Characters explore the realm of the Steadfast or venture into the mysterious lands beyond, making strategic decisions to spend their skills wisely while competing for valuable cards. In cooperative mode, players work together against creatures threatening the city, while in solo mode, one must face the challenges alone.

    All details & rating
    1–5 30–60 min 13+ Medium complexity
  24. Stonehenge: An Anthology Board Game

    Stonehenge: An Anthology Board Game

    Stonehenge is a board game anthology featuring five distinct games designed by acclaimed authors, all utilizing the same components. Players can experience a magic game by Richard Garfield, a political game by Bruno Faidutti, a battle game by Richard Borg, an auction game by James Ernest, and a science fiction game by Mike Selinker. From racing through the ruins to various auction mechanics, these games promise to keep the experience of Stonehenge fresh for years to come.

    All details & rating
    2–5 60 min 10+ Easy to learn
  25. Harrow

    Harrow

    Forget your future! Lose your shirt! All in one box! The Harrow Deck has long been a sacred tool of Varisian fortune tellers in the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting. Skilled users can predict harvest outcomes, guess the gender of unborn children, or provide insights into the near future. In inexperienced hands, it becomes a reckless gamble, a dangerous pastime for rogues to lose their hard-earned fortunes. Harrow features prominently in the second Pathfinder adventure path, "Curse of the Crimson Throne," allowing players to predict their future at least once in each episode. It is also a standalone card game created for use within or outside the Pathfinder setting, beautifully illustrated by Kyle Hunter.

    All details & rating
    2–9 30 min Immediately playable
  26. Dealer's Choice: The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker

    Dealer's Choice: The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker

    Winning money is twice as sweet as earning it. Players seek a friendly way to test their luck with friends and enjoy the thrill of the game. Dealer's Choice serves as the ultimate guide to low-stakes poker, covering essential gameplay principles and offering tips for the perfect poker night, along with over 200 game variants, and illustrated with spectacular drawings by Phil Foglio. Enjoy the excitement of poker right at home, even without the five-million-dollar jackpot.

    All details & rating
    0 10+ Easy to learn
  27. Apocrypha Adventure Card Game: Box One – The World

    Apocrypha Adventure Card Game: Box One – The World

    Players can engage in the Apocrypha adventure card game cooperatively or with a game master in a role-playing format. Set in a world on the brink of an apocalypse, players encounter monsters visible only to their characters. The game features a rich narrative, deck-building mechanics, and character development, where players unlock fragmented memories that grant new powers. Each mission presents unique challenges and objectives, often involving the pursuit of hidden threats. The base box includes 584 cards, dice, rulebooks, and character tokens, with expansions adding further content and complexity.

    All details & rating
    1–6 60 min 12+ For connoisseurs
  28. Verticon

    Verticon

    Experience a unique sport in the weightless Mid-Air Combat. Choose your fighter, position your weapons, and prove your superiority by knocking out opponents one by one.

    All details & rating
    2–4 5 min 7+ Immediately playable

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