The best games released in 1982📆 2026

Survive: Escape from Atlantis! is a thrilling and competitive board game where players aim to evacuate their pieces from a sinking island. The game is known for its intense gameplay and strategic decisions.

Sequence is a captivating blend of board and card game mechanics, offering an engaging experience for players. This game uniquely combines strategy and luck, featuring a board that displays the cards of two standard 52-card decks, arranged in a 10 x 10 grid.

Slapshot is a clever trading game for hockey enthusiasts of all ages. Players take on the role of team managers, aiming to skillfully guide their teams into the playoffs and ultimately win the championship. They can enhance their team through trades and drafts during the regular season, while injuries and luck also play a part in determining victory or defeat.

Family Business is a cutthroat card game that simulates mob warfare with a keen focus on strategy, betrayal, and survival. Players assume the roles of rival mob families, all vying for power by eliminating the competition. The game's appeal lies in its simplicity, coupled with the depth of player interaction and strategy, making every session unpredictable and engaging.

Players race against each other to solve a puzzle in real time, using colored cubes inspired by Rubik. Each participant has a 5x5 sliding puzzle with one missing piece. At the start of each round, a device called the "Scrambler" is shaken, and players work to match the 3x3 center of their puzzles to it.

Mhing is a classic card game based on Mah Jong, resembling Rummy at first glance. Players must choose between completing their cards quickly for a "Mhing" or aiming for rare combinations that score hundreds of points. With its elegant design and a set of 150 cards, Mhing is suitable for 2 to 6 players aged 10 and up, providing endless entertainment.

Empire Builder immerses you in the role of a railroad magnate, tasked with constructing a network of tracks across North America. Starting with a modest sum, your goal is to expand your empire by laying tracks, picking up and delivering commodities, and earning cash to upgrade your trains and tracks. It's a strategic game of planning and execution, where you balance construction with logistics to meet demand and outmaneuver competitors.

Upwords offers a unique twist on the classic word-building game format by allowing players to stack letters on top of existing ones to form new words, elevating the strategic depth and dynamism of play. This engaging board game challenges players not only to think across and down but also vertically, introducing a three-dimensional aspect to word creation.

Players take turns placing tiles next to previously placed ones, aiming to create aligned color paths. Points are awarded for each smaller square in a new path, with scores ranging from 2 to over 30 depending on the path's length. The game continues until all tiles are used, and the player with the highest score wins.

Phase 10 is a captivating rummy-style card game that challenges players to complete a series of ten varied phases first. The game combines elements of strategy and luck, appealing to a wide range of players.