The best games released in 2020π 2026
Looking for a really good game from the year 2020? Then we have just the thing for you: our recommendation list with the best board games that were newly released in 2020.
More lists from similar periods
A list with the best games from other years can be found at the end of the page.
In addition, we have created several more lists of card & board game awards:
- The Best Games by Decade.
- The best board game awards
- The best current games-new releases
- The best classic games
List of the best new games releases in 2020
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MicroMacro: Crime City
All details & ratingMicroMacro: Crime City is a unique detective game that immerses players into a detailed and expansive cityscape to solve intriguing crimes. The game centers around a large, detailed map of a city where various crimes have occurred. Players become detectives tasked with unraveling these mysteries using the clues scattered across the city.
1β4 15β45 min 12+ Immediately playable+ 1 β¬ above the best price16 β¬ at Amazon* -
Top Ten
All details & ratingTop Ten is a lively party game that challenges players to creatively rank responses based on humorous or bizarre scenarios. Each playerβs task is to align their answer with a secret number they are assigned, ranging from worst (1) to best (10), according to the theme provided by the round's chief. The game combines elements of comedy, strategy, and social deduction as players try to guess and assign the correct rankings to each other's answers.
4β9 30 min 14+ Immediately playable -
Unmatched: Cobble & Fog
All details & ratingUnmatched: Cobble & Fog is a captivating expansion to the Unmatched system, featuring a quartet of iconic characters drawn from literary lore, each with their unique playstyle and abilities. This expansion introduces the Invisible Man, Sherlock Holmes with Dr. Watson, Dracula along with the sisters, and the duo of Jekyll & Hyde, all brought to life in a highly asymmetrical miniature fighting game.
2β4 20β40 min 9+ Easy to learn+ 2 β¬ above the best price37 β¬ at Amazon* -
Project L
All details & ratingProject 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.
1β4 20β40 min 8+ Easy to learn -
King of Tokyo: Dark Edition
All details & ratingKing of Tokyo: Dark Edition is a limited collector's edition of the popular game King of Tokyo. Set in an alternative, darker version of Tokyo, this edition brings a new level of intensity to the battle for control of the city.
2β6 30 min 8+ Easy to learn -
Zombie Teenz Evolution
All details & ratingZombies are attacking the entire city! Collaborate with your friends to embark on an expedition and drive away the overwhelming hordes. Collect the four ingredients and brew the antidote that will save the world!
2β4 20 min 8+ Immediately playableVideo reviews 3 -
Spicy
All details & ratingSpicy is a vibrant bluffing card game that captures the fiery competition among three big cats who, tired of their constant battling for supremacy, decide to engage in a spicy hot eating contest. This setup serves as a backdrop for a game filled with deceit, strategy, and quick thinking, designed for 2-6 players. The game's core mechanic revolves around players announcing their card plays without revealing them, allowing for a high degree of bluffing as cards are played face down.
2β6 15β20 min 10+ Immediately playable+ 2 β¬ above the best price18 β¬ at Amazon* -
Dragomino
All details & ratingThe big moment has arrived. You have been appointed as a "Dragon Trainer" with the chance to encounter dragons on a mysterious island. Compete with other trainers to discover the most baby dragons while searching for dragon eggs.
2β4 15 min 5+ Immediately playable+ 3 β¬ above the best price21 β¬ at Amazon* -
Marvel United
All details & ratingMarvel United is a cooperative board game where players take on the roles of Marvel superheroes, working together to thwart the plans of a powerful villain, who is controlled by the game mechanics.
1β4 40 min 14+ Easy to learn -
My City
All details & ratingMy City is a groundbreaking competitive legacy game where players develop their own city across multiple epochs. This game uniquely blends city-building with the evolving challenges and narratives of a legacy format.
2β4 30 min 10+ Easy to learnVideo reviews 1 -
Splendor: Marvel
All details & ratingSplendor: Marvel transforms the classic Splendor game with a Marvel Universe twist. Players race to stop Thanos by assembling a team of heroes and villains, using Infinity Stones to recruit characters and earn Infinity Points.
2β4 30 min 10+ Easy to learn -
MonsDRAWsity
All details & ratingImagine seeing a real alien stomping through your garden. In MonsDRAWsity, one player acts as "the witness" and has twenty seconds to study a bizarre creature before describing it to the "sketch artists." At the end of the round, the witness awards points to the artist who best captured the monster's appearance.
3β8 5β30 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Dune: Imperium
All details & ratingDune: Imperium is a strategic deck-building game inspired by the iconic Dune universe, incorporating elements from both the recent film adaptation and the classic novels. Players lead one of the Great Houses in the interstellar political landscape of the Landsraad.
1β4 60β120 min 14+ Medium complexity1 β¬ below the next retailer37 β¬ at Amazon* -
Forgotten Waters
All details & ratingForgotten Waters is a captivating board game that plunges players into the whimsical and unpredictable world of pirate adventure. Blending storytelling and strategy, this game stands out for its immersive narrative and engaging gameplay.
3β7 120β240 min 14+ Easy to learn -
7 Wonders -
2nd Edition
All details & rating7 Wonders (Second Edition) is an acclaimed board game known for its widespread recognition and numerous international awards. This new version rejuvenates the classic 7 Wonders game, maintaining its status as a cornerstone in the world of modern board gaming. The game is celebrated for its elegant drafting mechanics, allowing up to 7 players to participate simultaneously without downtime.
3β7 30 min 10+ Easy to learn+ 2 β¬ above the best price41 β¬ at Amazon* -
5-Minute Mystery
All details & ratingPlayers work together in a high-intensity, deductive puzzle game to identify the culprit hidden among a group of suspects. A criminal has stolen the priceless MacGuffin right before the Museum of Everything was set to unveil it, and it's up to the detectives to solve the case. Search for hidden symbols in various museum rooms, match them on the codex, and unlock clues to reveal the thief, all while racing against the clock.
1β6 5β30 min 8+ Immediately playable -
The Search for Planet X
All details & ratingThe Search for Planet X is a captivating board game that immerses players in the world of astronomy and scientific discovery. Aspiring astronomers use a combination of observation, deduction, and a companion app to unravel the mystery of a hidden planet in our solar system.
1β4 60β75 min 13+ Easy to learn -
Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game
All details & ratingInfinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game brings the epic struggle from the Marvel Universe to the tabletop in a dynamic adaptation of the classic Love Letter mechanics. This version transforms the game into a thrilling one-vs-many experience, pitting one player as the formidable Thanos against a team of heroes aiming to thwart his universe-altering plans.
2β6 15 min 10+ Immediately playableVideo reviews 1 -
Nidavellir
All details & ratingNidavellir is a strategic bidding and set collection game set in a mythical dwarf kingdom. Players take on the roles of Elvalands, noble leaders tasked with assembling a powerful army to defend the kingdom against the dragon Fafnir.
2β5 45 min 10+ Easy to learnVideo reviews 1 -
L.A.M.A. Party Edition
All details & ratingPlayers aim to discard their cards as quickly as possible in this game, but they may struggle to play what they want. Each player starts with six cards, drawn from a deck containing Llama cards and numbered cards from 1 to 6. The round continues until a player empties their hand or everyone passes, with players collecting tokens based on the cards they have in front of them.
2β6 20 min 8+ Immediately playable+ 6 β¬ above the best price12 β¬ at Amazon* -
Mysterium Park
All details & ratingMysterium Park beckons with its mysterious aura, set against the backdrop of a 1950s US fairground with a dark twist. The disappearance of the parkβs director has left behind a haunting presence, prompting a group of psychics to uncover the truth before the carnival disappears. This cooperative game engages players with visions provided by the ghost, requiring interpretation to eliminate suspects and locations, leading to the revelation of the directorβs fate.
2β6 30β45 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Herd Mentality
All details & ratingThis is a party game for families, friends, and cattle herders. The goal is simple: think like the herd and write the same answers as your friends. If your answer is part of the majority, you win all the cows. The first player to collect eight cows wins.
4β20 20β30 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Chronicles of Crime: 1400
All details & ratingChronicles of Crime: 1400 invites players into the heart of medieval Paris, where they embody Abelard Lavel, a knight with a prophetic gift for solving crimes. As a standalone game in the Chronicles of Crime series, it combines familiar investigative gameplay with new elements to create a unique, narrative-driven experience. Players utilize Vision Cards to gain insights into crimes, relying on both futuristic and historical scenes to guide their investigation.
1β4 60β90 min 12+ Easy to learn+ 14 β¬ above the best price27 β¬ at Amazon* -
Colt Super Express
All details & ratingColt Super Express carries the spirit of the original, award-winning Colt Express in a fast-paced, portable format. Players compete to be the last Colt Express driver standing, as only one can remain when the train stops. Each round, players secretly play one of their five action cards to determine their moves, including moving, shooting, and more. At the end of the round, the last train car is removed, taking any players inside with it. If multiple players are left in the final car, the entire train explodes, eliminating them all.
3β7 15β20 min 7+ Immediately playable -
Tranquility
All details & ratingBoard the good ship Tranquility and sail towards paradise, but beware of losing track of time in a realm where day turns to night. Players cooperate to fill the sea with numbered island cards and must return the ship home before anyone runs out of cards. The objective is to complete the grid in numerical order while communicating silently. Players take turns, playing cards or discarding them, and must manage their hands carefully to avoid running out of legal moves.
1β5 15β20 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Animal Upon Animal: Christmas Edition
All details & ratingA winter edition of Animal Upon Animal involves animals stacking on top of each other to create a Christmas pyramid. Players balance squirrels, snow hares, penguins, and reindeer on stars, Christmas trees, and sleds. The first player to place all their figures safely on the pyramid wins this wobbly stacking game.
2β4 20 min 5+ Immediately playable -
Sherlock: La copia
All details & ratingSotheby's auction house faces a potential forgery case. Your detective team must analyze the clues to uncover who is guilty, how they did it, and why. In each case, players work with 32 clues, revealing one at a time until all are exposed or discarded.
1β8 60 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Magic Rabbit
All details & ratingThe magic show is about to begin, but chaos reigns behind the curtain with rabbits hopping everywhere and hats rolling on the floor. Players must work together within a limited time to collect the rabbits and hats in ascending order.
1β4 3 min 8+ Immediately playable
Frequently asked questions
Which game ranks first on this list?
MicroMacro: Crime City 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 5 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 5 years. Each game carries its own age rating.
How long does a game take?
A typical game takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Each game's playing time is listed individually.
Didn't find the game you were looking for?
We're positive that you'll find it in one of our other lists! To make the search easier for you, we split our website into different categories. The following board game categories will help you find the right list: