The best games released in 2022π 2026
Looking for a really good game from the year 2022? 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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HITSTER
All details & ratingWith HITSTER, the ultimate music card game, you can instantly throw a party! Listen to over 100 years of fantastic hits, arrange them chronologically on your music timeline, and relive unforgettable memories. The first player to collect 10 hits is crowned the HITSTER.
2β10 30 min 16+ Immediately playable -
MicroMacro: Crime City 3 β All In
All details & ratingMicroMacro: Crime City β All In is the latest installment in the MicroMacro: Crime City series, offering players a new district of the black-and-white, crime-ridden metropolis known as Crime City to explore. This edition comes with a fresh, large city map that connects seamlessly with the maps from previous games, presenting 16 new and more complex crime cases for players to solve.
1β4 15β45 min 12+ Immediately playable -
Ready Set Bet
All details & ratingPlayers and their friends head to the races to cheer and bet on their favorite horses, with outcomes determined by dice rolls. The game is played over four rounds, each consisting of a race followed by a betting resolution. Players can place their betting tokens freely on the board during the race and earn money based on their bets, with a chance to gain a VIP club card for greater winnings in subsequent races. The player with the most money after four rounds wins.
2β9 45β60 min 10+ Immediately playable+ 22 β¬ above the best price46 β¬ at Amazon* -
Sea Salt & Paper
All details & ratingSea Salt & Paper is a set collection card game that combines strategic decision-making with the excitement of timing your moves just right. Similar to Rummy in gameplay, it involves collecting sets of cards to score points, while also navigating the timing of when to end the round for optimal advantage.
2β4 30β45 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Heat: Pedal to the Metal
All details & ratingHeat: Pedal to the Metal is a dynamic and strategic racing board game that simulates the thrill and intricacies of car racing. It offers players a chance to experience the excitement of racing while managing crucial elements like speed, car upgrades, and varying track conditions.
1β6 30β60 min 10+ Easy to learn -
Dorfromantik: The Board Game
All details & ratingDorfromantik: 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.
1β6 30β60 min 8+ Easy to learn1 β¬ below the next retailer25 β¬ at Amazon* -
Splendor Duel
All details & ratingSplendor Duel is an intriguing two-player game that builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, Splendor, enhancing it with new layers of strategy and competitiveness. Designed specifically for two players, this standalone game maintains the core elements of Splendor while introducing novel twists and mechanics, making it more dynamic and interactive.
2 30 min 10+ Easy to learn+ 8 β¬ above the best price25 β¬ at Amazon* -
Phantom Ink
All details & ratingRenowned mediums compete to decipher a secret object and prove their connection to the "spirit world." The first team to identify the secret object wins.
2β8 10β15 min 13+ Immediately playable+ 3 β¬ above the best price20 β¬ at Amazon* -
Next Station: London
All details & ratingNext Station: London invites players to take on the role of project managers tasked with the ambitious job of redesigning London's iconic underground network. The game challenges players to strategically optimize connections, incorporate as many of the city's landmarks as possible, and efficiently use the tunnels under the Thames, all while adhering to the city's specific requirements.
1β4 25β30 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Clank!: Catacombs
All details & ratingThe catacombs of the skeleton dragon Umbrok Vessna are mysterious and dangerous. Portals lead you through the depths of the dungeon, while shrines offer great riches to fearless explorers. Each trip into the catacombs is unique as you tile the dungeon layout, and you can play with the new dungeon deck or incorporate cards from previous games.
2β4 45β90 min 13+ Easy to learn+ 10 β¬ above the best price70 β¬ at Amazon* -
Spots
All details & ratingPlayers roll dice and place them on dog cards during their turn. Dice that cannot be placed are buried in their garden. If too many dice are buried, the player goes bankrupt. Completing 6 dogs wins the game!
1β4 25β30 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Fun Facts
All details & ratingEach round, a question is placed in the center of the table, such as "How long is the perfect nap?" Players secretly write their answers on colored arrows and place them face down on the table.
4β8 30 min 8+ Immediately playable -
Star Wars: Jabba's Palace β A Love Letter Game
All details & ratingJabba's lair is a place of danger and deception. Players compete with members of the Rebel Alliance and the residents of Jabba's Palace, using the abilities of iconic characters while trying to outsmart their opponents. The game retains the simple and fun mechanics of the original, introducing Agenda cards that offer new victory conditions and additional strategic depth.
2β6 20 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Lands of Galzyr
All details & ratingLands of Galzyr is an adventure game set in an open and persistent world where players' actions have consequences in both current and future sessions. Players take on the roles of cunning adventurers, navigating the lands, completing quests, and striving for fame and prestige. Each game continues from where the last left off, thanks to a clever save and load mechanism, allowing for seamless play even with different players in between sessions.
1β4 60β150 min 14+ Easy to learn -
Azul: Master Chocolatier
All details & ratingPlayers take turns drawing colored tiles from suppliers to place on their boards. Points are awarded based on how the tiles are arranged to decorate the palace, with extra points for specific patterns and completing sets. Wasted resources will reduce a player's score, and the player with the most points at the end wins.
2β4 30β45 min 8+ Easy to learn -
Trekking Through History
All details & ratingPlayers embark on a three-day journey through human history, traveling through time to experience significant moments from the past. Each day represents a round in which players choose historical events to spend hours on, gaining advantages like ticking off points on their itinerary and collecting time crystals to manipulate the space-time continuum in future turns. Points are also earned for visiting events in chronological order, and the player with the most points after three rounds wins.
1β4 30β60 min 10+ Easy to learn -
Kites - Time to Fly
All details & ratingThe sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and it's time to gather your friends to fly some kites! Players collaborate to keep all their kites, represented by colorful hourglasses, in the air by playing cards, flipping the hourglasses, and coordinating with each other. If any hourglass runs out, a kite crashes, adding a fun challenge to the game. Play all the kite cards in the stack to achieve a collective victory!
2β6 10 min 10+ Immediately playable+ 4 β¬ above the best price19 β¬ at Amazon* -
Wandering Towers
All details & ratingPlayers aim to bring all their wizards home to the Raven Castle before their opponents. The game board is set up in a circle with towers placed in a specific order, and each player starts with a certain number of wizards and movement cards. Players move their wizards or towers based on their played cards, capture opponents' wizards to fill their potion bottles, and ultimately try to place their last wizard in the Raven Castle to win. The game can also be played in teams with a variant that adds various spells.
1β6 30 min 8+ Easy to learn -
Akropolis
All details & ratingAkropolis is a strategic board game set in ancient Greece, where players take on the roles of skilled architects competing to build the most prestigious city. The game focuses on urban planning, resource management, and tactical tile placement.
1β4 20β30 min 8+ Easy to learn -
Secret Identity
All details & ratingPlayers must guess their opponents' hidden identities while trying to make them guess theirs. At the start of each round, a key card indicates your character from eight on the table. Using double-sided "Picto" cards, you give hints about your identity while trying to deduce others. New characters appear each round, adding variety, but your supply of Picto cards is limited. After the fourth round, the player with the most points wins.
3β8 20β40 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Quacks & Co.
All details & ratingIt's race day in Quedlinburg, and with the right mix of food and luck, you ride your mount to victory and win the golden cauldron. Players build their own bag of tiles throughout the game, drawing them to advance on the race track. They will collect resources, gain bonuses, and strategize until someone crosses the finish line first.
2β4 25 min 6+ Immediately playable -
Long Shot: The Dice Game
All details & ratingGet ready for the racetrack! Players develop strategies and test their luck in an exciting race with eight horses. You will buy horses, place bets, influence the race, and use special abilities, while dice rolls determine horse movements and your options each round. Once three horses cross the finish line, winnings are tallied, and the player with the most money is declared the winner. Will you play it safe or take a risk for big rewards?
1β8 25 min 14+ Easy to learn -
Mindbug: First Contact
All details & ratingMindbug: First Contact is an innovative and strategic duel card game where players summon unique hybrid creatures to battle their opponent. However, the twist lies in the Mindbug cards, which can turn the tide of the game by allowing players to take control of an opponent's creature.
2 15β25 min 8+ Easy to learn+ 8 β¬ above the best price22 β¬ at Amazon* -
Planet Unknown
All details & ratingPlanet Unknown is a competitive and strategic game for 1-6 players set in a future where Earth's resources are depleted. Players are tasked with developing the most efficient and habitable planet among a series of newfound worlds. Using polyomino-shaped tiles, each representing vital infrastructure, players work to efficiently cover their planets and build an effective support system for life.
1β6 60β80 min 10+ Easy to learn -
Port Royal: Big Box
All details & ratingPort Royal: Big Box includes the base game and its two expansions, offering new graphics and artwork. It also features Gambler promo cards and the standalone game. This edition will be released in Germany in January 2022.
1β5 20β50 min 8+ Easy to learn -
Bohnanza: 25th Anniversary Edition
All details & ratingThe 25th Anniversary Edition includes a new bean variety and three game variants, one featuring a collector's coin. Players plant and harvest bean cards to earn coins, managing their hand without changing the order of cards. On their turn, a player lays down cards, trades with others, and eventually collects coins based on their beans before the game concludes with a final harvest.
2β7 45 min 10+ Easy to learn -
Wingspan Asia
3rd Expansion
All details & ratingWingspan Asia is the third expansion of the acclaimed game Wingspan, introducing a captivating collection of Asian bird species to the existing lineup. This expansion not only adds diversity with birds chosen from over 2,800 species native to Asia but also brings versatile gameplay options.
1β2 40β70 min 10+ Medium complexity+ 4 β¬ above the best price32 β¬ at Amazon*
Frequently asked questions
Which game ranks first on this list?
HITSTER 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 6 years. Each game carries its own age rating.
How long does a game take?
A typical game takes about 25 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: