The best games where you can get advantages by owning objects 2025

Lords of Waterdeep immerses players in the vibrant and politically charged city of Waterdeep, the Crown Jewel of the Forgotten Realms. In this strategic board game designed for 2-5 players, you assume the identity of one of the enigmatic Lords of Waterdeep, the city's clandestine rulers. As a Lord, you'll navigate a web of intrigue and compete with other powerful figures to exert control over this remarkable city. Let's explore the game's key features:

Everdell invites players to immerse themselves in the enchanting valley of Everdell, where a thriving civilization of forest critters seeks to expand their territories and establish new cities beneath towering trees, meandering streams, and mossy hollows. As the leader of a group of ambitious critters, you have a busy year ahead, filled with construction, character encounters, and hosting events. Can you ensure that the sun shines brightest on your city before the winter moon rises?

Hansa Teutonica: Big Box is an expansive edition of the acclaimed strategy game "Hansa Teutonica," renowned for its deep strategic gameplay and interactive mechanics. This edition not only includes the base game but also all its expansions, offering an enriched experience of the historical Hanseatic League trading theme.

Mint Works is a compact and accessible worker placement board game, perfect for introducing new players to the genre and for gaming on the go. It stands out for its simplicity and portability, offering a straightforward yet engaging gameplay experience.

Machi Koro is a light and fast-paced city-building board game, where players take on the role of mayor of a small town, striving to develop it into a thriving city.

Great Western Trail is a strategic board game set in 19th-century America, where players take on the roles of ranchers herding cattle from Texas to Kansas City.

Great Western Trail: Second Edition is an enhanced version of the critically acclaimed strategy game set in 19th century America. Players take on the role of ranchers, herding cattle from Texas to Kansas City, navigating a series of strategic decisions along the Great Western Trail.

Hansa Teutonica is a strategic board game that transports players back to the time of the Hanseatic League, a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds in Northwestern and Central Europe. In this game, players take on the roles of traders competing to expand their trading network, improve their skills, and gain the most victory points.

Railways of the World, initially released as Railroad Tycoon, is a grand-scale board game where players build and manage their own railroad empire. This 2009 edition revitalizes the original with several improvements and expanded features.

Vindication (originally known as Epoch: The Awakening) is a richly strategic and immersive fantasy board game designed for 2-5 players. Each session spans 15-30 minutes per player, offering a deep and engaging experience. In this game, players start as disgraced outcasts washed up on the shores of a mysterious island and embark on a journey to restore their honor through cunning resource management, area control, and strategic action selection.

The Bloody Inn transports players to 1831 France, in the small village of Peyrebeille, where a family of devious farmers runs an inn with a dark secret. This card game involves strategy, cunning, and a dash of morbid humor as players aim to become wealthy by unsavory means.

Keyflower is a strategic board game designed for 2-6 players that spans over four rounds, each representing a different season: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The game combines elements of auction, tile placement, and resource management set in a medieval world. Players start with a "home" tile and a team of workers, using them to bid for new tiles, gather resources, and build their village.

In IKI: A Game of EDO Artisans, players are transported to the bustling streets of historical Edo (now Tokyo), specifically the renowned Nihonbashi district. This game offers a vivid portrayal of life in Edo, where an estimated one million people, including townspeople and samurai, thrived. The vibrant shopping culture of Nihonbashi, with its array of shops selling kimonos, rice, and other goods, forms the backdrop for this immersive game.

Players assume the role of sheep farmers in 19th century New Zealand. They focus on diversifying sheep breeds and enhancing wool quality to ensure the prosperity of their family business. As the new century brings challenges, acquiring improved sheep breeds becomes essential for sustaining their livelihood.

Troyes is a strategy board game set in the historic city of Troyes in France's Champagne region. Players immerse themselves in the development of the city over four centuries, balancing the demands of religious, military, and civil responsibilities.

Wabash Cannonball, also known as Chicago Express, is a strategic business board game that delves into the development of railroads in the United States. As part of Winsome Games' Historic Railroads System, it offers players a chance to invest in and expand the rail network, focusing on strategic growth and financial acumen.

Le Havre is a strategic board game that simulates harbor management, focusing on resource distribution, building construction, and economic development.

Caylus 1303 revitalizes a cornerstone of the worker placement genre, delivering a modernized and streamlined experience that honors its roots while introducing fresh mechanics and variability. This new edition ensures that the game remains a challenging and engaging experience for both veterans of the original Caylus and newcomers to the genre.

Barrage is a strategic resource management board game set in the 1930s, during a time when the industrial revolution has pushed the use of fossil fuels to its limits. The game revolves around the theme of hydroelectric energy generation, where players compete to build and manage efficient hydroelectric dam systems.

Players own a vast ranch in Argentina during the late 19th century, navigating the Pampas to deliver cattle to the main train station in Buenos Aires. The game features elements like card management and a rondel mechanism, with new worker types and paths that present strategic choices. Players can unlock shortcuts, manage resources like grain, and tackle the unique solo challenge of beating Pedro's score.

Harbour is a delightful worker placement game that takes players to a bustling harbour town managed by Dockmaster Schlibble and Constable O'Brady. In this immersive game, players collect and trade various resources like Fish, Livestock, Wood, and Stone as they visit different buildings in the town. The objective is to strategically use these resources to purchase buildings, which then become new worker placement spots. The game's charm lies in its dynamic market mechanism and the ever-changing central pool of buildings available for purchase.

Islebound is an engaging strategy board game where players navigate a richly themed world of exploration and conquest. Set in a vibrant archipelago full of opportunities and dangers, players compete to build the most prosperous sea-faring nation through clever diplomacy, trade, and the might of their fleets.

Steam is an engaging railroad-themed strategy game where players focus on building railroads and delivering goods across a dynamic network of tracks and stations. As players work to construct tracks, upgrade towns, and optimize their trains, they strive to complete the most profitable deliveries.

Caylus is a deeply strategic board game that transports players to the year 1289, where they become master builders tasked with constructing a castle for King Philip the Fair of France and developing the surrounding city.

Imperial 2030 is a standalone strategy game that builds upon the mechanics of its predecessor, Imperial. Set in the near future, the game sees six global powers (USA, Europe, Russia, China, India, and Brazil) competing for dominance by expanding their industrial bases and military might. Unlike traditional board games where players directly control a nation, in Imperial 2030, players are international investors influencing global politics through their investments in these powers.

Belfort is a charming worker placement and area control board game set in the Tasty Minstrel universe, where players use fantasy characters like Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes to gather resources and construct buildings in the vibrant city of Belfort. The game combines strategic resource management with competitive area majority mechanics, making it a captivating experience for players who enjoy planning, building, and a touch of fantasy.

Imperial is a strategy board game that plunges players into the heart of European imperialism. Unlike traditional war or area control games, players in Imperial take on the roles of international investors vying for influence over six major imperial nations. The game stands out for its unique approach to strategy, eschewing the randomness of dice and cards, and instead focusing on the players' abilities to manipulate and control the political landscape of Europe.

Crossing Oceans brings the golden age of ocean liners to life with fifty historical ships. Players build a thriving trading fleet, acquire modern steamships, and take control of valuable ports. The game features a unique rondel system for actions, offering strategic opportunities to expand trade networks and compete for dominance on major shipping routes.

Players navigate their boats in areas determined by the cards they draw, aiming to be part of a capture team with nearby boats. Sometimes, a player takes on the role of the "Flying Dutchman," able to reach more locations but vanishing once a capture happens. Additionally, players can position themselves as the main trader during a conquest, allowing them to pay surrounding boats while ultimately earning more money by the end of the game.

Players are representatives of the Galactic Council sent to Earth to build space stations for observing and potentially interacting with humanity. Each player starts with nine ships and a station center, which they use to gather resources, explore nearby planets, and construct their stations. The game features fast-paced turns where players can either take a ship action or collect income, but they start with the best production machine they'll ever have, gradually dismantling it throughout the game. The high replayability comes from millions of possible starting positions and combinations of station parts.