The best games with Variable Phase Order 2025

Aeon's End: War Eternal plunges you into the desperate battle for Gravehold, the last stronghold in a world under siege by The Nameless. This standalone expansion of Aeon's End delivers a thrilling cooperative deck-building experience.

In the concealed underground city of Gravehold, survivors of a distant invasion find solace. Here, amidst the remnants of a desperate society, they unearth a revelation: the energy emanating from breaches, the very conduits exploited by hostile beings, can be harnessed. Various gems allow them to transmute malevolent energies into beneficial spells and weapons, becoming the last bastion of defense—the breach mages.

In Tiny Epic Galaxies, each player commands a galactic empire, striving to expand their influence by acquiring contested planets and strengthening their cosmic armada. The game features an innovative dice-rolling combo mechanic, where the number of rolled dice corresponds to your galaxy's strength. These dice display symbols representing actions such as spaceship movement, resource acquisition, and the advancement of political or economic influence over newly discovered planets.

The New Age introduces an expedition system to the Aeon's End universe, allowing players to experience their own content in a shorter campaign format. After each game, players receive new treasures and player cards to grow in power, but the enemies they face become stronger with each battle. This standalone expansion is compatible with all other standalone games, enabling exciting new combinations of content.

Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest sails players into the adventurous world of Galecrest, where they become admirals of sky pirate ships. This game is a refreshed and expanded edition of the 2012 Libertalia, featuring new art, more characters, and additional game mechanics. It's all about strategy, treasure hunting, and outmaneuvering rivals in the pirate fleet.

Tiny Towns is a charming and strategic board game where players take on the role of mayors building their own tiny towns in a forest. The game challenges players to manage resources wisely and plan their towns carefully to maximize prosperity.

Jekyll vs. Hyde is a riveting two-player trick-taking game inspired by the classic novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This game pits two iconic characters against each other in a battle of wits and strategy, with one player embodying Dr. Jekyll, striving to maintain his secret and sanity, and the other player taking on the role of Mr. Hyde, seeking to dominate and unveil the dual identity.

Aeon's End: Legacy immerses players into the world of breach mages, defenders of Gravehold, the last bastion of humanity. As apprentices, players are inspired by legendary mages like Brama, Dezmodia, Mist, Malastar, and Xaxos, each embodying unique traits and powers.

Dream Home is all about unleashing your inner designer to create the perfect abode. Imagine deciding every detail of your house, from a luxurious bedroom with a canopy bed to a lavish living room with a grand piano. This family-friendly game turns you and your fellow players into architects and interior decorators, competing to build the most impressive home.

San Juan is a captivating card game that is inspired by the highly acclaimed board game, Puerto Rico. It is a game of strategy and resource management, set against the backdrop of the historic city of San Juan.

Players choose from four winning factions in Smash Up: It's Your Fault! The selected factions are Sharks, Superheroes, Mythical Greeks, and Dragons, along with a bonus faction called "Shark Delivery System." This game involves a fun process where players worldwide contributed to the selection.

Race for the Galaxy is a captivating card game that immerses players in the challenge of building galactic civilizations. In this race through the cosmos, players use game cards to represent worlds, technologies, and developments as they strive for supremacy. Let's delve into the gameplay and discover what makes Race for the Galaxy unique.

Roll for the Galaxy is a dice-based strategy game for 2-5 players, where dice represent the populace tasked with building a space empire. It's a dice adaptation of the popular card game Race for the Galaxy.

Puerto Rico is a strategy game where players become colonial governors in Puerto Rico, aiming to earn victory points through trade and construction.

In Libertalia, players delve into a world of piracy, vying to become the most cunning pirate of all. This game is about outsmarting your rivals through strategic use of crew member cards and seizing the opportunity to thwart their plans.

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition is an engaging engine-building game where players take on the roles of corporations with the ambitious goal of terraforming Mars. The game combines strategic resource management and project development to make the red planet habitable.

In this latest collaboration between Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, players must buy the favor of the gods in their race to be the first player to build two cities in the Ancient Greek island group known as the Cyclades.

Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes reimplements the original game with the removal of mushroom-specific abilities. It builds on the existing framework by introducing a more complex magic system and additional elements.

Broom Service is a captivating and strategic card-based game where players aim to score the most victory points by adeptly delivering potions throughout a magical realm. This game is a reimagined version of the award-winning Witch's Brew, offering a fresh theme and new gameplay elements, while retaining the core mechanics that made the original game popular.

In Brian Boru: High King of Ireland, your goal is to weave together the strands of military might, diplomacy, and marriage to unify Ireland under your rule. The game cleverly combines traditional trick-taking mechanics with strategic depth, allowing you to gain influence across the island by winning towns and securing regions, or by leveraging the unique actions tied to the suits of the cards you play.

Aeon's End: Outcasts continues the expedition system introduced in Aeon's End: New Age, allowing players to replay all their content in a short campaign format. After each game, players acquire new treasures and player cards to enhance their power. However, the nemeses they face grow stronger with each battle.

In 1754, France and Britain vie for dominance in North America with colonies expanding into the Ohio River Valley. Players take on the roles of French or British factions in the conflict known as the French and Indian War, working to control strategic areas representing cities and forts. The game concludes when the Treaty of Paris is signed, with victory going to the side that controls the most territories.

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.

Dice Hospital is a worker placement board game where players manage a hospital and treat patients represented by dice. The lower the dice value, the more critical the patient's condition. Players aim to efficiently treat and discharge patients, increasing their hospital's reputation.

Glory to Rome transports players back to 64 A.D., where they take on the role of architects and planners aiding Emperor Nero in rebuilding Rome after the great fire. This card-based game combines city building with resource management in a historically themed setting.

The great Pharaoh Mino has died, passing rule to his eldest son, Pharaoh Mido. Dissatisfied with his father's pyramid, Mido desires a grander tomb adorned with jewels and calls upon 2-4 architects to build it. Players take turns selecting domino stones to create their pyramids, matching jewel symbols and placing markers to activate scoring areas, as earlier decisions significantly impact scoring throughout the game.

Conan is an asymmetric, semi-cooperative board game set in Robert E. Howard's universe, where players take on the roles of Conan and his companions, or the Overlord controlling opposition forces. The game, emphasizing Howard's original stories, features various scenarios and maps with diverse objectives. Players engage in strategic battles using a unique energy gem system for actions, while the Overlord manages units with a sliding tile board. Each scenario offers a distinct adventure with an approximate one-hour playtime.

51st State: Master Set is a comprehensive and rebalanced card game set in a post-apocalyptic world where players vie for control over the remnants of the United States. As leaders of one of four powers, players work to build and establish their new country amidst the ruins. The game is renowned for its strategic depth, offering multiple ways to use each card, and it includes content from the original game as well as from the New Era and Winter expansions.

In the mystical realm of legendary feudal Japan, the forgotten Kami have arisen from the underworld, dissatisfied with the ruling Shōgun. As spring heralds the Great New Year, the sacred clans gather to embark on a quest to reclaim the lands of Nippon, restoring honor and spirituality. Honorable Shōgun, you lead one of these clans, navigating a delicate balance of diplomacy, alliances, and war in the pursuit of victory. Will you uphold the ancient promise with strength, virtue, and spirit in the board game Rising Sun?

Players take on the role of commanders in a fantasy skirmish miniature system that runs quickly and smoothly. It features a simple action point system and requires no bookkeeping, allowing multiple games to be played in one evening. The game includes stats for over 180 monsters and heroes, campaign rules for leveling up characters after battles, and six basic scenarios.