The best games with Variable Phase Order 2026

Moon Colony Bloodbath by Donald X. Vaccarino sends families and gaming groups to a moon colony that was supposed to be perfectly planned. Supplies are packed, robots are ready, and the first buildings are in place, but life beyond Earth quickly proves unstable. This strategic card game is best suited to teens aged 14 and up and adults who enjoy science fiction, dry humor, and smart resource management.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dead Cells: The Rogue-Lite Board Game is a cooperative dungeon adventure for 1 to 4 players that brings the acclaimed video game to the table. You explore an ever-shifting island, fight through infected hordes, and grow a little stronger with every death.

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.