The best new board game releases🆕 2025

A cooperative card game spans eighteen chapters that guide players through the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Each player assumes a different character, such as Frodo, Gandalf, or Pippin, each with specific goals to achieve in order to progress through the chapters. The game features a set of 37 cards, and as players advance, new characters, items, and challenges are introduced.

A dark rumor arises from Mordor, and the time has come for the Fellowship to unite once more. Players can choose to defend the free peoples as the Fellowship of the Ring or pursue Frodo and Sam as Sauron, deploying their hordes at enemy city gates. The fate of Middle-earth rests in your hands as you navigate the three chapters of the game, strengthening your skills and gathering resources to achieve one of the victory conditions.

Players build landscapes by placing colored tiles to create habitats for their animals. To score the most points and win, they must cleverly integrate these habitats into their landscapes and attract as many animals as possible.

Hitster is a party game featuring summer hits from past decades. Players take turns placing cards in the correct chronological order on their music timeline. This edition can be played on its own or combined with other Hitster editions.

Ahoy, Captain! Raise your flag, recruit a crew, and fill your coffers with shiny gold coins. The game is simple and can be explained faster than a cannon shot. On your turn, draw a tile from the bag; if you like it, keep it, and if not, flip it over. Place it on your board to build your crew. With nine characters and four boards featuring different tactics, it offers an engaging and fun experience.

New cards are added to the base game to bring even more variety to your gaming tables. Players aim to attract the most valuable species to their forest, with some cards being removed from play based on the number of players. This first expansion introduces 36 new multifunctional cards, including two new tree species, along with some changes to the base game rules.

Players move through the seasons and encounter tiny creatures that emerge from flowers or hide in tree hollows. Choose one of the revealed cards carefully, as you must consider which ones to leave for your opponents. Cards will be stacked and scored at the end of the round, along with your largest color zone and spirals.

Players are transported to the idyllic landscapes of Japan in this standalone successor to the award-winning board game. With the introduction of cherry blossoms as a new element and over 40 achievements to unlock, there's plenty of exciting challenges to face. Numerous surprises await as players explore the world of Dorfromantik - Sakura.

The expansion introduces new elements to enhance gameplay without extending the playtime. It features two new wonders, Ur and Rome, offering players more building options, along with new science tokens that can be mixed with the original ones, enabling unique abilities. Additionally, players draw random medals at the start of the game, which can grant victory points if certain conditions are met.

Players take on the role of monsters battling for supremacy in a standalone game designed for newcomers. It features four new monsters, a mix of power cards, energy dice, and special yellow dice. The objective is to be the first to reach 20 points or be the last monster standing. Players roll six dice to gain points, energy, heal, or attack others, with various strategic options for each turn.

Four large foldable maps feature a 3D scene with hidden objects, each showing the scene from a different perspective. Players see only one map at a time, making communication essential for piecing together information. The game includes 160 puzzle cards with various challenges, requiring intense discussion about what players see and don't see, alongside abstract thinking and clever combinations to solve each chapter's mysteries.

Players engage in a fast-paced and dynamic experience that is easy to learn yet strategically deep. The game features iconic heroes, villains, ships, and locations from across the legendary Star Wars franchise, including films, TV series, comics, and video games.

The great houses of the Empire thrive and perish through their lineage. Conspiracies unfold over generations as emperors build dynasties and the Bene Gesserit prophecies come to fruition. Bloodlines expands both Dune: Imperium and Uprising with powerful new tools for victory, including the recruitment of Sardaukar commanders and the introduction of new technology tiles. New leaders, contracts, and cards offer more strategic opportunities than ever before, with only the strongest bloodlines poised to survive the ongoing war.

Players take on the role of amateur dracologists in a vibrant world where dragons of all shapes and sizes soar through the skies. They will excavate hidden chambers in their sanctuaries to attract these magnificent creatures, allowing them to settle and combine powerful abilities. Inspired by the mechanics of Wingspan, the game introduces unique elements that create a distinct experience.

Travel to the year 2075, where cats have taken over the world and are now aiming for space! The best feline specialists compete for cosmic supremacy, undeterred by their lack of opposable thumbs. Players take on the role of fearless captains of a cosmic expedition to conquer the cosmos, navigating through chaos and unleashing their cat-like instincts. Prepare for an extraordinary adventure beyond this world!

Players aim to empty their hands as quickly as possible and send all Vikings into the world. Each round consists of players playing cards from a set featuring six colors numbered 1-9, starting with an initial hand of nine cards.

This expansion introduces a new driver with player-specific components in orange, allowing for up to seven drivers. It adds two new maps (Japan and Mexico) and introduces new upgrade cards featuring a purple discard option that lets players return a heat card from their discard pile to their engine. Additional heat, stress, championship, sponsorship, and event cards are also included.

A card game filled with humor, it features 72 cards illustrated by various artists. The rules are straightforward: the first player to lay down the phrase "I am done" wins—well, maybe. On their turn, players can either draw a card or play one from their hand, with certain card texts taking precedence over the standard rules.

The Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition revitalizes Stefan Feld's classic strategy game for 1-4 players, where participants embody aristocrats managing their princedoms. This special edition, a collaboration between Ravensburger and Awaken Realms, elevates the game with a full art redesign, premium materials, and enhanced components, offering a luxurious playing experience as players build their settlements, castles, and engage in trade.

Players engage in a sharp-witted sci-fi strategy game set in a dark yet whimsical universe. They take actions using versatile cards, set competitive goals each round, and prepare their fleets for battle, utilizing various dice to determine the outcome. The game features a hundred wooden ships and agents, 18 uniquely engraved dice, a beautifully designed board with six fields, and an extensive array of over 60 unique cards.

A magical fairy tale book contains three chapters. In 3 Chapters, a trick-taking game with three phases, players experience the story:

Players take on the roles of a pilot and a co-pilot in a cooperative game for two. The objective is to work together to land your airplane at various airports around the world. Successful landing requires silently coordinating dice placement in your cockpit to balance the aircraft, control speed, deploy flaps, and even brew coffee to enhance focus. Each airport presents unique challenges, so stay alert for turbulence—it could be a bumpy ride!

Players lead a scientific institution searching for life beyond Earth in this Eurogame for 1-4 players. They explore nearby planets and moons by launching probes, deciding whether to land for valuable samples or remain in orbit for deeper investigations. Back on Earth, players invest in upgrading equipment to analyze data more efficiently, increasing their telescope's signal capacity, and expanding their resource supply, all to enhance the chances of discovering extraterrestrial life. Over 200 unique cards represent real-life technologies and discoveries, guiding players in their research while offering bonuses and rewards.

Players start with a hotspot surrounded by expanding coral formations that provide habitat for small sea creatures. Over 17 rounds, players add coral tiles and attract animals to their ecosystems by creating the right patterns. The player with the best coral formations and the most sea creatures at the end wins. The game immerses players in the beauty of the ocean while offering diverse experiences for the whole family.

Players aim to seat various creatures at their tables, hoping for generous tips. However, the arrival of customers is unpredictable. Each round, players draw cards to place them on available spots, with certain groups preferring specific partners. After the tables are filled, tips are evaluated, and the player with the most money after several rounds wins.

Create your own botanical garden in the late 19th century as an aristocrat. Hire a gardener and seek out the finest plants, while ensuring they align with the preferences of discerning visitors. Compete for action points through a unique selection mechanism, manage resources, and gather funds to enhance your garden and attract more visitors than your rivals.

Two quacks compete for the title of guild master in a medieval marketplace. They must demonstrate knowledge and skill to attract patients with magical potions promising healing.

Arrakis is a seemingly barren desert world, harboring the galaxy's most vital resource: Spice. Control over Spice means power, and the House Atreides, initially given dominion over Arrakis by the Emperor, faces betrayal from the House Harkonnen, leading to a fierce struggle for survival. Players engage in asymmetric strategy, maneuvering factions like the Fremen and Sardaukar, while sending Spice Harvesters into the desert and challenging mighty sandworms, all within a system rich with action dice and event cards that bring the Dune saga to life with every playthrough.

Showdown is the fourth and final installment of the MicroMacro: Crime City series, featuring a new city map and brand-new criminal cases. The 16 cases included can be played independently of the previous games. Players work together to solve tricky cases, investigate motives, find evidence, and catch the culprits, relying on sharp observation and creative deduction skills.