Most anticipated games of 2025

20 of Our Most Anticipated Board Games in 2025

At the start of each year, we take a look at what games are coming in the next twelve months. Some of these will inevitably slip into the next year and we’re really basing this on the publishers timelines. So, here are twenty games that we’re excited about that are slated for release this year.


Galactic Cruise

Publisher: Kinson Key Games
Designer: T.K. King, Dennis Northcott, Koltin Thompson
Release Window: Q1 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Everyone

Galactic Cruise is a game that we’ve seen for almost 3 years as the team at Kinson Key Games has polished every part of this project. The final game will arrive to Kickstarter backers in Q1 and it’s pretty amazing. Players are building space cruises as they attract clients for out of this world travel.

The artwork and iconography from Ian O’Toole really makes this game shine. Galactic Cruise is a game that is on everyone’s radar for good reason. Thankfully, the wait is almost over and I get most of the year to play this gem.

Wine Cellar

Publisher: 25th Century Games
Designer: Andrew Stiles
Release Window: Q2 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ric and Bob

As trick-taking games become more and more popular, it’s good to see those that add solid creative twists. I’m a fan of the auction sub-genre, where the trick results impact the acquisition of different assets. That’s what you’ve got with Wine Cellar, a game originally designed by Andrew Stiles for an 18-card design contest. In this game, you’ll all be working to create the best wine collection, and each bottle scores differently based on its “age”… that is, its location in your collection.

Wine Cellar Preview

The little wine bottle cards aren’t everyone’s thing, but I love them. I like the look when they’re all lined up at the end of the game, ready for scoring. It also plays up to 8 people, and more people don’t necessarily stretch the game too long or too thin. With easy-to-learn rules and quick gameplay, I think this will end up as one of the more versatile titles in my collection.

Deep Regrets

Publisher: Tettix Games
Designer: Judson Cowan
Release Window: Q2 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

This dark and unsettling fishing game really impressed us when we previewed it in 2024. The artwork for Deep Regrets pulls you in as you try and balance your mental state during your time at sea. Players have to find ways to mitigate regret cards while still finding wild creatures at sea.

Deep Regrets - depth levels

This is Tettix Games second design and even at the prototype level, the game was really well made. Deep Regrets is a game that I understood better each time it hit the table and I’m itching for more. You can learn more in my preview from 2024.

Azul Duel

Publisher: Next Move Games
Designer: Michael Kiesling
Release Window: Q2 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan and Erin

Do we need another version of Azul? Possibly. Azul Duel is built for a 2-player focused experience and we’re hearing good things from people who have played it. Azul (and its board game siblings) are pretty solid at most player counts. I’m not 100% sure that this game is necessary but it could surprise me.

Azul Duel - image from Next Move Games

Azul is a game that has made its way into so many game shelves. If Next Move Games can shake up the formula enough to stand out, Azul Duel may be a great purchase for Erin and I. Our 2-player focused selection of games is growing and we’ll be watching for this release before summer.

Lairs

Publisher: Kids Table Board Gaming
Designer: Christopher Westmaas
Release Window: Q3 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan and Bob

Lairs is a unique take on dungeon crawling for 2-players. Each player builds out the dungeon that their opponent has to move through. Using traps and monsters, players are trying to keep the other player from easily grabbing the loot and finding the exit. Erin and I had a great time trying the game out at Origins last summer prior to the Kickstarter campaign launch.

Lairs by KTBG

What makes Lairs so cool is that after playing the game, you’ll start opening new content that makes dungeons more dangerous and introduces new features. This game builds on itself the more you play. Lairs is a fun time and the KTBG crew has a great game on their hands as we head into 2025.

Luthier

Publisher: Paverson Games
Designer: Dave Beck, Abe Burson
Release Window: Q2 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ric

I’m quite tired of fantasy, space and even nature-themed games. So it’s always nice to see a game asking me to do something I haven’t really done before. That’s what I’m seeing in Luthier. You’re a crafter of instruments, and you must manage your shop so that you build the strongest reputation.

I haven’t gotten to dive into the rules and gameplay as much as I would like. However, from what I’ve seen, it provides the opportunity for those chain reaction decisions I love so much, where a choice lets you do something, which leads to another thing, and so on.

The only thing holding me back from more excitement is the price. You’re getting a lot in the box, but $75 for retail is generally outside of my price range, no matter what I do. Here’s hoping I can find a good deal and/or unclaimed bag of cash in the near future…

Speakeasy

Publisher: Eagle-Gryphon Games
Designer: Vital Lacerda
Release Window: Q3/Q4 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan and Bob

One of my favorite gaming experiences of 2024 was playing Speakeasy with family and friends. This Vital Lacerda game quickly climbed my list of favorite games after just a single play. Players will align themselves with mobsters as they take over parts of Manhattan during the Prohibition Era.

Speakeasy has artwork from Ian O’Toole, incredible player boards, and a sprawling city to take over. The way Lacerda ties this game to the real world mobsters of the 1920’s brings so much depth to this game. Look for Speakeasy to hit a game table near you before the end of the year.

Camping Season

Publisher: SweaterBear Games
Designer: Casey Mattes, Zoey Mattes
Release Window: Q3/Q4 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

I love the idea of managing a campground where people are going to adventure and make memories. Camping Season is a game that is supposed to simulate running the facilities where campers are choosing to vacation. I love the look of the game and just the idea of managing reservations and facilities sounds super fun to my messed up brain.

The couple behind SweaterBear Games seems to love the great outdoors and the Kickstarter did really well back in October. I’m hoping this game can be found at retail after they fulfill orders to backers later this year. This is a game that is definitely on my radar going into the fall.

Scoville 2nd Edition

Publisher: Trick or Treat Studios
Designer: Ed Marriott
Release Window: Q1 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

This game made my 2024 most anticipated list but it looks like it will show up one more time before the game arrives. Scoville is a pepper farming game that I’ve always wanted to play but with it being out of print, I wasn’t willing to pay the inflated price.

Scoville is getting a brand new release from Trick or Treat Studios (Halloween, Blood Orders) and it has artwork from Vincent Dutrait. I’m so pumped to finally play this game and cannot wait for this new edition with its previously released expansion already in the box. Hopefully it will show up early in the year so that I get loads of time with the game in 2025.

House of Fado

Publisher: Eagle-Gryphon Games
Designer: Vital Lacerda, João Quintela Martins
Release Window: Q1 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ric

When we played Speakeasy with Ryan, I was definitely a fan. However, I know that I will rarely be able to get a game that complex and that lengthy onto the table with my friends and family. It’s just not in the cards for me these days. Or the dice. Or the meeples.

So that’s why I’m excited about the release of House of Fado from Eagle-Gryphon Games. Even before I knew it was a Lacerda co-design, I was drawn in by the artwork and concept, as was my wife (which is likely more important if I’m wanting the chance to play). There seem to be plenty of important choices to make as you control your restaurant, hoping to feature the best music to attract the most customers.

A small box with big decisions and cool artwork? These days, that’s my sweet spot.

Unmatched Adventures: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Publisher: Restoration Games
Designer: Lots of people
Release Window: Q3 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan and Ric

You know that Unmatched has to show up on this list somewhere. Unmatched Adventures was a big hit for us in 2023 and when you throw the Ninja Turtles into the mix, oh snap! I’m excited to see how each of the turtles play against other Unmatched fighters. Restoration Games does such a great job of creating a co-op experience, and this time you’ll go toe-to-toe with Shredder and Krang.

Unmatched: TMNT - image from Restoration Games

TMNT is a license that so many people are excited for. It’s not often that an 80’s kid and their 19 year old kid are excited about the same game. Unmatched Adventures: TMNT should be arriving to Kickstarter backers at the tail-end of summer. Look for this to hit retail around fall of 2025.

ULTRAMASSIVE

Publisher: Studio Unknown
Designer: Alex Greenberg & Jacob Phillips
Release Window: Q3 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Phil

I had the pleasure of being introduced to ULTRAMASSIVE at One Board Day and am quite eager to get this on the table at home. This strategy game invites you to take the role of a fledgling black hole with one simple goal: get BIGGER! This is carried out by manipulating two tracks on your player board, adding matter or antimatter and delivering it to the center to fuel your growth.

Ultramassive from Studio Unknown

Incorporating drafting, engine building and clever manipulation of player boards via wormholes and gravity, ULTRAMASSIVE presents itself as an excellent introduction to strategy gaming with enough complexity to keep veterans puzzling out new strategies. What I saw in my demo session seemed like a perfect match of theme to mechanics and I look forward to the final product.

Botswana

Publisher: 25th Century Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Release Window: Q3 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

About 6 years ago, Bob Crowell introduced me to Quandary, an out of print game by Milton Bradley from Reiner Knizia. My immediate reaction was “how come this is out of print?!”. Eagle-Gryphon Games brought back the game under the title Botswana, then Wildlife Safari. This summer, 25th Century Games is bringing Botswana back into print with completely new artwork from the phenomenal Weberson Santiago.

Botswana - image from 25th Century Games

This is one of Reiner’s more simple designs with players placing an animal card and drafting one of the animal types from the center of the table. Once the cards of one animal type are all on the table, the game ends. Players get points based on the top card value for each animal type that they have. This is such a great filler game and with the new artwork, I cannot wait to introduce the family to Botswana.

Power Creep

Publisher: PNP Arcade Publishing
Designer: Jason Greeno, Jason Tagmire
Release Window: January 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ric

Print-and-play games are becoming the main thing I purchase on Kickstarter these days. They’re significantly cheaper, they take up way less room, and they often provide just as strong of a gameplay experience.

Dungeon Pages stood out back in 2023 with its unique approach and solid gameplay. A fun recreation of a classic dungeon crawler, you used dice to help you navigate around, defeat enemies, and collect items. The base game came out with a few maps and characters, which you could mix and match together to your liking. Dangerous Space used the same format with some extra bells and whistles. I’ve played through both, and while they kicked my butt several times, I kept coming back to the games, hoping a better approach or character choice would improve my chances. 

Power Creep promises to take the best parts of both games and make an even better overall experience. Plus, the creators are continuing with their year-long support option in which they’ll release a new map every week of 2025, along with a new character every month. I’ve not tried this out with the other titles, so I’m excited to start playing once the content begins delivering in January. 

Spooktacular

Publisher: Level 99 Games
Designer: D. Brad Talton Jr.
Release Window: Q2 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

Last summer I got to play a digital version of Spooktacular with a member of the Level 99 team. This game puts players in the role of monsters that are haunting a movie theater in the 80’s. Each monster has unique abilities and powers that will help you terrorize the patrons of the theater.

Spooktacular from Level 99 Games

Each monster has a movie poster tied to them and is a throwback to a movie monster from the past. I loved the flow of this game and was really impressed with the amount of player choices that come in the box. Level 99 Games has a hit on their hands and I’m ready to check out the final product when it becomes available later this year.

Popcorn

Publisher: iello
Designer: Victor Saumont
Release Window: Q2/Q3 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

I love the theme of running a movie theater and trying to find the right movies to fit the audience. Popcorn is a bag building game where players will build their theater, then draw audience members from their bag to pair them with the right experience.

Over nine rounds, players are building and even stealing patrons from other players using advertising. If this game is as fun as it sounds, this might be a “must buy” for us this year. It sounds a little like the tableau building game Funfair which is another favorite of mine.

Eternal Decks

Publisher: Hiroaki Yamamoto (self-published)
Release Window: Q1 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ric

I sometimes get sucked into scrolling through Kickstarter for an hour or two, seeing if I can find something awesome I’ve never heard of. That’s what happened with Eternal Decks. I didn’t see or hear ANYTHING about this title, but I’m hopeful it catches some attention once it hits tables early next year.

Eternal Decks - beta version

What you’ve got is a cooperative card-playing game in which you’re all working together to complete different stages. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to unlock an Eternal, which will add more cards to a player’s deck.

I’m hopeful that the challenges will increase as you go from stage to stage, and that you’ll have to make important choices as to who gets what cards and when. I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity here for a special game built on an easy-to-learn rules set. We’ll get to find out early next year!

Don’t Starve: The Board Game

Publisher: Glass Cannon Unplugged
Designer: Rafał Pieczyński
Release Window: ?? 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

My kids and I spent so many hours playing Don’t Starve on Playstation over the years. I’m really intrigued with how this game will play out as a tabletop experience. They have a solid track record of bringing video game content to the board game space which is promising.

Don’t Starve: The Board Game should launch any time now on Kickstarter. I have some concern that we may not see this project on the table this calendar year. If you’re a fan of this digital game, chances are that you’ll be watching this project like we are.

RA and Write

Publisher: 25th Century Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Release Window: Q2 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan and Erin

Last year, we were excited to see a flip and write game associated with the classic bidding game RA. This new game from Dr Knizia is such a streamlined experience that is still rooted in the original game. RA and Write was one of our favorite games we played in 2024 and we’re excited to have the fully published game this coming year.

RA and Write - Nile line

While I’m (Ryan) a big fan of the original RA, Erin absolutely adores RA and Write. The bidding mechanic is removed and players are choosing their path from the cards that are rolled out each turn. Flipping out the third RA card will end the era, triggering scoring for that portion of the game. RA and Write should be here before the summer which means that this is probably the game you’ll see on our table all summer long.

The Dark Quarter

Publisher: Lucky Duck / Van Ryder Games
Designer: Evan Derrick
Release Window: Q1 2025
Excitement Level:
Nominated by: Ryan

Way back in the year 2022, Lucky Duck and Van Ryder Games combined forces to create a game called The Dark Quarter. This narrative driven game brings players into the dark and seedy underbelly of New Orleans in the 1980’s. Raising over a million dollars through Kickstarter, this is a game that I’m excited to see finally arrive on the game table.

The Dark Quarter box art

Backers of the game will be receiving the game at the start of the year, with the game hitting retail later in the year. Lucky Duck has a proven track record with creating immersive experiences using a digital companion (Chronicles of Crime, Destinies). We’ll definitely be sharing our experience once this game finally hits our hot little hands.

Ryan Gutowski

I'm a huge fan of strategy games and pretty much anything that involves "city building". My love of board games goes back to my childhood and passion for building relationships with others.

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