It’s time for our annual Holiday Gift Guide! We’re here to help you find a great gift for that gamer (or soon to be gamer) in your life. This year, the list is broken into:
- Stocking stuffers – small games with a $15 or under price point
- Two-player games – games made just for your table of two
- Family gaming – games that support a wide age range
- Strategy games – great options for the heavy gamer in your life
If you can’t decide on which game is the right fit, I’ve put together a separate buyers guide for board game adjacent gifts this year! In this video gift guide, I share eight gifts that might be a good fit for the person on your gift list that probably already has all the games they need.
Stocking Stuffers
Tic-Tac Twist
Publisher: Kawaii Lab Games
Number of Players: 2 – 4
MSRP: $10
Everyone knows Tic-Tac-Toe. Now replace it with a battle between burgers and pizza, but throw in some wild actions that can ruin your opponents! Tic-Tac Twist is just one of the fast-playing family games from Kawaii Lab Games. They are a new publisher, bringing small box games to a multi-generational game table.
Players are trying to accomplish their pattern card, connecting a full line of burgers or pizzas with the same background color. The gameplay is quick and has some cutthroat moments. Special ability cards will have players swap pattern cards, block moves, or change the board. This is a game that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults and would make an excellent stocking stuffer this holiday season!
Purchase Tic-Tac Twist through the Kawaii Lab Games webstore today.
Going Bananas
Publisher: Smidgen Games
Number of Players: 3 – 6
MSRP: $10
Everyone needs a wild social card game that gets players interacting. Going Bananas is that game for our family. Players are dealt a single card and the player with the monkey card reveals their identity. This monkey player wants to find the one or two players that are holding the banana card(s).
The problem is, that everyone at the table is saying that they are a banana! No matter what card you’re holding, you want the monkey to pick you. The player holding the pepper card will gain a point if the monkey picks them. If the player holding the coconut is picked, no one is getting a point. If the player holding the snake card is chosen, they steal a point from the monkey player. The game is all about making a convincing case and being deceptive when necessary. Going Bananas is a fast-paced party game that gets everyone interacting and laughing around the table.
Purchase Going Bananas from the Smidgen Games webstore today.
Trickarus
Publisher: Smirk & Dagger
Number of Players: 2 – 5
MSRP: $15
We play a lot of trick-taking games in our home. Trickarus puts a twist on trick-taking with a clever connection to the story of Icarus. Players have a token that is traveling closer to the sun in the center of the table each time they win a trick. The game has four suits with a trump suit that can be changed throughout the round.
Trickarus is a card game that’s constantly shifting as players try not to fly too close to the sun. Every player token in front of you will push you closer to that bright ball of fire. When a player hits the sun, they fall back toward the Earth, putting you further from victory. At the end of the round when a player has hit the sun, the player who is in first place will take the victory. Trickarus is a great pick up for fans of clever card games and would make a wonderful stocking stuffer this holiday season.
Purchase Trickerus from your local game store or from the Smirk & Dagger webstore today.
Woof Days / Cat Days
Publisher: 25th Century Games
Number of Players: 2
MSRP: $10
We all have those people in our lives that LOVE their pets. We’re personally dog people in our home. Earlier this year, 25th Century Games published two small card games called Woof Days and Cat Days. This is a two-player experience that is perfect for a casual time around the table.
No matter which game you choose, players are playing cards under the days of the week, Monday through Sunday. The dogs (or cats) have different point values and some of them had unique restrictions. Some want to be played under specific days of the week or cannot be played next to other dogs (or cats). Specialty cards can sabotage your opponents line up or pull a dog (or cat) into your own row. The game plays in under twenty minutes and it’s a great “grab-n-go” game that can be played at dinner or a coffee shop. This is a great stocking stuffer for that animal lover in all of our lives.
Purchase Woof Days or Cat Days from the 25th Century Games webstore today.
Two Player Games
Orbita
Publisher: 25th Century Games
Number of Players: 2
MSRP: $15
One of our favorite surprises this year has been the two player card game Orbita. Originally published by Korea Board Games, 25th Century Games brought it over to the US. Not only is this card game gorgeously illustrated, but it’s deceptively clever in its gameplay.
Players are given a hand of cards and are unable to change their order. The lead player will play a suit of cards that are grouped together in their hand and move that planets marker on the central board. The follower must play a different suit of cards, moving that planets marker. The number that the planets finish on will determine the winner, earning them the opponents cards. When the game ends, the player with the majority of cards in each suit will earn the other players cards as points. Orbita is all about slightly edging out your opponent. Orbita is about knowing WHEN to win cards and has an wonderful pace to the game.
Purchase Orbita at your local board game store or through the 25th Century Games webstore today.
Tag Team
Publisher: Hachette Games
Player Count: 2
MSRP: $25
Watch us play Tag Team
Tag Team had us hooked the first time we played. This card game lets players create their dynamic duo of fighters to play head-to-head in about 15 minutes. The box comes with a dozen fighters that all have unique decks of cards that get smashed together. Every combination of fighters brings something new to the battle.
A big draw for Tag Team is the speed of matches and the how replayable the game is. The fighter combos continue with this years expansion Tag Team: Arthur’s Legacy. Tag Team could be a great gift for fans of fighting game or pvp card games.
Purchase Tag Team at your local board game store, through the Hachette Games webstore or online through Amazon today.
Baseball Card GM
Publisher: Weaver Media Group
Player Count: 2
MSRP: $35
Full Video Review of Baseball Card GM
Whether you are shopping for a big baseball fan or a nostalgic sports fan, Baseball Card GM is an incredibly unique gift to give. Baseball Card GM allows players to take baseball cards from the modern era (1980+) and play a head-to-head game using real player stats. Each player drafts baseball cards from their collection, filling each position on the field and a couple bench positions.
Players will roll a pair of dice during the inning, using the statistics on the back of the baseball card. The entire game is contained on a neoprene mat that contains about 90% of the rules that you need to play the game. Baseball Card GM is such as unique game and is accessible to those family and friends who may not be deep into the gaming hobby.
Purchase Baseball Card GM from the Weaver Media Group webstore.
Lairs
Publisher: Kids Table Board Gaming
Player Count: 2
MSRP: $40
Full Video Review of Lairs
One of my favorite two player games from this year has to be Lairs from KTBG. This game is broken into two distinct phases. Both players will secretly build out a devious dungeon that the opponent has to journey through. You’ll place walls, monsters, traps, and treasure throughout the dungeon board. All of this is done behind a player screen.
After both players have designed their unique dungeon, the players take turns spending cubes to journey through their opponents. Lairs has fantastic components and the way this game plays out is so much fun. If you’re a fan of trying to outwit your opponent and craft a cunning dungeon, Lairs is a great buy.
Purchase Lairs at your local game store or through the KTBG webstore.
Family Gaming
Friendly Fishing
Publisher: GameHead Games
Player Count: 2 – 5
MSRP: $20
Full Review of Friendly Fishing
A day of fishing on the lake is always better than a day at work. Friendly Fishing is a set collection game where each player at the table will move the boat around a central board. Players will collect the token they place the boat on, but they are also setting up the next players turn. Every move is positioning your neighbor and you want your neighbor to succeed, because there is a twist!
In Friendly Fishing, players final scores are a combination of your score and the neighbor to your left. This game has a variable setup where three special token types are in the mix each time you play the game. Anyone who enjoys a casual game that leans into a “semi-cooperative” nature, Friendly Fishing is a fantastic give to give to family members this season.
Purchase Friendly Fishing at your local game store or online through Amazon today.
Trash Dash
Publisher: Shiny Pigeon Games
Number of Players: 1 – 6
MSRP: $30 (on sale)
Picture walking into a back alley and finding various critters racing around the trash and debris, trying to gain notoriety. Trash Dash let’s you live out this dream on your game table. Take control of a racoon, possum, rat, pigeon or other street critter and complete the laps faster than your opponents.
Using a hand of cards, players race around trash cans, hide in the safety of boxes, and slide to victory on spills. Trash Dash features a modular board that let’s you determine how many laps and how long you want the race to last. Gain power ups throughout the game and attack your opponents using card effects. Trash Dash is a fantastic game for families and has loads of replayability.
Purchase Trash Dash at your local game store or through the Shiny Pigeon Games webstore today.
Little Soldiers
Publisher: iello Games
Number of Players: 2 – 4
MSRP: $30
Little Soldiers is essentially Warhammer for kids. Players recruit their team of toy soldiers and the battlefield is your dining room table. Using toys and household items, you can create a unique battlefield. Each soldier has special abilities and a weapon they’ll use to take down their enemy. Movement around the battlefield is measured with shoe string that is included in the game.
There is a lot of game contained in Little Soldiers. There are multiple variants in the rulebook along with an entire manual that contains different missions to try. This game is going to scratch that itch of a miniatures skirmish game without the large financial burden and hundreds of rules. Little Soldiers is a great gift for any parents that are sharing the game table with kids who are looking for a tabletop miniatures experience.
Purchase Little Soldiers from your local game store or online through Amazon today.
Magical Athlete
Publisher: CMYK Games
Number of Players: 2 – 6
MSRP: $29
Magical Athlete OR Hot Streak
Who said “roll and move” games are dead? Gather your friends and family, draft some wild racers and compete for gold in Magical Athlete. Players are rolling dice and triggering their unique abilities to earn first or second place across four rounds of racing.
Magical Athlete has thirty unique athletes that can bring absolute chaos to the race. Even for those family members who aren’t big into gaming, this one is super accessible. Now the question is, who’s going to recruit the Big Baby and block their opponents path to victory?
Magical Athlete is available at your local game store or online through Amazon today.
Strategy Games
TEND
Publisher: IV Studio
Number of Players: 1 – 6
MSRP: $79
If there is one game that I missed out on in 2025, it would have to be TEND. This farming, resource gathering, flip-and-write, is a game that has the same vibes as Stardew Valley (the video game). Players are exploring and gathering resources on an alien planet and loading them into a cargo ship to go back home.
There are so many things to do in TEND so replayability for this game is amazing. Players will improve tools to farm or raise livestock, find treasures as they dig deep into the mines, or simply go fishing. IV Studio puts so much love into their game designs and TEND is a glowing example of their work. Every component, illustation, metal coin, and die in this game is beautiful. This game has so much replayability and it’s going to make an amazing gift for the strategy gamer in your life. With two expansions on the way in 2027, there’s a lot of farming to be done!
Purchase TEND at your local game store or through the IV Studio webstore today.
Class of ’89
Publisher: Paverson Games
Number of Players: 2 – 4
MSRP: $59
This was one of Erin’s most anticipated games of this year. In Class of ’89, players are building out their senior yearbook, organizing students by class and assigning the various clubs they participate in. At its core, this game is a mix of worker placement, drafting, and tile placement.
There’s not another game out there like Class of ’89. This game nails the late 80’s vibe and has a visual style that us Millenial plus gamers will fall in love with. Players will chase various end-game goals and work to make the highest scoring year book before the end of four rounds. Paverson does a great job of merging these game mechanics to bring something unique to our game table.
Purchase Class of ’89 from the Paverson Games webstore today.
Galileo Galilei
Publisher: Capstone Games
Number of Players: 2 – 4
MSRP: $59
Full Video Review of Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei is one of our favorite game releases that we missed in 2024. Players are discovering the wonders of the solar system, investing in different educational pursuits, and keeping the Inquisition at bay. The pacing and action selection system in this game is so well done. It’s become one of our favorite Euro-games in our collection. There’s a great tension in the game as you strike to find a balance across the variety of point earning tracks in the game.
Designer Tomáš Holek has been on a roll over the past couple years with his designs. Galileo Galilei is a gem of a game that we enjoy more after each play. If you’re shopping for a fan of Euro-games this holiday season, Galileo Galilei is a great buy if it’s not already in their collection.
Purchase Galileo Galilei from your local game store, from the Capstone Games webstore or online through Amazon today.
Do you have a favorite game that you have on your wish list? Drop it in the comments below to give our readers more great ideas for this holiday season.
