The 15 Best Board Games Of 2024

To some, board games might seem like an antiquated form of entertainment that's no longer relevant in the age of high-quality video games and on-demand entertainment. But the truth is that board games have never been as popular as they are now. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter have allowed designers to create and sell games that might never have been released by a traditional publisher, while independent developers are able to utilize cheaper production costs and sophisticated online tools to get their innovative ideas into the hands of players.

Each year, designers push the boundaries of what's possible with the medium, crafting brilliant experiences that include some of the best strategy games and party releases of recent times. Here, we round up the very best titles that have come out in 2024.

To come up with this list, we've looked at the best-rated games from 2024 on reputable sites such as Board Game Geeks, as well as reviews from trusted outlets, user feedback, and our own personal experience.

This fantasy franchise has already proved to be a great setting for gaming, with "The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game — Revised Core Set" being one of the best board games of 2022. "The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth" provides a very different experience as a two-player strategy game but is equally as good. Each person commands either the forces of Sauron or the Fellowship as they battle to take control of Middle-earth. Games last around 45 minutes and take place across three chapters as players draw and play hero, unit, and skill cards. Victory can be achieved by controlling all of the territories on the map or completing set quests.

With a Board Game Geek rating of 8.5, "Lord of the Rings Duel for Middle Earth" ranks among the top 100 strategy games on the site. That shouldn't be all that surprising given that it is a spin-off of the popular "7 Wonders: Duel" and has many of the same gameplay mechanics. Combined with beautiful artwork and some subtle changes designed to incorporate elements of the "Lord of the Rings" franchise, it's well worth playing for anyone who wants a strategy fix without needing to spend hours setting up and playing.

"Endeavor: Deep Sea," the latest game from Burnt Island Games, is the successor to the highly acclaimed "Endeavor: Age of Sail." Like its predecessor, this release focuses on exploration and researching the vast waters on planet Earth, but this time with a focus on what's happening beneath the surface. Intended for one to four players, the gameplay revolves around leading a research institute that aims to preserve and better understand the oceans. To do this, you draw crew cards in each of the six rounds in addition to playing action discs by selecting appropriate locations and crew members. The idea is to chain actions and crew bonuses to make the most progress through a given scenario.

Although it can seem like a slow burn in the first round or two, things quickly escalate as more discs and crew cards come into play. Fortunately, the rules are easy to understand, and turns don't last very long. In fact, most of the time will be spent on carefully deciding where to play your next disc. With a Board Game Geek rating of 8.3 out of 10, "Endeavor: Deep Sea" found plenty of fans in 2024 thanks to its new setting and accessible gameplay changes.

It doesn't take a great deal of thought to understand what the theme of "SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" is. The German-style board game from Czech Games Edition is a thoughtful and slow-paced exploration of space where your ultimate goal is to try and discover if there is life beyond Earth. This can be achieved in a number of ways, from searching nearby planets, moons, and stars to launching probes into outer space. By drawing cards and choosing what skills and equipment to upgrade, you can boost your abilities and increase your chances of discovering signs of life.

Suitable for between one to four players, the game has a Board Game Geek rating of 8.3 and has attracted a lot of positive user reviews. However, this is a board game that you should only play if you have plenty of free time, as it's possible for each match to last well over two hours. Like many other strategy games, it can take a while to get going, but as the rounds progress, you'll likely find yourself busy as you try to maximize your scoring opportunities.

"Ezra and Nehemiah" is a historical board game set during the time when Persia was a great kingdom. Part of Garphill Games' Ancient Anthology series, it tasks players with building a temple in the holy land of Jerusalem. The gameplay is primarily focused on restoring the ancient temple and working to convert those in the area to Judaism by teaching them about the Torah. Competing against other players, you earn victory points according to how much progress you make in your mission.

Since its release in June, 2024, "Ezra and Nehemiah" has managed to garner a Board Game Geek rating of 8.3 from more than 1,500 user ratings. That's largely thanks to the fact that this is a deep Eurogame that combines many different systems and gameplay mechanics together to create a satisfying, singular experience. You shouldn't be put off by the religious setting, either, as this acts only as a theme for the board game, and there's no preachiness here that you have to worry about.

Not every great board game that came out in 2024 is a deep or strategy-based title. That's demonstrated perfectly with "Things in Rings," a fast-paced party game that's all about sorting objects, concepts, and people into the rings of a Venn diagram. Designed for two to six players, one person takes on the role of "The Knower" and is aware of all of the characteristics of the three rings. The other players have to try to work out the rules of each ring by placing cards into the different sections. If the object card fits, the player gets the chance to play another card, but if the selection is wrong, "The Knower" moves it to the right area.

To win "Things in Rings," you simply have to get rid of all your cards before your opponent. This means you have to use logic to work out what each area of the Venn diagram represents as quickly as possible. It is a clever idea that gets everyone thinking while playing and forces you to make connections or find similarities between different objects. A Board Game Geek rating of 7.2 suggests that plenty of people think it is worth picking up.

In "Landmarks," players try to lead their fellow party members through a deep jungle and escape to safety. One person plays as the pathfinder while the others have to follow their lead to get to the right destination. Like "Codenames," it works as a word association game where the pathfinder provides one-word hints. The goal is to create a chain of clues that are connected together, allowing the rest of the party to determine what route they have to follow.

What makes this particular word game so fun is that it includes an extra element to the usual card game concept to add some adventure. To mix things up, you can switch the difficulty between several settings and also try to collect treasure icons hidden along the map, although these are completely optional. "Landmarks" can be played in two different ways; those who like working together as a team can focus on the cooperative mode, or you can play competitively if you have more than four players. It currently has a Board Game Geek rating of 7 out of 10 and, with matches lasting around 20 minutes, is a perfect quick party game.

Trading card games have seen an upsurge in popularity in recent years, with the likes of the Pokémon Trading Card Game becoming more popular and valuable than ever. The latest entry into this space is "Star Wars: Unlimited," which combines a hugely successful franchise with a genre that is continuing to grow. Making use of all the well-known characters, ships, locations, and important events from the "Star Wars" franchise, the trading card game pits players against each other.

Each player uses a leader card and a base where they play cards. From here, it is as simple as drawing from your deck and then playing an action as you attempt to defeat all of your opponent's cards. What makes "Star Wars: Unlimited" so appealing is that it has a balanced set of cards. Reviews from the likes of Polygon point out that you can create a good deck without having a huge number of cards, while the modular design means that each card can be used effectively in different decks. A Board Game Geek rating of 8.1 indicates plenty of players agree.

Among the best board games of 2021 was a video game adaptation in the form of "Bloodborne: The Board Game," so we know the concept can work. Since this one is based on the critically acclaimed popular indie darling "Slay the Spire," that means that "Slay the Spire: The Board Game" has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, it manages to capture much of the magic that made the original video game such a hit. After raising more than $4 million through a Kickstarter campaign, Contention Games released a brilliant deckbuilding board game where players work together to battle powerful villains and navigate through a variety of encounters.

Anyone familiar with the series will know the basics of the gameplay; you draw cards to improve your deck while trying to strategically discard any cards that don't suit your strategy. As a roguelike game, if you die, that just means that you start again and reset your progress with a completely new deck. That keeps things feeling fresh, as there are dozens of unique cards you can draw while adding a sense of real jeopardy to every decision you make. Managing to achieve a Board Game Geek rating of 8.8, "Slay the Spire: The Board Game" is one of the most highly acclaimed games of the year.

"Arcs" had an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2022, raising almost $1.5 million. The game finally launched at retail early in 2024 and has proved a hit with strategy fans ever since. Set in a sci-fi universe filled with aliens, robots, and strange worlds, "Arcs" has an eccentric feel thanks to the inclusion of some fanciful fantasy elements. Intended for between two and four players, it's a trick-taking grand strategy game where participants can play several actions in a round thanks to a multi-card gameplay mechanic.

It is a somewhat novel approach to gameplay that forces players to balance various elements at the same time, from setting the goal of each round to deciding which actions to take to gather the most tokens. Matches are played across five rounds, with players competing to score the most points for their space empire in a fast-paced affair that can last anywhere from one to two hours. The base game currently has a Board Game Geek rating of 8.2, and the "Arcs: The Blighted Reach Expansion," which adds new locations and a micro-campaign mode that stretches across three different scenarios, has a 9.0 rating.

"Agemonia" is another cooperative board game that made its debut in 2024 to great acclaim. Supporting one to four players, it takes place in a fantasy world filled with magic and mythical creatures. The game plays out across a scenario map that has story points spread across it. Once triggered, each story point can inform the player about events that are happening in the world, spawn enemies to fight, or provide valuable treasure. There's also a deep combat system that involves spending stamina chips and rolling dice to perform melee, ranged, or magic damage.

Attracting a Board Game Geek rating of 9 out of 10 based on hundreds of user ratings, "Agemonia" excels thanks to its fantastic narrative structure. Like traditional role-playing games, players have to make tough choices that determine how the story unfolds on every turn, and there's the potential for each campaign to have up to 100 hours of gameplay. With 38 scenarios and a cast of playable characters, each with their own unique quests, there is plenty of content to keep you coming back again and again without feeling bored.

"Andromeda's Edge" is yet another sci-fi game set in space; this time around, however, players take control of a brand new civilization that's starting to form in unknown regions of space where the remnants of a previous society lay in ruins, scattered on planets and moons. In each round, the two to four players can launch ships to explore the board ,where they can either land on planets to capture tokens and gather resources or take part in combat with other players or raiders patrolling the area.

It's normal for games of "Andromeda's Edge" to last well over three hours, but the action and drama throughout remain consistently high. That means that things are unlikely to ever feel stale, and you'll want to finish the game in one sitting if possible. In fact, there's a good chance that you'll be disappointed when you reach the completion of the action. Achieving a Board Game Geek rating of 8.5, the title has been praised for its lush artwork and large number of cards and items. Any fans of "Dwellings of Eldervale" will find a lot to like about "Andromeda's Edge."

The best board games of all time are those that innovate with new ideas while still managing to feel somewhat familiar. That makes them exciting to play but easy to learn, two things that can be said about "Harmonies." Combining elements of tile placement mechanics with the need to match patterns on an expansive map, the game tasks players with collecting animal cards and terrain tokens before playing them to complete patterns. Doing so rewards you with animal cubes, which are needed to get the necessary victory points to win the game.

"Harmonies" can be played solo or with up to three other players and works equally well in both cases. The colorful board, beautiful artwork, and relaxing gameplay make this the perfect board game for those looking to unwind after a long day. With a Board Game Geek rating of 8 ou of 10 from almost 9,000 user reviews, you can be sure that you'll have a good time with this release.

"Wyrmspan" sees players act as dracologists, collectors of dragons who live in the game's strange land. Designed to be played by one to five players, the game revolves around enticing dragons of various shapes and sizes into three specially constructed areas. To do this, you need to collect resources that will keep the dragons safe and healthy while also expanding your sanctuaries to house an ever-growing collection. It closely resembles "Wingspan" in terms of gameplay, and you win the game by collecting victory points by completing objectives.

A Board Game Geek rating of 8.1 demonstrates that this is a quality board game. Reviews have called out its high production quality and excellent design. The rules are easy to grasp, though they can be difficult to fully master, meaning that "Wyrmspan" is suitable for new and experienced gamers alike. Thanks to the fact that games only last around 30 minutes and each game feels fresh, you can play this multiple times in a night and keep having fun.

As you might have guessed from the name, "Let's Go! To Japan" is a rather whimsical board game where one to four players plan a dream vacation in the Asian country. Over the course of 13 rounds, players draw and play activity cards that symbolize different events that they can take part in while on holiday. The challenge is to plan out an optimal itinerary that packs the most amount of action into a single week with the limited resources available. As the trip comes to a close, the points are totaled, and the winner is the one who scores the highest.

Despite the simple premise and pick-up-and-play gameplay, "Let's Go! To Japan" never plays the same way twice, so it feels new each time you pick it up. Throw in the outstanding artwork and beautiful board, and it is no surprise that the board game has amassed a Board Game Geek rating of 7.8 out of 10.

Thanks to its rather distinctive setting and subject matter, "Unconscious Mind" is the kind of board game that could be adapted into a good movie. Taking inspiration from the work of Sigmund Freud, players are members of the Wednesday Psychological Society, a group that meets each week to discuss new research in the field of psychology and the concept of dream symbolism. It's essentially an empire-building Eurogame, where you aim to become an equal of Freud by expanding your influence through workers you place on the map. At the same time, you treat patients using a resource known as Insight, increasing your reputation as you do so.

"Unconscious Mind" has a very respectable "Board Game Geek rating of 8 out of 10 and thousands of positive user ratings. This is largely thanks to the deep and thoughtful gameplay that requires those playing — each game requires one to four players — to juggle a variety of systems and resources to succeed. Featuring some of the best artwork you'll see in any board game and an interesting story mechanic, this is a worthy addition to anyone's gaming collection.