8 Board Games That We Can’t Wait to Play in 2026

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2026 is bringing a huge wave of new board games! With dozens, if not hundreds, already planned for release, there’s something for everyone – from games with ongoing storylines to continuations of beloved classics. We’re especially excited about these upcoming titles and can’t wait to play them all.

The Two Towers Trick-Taking Game

I really enjoyed the Fellowship of the Rings Trick-Taking Game in 2025. It’s a beautifully designed game with a campaign format that lets you play through 18 scenarios following Frodo’s journey. A sequel, based on The Two Towers, is coming out in early 2026. The game is easy to learn: each player controls a unique character with specific goals, and everyone has to achieve their goal to finish a round.

The Two Towers expansion adds fresh characters to the game, along with two powerful new cards – the White Tower and the Black Tower – which can win any round. It also introduces Orc cards that can’t start a round. Having played a portion of the game, I’m confident that fans of the Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game will enjoy these exciting new additions to the gameplay.

Battle Monsters

Based on the classic 1990s game Battle Masters, Battle Monsters lets Godzilla and other creatures from the Monsterverse clash on a huge game board – it’s so big it might not even fit on your table! Players control a powerful Titan alongside supporting armies, and strategic positioning is key to victory. The game is created by Restoration Games, known for successfully reviving older board games, and features a fantastic Godzilla theme. Currently, five monsters are playable: Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Kong, Mechagodzilla, and Mothra.

Blood Rage: Valhalla

Game designer Eric Lang became well-known in the 2010s with a series of games centered around gods and mythology. One of these was Blood Rage, a Viking game where players, as different clans favored by Norse gods, fought for honor as the world ended. Now, Lang is releasing a standalone sequel called Blood Rage: Valhalla. It will play similarly to the original, but with new features representing the Norse afterlife. Players will build up their clans by collecting cards and competing for control of different regions, earning Glory by completing quests and achieving goals. The player with the most Glory after three rounds wins.

Everdell: Emerland

Emerland, a new game in the Everdell universe, takes place in a lush jungle and offers a fresh take on the original gameplay. You’ll still send workers to gather resources and build a city, but new creatures can boost your resource collection. Cities are smaller, limited to 12 cards, but these cards are double-sided and can be upgraded for added benefits. A new archaeologist track also rewards players with bonuses and points as they advance. If you enjoy Everdell and are looking for something a little different, Emerland is worth checking out when it releases later this year.

Bunny Kingdom Town

Richard Garfield has created a new version of his game Bunny Kingdom, called Bunny Kingdom Town. It’s a game for two players where you build a bunny kingdom by buying and placing buildings to expand your districts and collect golden carrots. You can earn even more carrots by fulfilling requests from the townspeople. The player with the most golden carrots at the end wins. Bunny Kingdom is always enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to trying out this two-player version.

Mountain Goats: Legacy

Legacy games, where the game changes permanently after each play session, are really popular. But the new game, Mountain Goats Legacy, is taking the idea in a unique direction. Players try to get their goats to the top of a mountain, aiming to reach the summit before anyone else. Each attempt will introduce new abilities triggered by dice rolls, and it sounds like the mountain itself will be constantly changing with every roll of the dice.

Horror on the Orient Express

The board game version of Horror on the Orient Express is finally here! Created by Chaosium, the makers of Call of Cthulhu, the game challenges players to travel across the famous train and uncover which passengers are secretly cultists planning a terrible ritual. They’ll also have to fight off strange and frightening creatures that attack during the journey. With a 3D board representing the train cars, it looks like a really exciting and dangerous game to play with friends.

Legendary: A DC Deck Building Game

The Legendary game series usually focuses on Marvel heroes teaming up to defeat a villain’s plan. The latest version now includes DC superheroes, along with some new gameplay elements like Sidekick cards and a Hope & Fear tracker that controls when you can use special powers. It’s a well-loved deck-building game, and I’m excited to see how Upper Deck brings the same variety and originality to the DC universe that they achieved with Marvel.

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2026-01-07 23:33