In June, we played 35 different games from new releases to old classics. Here are our picks for the best games we played last month.

Monthly recaps are to help you know about all the games we played in the past month, share our favorite games, as well as give out some end-of-month awards. Not all of the games we play make it onto social media or the blog so this is a fun way to show you what we have played behind the scenes and which games left an impression.

Check out our previous month’s recaps:
2022:  Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May 

June Games Played

Make sure to let us know on our social accounts which of these games you want to hear more about!

Kelsey’s Favorite Game: Viticulture World: Cooperative Expansion

Viticulture World breathed new life into what has been one of my most favorite games for nearly a decade. While I’m not normally a cooperative game fan, Viticulture World does an amazing job of still allowing players to make their own decisions for their own vineyard while still needing to find ways to communicate and work together to complete the objectives. It is surprisingly hard and has been living in my brain rent free since our first play.

Adam’s Favorite Game: Marvel United / X-Men United

Generally, we avoid Kickstarter but Adam couldn’t resist backing X-Men United last year. It finally arrived this month and the whole family has been google eye over the minis, but the real star has been the playmat, anchoring the whole game on the table and improving the play experience to boot! The X-Men United base game has 10 classic characters, so even if you missed the Kickstarter there is still plenty to enjoy!  

Kid’s Favorite Game: Unlock Kids!

Our kids have been loving solving the six scenarios in Unlock Kids! As parents, we love how our kids 10, 8, & 6 can play it independently and there is no need for an app to solve puzzles or give clues. While not as challenging as the standard Unlock games, the cases are still a ton of fun, so much so that at night the adults played the cases that our kids played without us.  

great board games to play. New great board games. Great Family board games

End of Month Awards

Favorite Family Game Designer: Phil Walker Harding

We got to play two games designed by Phi Walker Harding this month:

First – Super Mega Lucky Box

This is a flip & write game that is simple to play but offers enough information to make your choices meaningful. A great introduction to roll & write style games. For another great flip & write game by Phil Walker Harding we highly recommend Silver and Gold

Second – Planted: A Game of Nature & Nurture

This game is currently only available at Target and is a steal at $20 bucks. Planted is a drafting game with some excellent resources to match its beautiful art. If you are at all interested in this theme and like gateway games, this is a must-play. 

Best Game with a Bad Rulebook: Pocket Master Builder

With so many great games available, we usually advise people to skip games with poor rule books, but Pocket Master Builder is worth the effort since it is a really fun worker placement/resource management game. Don’t let its compacted size (one small deck box) and cheap cost ($12) fool you, this game will take up space on your table and make you think.

Best Video Game: Fall Guys

We don’t play a lot of video games in our house, but Fall Guys is one we can’t stop playing. It is basically Most Extreme Elimination Challenge the video game which will leave you laughing and thinking “oh just one more game, I know I can do better next time.” 

Most Played Game: Marvel Battleworld – 15* times

Our kids are still absolutely obsessed with this game, and it is likely that Marvel Battleworld will continue to hold this spot for the next several months. So to share more love about other games that are hitting our table non-stop we give you the…

2nd Most Played Game: Cover Your Assets – 9 times

This great game is now even better since it adds in a few special rule cards and new art. The joy you get from this game blocking someone who try to steal your asset not once,but twice is some of the best experience I had from a card game. 

If you want to add Cover Your Assets or any of the card games from Grandpa Beck’s Games to your family’s line up, use our code Kelsey15 for 15% off! 

In Case You Missed It:

TikTok: Date Night with Planted
Instagram:  Travel Case
Suspects Review