In May, we played 19 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 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: Canvas

I love ‌overlapping the transparent cards to create works of art. The hidden fun in Canvas is the artist naming and presenting each of their paintings before they score them. The theme and unique mechanic make this a stellar welcoming game.

Adam’s Favorite Game: Gigamic Abstract Games

I can’t get over how wonderfully made and fun to play all these games have been. Bite size thoughts on each game. Listed starting with the game I like and ending with the ones I love in this series.
Pylos – Benefits from multiple plays since the strategy wasn’t obvious in my initial play.
Quixo – Having to balance setting yourself up while blocking your opponent is where the fun is found in Quixo.
Quarto – The genius of having to pick your opponent’s piece makes this one special knowing someone is going to hand over the victory.
Quoridor – No other game in this series had me laughing and racking my brain like Quoridor. If we could only keep one, it would be this one. 

Video Overviews of Each Game: Pylos, Quixo, Quarto, Quoridor

Kid’s Favorite Game: Marvel Battleworld

This game is so beloved by our boys that next month our family will celebrate a Marvel Batteworld birthday party. It is a very simple game that kids can play on their own and the fun characters mean that after the game is done, there is plenty opportunity for free play!

Read our full review of Marvel Battleworld.

End of Month Awards

Family Favorite: Fabled Fruit

Fabled Fruit is like a worker placement legacy game, but nothing gets destroyed so it is  replayable. After multiple starts and stops, we finally played game 15 out of 20 of our campaign that started in May of 2020. I really love this game and am hoping we can finish this one before May 2023!  

Best Puzzle Game: Downtown Farmers Market

This quick puzzle game is all about making the best of what you can draft, and strategically getting rid of what you think your opponents may want. The placement puzzle is comparable to Tiny Towns, but is much faster to play and easier to teach.

Best iPad Game: Take It Easy

The Take it Easy app is the best way to play this out-of-print abstract puzzle game. In the game you will place 19 of 27 tiles on your boards trying to complete lines of the same number to score points. The app plays 1-4 players on a single iPad at the same time. For less than a dollar, this app is well worth getting if you enjoy multiplayer solitary puzzle games.

Most Played Game: Marvel Battleworld – 11 times

Often the kids favorite game and our most played game are the same and May is no different. Honestly, this number is low since the game is so easy to play that the boys could set it up, play it, and put it all away without any support from adults. 

From the Vault – Most Fun Classic Played: Incan Gold 

Incan Gold is a fantastic push-your-luck game with an excellent theme. We introduced it to our boys for the first time and it was it hit with everyone. We loved that our boys were getting great math practice dividing up the loot, and they enjoy laughing when Adam busted and lost all his gems. This game also fits perfectly in our traveling case, so it will be going everywhere with us this summer. 

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