And just like that, another year has come and gone, and a new year is upon us. But before we rush into 2025, we want to share our top games of 2024. Consider this our 2024 Board Game Wrapped.
2024 was an exceptional year for us in many ways. First and foremost, we moved into a new home, introduced our kids to the magic that is Walt Disney World, and rediscovered our love for traditional playing card games. We also were able to play a new game or two in the few moments of free time we were able to find.
We logged over 680 plays of 227 games (157 new to us) in the last calendar year. This number is slightly down from previous years mostly due to having the majority of our board game collection packed away for the half the year and the fact that moving pretty much takes over your life, and we had to move twice!
For us, gaming isn’t about quantity, it’s about quality and man did we have a lot of fun quality time together in 2024. Making time for that was even more important this year as our lives were out of sorts. Being able to provide a constant anchor for our kids with game nights made sure that we always had a fun way to connect together no matter where we were.
Our most played games were:
5. Ultimatch- 10 Plays
4. Donut – 14 Plays
3. Captain Flip – 15 Plays
2. Cartographers – 18 Plays
1. Playing Cards – 52* Plays
We log all of our games into the BG Stats app. It keeps track of these and more stats throughout the years and it’s a fun way to track our gaming sessions and keep a log of each game night these games were a part of.
Traditional playing card games were our most played game of the year and it wasn’t close. The number of plays logged pales in comparison to the number of plays actually played. All hours of the day you can find someone in the house playing a game of solitaire, challenging a sibling to speed, or honing their skills in a game of canasta. It’s far too much to track each and every play which is a good problem to have.
Our second place game secures its seat thanks to an excellent version of Cartographers on Board Game Arena — cannot recommend it enough! The final three are great family games that are all perfect choices for a quick play right before or after dinner.
Our Top Five Kids, Family, and Strategy Games of 2024
There were some excellent games released this year that helped make 2024 a great year for gaming. It was hard to narrow it down to a top 5, but we’ve done our best and stand behind each of the games below!
2024 Kids Games
5. Garden Heist by Ravensburger
The game box becoming a house mixed with chunky pieces had our kids begging to play this game again and again. This delightful hide-and seek game was one of our funniest game nights we had all year and got each one of our kids having the best time.
4. Garden Getaway – Gigamic
Perfect for preschoolers and kids learning how to play games for the first time! Garden Getaway is all about helping your secret animal win a race. Kids have simple strategy decisions to make as they roll dice and choose from the results which character to move forward and which to move backwards. Eventually they’ll learn that they may not want to telegraph which character they want to win as it will tell their opponents which to hold back. I love that the game is fast, fun for siblings to play together, and a more challenging mode to additional fun.
3. Spotlight by Horrible Guild
This is a cooperative game in the style of a Where’s Waldo book that uses a novel “magic flashlight” to search for images in a unique seek and find experience. This is a must for kids that love hidden picture books that you’ll absolutely love playing too!
2. Little Alchemist by CGE
This a kids game has all the bells and whistles: unlockable content, app assisted gameplay, and fun deduction challenges make this a truly unique experience for kids. It slowly walks you through the game so you’re not overwhelmed learning everything at once. As an adult I loved playing and the kids had a blast too so it was a win win!
1. Pikit by Repos
Pikit is the Tabletop Family Kids game of the year! This Kaiju monsters dice game delivers fast-paced, snappy gameplay with straightforward rules and fun artwork, making it a perfect choice for family game nights. It’s easy to learn and creates such a fun atmosphere with its playful monster battles and exciting dice rolls. It’s fun adults and kids alike!
Family Games
5. Rivages by Pandasaurus Games
A delightful island-hopping adventure, combining simple card drafting with engaging map exploration. Simultaneous play makes this game play quick even with five players.
4. Vegetable Stock by Arcane Wonders
A delightful blend of market manipulation and strategic card drafting, you have to balance the risk of pushing your vegetable values higher in the market, without leaving it open to crashing and taking your points with it! Few things are more fun than watching your opponent’s face fall when you crash the corn market on the last turn and leave them with nothing.
3.Captain Flip by Playpunk
This tile laying game is quick to learn and the offers plenty of strategic decisions in a short time for up to five players. The multiple map options add nice variety to the game which is perfect since it’s likely this one will be on repeat for you like it was for us all summer!
2. Castle Combo – by Pandasaurus Games
A delightful tableau-building experience that’s quick to learn but rich in possibilities, allowing up to five players to craft their own medieval kingdoms while enjoying the charming artwork and satisfying card synergies. Castle Combo was an easy pick for one of the best family games of the year.
1. Tower Up – by Monolith
Tower Up is a dang delight that has been living on our table! Hitting many of the same notes as Ticket to Ride, you’ll love its quick, snappy turns, tactical game play, and perfect scaleability for whatever your player count is! Tower Up has everything you hope to find in a family game and in every situation this game just shines which easily made it our favorite family game of the year!
Strategy Games
5. This Game is Killer – Smirk and Dagger
A unique party game with a surprising dose of strategy! “This Game is Killer” is a thrilling semi-cooperative experience with a twist, where players must outmaneuver both the alien threat and each other, creating a tense atmosphere of shifting alliances and calculated betrayals. Our biggest surprise hit of the year.
4. Middle Ages – Studio H
I was immediately smitten with the look of this game and have continued to be pulled back in by its unique game play. It’s a perfect next step up for those who love Kingdomino but want something with a bit more meat to chew on.
3. Let’s Go! To Japan – AEG
A satisfying puzzle of itinerary optimization, rewarding careful planning and adaptability as players craft the perfect vacation. Let’s go to Japan has a fun theme and plays quickly as each player takes their turn simultaneously and ends in a fun way with players taking everyone through their unique travel plans. Warning, playing this game may result in you planning a real trip to Japan soon!
2. Wrymspan – Stonemaier Games
Based on the little known, obscure game Wingspan, Wyrmspan ramps up the complexity of its predecessor with a dragon-themed twist. Wyrmspan provides a deeply strategic engine-building experience that rewards long-term planning and careful resource management. This game soared into replacing Wingspan as one of my current favorite games! A highlight of our 2024 game nights!
1. Lord of the Rings Duel – Repos Production
Duel games have been a popular trend in 2024, luckily Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth is more than just a popular theme pasted onto 7 Wonders Duel gameplay. This tightly designed two-player contest, offering multiple paths to victory and deep strategic decisions that enhances both the theme and gameplay foundation it is inspired from. Our house was split on 7 Wonders Duel, but we both loved this drafting game inspired by Tolkien’s books. It has a way of sticking with you long after you’ve put the game away; thinking and rethinking how you’ll play the next time.
Top New to Us Games of 2024
The best part about a board game is that it has no expiration date and these older, pre-2024 releases found some love at our table this year!
5. Potato Man (2013) – Mind Vision
Offering a unique twist on trick-taking with its “no-follow” rule, our family couldn’t stop playing this one due to its clever scoring system creating tense decisions and exciting gameplay. If you love Skull King, give this one a try for a different type of trick taking game.
4. Almost Innocent (2023) – Kolossal Games
Almost Innocent is a cooperative deduction experience that tests your ability to balance personal progress with team communication. You need to find out information to help you navigate your own board, but you also need to make sure you find a way to telegraph helpful information you have to your teammates as well. Do you share important information to teammates or ask a question to benefit only yourself? The puzzle evolves in complexity across multiple scenarios making this a resettable campaign game that anyone can jump in a join at anytime.
3. Thunder Road: Vendetta (2023) – Restoration Games
Our 10 & 8 year old boys’ favorite game of the year! Thunder Road Vendetta brings high-octane chaos to your table, demanding quick tactical thinking and adaptability as you navigate a constantly shifting battlefield of carnage and mayhem. The gameplay is constantly creating memorable dice rolls that will become tales you share about family game nights for the rest of time.
2. Ticket to Ride Legacy (2023) – Days of Wonder
Ticket to Ride Legacy elevates the beloved classic with a campaign full of clever twists and gradual rule additions, providing a perfect entry point for those curious about legacy games while still offering satisfying strategic depth. The best legacy game experience I have ever had.
1. Wandering Towers (2022) – Capstone Games
Part memory game, part race game all wrapped in a whimsical package, where careful planning and spatial awareness are key to outmaneuvering your opponents in a constantly shifting magical landscape. It plays great all the way up to six players, but I have also enjoyed the solo puzzle mode. Hands down one of the best all ages family games we played in a long time.
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