Last modified February 26, 2026 by Jarjar

Here is the awards ceremony for the best games of 2025 from this blog!

Conditions for candidates:
–> Games released in 2024 or 2025 (As several 2024 releases only arrived here in 2025, and as games released at the end of 2024 were mostly only played in 2025)
–> Games played for the first time in 2025

Regardless of the category, please note that these are all games I enjoyed and would recommend without hesitation. The categories have varied since the first edition.
I put a lot of time and thought into preparing this article, and even revisited some games to confirm my choices. It was a long process, but a great exercise. It allowed me to conclude that 2025 was a very good year for gaming!

Legend for the symbols used in this article:
I own the game
I do not own the game
Number of games played
Game rating out of 20

BEST GAME BOX COVER

Rebirth ( 17 2 ) which is the only contender for this prize this year, the box really grabbed me and made me buy the game outright—I know, I'm that easily swayed! The illustration offers an optimistic and colorful vision of a "solar" future. The main focus of the image is an impressive city built on a rocky hill. A fascinating blend of modern and medieval architecture. It's a very successful illustration that departs from what we usually see in post-apocalyptic settings. Instead of showing the end of the world, it shows what comes after: a period of creative and sustainable reconstruction.

BEST GRAPHIC ART

Saltfjord ( 17 4 A game with a distinctive visual identity that captivated me from the moment its first images appeared on social media. The new Nordic theme offers a more assertive visual style, centered on maritime life, with picturesque buildings and Scandinavian landscapes. The graphic style enhances the clarity and readability of the game board. The magnificent fjord that emerges from it truly fascinated me. The color scheme is also very well done, and the game comes with beautiful dice.

Explorers of Navoria ( 16 2 Visually stunning, with colors and themes reminiscent of "Root" and "Oath," which initially drew me in. The overall visual style is colorful, vibrant, and detailed. This style evokes a sense of joyful exploration in a magical world filled with new lands and creatures.

Galileo Galilei ( 16 3 with visually appealing and intriguing sound design. It doesn't aim for spectacle, but rather creates a believable, refined, and immersive atmosphere, perfectly aligned with the theme of astronomy and scientific research. The maps are beautifully illustrated. The visual work is understated yet highly accomplished, effectively supporting the gameplay.

Vantage ( 20 6 ), not only for the 1700 superbly illustrated cards, but for the sheer richness of adventure that the illustrations provide. A monumental work by the author that cannot go unnoticed! Vantage's graphic design is a central element of the experience, far more than mere window dressing: the art helps immerse us in an alien world to explore.

GRAPHIC ART WINNER
VANTAGE

BEST EXTENSION

The White Castle ( 19 9 There's only one expansion listed, namely Matcha, for the excellent game The White Castle, which adds a set of three green dice (thus one extra turn per round), and is visually very well done. I was very hesitant to add this expansion, as the base game already provided a great deal. Yes, it lengthens the game a little, but oh, how we appreciate extending the enjoyment! Without altering the core gameplay, it opens it up a bit more and adds to the fun. I won't play without it now!

BEST THEME

Arcs, ( 20 5 I love space-themed games, and this one is definitely worth a look. A space opera with superb, highly thematic illustrations. A game board that represents space in a rather unique way. A brilliant game of confrontation that I absolutely loved!

Cheese ( 19 4 What an original idea to make a game about cheese! But even better is that the game board is actually a cheese board! 😊 The aging mechanic fits the theme perfectly, and all the little cheese-shaped triangles, colorful regional boards, and cheese tablets are very thematic. It's a super fun, fast-paced, accessible, yet rich game, and it's very easy to play game after game!

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence ( 20 7 And yes, another game with a space theme, but this time a space that's in motion, and wow, it's very well done. The tension created by the search for extraterrestrial presence is palpable and very intriguing. The text on the cards adds to the atmosphere. This game is a masterpiece!

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship ( 17 1 Thematically, it's hard to beat this game. You really feel the weight Frodo carries on his shoulders, aided by his friends on this long journey to Mordor. Those Nazgûl are absolutely unpredictable. The tension is excellent, but it's not an easy game to read!

Ezra and Nehemiah ( 18 2 The designers literally took the three central points from the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah and transformed them into three main gameplay actions: rebuilding the temple, rebuilding the walls, and teaching the Torah. An excellent game!

THEME WINNER
SETI : Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

SPECIAL MENTION
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship

BEST PRODUCTION

We've had several great productions this year, so it's a long list!

Covenant ( 18 6 A very colorful game, high-quality components, several pieces made of wood and rubber—a truly beautiful production! The rulebook is very well illustrated, but it's not always easy to find the rule you're looking for, and a few icons are missing. The game is very colorful on the table with clearly visible mountain tiles, and the pieces are very pleasant to handle. One of the best games played in 2025!

Arcs ( 20 5 The game boasts the excellent production quality typical of Leder Games. It includes 100 uniquely shaped wooden pieces and 18 custom-engraved dice. Kyle Ferrin's artwork strikes a perfect balance between an accessible cartoon style and the dark tones of the setting, with over 60 unique pieces of art on the cards and a beautiful 6-panel game board. The box is remarkably compact, with no wasted space, offering a lot of content in a small package. The components are easy to distinguish, and Leder Games maintains its usual high-quality consistency.

Explorer of Navoria ( 16 2 The production quality clearly stands out thanks to its visual and material attention to detail, resulting in a very attractive tabletop presence. The illustrations are colorful, detailed, and consistent, contributing to a warm and accessible world, while the clear iconography makes it easy to use. The cards are a good thickness, the game board is sturdy and well-printed, and the wooden and cardboard components are pleasant to handle.

The Anarchy ( 19 3 With its meticulous assembly and solid components, the game includes a two-tiered mini-board for castle building, adding visual interest to the tabletop. The abundant wooden resources and tokens provide a satisfying tactile experience. The artwork and materials enhance the immersion in the strategic medieval world, all within a compact box (which I love; it allows me to keep more games in my collection), making the game's production quality a major strength.

Defenders of the Wild ( 18 3 The game boasts excellent production quality. It features high-quality components including wooden meeples and camps, linen-finished cards, and thick cardboard hexagonal tiles assembled in groups of three. The aesthetics are particularly polished, with beautiful illustrations, a clear color code to differentiate forest creatures from metallic silver mechs, and each animal faction having its own distinct visual style. This is remarkable for a first Kickstarter project that raised over $330,000 from 1,200 backers.

Speakeasy ( 19 1 This game is designed by Vital Lacerda and illustrated by Ian O'Toole, a renowned collaboration in the world of board games (having already produced The Gallerist, Lisboa, On Mars, etc.). The game is absolutely gorgeous on the table, with high-quality components that make you want to play immediately! The production allows us to fully immerse ourselves in the theme. Mechanically very well executed, I find it a departure from Lacerda's usual style, while still remaining a fairly robust game, and brutal if you make a poor plan!

Sweet Lands ( 20 4 The game includes over 200 cards, 14 unique characters, and 449 wooden tokens. The set weighs approximately 3,3 kg, reflecting the quality of the components. The wooden tokens feature themed shapes such as brownie pavilions, cheese tents, and cream houses. A truly impressive and unique production! A rather substantial game that we absolutely loved!

Andromeda's Edge ( 18 1 And I'm referring to the deluxe version: the miniatures for the alien ships and buildable structures are highly detailed and add an interesting presence to the tabletop. The visual transformation of the ships into structures during gameplay creates a spectacular effect. This deluxe version includes acrylic components, metal parts, painted miniatures, and a storage system. The artwork and components are of good quality, and from a tactile point of view, moving the pieces is pleasant. A very well-produced game that undoubtedly enhances the enjoyment of the game, a game that I thoroughly enjoyed and am eager to play again.

PRODUCTION WINNER
SWEET LANDS

SPECIAL MENTION
Speakeasy

BEST HIDDEN GEM

Limit ( 19 2 ) only one game in this category, a game that went under the radar at Essen. Limit It blew me away with its unsettling realism, hitting us like a slap in the face with the stark realization of where the world is headed if we do nothing. The mechanics are incredibly fun: you make your political decisions by playing cards, then a series of events unfolds, showing us the effects of those decisions. Brilliant and a blast to watch.

BEST INNOVATIVE MECHANICS

The gang ( 20 37 This cooperative poker game has been a huge success here; we've lost count of the number of games played. What makes The Gang truly remarkable is that it takes a game of bluffing and competition and transforms it into a challenge of collective reading and mental synchronization—absolutely brilliant!

Ayar, Children of the Sun ( 18 4 This game is like several mini-games in one, and features several innovative mechanics, such as how you select your actions: by activating a row or column of a grid, which grants a bonus each time a row or column is cleared of its tambos. The power of your actions depends on the number of power icons revealed in the activated row or column, creating a more powerful progression as the game goes on. As the Ayar travelers cross the territory, some fall behind and withdraw from the board, thus reducing the number of actions everyone can take in subsequent rounds. A game we really enjoyed here.

Thebes, ( 19 4 The originality of this game lies in the constant balance it maintains between several axes: the reconstruction of the citadel by placing and removing Cadmée tiles, which unlock additional actions that are sometimes very interesting, the management of trade contracts relating to grapes, bronze and pottery, offerings to the gods, and finally the military defense of the seven gates against invaders.

MECHANICAL WINNER
THE GANG

BEST FAMILY GAME

take time ( 19 53 This is an excellent family game because it combines accessibility and strategy: the rules can be explained in 5 minutes for games lasting about 15 minutes, the mechanics are original and quite addictive, which means you'll want to play game after game. It's a cooperative deduction game. The game offers 40 progressive challenges with beautifully illustrated and high-quality components. It's great fun to turn over the cards at the end of the game to see if your solution worked. The most played game here in 2025.

Cheese ( 19 4 This is an excellent family board game because it combines accessibility and strategic depth in a perfect format. Games last around 40 minutes and use a simultaneous worker placement system, meaning everyone plays at the same time with no waiting time, keeping everyone engaged from start to finish. The charming theme of a French artisanal cheese dairy, with its beautiful graphics, appeals to all ages, while the unique rotating board mechanic (which ages your cheeses) creates an original and truly fun gameplay dynamic. This game was a real surprise in our ski group; we played several rounds in a row because we enjoyed it so much.

The gang ( 20 37 The Gang is projected to be the second most played game in 2025, even though it is a poker game. It works very well with families because it is accessible; it is actually a good game for learning poker.

Toy Battle ( 17 3 This is an excellent family game because its rules are very simple and can be explained in less than 5 minutes, with games lasting 15 to 20 minutes that maintain attention without becoming tedious. Its world of toys vying for control of the house, inspired by Toy Story, appeals to both children and adults, and it combines tile placement, area control, and special effects to offer sufficient tactical depth without excessive complexity. With 8 different playing areas, each game offers a fresh experience, although the game is designed for only 2 players, making it perfect for a parent-child duel.

FAMILY WINNER
TAKE TIME

SPECIAL MENTION
The gang

BEST 2 PLAYER GAME

Compile, ( 19 8 This game is captivating thanks to its exceptional replayability: with 12 protocols in the base game (and 3 more in the expansion), it offers over 200 possible combinations, each completely altering the strategies and game mechanics. Its original narrative universe (AIs that become aware and define their reality) and its meticulous illustrations create a strong sense of immersion, while its simple rules conceal great strategic depth with constant combos and plot twists. The high-quality production (ultra-durable cards) and the fast, dynamic gameplay of approximately 25-30 minutes also contribute to its success.

The White Castle Duel ( 19 3 White Castle is praised for being a perfectly calibrated strategic adaptation for two players that condenses the tactical depth of the original game while eliminating dice to offer a more controllable and deterministic experience. The game offers a tense cerebral duel where every decision counts, while maintaining the atmosphere and combos of the original White Castle but in a faster (20-30 minutes) and streamlined format, with 12 rounds.

Agent Avenue ( 16 8 This game is particularly appreciated for its perfect balance between simplicity and strategic depth: its rules can be explained in two minutes, but its "I split, you choose" mechanic (where you offer two cards, one face up and one face down, and your opponent chooses) creates constant tension based on bluffing and psychology. Games are quick (around 15 minutes), fast-paced, and highly replayable thanks to the cumulative effects of the cards, which can lead to spectacular comebacks. The colorful, beautifully illustrated espionage world with its anthropomorphic animals adds visual charm.

Azul Duel ( 17 3 This game combines accessible tile-drafting mechanics with sound tactical choices: each tile selection influences not only your own board but also the options available to your opponent, creating constant tension between optimizing your own game and blocking your opponent's. The visually stunning components make the experience as aesthetically pleasing as it is fun. Games are quick (30-45 minutes), the rules are easy to learn, but mastering the game requires strategic thinking about optimal placement, penalty management, and anticipating your opponent's moves.

Everdell Duo ( 17 5 This game is particularly appreciated for its ability to distill the enchanting Everdell experience into a fast-paced and intense format specifically designed for two players. It retains the elements that made the original a success—adorable woodland animal illustrations, exceptionally high-quality components, and smooth worker placement mechanics—while adding a more tactical and competitive dimension through its majority system across different card categories. Games are shorter (30-45 minutes) while still offering meaningful decisions on every turn.

WINNER 2 PLAYERS
COMPILE

SPECIAL MENTION
The White Castle Duel

BEST CARD GAME

Compile ( 19 8 As mentioned in the previous category, this game appealed to us for its replayability, its ease of learning but difficulty in mastering, and also for the quality of the cards and their illustrations. It's fascinating to discover the possible combinations in each deck.

take time ( 19 53 As mentioned in the family category, this is a game that captivated us and that we played many rounds of. An interesting mix between The Mind and The Crew. Several good challenges with high production quality.

Eternal Decks ( 17 6 This is an excellent cooperative game because it combines elegant and accessible mechanics with an engaging intellectual challenge. The components are impeccable, with its scarf-style game mat, engraved wooden tokens, and thick cards, creating an immersive, mystical atmosphere from the moment you open the box. The card placement system, where you must adhere to strict color and number constraints while gradually building your deck with the unique Eternals cards, is exceptionally elegant! The six progressive scenarios offer a genuine variety of objectives and atmospheres, from labyrinths to boss battles, while limited communication between players and the management of Jewels to counter negative effects add constant tension. It is this combination of visual beauty, strategic depth, and replayability that makes it a gem of modern cooperative gaming.

The gang ( 20 37 This game needs no introduction, having already been mentioned several times in this article. Let's simply reiterate that it captivated absolutely everyone we played it with.

Riftbound ( 17 6 The game features an innovative dual Rune economy system that creates strategic dilemmas every turn, and its unique victory objective is based on territorial control rather than health reduction. The game boasts superb art direction with illustrations that capture the world of Runeterra (League of Legends), while striking the perfect balance between deep strategy and fast-paced combat, with matches lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Despite a noticeable learning curve, the game successfully translates the MOBA spirit into a card format with zone control mechanics that create a captivating tactical experience.

Omens ( 17 5 This is an excellent board game because it brilliantly combines cooperation and competition in an accessible and addictive format: you play as a team to get rid of all your cards until only one remains, but your cards interact with those of your teammates and opponents, creating a deep tactical dimension where timing is crucial. The game encourages fascinating non-verbal communication since you can only "speak" through your card choices, generating moments of intense camaraderie and memorable feats. The 35 cards are stunning with their glossy finish and each possesses unique effects that create surprising combinations, guaranteeing high replayability.

WINNER CARD GAME
THE GANG

SPECIAL MENTION
Eternal Decks

BEST SOLO GAME

The Anarchy ( 19 3 This is an excellent single-player game thanks to its 20-scenario campaign with varied objectives, offering exceptional replayability and a stimulating, progressive challenge. The single-player mode, designed as a core element of the game rather than an afterthought, presents unique challenges with increasing difficulty, where each scenario has its own objectives and constraints, creating an engaging narrative experience.

Vantage ( 20 6 This is an excellent single-player game because it offers a complete and immersive exploration experience in a rich open world of nearly 1700 interconnected maps, where each playthrough becomes a unique adventure thanks to its roguelike nature. While the single-player mode lacks the cooperative communication aspect present in multiplayer, it offers a solid experience where independent exploration and complete freedom of movement create deep immersion. The "collective memory" system between playthroughs allows you to learn from the world with each attempt, making each new playthrough more informed and strategic, while the 100 possible landing sites and multiple missions guarantee near-infinite replayability, ensuring that no two experiences are ever the same.

Sweet Lands ( 20 4 This game is excellent for solo play because it offers a rich and perfectly structured challenge that doesn't rely on human interaction to shine. Our virtual opponent only blocks three or four actions per round. Resource management, medium-term planning, and the sometimes agonizing choices between development and efficiency make for a very satisfying brain-teaser experience. An excellent puzzle to optimize.

SOLO WINNER
THE ANARCHY

SPECIAL MENTION
Sweet Lands

BEST CO-OP GAME

Defenders of the Wild ( 18 3 This is an excellent cooperative game thanks to its asymmetrical ability system, which makes each player essential to the group's survival. Unlike some games where a "leader" can dictate the actions of others, here, managing hand cards and specializing the four animal factions requires genuine tactical coordination to repel the Machines' industrial invasion. The game strikes the perfect balance between constant tension (generated by the spreading pollution) and a satisfying sense of progression, all underpinned by a compelling theme!

The gang ( 20 37 This is an excellent cooperative game because it manages to create intense tension and implicit communication within a minimalist format: players cannot reveal their hand positions, forcing them to interpret each other's actions and trust the group, thus generating solidarity around the table. It makes you want to play again and again to progress together.

The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship ( 17 1 This is an excellent cooperative game because it combines a tried-and-tested mechanic (similar to Pandemic) with exceptional strategic depth: each player controls two characters with unique abilities, making coordination and communication between players absolutely essential. The tension is constant thanks to a Hope gauge that can cause you to lose the game at any moment, while the 14 events, 13 characters, and 24 different objectives guarantee high replayability. All of this is wrapped in a very strong thematic immersion that truly conveys the epic weight of the quest; in short, a game that rewards collaboration and perfectly captures the spirit of Tolkien.

WINNER COOP
THE GANG

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Vantage, already mentioned several times in this article, for all its richness and the enormous development work behind this game which makes it a gaming monument!

SETIAs mentioned several times already, I must commend the author for all the work he's put in, both in terms of research (atmospheric text) and the highly original mechanics of this game, as well as a theme that feels incredibly real and has an amazing presence on the table. The first game we played was such a delight! We were all blown away around the table!

Arcs, also mentioned above, for all the pleasures that each game gave us and the originality of the mechanics with the card game.

Anarchy, one of the biggest flip and write games in existence, very rich which offers very tough challenges coupled with superb production.

CivolutionFirst mentioned in this article, this game was released in 2024 but I only discovered it in 2025, and it was a real game-changer once I grasped the rules. The game is open and very expansive with numerous possible paths; exploring them is truly fascinating.

The gangAmong the most played games this year, it offered memorable matches and an electric atmosphere around the table. It was a stroke of genius: transforming a highly competitive game into something collaborative – pure genius!

Sweet Lands, for the magnificent production of a theme never before explored, for the great elegance of all the mechanics interlocked almost perfectly, a puzzle that is so much fun to do and so satisfying!

GRAND WINNER 2025
SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Most played games in 2025
#1 Take Time (47 parts)
#2 The Gang (35 parts)

ABSTRACT

Best game box cover: Rebirth
Best Graphic Art: Vantage
Best Expansion: The White Castle – Matcha
Best production: Sweetlands
Best theme: SETI : Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Best hidden gem: Limits
Best innovative mechanic: The Gang
Best family game: Take Time
Best 2-Player Game: Compile
Best card game: The Gang
Best single-player game: The Anarchy
Best co-op game: The Gang
Game of the Year: SETI : Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence