The best board games of 2024 so far

Back in May I remarked how board game releases in 2024 had gotten off to a slow start. That was before the summer and fall convention season, which brought with it a deluge of promising new titles. We are in full swing now, and there is an astounding quantity of exceptional new board games. 

Some of this list’s previous entries have departed and are replaced with shiny new titles. I’ve whittled the collection down to eight selections that represent the best of the year. This list is not ranked. Instead, titles are offered in alphabetical order.  

Arcs: Conflict & Collapse in the Reach

Arcs: Conflict & Collapse in the Reach is the extraordinary new release from lauded designer Cole Wehrle. Wehrle is best known for his work on Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right, and he has once again teamed up with artist Kyle Ferrin and publisher Leder Games to produce something new: a high-concept space conquest tabletop experience. This is a large shift from similar games such as Eclipse and Twilight Imperium, as it utilizes the core card system of trick-taking games (think euchre or hearts) to fuel stellar expansion and galactic warfare. It’s a wild idea that alters how actions are gained and spent for the turn.

While the nifty card system is compelling, the real magic occurs with this game’s oversized expansion, The Blighted Reach. Unusually, this addition is twice the size and cost of the base game, but it transforms the core experience into a three-session campaign. Players take on asymmetric roles that modify the game radically, adding whole new rules systems and mechanisms to explore. Over these three plays, new content will be introduced and the scope of play will change. At the campaign’s conclusion, one player will achieve victory and remake the galaxy in their image. This ride is momentous and unforgettable.

Read our full review of the game for more information.  

Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen

Compass Games has been around for 20 years, and in that time this publisher has released over 200 wargames covering topics such as World War II, the American Revolution, and the Vietnam War. Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen has all the flourishes of a traditional wargame — things like large maps adorned in hexagons, units emblazoned on 2D chits, and over a dozen scenarios covering a distinct period of history. The twist is that its subject matter is entirely fictional. Instead of a fierce conflict in Europe, it’s a full-blown war between various fantasy factions in the kingdom of Kalar.

While the setting appears generic on the surface, there is a rich history presented through both extensive background text as well as a series of scenarios that lead players through many years of the war. Each scenario is unique and compelling, featuring two or more of the colorful, highly asymmetric factions. It’s an incredibly immersive game, one that’s dramatic and full of interesting ideas while presenting an experience that is more streamlined and accessible than the typical wargame.

Dune: War for Arrakis

Publisher CMON is best known for its enormous, sprawling miniatures games. Dune: War for Arrakis is no different, offering a two-hour epic battle for control of Arrakis. One player takes on the role of the Harkonnens, while the other wields the might of the Atreides. You will gather spice with harvesters, maneuver troops such as the Fremen and Sardaukar, and seek to fulfill ancient premonitions. 

This game is highly asymmetrical, playing similarly to designers Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello’s previous board game, War of the Ring. Just like that Lord of the Rings epic, Dune: War for Arrakis is a rich and evocative experience that teases out dramatic moments that could have appeared in the book. While this is primarily a two-player game, it does support up to four players with a team format. This game has arrived at a perfect time, releasing in tandem with the fantastic new film and standing tall on the table like a Fremen atop Shai-Hulud.

You can read our full review of the game here. 

Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan

On the surface, Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan appears to be just another cooperative fantasy game with a lengthy campaign in the tradition of Gloomhaven. That’s not the case, as this new release from designer Gordon Calleja and publisher Mighty Boards ditches cerebral card play for high-tempo dice rolling. It’s a luxurious and dramatic system full of dynamism and descriptive action.

Each turn players roll a fistful of dice to determine what actions they can perform for the round. These dice may be used to move and attack, but they also can be spent as recipes to trigger character special abilities. This allows you to unleash over-the-top maneuvers and impact the battlefield in wondrous ways. Couple this with an engaging, well-written storyline and the result is spectacular. If you’re looking for an action-heavy alternative to Dungeons & Dragons, this is state-of-the-art. 

You can read additional thoughts in our review. 

Maladum: Dungeons of Enveron

United Kingdom-based Battle Systems released Core Space in 2019 as an elaborate starter set, a cyberpunk dungeon crawler that drew attention due to its 3D walls and scenery. But underneath the humming machinery and neon lighting was a fantastic system that modeled an environment full of life and tension. This system has been updated and adapted to the genre of fantasy, and Maladum: Dungeons of Enveron is a significant improvement upon its predecessor.

Players team up to raid a dungeon, battling undead revenants, wandering beasts, and even a large Rot Troll along the way. But unlike most dungeon crawlers, the game mimics the structure of extraction shooters like Call of Duty’s DMZ mode or Escape From Tarkov, where players have the option to exit the mission early with any loot they can carry out. 

This is really a fascinating game that is highly flexible, and works well solitaire or with up to three other players. There’s a sense of agency built into the rules that affords players directorial control of the experience, making it one of the most inspiring and creative dungeon crawlers to hit the market in the past decade.

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence is a complex game that has players leading scientific institutes in the search for alien life. While it’s a contemplative game with layered strategy and sophisticated card play, it leans heavily into its modern-day setting and technology. 

The game takes place in two separate domains, one occurring among the stars as players launch probes and search for extraterrestrial signals, and the other back on Earth, where equipment is upgraded and utilized to analyze data and boost telescope signal capacity. All of this is fueled by the rich card system which features over 200 cards depicting various technologies and discoveries. This is a game about understanding the nature of our universe and making extraordinary discoveries.

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence premiered at Essen Spiel and will be available for purchase in the United States soon.

Tower Up

While it’s great fun to smash undead and ride sand worms, sometimes you just want something more mundane. Tower Up is that game on the surface as players compete to build skyscrapers across a cityscape, but beyond the shadow of these gangly structures is an intriguing design that oscillates between approachable strategy and cutthroat positional conflict.

The rules are straightforward and the time commitment is minimal. It can be enjoyed by a wide range of players, as it occupies a similar gateway spot to mass-market games like Ticket to Ride and Catan. However, as play progresses and the available space on the board narrows, a devious strategic landscape emerges, which supports a deeper level of engagement. More cerebral play isn’t required, but the possibility gives the game longer legs and begs repeated play. 

Worldspanner Factions

In Worldspanner Factions players split into two teams, each controlling multiple heroes in a competition that mixes adventure game questing with a Hunger Games-style battle royale. But there’s a big twist: Competitors are drawn from all across time and history. So, you can have the absurdity of Annie Oakley riding a motorcycle and wielding a laser rifle going head-to-head with an obnoxious tree-man flinging boulders, sort of a freeform take on Unmatched.

Worldspanner Factions’ anachronistic shenanigans are delightfully splendid and chaotic, but the game is buttressed with a rather complex ruleset that will require some focus and dedication across a three-hour playtime. 

A further impediment is the game’s relatively high cost. Worldspanner Factions: Set 1 is a complete and satisfying product; Set 2 expands massively upon the content with a huge helping of new heroes, map tiles, and items; and Set 3 offers a wild solitaire or cooperative campaign with a prescribed narrative that completely reshapes the game.