Most Anticipated Board Games of 2026

A brand new yr is upon us, and the churn of recent board sport releases relentlessly tempts hobbyists every one. You can both flee from it, or you possibly can welcome it with open arms. I’m the open arms kind, so come peruse my Most Anticipated Board Games of 2026! This checklist can be roughly ordered by date of launch, for comfort.

Note: This checklist can even embrace just a few titles revealed by us right here at Bitewing Games (famous under) — as a result of why wouldn’t I be enthusiastic about these?

Expected Release Date: March 2026

Thanks to The Gang (and Balatro), poker is hotter than ever! With All In: Predictions, designer Phil Walker Harding (Sushi Go) is getting in on the hype practice with a extra gamery model of The Gang that means that you can manipulate your poker hand, discard playing cards to make the most of powers, and choose up discarded playing cards.

Expected Release Date: Q2 2026

Knizia’s at it once more with one other push-your-luck cube sport, this time that includes… a pyramid of cats. Don’t query it, simply embrace it.

Expected Release Date: April 2026

From Bitewing Games

Our third Mythos Collection sport (2-player video games of technique and mythology) is our most formidable but. It’s so formidable, that it even has to return in a thicker field than the others on this line. Moytura asks the query: what if an space majority competitors may work properly in a 2-player solely sport? It then solutions that query with an revolutionary third faction system that competes with gamers for factors and features elegantly much like spreading Pandemic illnesses. It’s a semi-cooperative affair the place you and the rival clan should maintain the monsters of Irish mythology in test whilst you all compete to rule historic Ireland. The system right here is so easy that we even included a solo and cooperative variant within the guidelines. Moytura additionally options epic art work throughout generously massive playing cards and boards because of Irish illustrator, Henry Conway.

Expected Release Date: April 2026

From Bitewing Games

While Moytura is meaty and surprising, Azure is probably the cleanest and sleekest title in our Mythos Collection. Here you’ll be managing a hand of playing cards whilst you stake your declare on numerous areas throughout the grid utilizing go stones. What’s attention-grabbing right here is that your stones supply reductions to all different areas of their row and column, permitting you to assemble a intelligent strategic route in your journey to 25 factors. The solely downside is that your opponent is taking part in on the identical grid — stealing your valuable areas, wrestling for favor of the highly effective beasts, and racing you to the top of the purpose observe. Between the graceful stones, snowballing choices, and beautiful playing cards delivered to life by Kwanchai Moriya, this sport simply feels good to bust out and play. 

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

Container is that elusive financial grail sport that so many people have been dying to attempt over the previous a number of years. The excessive value level, quick provide, and garish presentation of the final model was sufficient to maintain most of us at bay for much too lengthy. Finally, because of our pals over at Allplay, Container is getting a correct therapy with a brand new model that’s by some means each astronomically cheaper and comprehensively superior than its predecessor. At final we’ll get to expertise what it’s like to provide, promote, and ship containers… and watch the financial system steadily fly off the rails.

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

Triangulation takes on the Goliath hit social gathering sport Decrypto with its personal angle by being simpler to show and faster to play. I’ve had an opportunity to attempt it, and I got here away very impressed with the extra compact leisure it delivers. Players take turns giving their workforce three clues to assist them triangulate the key phrase. But the opposing workforce will get an opportunity to listen to the primary two clues and steal away the victory in the event that they’re capable of guess first. The problem right here is to provide you with clues which might be full nonsense, even when introduced in pairs, with out the total context of listening to all three collectively.

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

Fans of War Chest ought to maintain an eye fixed out for GRUNTZ — an summary technique struggle sport that delivers comparable thrills. Aside from providing magnetic customizable autos which might be ridiculously cool, GRUNTZ goals to offer an addicting tactical head-to-head duel between two gamers.

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

From Bitewing Games

Gold Country was born to be the final word California Gold Rush board sport. With easy guidelines and shocking depths, it cuts straight to the center of what makes commodity hypothesis and inventory manipulation enjoyable. Players are investing in numerous mining corporations and influencing their destinies by increasing these mines to valuable prizes and dangerous traps. You’ll stumble throughout glimmering gold veins, endure devastating mine collapses, scheme with bandit outlaws, rally with fellow traders, sabotage rival corporations, and extra. Each flip you’ll must learn the board state (and your opponents’ intentions) properly to know what it is best to put money into or promote out of. 

This is our solely Knizia massive field launch of 2026, however it’s primed and able to make an enormous splash with gripping gameplay and luxurious panorama art work by Beth Sobel. Don’t miss the Kickstarter mission (that includes low flat-rate delivery, deluxe upgrades, and a free growth for backers) launching January 27!

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

From Bitewing Games

While Gold Country is the headline title of our upcoming Kickstarter, Totally Human is the darkish horse sport that’s certain to trigger waves of its personal. This one is designed by Kasper Lapp, who I’ve been desirous to work with ever since having fun with the foolish antics of his different hits — That’s Not a Hat and Magic Maze. Totally Human is a hilarious sport of probing questions and doubtful solutions that’s so quick and addicting I’ve seen teams knock out half a dozen performs in below an hour. Each participant is dealt a secret id — alien or human — however everyone seems to be attempting mix in like a human. The group should reply three randomized a number of alternative questions as human-like as attainable, however the aliens face restrictions on what they can reply. With attention-grabbing questions like “What is scariest?” “Best name for a band?” or “Worst place to wake up without explanation?” and foolish solutions like “Spongy Boat” “Squeaky Pirate” or “Prickly Mountain,” you’re in for lots of snickers right here. The second section isn’t any slouch both, as gamers argue, beg, petition, negotiate, and bluff over who they belief and whose rocket ship they need to be part of.

Just final Saturday I broke this one out with a bunch of eight tennis gamers (non board sport hobbyists, thoughts you) who beloved it a lot that they performed eight occasions in a row. Same factor occurred just a few days earlier with a church group of 10 youngsters and three adults (who had two tables of the sport setup). It is a riot of a sport.

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

Dogs of War has been a longtime favourite hidden gem at my desk. My spouse even tracked down an elusive copy as a Christmas current for me a number of years in the past. I’ve many fond reminiscences of digging into its flashy tug-of-war politics with pals. That mentioned, it’s all the time felt a bit off to me. The faction skills are severely imbalanced, the sport can drag on a bit too lengthy, the expertise was by no means tremendous constant from one play to the following, the field is obnoxiously large. Despite having the world’s biggest collection of hats, the sport was in want of a second version. That’s why I’m very looking forward to this new model coming from Paolo Mori and the workforce at Shut Up and Sit Down. Dogs of War second version has the potential to turn into the best multiplayer tug of struggle sport ever conceived.

Expected Release Date: Q3 2026

The unique model of The Crew — the Quest for Planet Nine — was a masterpiece cooperative trick taker that took the trade by storm. Yet by some means, someway, the sequel — Mission Deep Sea — was capable of increase the bar to new heights by injecting much more selection into the components. Can Thomas Sing and Kosmos seize lighting in a bottle as soon as once more? I’m rooting for them. While Journey to the Ends of the Earth is prominently displaying its new Indiana Jones model theme, I’m extra fascinated about what new methods (no pun meant) this method has up its sleeve.

Expected Release Date: September 2026

This would be the yr that we lastly get to behold Rheinlander: Evolved. This attention-grabbing hand administration space management sport from Dr Knizia has gotten a large art work and improvement facelift that I’m praying will propel the expertise into the very best tiers of Knizia titles. I all the time felt like this one existed in that awkward house between approachable gateway sport and hidden-depth technique sport, and it wanted a correct nudge in a single path or the opposite. With the brand new growth modules designed by Knizia, it seems that I simply would possibly get my want. I’m a smidge suspect of the September launch date, contemplating that this Kickstarter mission launched with 10 complete video games that each one must be printed and shipped collectively. That’s a complete lotta logistics. But twenty fifth Century does have a ton of expertise in coordinating many merchandise directly, so we’ll hope this mission sees no delays. I crave the Rhine … let me float these waters as soon as extra.

Expected Release Date: Q3/This fall 2026

Oath is an expertise not like another. What if the gamers directed the marketing campaign? What if the legacy was never-ending? What if the historical past of previous performs lived on in present and future performs? It’s an exciting prospect that has enthralled and/or flummoxed many a gaming group. Five years on from its launch, designer Cole Wehrle has returned with new insights and a contemporary perspective on how he desires to refine that have. The reply is Oath: New Foundations. Word on the road is that this growth not solely provides extra selection, nevertheless it additionally streamlines the unique sport. As certainly one of my favourite gaming experiences of the previous decade, I’m eager to see how this growth shakes issues up.

Expected Release Date: This fall 2026

Sail Legacy could very properly go down as probably the most formidable legacy video games ever crafted. It takes the  standard cooperative 2-player trick taking pirate expertise from Sail and blows the hull large open with branching storylines, fail-forward shenanigans, and outlandish twists. I get the sense that nothing can put together us for what’s coming right here. Let me simply depart you with this quote from Allplay COO, Joe Wiggins, “On the spectrum of Sail to Gloomhaven, Sail Legacy is much closer to Gloomhaven than it is to Sail.”

Crowdfunding Campaign February 2026, Estimated Release Date This fall 2026

The designers of our personal Azure and Moytura (and Undaunted, Mandala, War Chest, and extra) are becoming a member of forces to place out an enormous field technique sport with Mighty Boards, and I’m all for it. Aside from pulling objects from a bag, constructing pillars, using god powers, and competing for space majority, I don’t know what’s happening on this sport. But it certain as heck appears good, and the pedigree is bullet-proof, so carry it on!

Crowdfunding Campaign Right Now, Expected Release Date: This fall 2026

Never content material to relaxation on their laurels, Allplay has taken it upon themselves to launch not one however TWO legacy video games within the SAME YEAR. Admittedly, this second one is a significantly smaller sport and can seemingly launch earlier than Sail: Legacy just because there are far fewer parts to finalize. The unique Mountain Goats has been certainly one of Allplay’s evergreen small field titles as a result of its easy cube allocation and charming king-of-the-mountain goatmanship. Personally, I haven’t performed the unique sport in years, however I bear in mind wishing that it gave me extra bang for my buck. Well, now my want is coming true, as a result of Mountain Goats: Legacy goals to be a family-weight legacy sport that provides every kind of layers to the components. Notably, the writer says there aren’t any everlasting modifications on this “legacy” sport, so you possibly can reset and replay to your coronary heart’s content material.

Crowdfunding Campaign in February, Expected Release Date: This fall 2026

I’m all the time to see what my previous friends over at Facade Games are as much as. Their Dark Cities line (social deduction video games packaged in faux-book packing containers themed round darkish historic occasions) is meticulously produced. If you’ve performed certainly one of these video games earlier than, then you understand precisely what to anticipate from one other one within the line. Notably, this one is illustrated by one other pal of Bitewing, Alisha Giroux (artist of Gazebo, Gingham, and Cat Blues), and the early photographs of the sport are beautiful. After the loss of life of Caesar, gamers are competing to grab energy over Rome by way of crafty politics.

Kickstarter coming in March, Expected Release Date: 2026 

Fans of Paolo Mori’s Blitzkrieg and Caesar, take word! Flintlock is the following launch on this legendary collection and it guarantees to be the most important one but. You can take pleasure in two totally different 2-player experiences, or you possibly can mix them for a 2v2 partnership mode, or you possibly can even play solo. This time round David Thompson and Roger Tankersley have joined the design workforce, which makes for a really promising tug of struggle expertise right here. 

Expected Release Date: 2026

Regicide Legacy was certainly one of my prime releases of 2025. That sport is absolute fireplace. I’m excited to see that the workforce is correctly taking a few of the concepts from the legacy sport and slimming it down right into a biggest hits growth of kinds for normal Regicide. Smart play, Badgers from Mars.

But I’m much more excited to listen to about Regicide: Crown Duels — a two-player duel sport the place the royals of Regicide are pitted towards each other. 

Both coming this yr? You spoil us, Badgers.

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of training dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s greatest designers, illustrators, and creators in producing elegant board video games that chunk, together with the critically acclaimed titles Trailblazers by Ryan Courtney and Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll be part of Bitewing Games of their quest to create and share elegant board video games with a chunk.

Disclaimer: When Bitewing Games finds a designer or artist or writer that we like, we generally attempt to collaborate with these creators on our personal publishing initiatives. We work with these people as a result of we like their work, and it’s pure and predictable that we’ll proceed to reward and revel in their work. Any opinions shared are topic to biases together with enterprise relationships, private acquaintances, gaming preferences, and extra. That mentioned, our intent is to assist develop the passion, share our gaming experiences, and discover people with comparable tastes. Please take any and all of our opinions with a hearty grain of salt as you partake on this tabletop passion feast.