Yogi Berra once said, “It gets late awfully early around here.” Right now, we are already four days into the new year without a proper anticipation post. It is time to fix that.
Logan from the Acadiana board gamers asked the big question first: What games are on everybody’s “most anticipated games of 2026” list? I was shocked and not shocked by some of the entries.
On the one hand, since we all converse about games with each other, it is not surprising that some of the same games made all of our lists. But, since there are now over ten trillion different podcasts and YouTube and Instagram channels about board gaming, it does not surprise me that there were more than a few games that were on only one person’s list.
On with the future! Note that the games listed are in no particular order.
The Common Games
The common games come first. The Great Library and The Game Makers made a couple of lists, and that is no surprise. The Acadiana guys made a point recently of playing all of Lacerta’s games over the course of a few months, just to compare and contrast. And after Speakeasy became such a hit around here, it is no surprise that a Lacerta game from Eagle-Gryphon about the ancient library at Alexandria is going to be high on a bunch of lists.
The Game Makers should not be a surprise, either. Fromage or Fromaggio gets played often around here, and in my opinion, The Game Makers is the best version of that system. It is deeper, it has engine building, and you really have to keep an eye out on your opponents’ choices if you want to win. We have played this one a ton on Board Game Arena and I cannot wait to play Doug’s copy when it arrives.
Other Notable Titles
Another interesting game that stood out for being on multiple lists is Nippon: Zaibatsu, the re-implementation of a really strong economic euro from the same team that brought us Asian Tigers, Madeira, and Panamax. Back about ten years ago, I played a ton of Nippon with the Dukes of Dice online. I am so glad Doug backed this one, too.
Raas: A Dance of Love is an interesting title designed by our friend, Mihir Shah, and I am still bummed that I never got to play it in prototype form. Every time Mihir was ready to teach me at BGG CON 2024, I was in another game already. Hopefully, we will play it soon.
A small box game also made the list, on the strength of its original game. Zombie Princess is a sequel to the best selling Rebel Princess game, from Bezier Games, and I cannot wait to see what is unique about this one.
My Personal List
Finally, here is my personal list of anticipated games for 2026, knowing full well that we have not seen most of the announced games for 2026 yet:
- The Game Makers
- Movers & Shakers (the newest one from the Nippon designers)
- First Monday in October (I backed this interesting game about the Supreme Court from Fort Circle Games)
- Azure (new Benjamin or Gilbert game that looks gorgeous)
- Last Week of Summer (1986!!)
- Nippon: Zaibatsu
- Raas: A Dance of Love
- The Great Library
- FLOE (beautiful looking game from Jonny Pac or Henry Audubon)
- Theocratia
Games Mentioned by Others
Some other notable games mentioned include:
From Logan: Galileo’s Truth and Sail Legacy.
From Jeremy: Horror on the Orient Express and River Market.
From Doug: Coalition: Councils of the Republic and Pop Art.
From Mitchell: The Flames of Fafnir and Restart.
So, there are a lot of games we are waiting for in 2026. Of course, we have a bunch of games still left to play from our Shelves of Opportunity for 2025, so publishers, do not rush these out!
What games are you anticipating for 2026?
Until next time, laissez les bon temps rouler!
