Yogi Berra once famously said, “It gets late awfully early around here.” Right now, we are already four days into the new year, and I realize we haven’t shared our anticipation post yet. It is time to fix that.
Logan from the Acadiana board gamers asked a simple question: What games are on everybody’s “most anticipated games of 2026” list? I was both shocked and not shocked by some of the entries. On one hand, since we all talk about games with each other, it isn’t surprising that some of the same titles appeared on all our lists. However, since there are now over ten trillion different podcasts and YouTube and Instagram channels dedicated to board gaming, it doesn’t surprise me that there were more than a few games that were on only one person’s list.
Let’s look to the future! Please note that the games listed below are in no particular order.
The Common Games
The games that appeared on multiple lists 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. 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.
Notable Economic and Strategy Titles
Another interesting game that stood out for being on multiple lists is Nippon: Zaibatsu. This is the re-implementation of a really strong economic euro game from the same team that brought us Asian Tigers, Madeira, and Panamax. 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. 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, riding on the strength of its original game. Zombie Princess is a sequel to the best-selling Rebel Princess game from Bezier Games. I can’t 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 (a new Benjamin/Gilbert game that looks gorgeous)
- Last Week of Summer (1986!!)
- Nippon: Zaibatsu
- Raas: A Dance of Love
- The Great Library
- FLOE (a beautiful-looking game from Jonny Pac/Henry Audubon)
- Theocratia
Other Notable Games Mentioned
Here are some other games that were mentioned by the group:
- Galileo’s Truth and Sail Legacy (by Logan)
- Horror on the Orient Express and River Market (by Jeremy)
- Coalition: Councils of the Republic and Pop Art (by Doug)
- The Flames of Fafnir and Restart (by Mitchell)
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!
