Best Board Games of 2022
Best Board Games of 2022
Another year is upon us, and of course, that means another year of highly anticipated board game releases. This year is no different, but it does come with some hiccups and bumps in the road.
Unavoidably, Covid has affected all of our lives and board gamers are no different. Not only is it harder to safely gather for games, but supply chains and increased costs of imports/exports, and global shortages have hit the industry pretty hard. All the games on this list are scheduled to start being fulfilled or available this year, but there’s always a chance that supplies and logistics could delay releases. This is especially true with Kickstarters.
That being said, let’s dive into the list, and see what new wonders we can find in cardboard.
Read our guide to find the best board games of 2022.
Most Anticipated:
#1. Return to Dark Tower
The original Dark Tower came out in the ’80s, and its design blew the minds of many young board gamers. Inside the menacing Dark Tower was actually a pretty impressive piece of tech for the ’80s. The tower itself was similar to what we would call a companion app today, which is all the more impressive considering it was from the ’80s.
As with most things in the ’80s, the Dark Tower game fell into obscurity and became hard to find after Milton Bradley was sued for copyright infringement. There were only a few working copies left in existence until… Kickstarter.
The much anticipated “sequel” Return to Dark Tower has been fully Kickstarted ($4 million!), and it’s scheduled to start fulfilling pledges in 2022. The new components and artwork have us pumped this year for this classic’s second lease on life.
#2. Frosthaven
The 4th entry into the ever-growing Gloomhaven franchise is scheduled to release this year with Frosthaven.
Yet another massive box, Frosthaven takes us to the northern edge of the realm. They’ve taken the lessons learned from their previous entries like Gloomhaven and Jaws of the Lion to refine the ruleset making it look like Frosthaven is going to be the crowning jewel on top of Cephalofair’s RPG crown.
Characters are compatible throughout Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion, and Frosthaven, but I’m particularly interested in the new Harrower Geminate character.
Cephalofair Games have been set to start distributing this year and as veterans of Kickstarter, I have high hopes to start seeing Frosthaven on shelves soon.
#3. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – The Adventure Game
I’m particularly excited about this one. The Skyrim Adventure Game is a stand-alone adaptation of the massive Skyrim video game. Having spent many hours exploring Skyrim, I’m looking forward to what is being heralded as one of the best board game adaptations of a video game in quite some time.
Players become members of the Blades, which you might remember from the previous game, Oblivion. They’ll have to complete quests to save the world from sinister plots, and of course, find all that sweet loot to buff up their characters.
#4. So, You’ve Been Eaten
I’m a fan of the goofy and absurd, and So, You’ve Been Eaten is so tongue in cheek that I can’t wait to play it.
As a deep space miner, you’re going to get eaten in order to mine those ultra-valuable crystals, but while in the belly of the beast, bacteria is attempting to eat you. What’s even more interesting is that the miner and beast are each 2 separate players.
That’s right, this is a strictly solo or 2-player game, a market that I think is severely underrepresented in the gaming world, and I’m ecstatic to see it in stores this year.
#5. Stellaris: Infinite Legacy
I can’t even fathom how they began to design Stellaris into a board game.
Stellaris is one of the BIG Sci-Fi 4X games on the market. There are few AAA games that can compare to it in size and customization, and yet it’s fully ready to be delivered in 2022.
Stellaris: Infinite Legacy leans heavily on its source material for gameplay. It’s a 4X style game: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, & eXterminate.
Stellaris is known for its massive amount of customization of your space-faring species, and Infinite Legacy has managed to keep quite that same feel and offer a ton of variety and customization when it comes to your own player race.
#6. Risk Shadow Forces
Out of the many classic Milton Bradley games, I think Risk has been the most successful with updating and changing over time. Each different version of Risk has some new twist that keeps the game fresh.
Risk Shadow Forces look to combine their highly acclaimed Risk Legacy with a mini skirmish board. It will have some legacy elements, but the combined mini skirmish board looks to be the newest innovation to the Risk franchise, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.
#7. Frostpunk
Another big video game adaptation is coming to your tabletop. If you haven’t heard of Frostpunk it’s definitely worth checking out.
It’s an apocalypse/city management simulation. As the last bastion of humanity during a freak ice age, players will need to balance resources as well as public sentiment. You’re always just a stone’s throw away from being taken out by a coup, religious zealots, weather, lack of resources, or… well, there’s actually a lot of things that can take you out in Frostpunk. Good luck.
#8. Vampire: The Masquerade – Chapters
I’ve always wanted to play the traditional pen and paper masquerade, but never could quite find a group of players to hop in with. With Chapters, I think I finally might be able to play.
Flyos Games are attempting to cram an entire pen and paper RPG into a single box, and so far it looks like they’re succeeding. They’re promising massive campaigns, tons of environments and scenarios, some really cool minis, and the feel of a full RPG in board game form. It’s definitely on my watch list for the upcoming year.
#9. The Unmatched: Marvel Series
Marvel steps into the fray as they are added to the asymmetrical minis game. The Unmatched is an interesting game in that every expansion features new characters from various fandoms or folklore. You could have Luke Cage fighting a velociraptor. Buffy the Vampire Slayer duking it out with the Ghost Rider, or Elektra taking on Bruce Lee.
It’s all a little crazy, but it’s a fun concept you’ll either love or hate.
#10. SolForge Fusion: Hybrid Deck Game
Solforge comes from the creators of both Magic the Gathering and the Ascension deck-building game.
It’s shaping up to be another powerhouse card game that mixes two halves of a deck together making a strategic mashup. The interesting part is that each half deck is chosen at random by an algorithm so that no two decks will ever be quite the same. It’s going to be interesting to see how it shapes up, and if the players in the competitive circuit embrace it.
Hottest Releases:
Can’t wait for the newest releases? That’s okay. Here are some picks for some of our favorite new games you can play right away while waiting for these to be released.
#1. Ark Nova
- BUILD YOUR ZOO YOUR WAY - With the ultimate goal of owning the...
- OVER 250 UNIQUE CARDS - At the heart of Ark Nova are cards...
- SMOOTH AND FAST GAMEPLAY - With 5 core actions to choose from...
#2. Sleeping Gods
- Explore A Massive, Open World In A Game Atlas Of Connecting Maps...
- Includes A Novel-Length Storybook To Read As You Explore, Filled...
- The Cooperative Play Allows Players To Jump In Or Out With Ease,...
#3. Radlands
#4. Lost Ruins of Arnak
Check out our full review of Lost Ruins of Arnak here!
- In Addition To Traditional Deckbuilder Effects, Cards Can Also Be...
- Decks Are Small, And Randomness Is Heavily Mitigated By The...
- Building A Solid Resource Base Will Be Essential
#5. Dune: Imperium
Check out our full review of Dune: Imperium here!
- Deck-building meets worker placement
- The first new Dune board game in nearly 40 years
- From the creators of Clank!
#6. Wingspan
Check out our full review of Wingspan here!
- For 1-5 players. Ages 10+
- 40-70 minute playing time
- A competitive bird-collection, engine-building Game
#7. Cascadia
- Take a journey to the Pacific Northwest as you compete to create...
- 1-4 Players
- 5 Minute Setup Time
#8. Townsfolk Tussle
Townsfolk Tussle by Panic Roll
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best board games of 2022! Did you pledge any of the new Kickstarter games? Which board games are you most looking forward to this year? Drop a comment below and let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
You may also enjoy:
RELATED ARTICLES:
No comments