The last few years have seen a resurgence in the popularity of board games. Tens of millions of people all over the world are spending time playing board games with their friends, families, and even perfect strangers; all for the love of the game. And now you’re here, looking for gifts for friends, family, coworkers, and perhaps even random strangers. But never fear, our 2024 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide is up to the challenge.
Gifts for Board Gamers
Our 2024 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide features a wide range of categories, from wallet-sized and wallet-friendly games, games for the first timer and games for friends who have been playing for years. From lightweight stocking stuffer games you can play in minutes to multi-hour epics your gamer will love. Or maybe you’re the board game geek and you’re on the prowl for something new and interesting! But no matter what you’re looking for, or who it’s for, the Meeple Mountain 2024 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide has something for everyone!
Small Games
Games on a Budget
Games for the First Time Gamer
Party Games
The Essential Collection
Games for the Family
Games for the Young Gamer
Games for the Experienced Gamer
Epic Games
Two Player & Solo Games
Apparel & Accessories
Recommendations From the Team
Small Games
These games are small in size, but big in gameplay. Throw them into a bag, purse, or backpack and you’ll be ready to game almost anywhere. Give these great games to your loved one and wait for the fun to start.
Compile: Main 1
Compile: Main 1 is a strategic two-player head to head card game in which players take on the role of competing Artificial Intelligences. This lane-battling game features powerful combos and the ability to turn the tide of the game with clever cardplay. Compile: Main 1 has dark, tech-themed artwork and a small footprint, which makes it easy to carry and play on the go.
2 players, ages 14+, 20-30 minutes
Read our review of Compile: Main 1
Rebel Princess Deluxe Edition
Fan of the card game Hearts? Rebel Princess Deluxe Edition is highly recommended. Player powers, beautiful artwork, and event cards that change the fundamental rules each round add a nice round of spice to this game. Rebel Princess also makes a great gift because of the price point—it’s priced a little higher than a normal card game, so it is better as a gift than a game purchased by the eventual owner. This is Justin’s favorite card game of 2024, so give it a look!
3-6 players, ages 8+, 30-40 minutes
Read our review of Rebel Princess.
Seaside
If you’re looking for a fun, lightweight, and portable game to throw in your travel bag, look no further than Seaside: it was literally designed to play outdoors and at the beach. Reach into the canvas bag and draw out one of dozens of thick wooden discs. Then decide whether to keep it and score points, or “throw it back” into the center of the play area. Play until the bag is empty, all the while collecting shells, building habitats for crabs, and feeding the sand pipers.
1-5 players, ages 8+, 20 minutes
Next Station: Paris
Next Station: Paris is the next in the line of “flip and fill” games where players work as metro planners to design the most efficient subway network across the city of lights. Using the included colored pencils players will connect stops via bridge or subway tunnels, making the most efficient routes possible. Next Station Paris can be played solo or with others. The game offers a mix of strategic planning and tactical decisions, with the added challenge of balancing public transport needs and competition for limited space.
1-4 players, ages 8+, 25-30 minutes
Read our review of Next Station: Paris.
Games on a Budget
These games are great for breaking the “fun wall” but not the bank. If you’re budget conscious and looking to maximize this year’s gift-giving, the games on this list will help you pinch your pennies without sacrificing great gameplay.
Spot It!
Test your observational skills and hone your reflexes with the award-winning gameplay of Spot It!, a game of lightning-fast choices for a group of 2-8 players. Spot It! functions on a simple mechanic—55 circular cards, each of which features several symbols and has exactly one of those symbols in common with every other card in the deck.With five distinct mini games, you can be sure that Spot It! will be different every time you play, and because it’s always your turn, there’s never any downtime!
2-8 players, ages 7+, 15 minutes
Xylotar
Xylotar has one of the most unique cardplay mechanics we’ve seen this year, with a theme that can only be described with its cover image: a polar bear playing a massive xylophone/guitar combo! Spades players will feel at home with some of the game’s mechanics, which combine trick-taking with a bidding system that binds a player to a certain number of tricks each round. At the full player count, Xylotar shines the brightest.
2-5 players, ages 12+, 30 minutes
5 Towers
5 Towers is a card drafting game that challenges players to build the highest, best scoring towers they can. Towers must be built from the ground up in ascending order. When it’s your turn, you announce a number of cards that you think you can build into your tower, and then you hope nobody else says a higher number. It sounds easy, but it’s more challenging than you think!
2-5 players, ages 7+, 15-30 minutes
Ultimatch
Ultimatch is a fantastic cooperative twist on matching games. Win by removing all the cards in a pyramid together. Make matches by color, number, addition, subtraction, or even mixing colors, but think through the best cards to use now and which to save for later. Will you use 1 card or 2? Addition or subtraction? Mix colors (yellow + blue = green)? Will you risk a card now or save it for later? Can you guess what card the other player needs? Make a perfect match of both number and color to feel the thrill and gain the rewards of an Ultimatch!
1-5 players, ages 10+, 20 minutes
Circus Flohcati
Circus Flohcati is a whimsical card game that invites players to manage a quirky flea circus. In this fast-paced game, players take turns revealing cards from a shared deck in an attempt to collect the highest values, form Trios, and throw a game-ending Gala Show, all while trying to outmaneuver their opponents. With its bright colors, charming artwork, and playful theme, Circus Flohcati is appealing to all ages, making it a delightful choice for family game nights or casual gatherings.
2-5 players, ages 6+, 15 minutes
Games for the First Time Gamer
Board games have never been more popular, but even so there are still people all over the world who are playing modern board games for the first time! The games on this list are sure to delight and engage first-timers and experienced players alike. If you’re trying to introduce board games to someone in your life, these titles are an excellent place to start!
Nekojima
In Nekojima, “The Island of Cats” in Japan, an electricity network is developing to supply the various lively districts of the island. The installation of electric poles becomes more complex due to the narrowness of the territory and its curious population of cats strolling on the cables. Nekojima is a wooden game of skill and dexterity in which you have to keep an entire installation in balance. Players take turns placing or stacking denchuu — 電柱, or electrical poles — respecting the locations without any hanging cables touching. Be careful not to be the one to bring down the structure. This game requires reflection, concentration and skill.
1-5 players, ages 7+, 15-30 minutes
River Valley Glassworks
River Valley Glassworks is a whimsical and cozy board game from Allplay that immerses players in the business of glassworking. Gather pieces from the river for your customer’s collections. River Valley Glassworks has amazing components, delightful gameplay, and a play time that will make you want to play again as soon as you finish!
1-5 players, ages 8+, 25-45 minutes
Read our review of River Valley Glassworks.
Wilmot’s Warehouse
Mechanically, Wilmot’s Warehouse is a memory game, but that description sells it far short. This is a wondrous storytelling experience, an act of collective imagination, an excuse to be entirely present and creating together for 30 minutes. Every turn, the active player places a tile facedown on the board, creating an ever-evolving narrative to help remember where everything went.
2-6 players, ages 8+, 30 minutes
Read our review of Wilmot’s Warehouse.
Harmonies
Harmonies is a competitive tile-laying game about building the best habitat. Over the course of the game players collect wooden tokens representing water, plants, mountains, etc. in order to arrange habitats for animals. To earn the most points and win the game, incorporate the habitats in your landscapes wisely and have as many animals as you can settle there.
1-4 players, ages 10+, 30-45 minutes
Ticket To Ride
Set out on an epic journey building railways across the country in the Ticket To Ride Board Game. Players use strategy and decision-making as they run trains and decide routes between iconic cities. Designed for 2 to 5 players, this game challenges you to build railway routes connecting iconic cities across North America, where players collect train routes and complete destination tickets to build their very own railroad empire. Every decision counts in this fast-paced and engaging game that has become a classic in the world of board gaming.
Buy a copy of Ticket To Ride!.
2-5 players, ages 8+, 30-60 minutes
Find out why we love Ticket to Ride.
Party Games
These lightweight games prove that you don’t have to be big to have lots of “game”. Give these great games to your loved one and wait for the fun to start.
Task Team
Unleash the ultimate showdown with the all-new edition of Task Team! In this hilariously unpredictable game, two teams face off in 150 wild and wacky challenges, while a third team plays referee. It’s the perfect recipe for a game night overflowing with laughter, silly fun, and endless giggles. Race to be the first team to conquer 7 challenges and claim victory in this electrifying competition! Whether you’re gathering with family or friends, Task Team is sure to be the hit of the season, creating unforgettable memories that will last long after the festivities are over.
3-10 players, ages 7+, 20 minutes
Belratti
A reprint from 2018, the cooperative party game Belratti is an excellent large group experience for 3-7 players. Players must work together to determine which artwork (from a deck of nearly 200 cards) was added to a common pool by players versus added randomly from a deck…hilarity ensues as players discuss how to determine what’s authentic versus what’s not. Belratti is a great fit for groups of all ages, particularly mixed crowds looking for a 30-minute filler after a holiday dinner with family.
3-7 players, ages 8+, 25 minutes
Landmarks
Landmarks is a word association game of hidden paths and clever clues. Your party is lost deep in an island jungle, relying on you to guide them to safety and treasure! In this jungle, every word matters. Use strategic wordplay to send a chain of one-word clues. The connections between them will create a path leading to fortune and glory.
2-10 players, ages 8+, 20 minutes
Everything Ever
Everything Ever is a game where players show off their knowledge across a range of categories like movies, soap brands, and dinosaurs. Players take turns listing items that are able to fit 2 categories simultaneously, while avoiding repetition of previously mentioned things. Everything Ever involves strategic play of category cards, penalties for inability to name items, and judge cards to keep track of answers, with the goal of collecting the fewest cards by the end of the game. Get your group together and talk about everything…ever.
2-10 players, ages 12+, 20-60 minutes
Read our review of Everything Ever.
Chicken!
Chicken! is a dice game where players press their luck to score points by rolling dice with Chickens while avoiding Foxes. Players can choose to roll all the dice passed to them or “chicken out” and roll fewer dice, scoring points for Chickens but busting if three or more Foxes appear. Egg symbols hatch dice from the Coop, and players decide whether to reroll or score points, aiming to be the first to reach 25 points and win the game. Chicken! is a blast and is sure to generate loads of groans, laughs, and cheers.
2-8 players, ages 8+, 10-20 minutes
Monikers
Monikers is a party game based on the public domain game Celebrities, where players take turns attempting to get their teammates to guess names by describing or imitating well-known people. In the first round, clue givers can say anything they want, except for the name itself. For the second round, clue givers can only say one word. And in the final round, clue givers can’t say anything at all: they can only use gestures and charades. Monikers supports a high player counts which means more of a good time.
4-16 players, ages 17+, 30-60 minutes
Green Team Wins
Green Team Wins is a hilarious party game played over 15 rounds. Each round begins with one of 3 types of questions: Fill in the Blank, This or That, or Multiple Choice. Players simultaneously write their answers on their dry-erase board, and those with the most popular response join the green team while the other players join the orange team. Players moving from orange to green earn one point, and those already on the green team earn two points. Simple, easy, and fun, Green Team Wins will entertain your group for hours.
3-12 players, ages 10+, 15-45 minutes
Read our review of Green Team Wins.
The Essential Collection
Some games are such massive hits that no board game gift guide, or board game collection, would be complete without them. The games in the Essential Collection list are perfect for the core of a board game collection; whether your loved one is just starting out, or has been gaming for years.
Spicy
A card bluffing game where you’re playing cards, face down, in one of three suits in ascending order—or are you? Challenge a card correctly and you get all the cards played that round. Challenge incorrectly and the cards go to the player who played that card and you draw two cards off the top of the deck. Spicy is a fast-paced game of bluffing, counter-bluffing, and looking your gaming friends dead in the eye and judging their honesty. Tremendous fun.
2-6 players, ages 10+, 15-20 minutes
Splendor
If you’ve played board games in the past few years then there’s a good chance you’ve either played, or at least have heard of, Splendor from Space Cowboys. It’s a streamlined engine building game in which players work to gather raw gemstones, polish and refine them, before finally selling them to various wealthy patrons. Sure the theme is a bit dry, but the gameplay is great, and those gem tokens are so satisfying to play with.
2-4 players, ages 10+, 30 minutes
Wingspan
Who knew that a game about birds, from an unknown designer, would descend upon the gaming world like a flock of starlings? Stonemaier Games did when they took a chance on Wingspan! And they were rewarded with a huge hit, including a Kennerspiel des Jahres win. Wingspan is a card driven game about bird enthusiasts – discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves and earn the most points to win the game. Come for the gameplay, stay for the multitude of photorealistic bird illustrations.
1-5 players, ages 10+, 40-70 minutes
Castle Panic
Castle Panic is the award-winning cooperative tower defense board game for 1 to 6 players that’s been a staple of game nights since it released in 2009. You and your friends work together to defend your Castle, in the center of the board, from Monsters that attack out of the forest, at the edges of the board. Trade cards, hit and slay Monsters, and plan strategies together to keep your Castle towers intact. You win or lose together, but only the player with the most victory points is declared the Master Slayer.
1-6 players, ages 8+, 30-60 minutes
Read our review of Castle Panic.
Games for the Family
Board games are a fantastic way to build family bonds and teach your kids how to win, and lose, with grace. Liven up your family game night with one of these modern choices, and make memories you’ll cherish for years to come.
Wandering Towers
Get your wizards to the evermoving Ravenskeep by scampering across tower tops and filling your potions along the way. You can also move the towers themselves, or drink the contents of your potions for a little helpful magic! Will you remember where all your wizards are? Using their magic they could even move the very towers atop which they stand to get there more easily!
Buy a copy of Wandering Towers!.
2-6 players, ages 8+, 30 minutes
Read our review of Wandering Towers.
Cities
Cities is a fast-paced tile laying game of city expansion and planning. Draft the best projects and arrange them in your own playing area. Collect personal planning objectives, wonderful features, and all the building blocks you might need to expand your city. Cities also features 8 different city cards to maximize variety and fun.
2-4 players, ages 10+, 30-40 minutes
Umbrella
Your personal board will feature a 4×4 grid filled with four of each of the four colors of umbrellas in the game. You’ll start with four extra umbrellas, one of each color, at the bottom of your board, and on shared boards to your right, left, and in the center of the table. By adding these extra umbrellas into the board from whichever direction, you’ll push another umbrella out of the row or column you’re adding to. Get colored umbrellas to match one of your pattern tiles and you’ll claim one of the limited scoring discs. Umbrella is a fun spatial-awareness puzzle that scales well from two to four players.
1-4 players, ages 8+, 30 minutes
Tower Up
Congratulations! Your architectural firm has been selected to renovate the city’s downtown…but you’re not the only ones. In Tower Up you’re competing against other players to build the best city skyline. Collect building blocks, cleverly place them to secure the top floor, all the while collecting bonuses for meeting shared objectives.
2-4 players, ages 8+, 30-45 minutes
Zoomies
Help your pups make friends, become the leader of the pack, collect bones, and get the zoomies. Score by matching a dog tile and placing a scoring token. Each token adds points in one of two different ways, so players choose what to score and what to give up. Play your dogs right and you can add points to a previous token while digging up a whole new way to score. Zoomies is a puzzly tile-laying game for 2 to 4 players. Match domino-style tiles with adorable dog art to earn points in 4 different ways.
2-4 players, ages 10+, 30 minutes
Games for the Young Gamer
The dream of every board game loving parent is a child to follow in their footsteps: shuffling cards, rolling dice, and maybe even beating mom or dad at their favorite strategy game. But you can’t just expect your little one to jump into a game of The Castles of Burgundy, you’ve got to start them off gradually. The games on this list are tailor made for younger minds and hands, and are sure to grab their attention.
My First Castle Panic
In the award-winning My First Castle Panic, a group of monsters is racing out of the woods and coming right at your Castle! Players need to catch all the monsters before they smash the Castle flat. Send out your brave defenders to match the color and shape of the space where a monster is to catch it. But watch out! The monsters move closer to the Castle every turn, and more monsters keep coming! Based on the best-selling cooperative hit Castle Panic, My First Castle Panic now brings the same exciting, edge-of-your-seat, team-based experience to even younger players.
Buy a copy of My First Castle Panic!.
1-4 players, ages 4+, 20 minutes
Monster Chase
Scary monsters lurk under the bed, but never fear! Each of them has a weakness and, if you’re able to exploit it successfully, you’ll send them scurrying back into the closet quaking in their boots. With several methods of adding, or removing, extra challenges, Monster Chase is a cooperative, tile-flipping, memory game for kids and adults alike.
2-6 players, ages 4+, 10 minutes
Read our review of Monster Chase
Capt’n Pepe: Treasure Ahoy!
Capt’n Pepe’s Board Game Ahoy! is a cooperative legacy game designed for the whole family. It features an adventure with Captain Pepe and his animal crew across 25 chapters. In this unique board game, players experience a changing narrative and rules from game to game, adding new elements and modifying pieces using stickers. Capt’n Pepe’s Board Game Ahoy! invites players to embark on an exciting and evolving journey, making it more than just an ordinary board game, and ensuring your children will love every minute.
2-5 players, ages 6+, 20 minutes
Read our review of Capt’n Pepe: Treasure Ahoy!.
Exit: The Game-Kids: Jungle of Riddles
Exit: The Game – Kids: Jungle of Riddles is an escape room-style board game designed for children, featuring an engaging jungle theme. In this game, players take on the roles of young adventurers navigating through the jungle, solving puzzles and riddles to progress. Aimed at kids, Exit: The Game – Kids: Jungle of Riddles offers a series of challenging and interactive puzzles, encouraging teamwork and problem-solving skills.
1-4 players, ages 6+, 20 minutes
Read our review of Exit: The Game–Kids: Jungle of Riddles.
Spots
Spots by CMYK Games is a casual push-your-luck game where players roll and place dice onto dog cards, aiming to match spots. Unplaced dice are buried in the yard, and if too many are buried, the player busts. The objective is to complete six dogs cards for victory, making each turn a mix of risk-taking, laughter, and interesting decisions in this simple yet strategically engaging game. The artwork in Spots is adorable, and who doesn’t love a good dog-themed board game?
1-4 players, ages 10+, 20-30 minutes
Games for the Experienced Gamer
Experienced board gamers can be hard to please. They’ve either played every game, or own every game. But we guarantee that the titles on this list will delight even the most discerning gamer.
French Quarter
French Quarter is a heavy roll and write game from the designers of Three Sisters, Fleet: The Dice Game, and Motor City. Visit New Orleans and sample the food, shopping, nightlife, and landmarks as you work your way around the 78 blocks of the city’s famous French Quarter. Draft dice to take actions and determine your travel mode, and see street performers everywhere. “Laissez les bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll).
1-4 players, ages 14+, 30-60 minutes
Read our review of French Quarter.
SAS: Rogue Regiment
Wargamers and role playing gamers unite! Sneak up on German sentries, dispatch them quietly, and move onto your mission objective. Then egress before all hell breaks loose. That’s what you and your SAS team members do in this mission-based, WWII adventure game. The game comes with multiple scenarios or you can create your own.
2-4 players, ages 12+, 30-45 minutes
Read our review of SAS: Rogue Regiment.
Bestiary of Sigillum
In Bestiary of Sigillum you take on the role of summoners in the Kingdom of Two Castles. To play the game, you choose and summon your force of otherworldly heroes. Each character has a distinct combat role with a unique set of abilities which, when combined well, will compliment and reinforce other heroes. The main goal of the game is to destroy the opponent’s castle. Think carefully through every move, keeping an eye on the opponent’s actions and pick characters paying attention to their strengths and weaknesses.
1-4 players, ages 14+, 30 minutes
Read our review of Bestiary of Sigillum.
Weirdwood Manor
A game in a mansion with thousands of possible configurations, several boss monsters and scenarios to play, and a magical, multi-dimensional, ‘save the universe from elemental evil’ feel is an absolute delight to play. The challenges come in many forms in this cooperative adventure! So beware, and work together, or else all may be lost!
1-5 players, ages 14+, 90-120 minutes
Read our review of Weirdwood Manor.
The Glade
The Glade is a tile-laying, set collection game set in a forest setting. Using an interesting mashup of Set, Rummikub, and Qwirkle mechanics, players will be vying to place their forest tiles on their boards in the best possible combinations to complete sets so as to score the most points they can while also leaving the fewest opportunities for their opponents to complete their unfinished sets and piggyback off of their hard work. This is a very puzzly game that is guaranteed to get the old brain juices flowing!
1-4 players, ages 14+, 30-60 minutes
Read our review of The Glade.
The White Castle
The White Castle is a Euro-style board game in which players control clans vying for victory points in Himeji Castle. It focuses on resource management, worker placement, and dice actions. Over three rounds, players strategically deploy clan members to tend gardens, defend the castle, and climb the social ladder, earning victory points in various ways. The White Castle features Himeji Castle’s visually stunning layout, including its rooms, gardens, walls, and bridges, with accessible rules and deep strategic depth, making it one of this year’s standout hits.
1-4 players, ages 12+, 80 minutes
Read our review of The White Castle.
Epic Games
If you love multi-hour gaming sessions that immerse you into other worlds, with deep lore, and strategic gameplay, then the games on this list were designed just for you. Epic in scope, and sometimes in physical weight, these games will take you on a deep dive and keep you immersed from beginning to end. Just make sure to stay hydrated, and don’t forget the game night snacks!
Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan
Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan is a cooperative, action-adventure campaign game for 1 to 4 players designed to respect your time. It’s quick to set up, it packs away easily but still gives you that deep immersive experience you love about RPGs and dungeon crawlers. The game offers a story full of choices leading to entirely different outcomes, combat that feels like you’re in the middle of an action movie, and map quests that let you discover Easafir street by street. Get ready for a fantasy adventure you will never forget – and best of all, that you will actually finish.
Buy a copy of Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan!.
1-4 players, ages 14+, 60 minutes
Read our review of Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan.
Ezra & Nehemiah
Ezra and Nehemiah takes place in the decades following the collapse of the walls of the city of Jericho. Each turn, players will select a card from their hands to play into their tableau. These cards provide tags which will boost the effectiveness of the actions the player chooses to perform on their turn: clearing the rubble away and reconstructing the walls; sending out scholars to teach the Torah to the masses; or rebuilding, and sanctifying, the temple. There’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in, so you’ll have to be efficient with your strategic decisions, but be flexible enough to adapt when your careful planning goes awry. So, wear your best sandals because Ezra and Nehemiah will keep you on your toes!
1-4 players, ages 13+, 90-120 minutes
Read our review of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Burning Banners
Burning Banners is a throwback to the days when board games existed more in the shadows; cumbersome affairs with dense manuals and lengthy playtimes. At the same time, this is clearly a game of today, a fast-paced, surprisingly rules-light game full of dramatics and scheming. Modern board gaming has its share of determinists, people who need to know everything, and Burning Banners is not for them. But if you’re in the mood for a sweeping fantasy epic, you’d be hard pressed to do better.
2-6 players, ages 14+, 60 minutes
Thunder Road: Vendetta
Thunder Road: Vendetta is a newly restored version of the classic 1986 game focused on chaotic car mayhem. Players gather their crew, roll dice, race cars, and engage in gun battles while navigating random hazard tokens such as wrecks and oil slicks. In this updated version, damage is not a one-and-done affair; players draw damage tokens with varied effects, providing more strategic choices during their turns, such as repairing damage, using nitro boosts, or deploying an attack copter for added mayhem. Head into the badlands with Thunder Road: Vendetta.
2-4 players, ages 10+, 45-75 minutes
Read our review of Thunder Road: Vendetta.
Two Player & Solo Games
Sometimes you just want to play head to head, skill against skill, and see who comes out on top. Or sometimes you just want to spend quality time with that special someone in your life. In any case the games on this list are custom made for two. Just add a table, and let the gaming commence.
Pagan: Fate of Roanoke
Unleash your inner Witch or Hunter in Pagan: Fate of Roanoke, a tense, two-player card game of deduction set in colonial Roanoke. As the Witch strives to complete a ritual, the Hunter tries to track the Witch down and find out its true identity. Explore different scenarios that encourage customizing your unique deck of cards to suit your playstyle.
Buy a copy of Pagan: Fate of Roanoke!.
2 players, ages 12+, 30-60 minutes
A Gentle Rain
A solo game where you’re building a pond on each turn. Tiles have a quarter-circle cut out, with half a drawing of one of eight flowers along each of the four edges. Edge flowers must match, and if you create a square, you drop a disc with one of the matching flowers in the hole in the center of the four tiles. A Gentle Rain is a relaxing puzzle you’ll play several times each time it hits the table.
1 player, ages 8+, 15 minutes
Read our review of A Gentle Rain.
Logic & Lore
The dragons control the constellations that make up the night sky. But they take their orders from the mice who have noticed that several stars are out of place. They need to get things into the correct spots and soon, as they do have rival dragons and mice to deal with. Sometimes they have to deal with black holes, and other celestial phenomena. It’s all in a day’s work of mice and dragons.
2 players, ages 8+, 30 minutes
Read our review of Logic & Lore.
Dorfromantik: the Duel
Dorfromantik: the Duel attempts to capture the charm of its namesake Dorfromantik: the Board Game and transform it from an idyllic cooperative venture into a fierce, head-to-head competition. In Dorfromantik: the Duel, you and your opponent are competing to see which one of you can score the most points by completing tasks. Who will create the most beautiful world of hexagonal landscapes?
2 players, ages 8+, 30-45 minutes
Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island
If you like your shipwrecked european sailors to be a bit more on the ball, it’s hard to go wrong with Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island. This now classic solo game includes tile laying, dice rolling, and swashbuckling pirates, all out to ruin Robinson’s otherwise fine time on the island.
1 player, ages 14+, 60-120 minutes
Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs
If you’ve ever thought to yourself “I want to play Gloomhaven” but my table isn’t big enough”, then we’ve got good news for you! Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs riffs on the massively popular Gloomhaven series but shrinks it down to a box barely bigger than a subway sandwich. Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs retains the same great gameplay, but uses playing cards instead of huge maps, tiny miniatures instead of full sized Vermlings, Inox, and Humans, and a play area the size of a cafeteria tray.
1 player, ages 14+, 20-30 minutes
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth
One of the most widely regarded two-player games, 7 Wonders Duel, is back with a vengeance with Frodo and Sam in tow. With no need to calculate victory points at the end of the game, the forces of good and evil face off in a tug-of-war for Middle-Earth. Will the hobbits reach Mordor? Can Sauron’s forces dominate the continent? This is a fantastic reimplementation.
2 players, ages 10+, 30-45 minutes
Read our review of the original 7 Wonders Duel.
Lacuna
Lacuna is a delightful and meditative game for 2 players about collecting flowers on a pond at night. Draw an imaginary line between two flowers, place your pawn, and collect both flowers. Win by collecting the most flowers in the most colors! Don’t let the fact that it comes in a tube fool you, Lacuna is great!
2 players, ages 8+, 10-15 minutes
Sky Team
Sky Team is a cooperative game, designed exclusively for 2 players, which simulates the roles of pilot and co-pilot working together to successfully land an airliner at various airports worldwide. Players must silently assign dice to specific cockpit spaces, managing factors like balance, speed, flaps, landing gear, communication with the control tower, and even a coffee break to alter dice values. With the risk of stalling, overshooting, or colliding, players navigate challenges from Montreal to Tokyo, aiming to avoid disasters and successfully land the plane in a smooth and controlled manner.
2 players, ages 12+, 15 minutes
Azul
Azul is an award-winning board game that challenges players to create stunning tile mosaics while making strategic decisions and competing for high scores. Featuring beautifully crafted, colorful tiles, Azul immerses players in the art of mosaic design, inspired by the traditional Portuguese azulejos. With simple rules and deep strategic choices, Azul is accessible to new players yet offers satisfying complexity for experienced gamers. Even though Azul plays up to 4 players, the two-player game is still just as tense. Azul is a fun, engaging game for family and friends, bringing together kids, teens, and adults for memorable game nights.
2-4 players, ages 8+, 30-45 minutes
Apparel & Accessories
While board games are our bread and butter, there are plenty of adjacent products that our readers might love, that aren’t board games. Here are just a few.
Messenger Bag of Holding
Never lose track of anything again! The Messenger Bag of Holding features more than 21 pockets and a secret pocket, that is a secret. There’s practically a pocket for everything. It’s a bag fit for an adventurer, which means it needs to hold up to more than just daily use. That’s why this bag has hefty metal D-rings, double-stitched heavy-duty metal zippers, a fully padded laptop storage area, and N420D Hypalon reinforced corners.
Tapestry Resources Shirt
This shirt was not officially licensed from Stonemaier Games, but one Wednesday on Jamie Stegmaier’s weekly livecast, he was wearing it. Several people in attendance immediately asked where they could get this beautiful Tapestry-inspired shirt. So he shared the link to the Etsy Store where these beauties come in multiple colors and a wide range of sizes.
Board Games Y’all
Board Games Y’allYou love board games…and a warm southern drawl, nuff said! One color front, one color back.
Tennessee Meeple State Grunge T-Shirt
Tennessee Meeple State Grunge T-ShirtOur classic Tennessee Meeple shirt is back, with a twist. Distressed and comfortable; show your Tennessee and board gaming pride. One color front, one color back; available in sizes S through XXXL.
Meeple Mountain Gaming Icons T-Shirt
Meeple Mountain Gaming Icons T-ShirtShow your love for Meeple Mountain and for your favorite hobby all in one great tshirt. The Meeple Mountain Gaming Icons shirt is printed on ultra-soft Bella Canvas tees and is available in sizes S through XXXL.
Recommendations From the Team
The Meeple Mountain team eats, sleeps, and breathes games—of that lovely scent of cardboard and ink—but we also enjoy things that aren’t board games. Here’s a list of some things that we are grooving on these days.
Tom Franklin
Looking for a gift for a gamer who doesn’t have a regular playing group to join in with? Consider a gift subscription to BoardGameArena.com for that gamer. It’s the online source for playing many of the most recent games with members around the world. Chances are, if your gamer loves games, there will be plenty of people ready to sit down at a virtual table with them any time of day or night.
K. David Ladage
Transform3d3DPrints is an Etsy Store that is run by a wonderful lady by the name of Jessalynn Miller. She and her husband offer some very cute 3D printed items ranging from figurines in the form of various video game characters, to various forms of game-based storage solutions. When I was looking for a better storage solution for the double-set of metal coins I had for Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest, I described what I needed to Mrs. Miller and within a few days had my custom storage box. When an individual posted the files for a 3D printed storage solution for all of 7 Wonders Second Edition, I contacted her and she worked out a solution where I was able to rent her 3D printer for a day and have this set of inserts manufactured. When I wanted some tokens for use with Pulp Invasion, they were there to answer the call! This little business is the very peak of what small businesses can be. Check them out!
Board Game Arena is an online board gaming site with a lot of available games. Some of the games are available without having to have a paid subscription. Others are considered premium games and are restricted to those with a paid subscription. That said, only one player in the game group needs to have such a subscription in order for a group to enjoy those premium games. Still, if you have a game group that is not able to get together locally, gifting a subscription to BGA is an excellent way of saying “let’s get some games to the virtual table.”
David McMillan
In addition to being a ludophile, I am also a bibliophile. One of the best books I’ve read in the last year is a book by Claire North called “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August”. It’s an engrossing, page turner about time travel and the consequences thereof. But, it’s not the time travel you’re familiar with. In the universe of this book, there are a handful of people who, when they die, are reborn at the moment of their original birth, but they retain the knowledge they learned from their previous iterations. If you’re looking for a great gift, look no further. While you’re at it, treat yourself to a copy as well. You won’t regret it.
Abram Towle
I’ve rediscovered the joy of reading this year, which means that I have curated an impossibly long reading list of books I’ve heard about over the years but never got around to reading. One of the best collections of novels I have ever read is Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series. Stonemaier actually made a board game based on the IP, but the books are really where it’s at. The series is filled with twists, drama, and a compelling swathe of characters that will keep the pages turning. Plus, the final book of the series is just on the horizon, so if you read quickly your timing might be perfect.
Andy Matthews
I’m a voracious reader, usually completing 8-10 books a month through a combination of ebook and audiobooks on 2x speed. And this year I’ve read some doozies. The Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman is a bombastic and irreverent celebration of video-game and movie culture. Noodle Shop Mysteries by Vivien Chien is a low-key cozy murder mystery series set in family owned Chinese restaurant. And the Beware of Chicken series by “casualfarmer” (yes that’s the author’s pen name) is a deep dive into Xianxia (Chinese fantasy heavily inspired by Chinese mythology) by way of video game references. If you’ve ever wanted to read about a chicken who can defeat kung fu masters, this one’s for you.
Looking for something we've recommended before? Check out the ghosts of Holiday Gift Guides past!
- Current Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2023 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2022 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2021 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2020 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2019 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2018 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2017 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
- 2016 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide
Disclosure: Meeple Mountain receives a commission from links pointing to Amazon.com.
Promoted listings are sponsored by advertisers, but approved and vetted by Meeple Mountain.
A lot of good stuff to choose from here! Thanks for the rundown.
One question — do you see the T-Shirts being available in XXXL again anytime soon?
Thanks again. You guys rock.
Thanks! We print a batch of shirts in advance in order to reduce costs. The downside is that once we sell out of a size it takes us a while before we have another one ready. I’m considering moving to a print on demand approach though. It means we earn a bit less per shirt, but sizes will always be available. It also means we can release more designs without needing to front $1000 or more for printing. 😀
Sounds great! I will keep an eye out for that!
Where are your disclosures that you’re receiving affiliate income from all those Amazon links?
You chose to remain anonymous, so you won’t get a notification about this reply, but perhaps you’ll see it if you revisit, and others will see this reply as well.
We include an Amazon affiliate disclaimer in the footer of every page. We also include a disclaimer at the bottom of this particular article.