The 22 Most Anticipated Games of Gen Con 2024

The annual board gamer pilgrimage to Indianapolis will soon be upon us. It’s that time of year when fans of tabletop games travel from all over the world to the center of North American board gaming, Gen Con. Just like in past years, hundreds of new board games will make their debut – over 530 this year, an overwhelming number. Thankfully Meeple Mountain is here to help you find the gems among the coal. Our writing team has scoured through the upcoming titles to select our most anticipated games of Gen Con 2024! So without further ado, here are our picks!

Check our past recommendations and see how we did!
Gen Con 2023 | Gen Con 2022 | Gen Con 2021 | Gen Con 2020 | Gen Con 2019

Abram Towle

Middle Ages

I’m already down for anything medieval, so this was going to draw me in no matter what. Players get to build their own fiefdom with interlocking tiles that stretch upwards in this tile-drafting game of set collection. As expected, all tiles score a bit differently from each other and you can sculpt your own way to victory, be it through fields, palaces, churchs, or more. As it turns out, Middle Ages is also a reimplementation of the 2017 title, Majesty: For the Realm, with updated art and components, giving it much better table presence than its predecessor.

Publisher: Studio H
Designer: Marc André

Lairs

I definitely misread this title as Liars at first. Lairs is a game from Kids Table BG, who you may be familiar with thanks to past hits like Creature Comforts and Maple Valley. Maybe it’s because I recently finished reading The Will of the Many so mazes are on the brain, but I really like the idea of creating a labyrinth and having your opponent try to run it. I doubt that the maze setup can be ‘solved’ either, so it should make for an interesting 2-player duel experience to enjoy.

Publisher: Kids Table BG
Designer: Christopher Westmaas

Cascadero

Okay, I’m definitely starting to think that I have a preferred theme. Designed by highly-acclaimed designer, Reiner Knizia, Cascadero is about building lengthy chains of their mounted envoys and also clustering those envoys around towns to score points. Filling up a hex map with meeples is one of the classic board gaming tropes, and I love to see a plan come together as the board closes in around you. There’s also an element of cascading combos that can lead to explosive turns that will ensure your banner is the most prominent one at the end of the game.

Read our review of Cascadero.

Publisher: Bitewing Games
Designer: Reiner Knizia

Justin Bell

Rock Hard: 1977

I should probably list every game coming from Devir as my personal most anticipated list, but for now let’s go with Rock Hard: 1977. For a music junkie, Rock Hard: 1977 looks interesting…and the game is designed by Jackie Fox, who has easily the best background of any board game designer I’m aware of: former bassist of the band The Runaways (their biggest hit: Cherry Bomb) and four-time Jeopardy champ. The game’s artwork by Jennifer Giner features the best cover of the games I’m tracking for Gen Con and the main board design is a blast. Expect lines at the demo tables for this one, people!

Publisher: Devir
Designer: Jackie Fox

Seers Catalog

Bézier is going big on card games this year, and my network is telling me that Seers Catalog is the card game to watch at Gen Con, particularly if you are a person of a certain age. (I’m that person.) I got the chance to see some of the cards when I met with Bézier’s marketing rep at TantrumCon earlier this year, and the cards are delightful. I’m excited to try this at the show and see for myself if Seers Catalog has the goods.

Publisher: Bézier Games
Designer: Taylor Reiner

Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan

I had the chance to do a short demo of Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan at last year’s SPIEL event, so I already have a sense of how strong the game is. Described as Gloomhaven mixed with dice combat and app-driven story elements in a campaign format that features shorter scenarios, Fateforge looks like the bite-sized format that might actually break through at my table. The combat (by the same designer and publisher that gave us the best dice combat game I played in 2022, Vengeance: Roll & Fight Episode 2), is excellent. The only question is the app, which was not yet complete when I played the demo. The buzz around Fateforge has only increased since last year.

Publisher: Mighty Boards
Designer: Gordon Calleja

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

The space theme, the multi-use cards, the buzz from the game coming out of UKGE…lots of signs point towards SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence being a winner for me. CGE, which had an uneven 2022 (including Deal with the Devil, which was…not my favorite), has done mostly excellent work over the last 10 years, and the publisher of Codenames, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Under Falling Skies and Kutná Hora: The City of Silver appears to be firmly on track for another banger with SETI.

Publisher: Czech Games Edition
Designer: Tomáš Holek

Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game

I am a huge fan of previous Plaid Hat “Crossroads” games, such as Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game and last year’s app-driven Freelancers: A Crossroads Game. While I’m a little worried that the theme for the newest entry, Wandering Galaxy: A Crossroads Game is a bit too close to Freelancers, there is no denying the sheer quality of the production on display and we know the voice acting is going to be hilarious. What I’m most interested in discovering: whether the play balance has shifted more towards an even split between listening to the great voice dialogue and rolling dice/fighting monsters/getting treasure. If I had one complaint about Freelancers, it was that I spent about 75% of the time listening instead of playing.

Publisher: Plaid Hat Games
Designer: Jerry Hawthorne

Andy Matthews

River Valley Glassworks

I’m a big fan of the games designed by the team of Adam Hill, Ben Pinchback, Matt Riddle. Titles like French Quarter, Three Sisters, and Fleet: The Dice Game are great, but can be a bit intimidating to casual gamers with their complexity Their newest release, River City Glassworks shows that they’ve got what it takes to bring their considerable talents to a more casual audience. This new title fills that “cozy gaming” space that’s all the rage right now. Friendly animals, colorful components, mixed with clever gameplay, means that I’m all in! In fact I backed it on Kickstarter and I can’t wait to get my own copy!

Publisher: Allplay
Designer: Adam Hill, Ben Pinchback, Matt Riddle

Stalk Exchange

“Buy low, sell high” is about all I know about the real stock market, but I still enjoy market manipulation games. The new title from The Op Games, Stalk Exchange, puts players in the driver’s gardener’s seat as they manage their “hedge fund” and try to grow their assets into the best garden at the table. I had the chance to preview this title at GAMA Expo in March, 2024 and it was easily my favorite game. I’m looking forward to playing the completed version.

Publisher: The Op Games
Designer: Christopher Ryan Chan

Cities

If you’ve been paying attention to board games in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that Devir Games has been on a tear lately. 3 Ring Circus, Salton Sea, Ierusalem: Anno Domini, The White Castle, and The Red Cathedral; and those are just the most popular titles. But now Devir has combined their tastemaker sensibilities with one of my favorite designers (Phil Walker-Harding) and favorite game mechanisms (tile-laying and city-building). It’s like they’re reading my diary or something. Cities is the newest release in Devir’s plan to take over the gaming world…and I’m here for it!

Publisher: Devir
Designer: Steve Finn, Phil Walker-Harding

Knitting Circle

My love of all things Flatout Games is well documented: Point Salad, Calico, and Cascadia, to name a few. They make clever, engaging, puzzly games, and they always have a cozy and relaxing theme. This time they’re coming back to the crafting world with Knitting Circle (a game in the “Calico” world). This one’s also a tile-laying game, which has players collecting yarn from a shared basket, and knitting it into garments. The rules don’t yet say whether the garments are for cats, but let’s be honest here…I’m going to pretend I’m making cat sweaters. I should be getting an advance copy of this one soon, so keep your eyes peeled for my review.

Publisher: Flatout Games
Designer: Emily Vincent

Medieval Academy

Back in the early days of Meeple Mountain, 2016 to be precise, we published our tenth review, a game called Medieval Academy. It didn’t seem to get much publicity which was a shame because the game was solid. It introduced me to card drafting and variable setup thanks to the double-sided game boards. Fast-forward 8 years and Medieval Academy is being re-released, with some changes that should endear it to today’s gamers: better artwork, improved components, and a streamlined set of rules. Take me back to 2016 please!

Publisher: Blue Cocker Games
Designer: Nicolas Poncin

Andrew Holmes

Rolling Realms Redux

Rolling Realms was a surprisingly good ‘pandemic game’, created by Jamey Stegmaier during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and originally available free as a print-and-play game for Stonemaier fans looking for a fun diversion. It’s gone from strength-to-strength in the years since it gained a proper release, with some surprisingly interesting promo realms that push the boundaries of its two-dice-one-card framework. With storage space for all the realms, past and present, and 12 new realms (including for Meadow, see below), I’m hoping Rolling Realms Redux continues to keep the good times rolling.

Read our review of Rolling Realms.

Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier, Karel Titeca

Meadow: Adventure Book

Another game that reminds me of 2020, Meadow was a breath of fresh air when it landed on my table mid-pandemic and its first expansion, Downstream, added an interesting new dimension to its gameplay, even if it isn’t something to include in every game. Information on Meadow: Adventure Book is scarce but I’m intrigued by the description of it being a legacy-like experience building up in a “a story-based experience in which you will explore journeys through different scenarios contained in a beautifully illustrated book”. Colour me intrigued!

Read our reviews of Meadow and Meadow: Downstream.

Publisher: Rebel Studio
Designer: Klemens Kalicki

Power Vacuum

Whilst I’m not Meeple Mountain’s resident trick-taking expert (hello Andrew Lynch!), I do like me a good trick-taker and particularly one that’s not afraid to explore the outer regions of what’s possible in the genre (hello Tatsu!). Power Vacuum interests with its potent combination of intriguing gameplay, warring appliances, biting satire and a glowing Space Biff review.

Publisher: Keen Bean Studio
Designer: Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher

March of the Ants: Evolved Edition

The original March of the Ants was a bold, inventive and slightly clunky game released back in 2015 to first-time designers Tim Eisner and Ryan Swisher. Eisner has since gone on to design several great games including Wonderland’s War, Canopy, Leaf and Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef, and it’s going to be fascinating to see just what he and Swisher have done to update March of the Ants with all that additional design experience.

Publisher: Weird City Games
Designer: Tim Eisner, Ryan Swisher

Unmatched: Slings and Arrows

Whilst some on the team were less complimentary of the original Battle of Legends Volume 1 release, I’m more with Andrew Lynch in feeling that its “silly and dramatic… full of reversals, big swings, and final desperate plays… something that makes you feel like you’re watching TNT on a Sunday afternoon in 1998”. Slings and Arrows is the latest set to be released and, as you might guess, is based on the works of William Shakespeare. Joining the Bard in the Brawl are three of his characters: The Wayward Sisters, Hamlet, and Titania. With iambic pentameter, fairie glamours, potion machinations and more, this promises to be one of the more unique sets.

Read our review of Unmatched: Sun’s Origin here.

Publisher: Restoration Games
Designer: Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau, Jonathan Guberman, Jason Hager, Justin D. Jacobson, Brian Neff

Bob Pazehoski, Jr.

Fromage

Road To Infamy has developed a reputation for innovating the blend of mechanics and materials with games like Canvas, Don’t Go In There, and Globetrotting. Fromage, a cheese-making worker placement game, fits this mold beautifully with its modular lazy susan game board. Players spin the sectional board to mark the availability of actions, the passage of time, and the aging of cheesy goodness. The player board provides a personal dairy farm, complete with livestock.

Worker placement is one of my favorite mechanics, and I love the way Matthew O’Malley and Ben Rosset (The Search for Planet X, Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig) have integrated this unique theme into an endeavor of play. Pavel Zhovba’s artwork provides a delightful style and an inviting color scheme to make this one pop on the table. The potential positives here are simply too convincing to dismiss. I hope to get acquainted soon.

Publisher: Road To Infamy
Designer: Matthew O’Malley, Ben Rosset

In the Footsteps of Marie Curie

With the release of 2021’s In the Footsteps of Darwin, publisher Sorry We Are French took the first steps toward a series of games that highlight the work of key historical figures. Shifting from evolutionary biology to physics and chemistry, the newest title introduces a new set of mechanics whilst picking up the trail of Marie Curie. David Sitbon’s illustrations provide a visible link between the two titles as Florian Fay (Greenville 1889, Paris 1889) focuses this latest game design on picking up that famed double Nobel Prize.

Scientific titles like Genotype, Lovelace and Babbage, and Cytosis hold a special place in our familial hearts. We are happy to explore both the intricacies of the cosmos and the personalities of those who uncovered the glories hidden within. Marie Curie is a fascinating figure, and I welcome any chance to know her better. In the Footsteps of Marie Curie has a sharp look and an inviting gameplay that I’m sure will spark our curiosity even further.

Publisher: Sorry We Are French
Designer: Florian Fay

Kyoto no Neko

I really don’t like cats. Not only am I allergic, but I just don’t care for them. Despite my irrational feline stance, however, I was pretty excited when I spotted Kyoto no Neko on the preview list. The artwork here is spectacular and provides a beautiful backdrop for the exploration of Kyoto. Cédric Millet’s Meeple Circus has garnered a bit of attention and amassed several expansions, but it seems the rules and results are a bit more grounded with this latest title published in conjunction with Matagot.

Mechanically, Kyoto no Neko looks like the standard cubes-on-tracks fare with a gridded map in the center. But I’m a sucker for an inviting aesthetic, and this one fits the bill. With little information available, and very few previews on the web to date, I’m not sure if this release will be fully ready or not, but it has my attention.

Publisher: Matagot
Designer: Cédric Millet

Panda Royale

The publishing team that left the greatest impression on me during my visit to Origins last year was Last Night Games. Brothers Jake and Nathan Jenne brought a fantastic family atmosphere to their designs, and they had such a joie de vivre that was apparent in their creations like The Finest Fish, Life of a Chameleon, and Horticulture. I appreciate the blend of simplicity and serenity that match the childlike visual appeal. This year they are bringing Panda Royale to the fore. I enjoy open drafting as a mechanic, and after even a single glance, I already want to reach in to acquire these bright and bold dice. Players acquire a growing stock of uniquely shaped and boldly colored dice in an effort to retain a dominant position. From the description, the game almost seems like a draft for the sake of a draft, a light meta-approach to an easy mode of play. I don’t need to know much. I just have a feeling this will be a light and refreshing experience for the family, and I’m ready to give it a try.

Publisher: Last Night Games
Designer: Nathan Jenne, Jake Jenne

Previously Reviewed

Meeple Mountain has already reviewed a number of titles which have previously been released, or will soon be released, at Gen Con 2024. You can find links to our reviews of those games below.