Top 100 Board Games of All Time, 2023 Edition (40-31)

Assembling this list every year is a great excuse for me to constantly interrogate myself as to why I do or don’t like certain games. The answer, usually, is one you’d expect from a game designer – I value novel game mechanics above all else. In fact, in some of the earliest versions of this list I did, giving a single novel game mechanic per game was part of the whole schtick. Maybe next year, I’ll retreat back to that format, as it will refresh the format.

This section is relatively strong for ‘game mechanics you should at least try once’. Of particular note, #39, #37, #34 and #32 all center on game mechanics not done, or at least not done well, by any other competitor. Given that a couple of these games are ten years old, it’s somewhat surprising but on another level, maybe not. Some game mechanics are so tightly wed to their source material that there is no way to copy them without being seen as a blatant ripoff.

Previously: 100-91 90-81 80-71 70-61 60-51 50-41

40. Final Girl

“You alone must survive and defeat the horror movie killer.”

Released: 2021
Designer: Evan Derrick, A. J. Porfirio
Players: 1
Estimated Time: 20-60 mins
New to List

2023 was an absolute banner year for great single player board games. I usually throw one on the list near the bottom, but this year the single player gaming was just too awesome. One of the great ones was Final Girl, a game that could be described as the Cadillac of solo board gaming.

Based on the core system of Hostage Negotiator (a game that I think made my very first list not quite a decade ago), the game is simple. Players need to manage not only their health, but also their terror levels, as they run around the map. They can try to help other people escape the map. This is good as it powers up your character and the inverse (them dying at the hands of the villain) powers up the bad guy. But frankly, you can’t save them all, and sometimes you have to make some coldhearted decisions as you try to prepare yourself for a final showdown with the big bad.

But Final Girl isn’t a game, it’s a SYSTEM. To play, you need a core box, and then at least one episode box, most of which are designed to be parodies/analogs of classic 80 horror films. Play as Nancy, as you tackle Dr. Fright in the “Frightmare on Maple Lane”. Or Laurie, taking on Hans the Butcher at “Camp Happy Trails”.

But the key thing is that these three elements (girl, villain, location) can be mixed and matched freely. Each girl has different powers. Each villain is a radically different puzzle to solve. And each location has different strengths, weaknesses, rules and improvised weapons to find. All of this combines to create a great sense of replayability that, frankly, eludes most solo board games.

Final Girl is truly awesome, and absolutely worthy to be this high on the list, and those intrigued may want to see if they can somehow make a late pledge for Season 3. But if you’re intrigued by the concept of solo gaming, I should note that it is not the only solo game on the list.

39. Trajan

“Manage and rule all aspects of Ancient Rome with a clever action selection mancala.”

Released: 2011
Designer: Stefan Feld
Players: 2-4
Estimated Time: 60-120
Last Year: 20

As long as reprinting Stefan Feld games is in vogue, I’d love to see a reprint of Trajan. This game is an absolute cornucopia of awesome gaming and interesting decisions, held back only by art direction that feels, frankly, pretty 2011. Players will take turns taking actions, where they can take part of multiple minigames across the board, from taking control of the senate, going on military excursions, or doing a little trading, all of which are represented by different minigames.

But the real meat of the game is the action-selection system. And that’s the mancala. Every player has a mancala with a whole bunch of markers in it, with each cup representing a different action. On your turn, you’ll pick up all of the pegs in one cup and distribute them, one at a time, in cups in a clockwise direction. The cup your last peg is placed in is the action that you’re taking.

While this is going on, you’re also trying to color match certain pegs in cups in order to unlock powerful bonuses. This creates a dynamic where planning two to three turns ahead is both crucial and really hard. (Like, ‘don’t play this while you’re drunk’ hard). It’s just great.

Trajan is a stone-cold classic but we will see design Stefan Feld again on this list. Multiple times.

38. Chai

“An immersive game of combining tea flavours to make your perfect blend!”

Released: 2019
Designer: Dan Kazmaier, Connie Kazmaier
Players: 1-5
Estimated Time: 20-60 mins
Last Year: 58

In Chai, you are a tea merchant managing a tea shop. Your job is to fill orders, which requires you to acquire differentkinds of tea (green, black, etc) as well as different kinds of flavoring (milk, honey, vanilla, etc) meant to disguise the fact that most tea tastes like swampy grass clippings.

It’s a small simple game, with a simple yet devious market mechanic that gets it on this list.  The market is a tile board of 18 tiles (3 rows of six) that get more expensive left to right. You can only buy one KIND of item from the market, but you can buy all instances of that tea on the market that touch each other orthagonally. So you can luck into being able to buy massive amounts of what you need in bulk. But your purchases also risk making similar opportunities for your opponents.

Chai is a relatively fast and lightweight game. It’s got a warm cozy feel and is quick and easy to set up and play. But it’s also capable of being quite cutthroat, and it’s always funny when this game shifts into that gear, because when it does so, it still never loses that cozy vibe.

37. Everdell

“Gather resources to develop a harmonious village of woodland critters and structures. “

Released: 2018
Designer: James A Wilson
Players: 1-4
Estimated Time: 40-80
Last Year: 12

Do you like furries? Not, like, kinky furries, more like charming pastoral Redwall furries. Well, if so, then allow me to introduce you to Everdell, a beautiful game with a whimsical art style, gorgeous components, and of course, a big honkin’ tree.

(Yes, all those components are in the base version of the game)

Everdell is a tableau-building game. Each player is trying to build their own 15-card village, where they try to assemble certain sets, acquire resources via worker placement games and claim objectives. As they build their tableau, they’ll unlock new powers and worker placement locations.

Everdell is a solidly midweight game, with several expansions, all of which are actually pretty good but each of which will nudge the game a little past midweight towards heavy. Still, this is a charming, attractive and thoughtful game that most likely will hit the table frequently. If you’re looking for something that skews a little younger, this year they also released a simpler version called My Lil’ Everdell as well as a new variant of the game called Everdell Farshore. But I haven’t tried these yet, so I can’t quite vouch for them.

36. The Castles of Burgundy (Special Edition)

“Plan, trade, and build your Burgundian estate to prosperity and prominence.”

Released: 2023
Designer: Stefan Feld
Players: 1-4
Estimated Time: 70-120 minutes
Didn’t Appear Last Year (Standard edition appeared on previous lists)

Castles of Burgundy is widely regarded as Stefan Feld’s finest pure game from a mechanics point of view, and it was on my list for a long time, but last year it finally fell off, due to production values that were, to put it blunt, warm buttered ass. That all changed with the new Special Edition, which is an absolute joy to play with – nice castles, big chunky tiles, and ALL of the expansions. And Castles is a simple enough game that the expansions are easy to layer on.

On each turn, players will roll dice. Those dice will allow them to do just a handful of actions, namely claiming tiles from a contested board to put in your ‘under construction area’, or moving them from your ‘under construction’ area to their main board. Along the way, players will try to fill in their map (filling contiguous zones gives big scoring bonuses) and acquire buildings with powerful rule-changing effects. It’s a simple game that immediately surprises you with its depth.

One more thing about Castles of Burgundy that I should mention is that it’s one of those rare ‘designed for 3+ person games’ that actually is as good at 2 players as it is at higher player counts. In fact, the community at BoardGameGeek considers that to be its BEST player count! I don’t know about all that, but I do think that it’s worth noting that this is a game that can be played during the week with just your partner or spouse, and then pulled out for a larger group on game night, and there are a lot of people who value that flexibility.

35. Bang! The Dice Game

“A wild west elimination dice game with secret teams.”

Released: 2013
Designer: Michael Palm, Lukas Zach
Players: 3-8
Estimated Time: 15
Last Year: 89

My game nights were never particularly huge, and they’ve shrunk considerably since COVID and the arrival of two Schubert Munchkins that take up most of my time and energy. As such, while social games have never been a huge part of my gaming diet, they REALLY haven’t been the focus of late. Most of my list is tailored for a gaming group of 3 to 4.

But I have a soft spot for Bang! The Dice Game. Quite simply, it’s provided some of the most hilarious moments of my gaming career.

Each player is dealt a role, which is a secret. There is a sheriff, a horde of outlaws trying to kill the sheriff, a deputy trying to help him, and a renegade trying to kill everyone. And no one knows who is who. On your turn, you’ll roll dice, and from the results, deal damage to players within range, hopeful that they are a target you’re supposed to be killing. If you lose all your health, you flip over your role card, and the table erupts as your role is exposed.

What makes ‘Bang’ work for me whereas (most) other social deduction games falter is the dice. That random element adds an element of chaos to your plans. You may (think you) know exactly who you’re supposed to be killing, but sometimes the dice don’t want to help you. Add this random element to the standard lying and backstabbing found in a social deduction game, and you have a recipe for pure table-flipping chaos.

34. Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calender

Released: 2012
Designer: Simone Luciani, Daniele Tascini
Players: 2-4
Estimated Time: 90 mins
Last Year: 42

I’m going to get straight to the point here: Tzolk’in is all about the big freakin’ wheels.

The centerpiece of the game board is a gigantic gear, which connects to five other gears scattered around the board. These aren’t just a decorative gimmick, they’re what translates this into one of the deepest and most interesting worker placement games on the market.

The player has a small number (3-5) of workers. On their turn, they can do one of two things: put guys on the wheel, or take them off. When you put them on, you have to put them on near the ‘start’ of a wheel track. When you pull them off, you get the resources next to their current wheel location. After everyone takes a turn, all the wheels turn one spot. Which means that the longer you let your meeples ride, the better rewards you can get.

The end result is a deeply interesting puzzle. How long do I let something ride? Should I effectively sacrifice a turn to get out of rhythm with the rest of the table (so I’m placing meeples right after they’re pulling them off?)

And as a delicious game design chili pepper in the pot, once a game, the first player can force a double wheel turn. This can speed your meeples into more useful resources or open up more placement spots for your own dudes – but there are also some delicious ways that you can hose your opponents with this action.

Tzolk’in is a fantastic game. It’s a tad crunchy and on the long side, but man, your table will not be able to resist the majesty of that wheel.

33. Earth

“Strategically grow your ecosystem card engine with unique flora, fauna, and terrains.”

Released: 2023
Designer: Maxime Tardif
Players: 1-5
Estimated Time: 45-90 mins
New to List

Nature-themed games are having a bit of a moment of late. I think Wingspan kicked the gates open and now the board game stores are awash with games about trees, nature, birds, butterflies, mushrooms and all sorts of hippy nonsense. Historically, these tend to be lighter, simpler fare that washes right off of me.

Earth, however, isn’t quite that. While it is largely a card-based game, it’s heavier than it looks. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of tableau builders like Ark Nova and Terraforming Mars. And yet, it’s much simpler than THOSE games. So it manages to straddle that divide, which is a surprisingly unique place to land.

On your turn, you’ll be doing one of four actions, but the end result is that you’ll mostly be trying to acquire soil in order to plant plants in a 4×4 grid. How you arrange these plants matter quite a bit – you’ll want to place your cards in ways that create synergy with each other. Results of doing so are things like planting sprouts (the cubes) or vertically growing trees, which both help you in the endgame.

Also, Earth has one of my favorite mechanisms seen in many (and yet not enough) games, the lesser action. Every action you take also results in everyone else at the table being able to take a lesser version of the same action. Did you just take the plant action, which allows you to plant 2 cards in your tableau and draw 4 cards and keep one? Great, that means that everyone else gets to plant 1 card and draw 1 card. This not only speeds up the game, but it also keeps you invested in other players’ turns. Your turn may be obsolete by the time it gets back to you – but only because everyone else accidentally gave you what you were looking for! Merry Christmas!

So there you have it – a great nature-based games. That’s not to say I hate nature-based games. In fact, we’ll have an old friend returning to the list in the 20s.

32. Mission: Red Planet

Released: 2005
Designer: Bruno Cathala, Bruno Faidutti
Players: 3-5
Estimated Time: 60 mins
Last Year: 66

Mission: Red Planet is a highly social game set in a steampunk world that has somehow invented space travel, and you and your fellow players each play different corporations trying to get to Mars so you can begin strip-mining it. Mars is divided up into several territories which are worth different point values, all of which are hidden initially. Your goal is to get to Mars, explore to find the high value point zones, and then end the game with control of those zones.

Each turn, players will play one of their deck of 9 cards, face down so no one can see. Once everyone has chosen, the cards are revealed in numerical order and players then take their turn. The femme fatale can seduce an enemy soldier to your side (effectively a 2-soldier swing!) The soldier can move troops around on mars. The Travel agent can most efficiently load soldiers onto a rocket. The Pilot can change the destination of a rocket that hasn’t launched to Mars yet – sending your opponent to some useless backwater. And the Saboteur can blow up a rocket still on the launch pad. All of the troops aboard that rocket then become martyrs in the great race to colonize space.

Mission: Red Planet is on this list for one great reason. It’s a highly social, highly mean game, and yet it never feels mean. It feels like a chaos factory, but it very much is a game where frequently you get shiv’d with a smile.

31. Radlands

“Post-apocalyptic bands of punks fight to destroy the rival tribe’s camps.”

Released: 2021
Designer: Daniel Piechnick
Players: 2
Estimated Time: 20-40 mins
New to List

Radlands is a head-to-head dueling game, where players play as warlords in some sort of post-apocalyptic radioactive wasteland. Each player has three bases they’ve been dealt at the start of the game. These bases have powerful abilities, but they are also the objectives of the game – the first player who destroys all of the opponent’s bases wins the game.

The primary resource of the game is water, and on most turns, players will have 3 water to spend. Water is used to both summon your troops as well as use their abilities. And summoning those troops are important – in general, your opponent can only damage your frontline, so it’s crucial you get some meat shields in front of your bases as quickly as possible, and work to keep them alive. Life is cheap, bases are bloody expensive.

The impressive thing about Radlands is how it manages to create a cohesive dueling card game experience with no deckbuilding – and in fact, both players play from the same deck. Despite this, a shocking amount of different strategies emerge quickly, and it always feels like you have some sort of synergy within the random cards you’ve been dealt. For those who like games like Magic the Gathering but are turned off by deckbuilding or are concerned about assymetry in decks, this is a great pickup.