Top 10 New to Me Games of 2025

This is the third annual version of this list and I really looked forward to writing it as I reflected on the last year of board gaming. If you're interested, you can go back and check out the previous two lists for 2024 and 2023. Without any intention, I set a new personal best for plays with an astounding 1877 plays across 134 games. Last year I had set a goal of 600 plays across 150 games and ended with 892 play across 162 games. So while I played a smaller number of unique games, largely impacted by my 100 Games 100 Plays Project, I still had many new to me games to pick from for this list. As with previous years, most (possibly all) of the games on this list were not published in 2025. After my most successful year of gaming, these were my favorite New to Me Games of 2025:

#10 - Sheriff of Nottingham

I'm not typically a fan of party games, but if bluffing is involved then there's a good chance I'll find some enjoyment in it. In Sheriff of Nottingham, players take the roles of merchants who are looking to make profits by selling various goods during Prince John's visit. However, you must get your goods through the city gate, which is under the watch of the Sheriff of Nottingham who is played by a different player each round. If a player is caught trying to sneak contraband amongst their legal goods, the Sheriff will confiscate them for themselves. But a bride could have the Sheriff looking the other way. I like the bluffing aspect when playing the merchant role and trying to guess who is being honest when playing as the Sheriff. If you have a great poker face or are an excellent negotiator, you'll find great success while playing. 

#9 - Nidavellir

One of two games I purchased for my 40th birthday, Nidavellir is an auction and set collection game set in a Dwarven kingdom. Players have been tasked by the King to assemble the most skillful dwarves, most prestigious heroes, and build the best battalion to defeat the dragon Fafnir. The player who assembles the strongest and most valuable army wins the game. Each round, players blind bid with their coins to recruit one dwarf from each of three taverns, with each of the 5 types scoring in a different way. Every time you recruit one of each type, you recruit a hero that may have special abilities and/or special scoring. Another unique way to score is through the "coin-building" system where players can increase the values of their starting coins which both allow you to bid hire but also will score you more points at the game's end. There's so much to like about this game from the different game mechanisms, to the art, to the very high scores that make you feel like you really accomplished something.

#8 - Survive the Island

    Photo Credit: Corinna Juras @TabletopSavants on BGG

Adding this to the list almost feels like cheating because it's a rework of one of my all time favorite games by a new publisher. However, I had over 60 plays of it on BGA in 2025, so I couldn't let it go unmentioned. I highlighted this in my July 2025 Wrap Up post; go check that out that if you want to learn more about how it plays and what my thoughts on it were. I mentioned then that I might consider replacing the original game with expansions for this. However, after playing the original again in 2025, it's more likely that I'll keep that and play this on BGA since the original isn't something you can play online.

#7 - Flip 7

    Photo Credit: The OP Games

Flip 7 stormed onto the scene in 2024 and was a 2025 Spiel des Jahres nominee. If you know me, you'll know that I love "card games with numbers" and this one really hits the press your luck sweet spot. It may be one of the most simple card games out there and that's largely a reason for it's success. Each turn, the active player has a simple choice, draw the top card from the deck and add it to their tableau OR stop and collect the points from the cards they've previously drawn. Super easy right? Well that's where pressing your luck comes into play. If a player draws an identical card to one in their tableau then they bust and lose all of their points for the round. The more valuable the card, the more times it appears in the deck. Cards are numbered 1-12 with one 1 in the deck, two 2s, three 3s, etc. There are also some take that and bonus point cards mixed in. If a player presses their luck and can draw 7 unique cards, the round immediately ends and the player scores their tableau plus 15 extra bonus points for Flipping 7. I've played a few dozen games on BGA in just the past couple of months and cannot recommend this enough for all gamers.

#6 - Fromage

Two different people that attend our local in person gaming meetups have a copy of Fromage and each brought it to play in 2025. This simultaneous worker-placement game has players working as cheesemakers across four different board sections. Each turn, players can place works only on the board in front of them and then the board rotates 90 degrees. When a worker is pointing back at the player who placed it, after the board turns, it comes off the board and is able to be placed once more. Planning turns to get more resources and more valuable spaces while also getting your workers back to use is the key hook to this game. Each quadrant is essentially it's own mini game with a unique way to score points. Players also have a player board that gives them extra abilities and ways to score. Once a player has placed their last piece of cheese, the game ends and the player with the highest score wins. I REALLY enjoy the gameplay but by design it ends so quickly, making me want just one or two more turns. The production value is amazing and it fills the gap for those looking for a worker placement game with a shorter playtime.

#5 - Crokinole

The oldest published game (1876) on this list, one that I coveted for many years, slides in just inside the top 5 and for very good reason. This pure dexterity is a game of skill that is more sport than table top game. I put it in more in the category of darts, bocce, billiards, etc. It is a game that requires considerable hand eye coordination but can be played by basically anyone. Player's alternate flicking their colored disks towards the center hole, in an attempt to gain as many points as possible. Land it in the recessed hole and you instantly gain 20 points. At the end of the round, discs score based on their positions from 15 down to 5 depending on the ring they are sitting in. Discs that are shot or knocked off of the main board score no points. I purchased this beautiful board from Mayday Games as a rare treat to myself and I couldn't be happier. Premium boards can costs hundreds of dollars, but this somewhat budget friendly version is high quality and looks great on the table. I covered this in a little more depth in my January 2025 Wrap-Up post.

#4 - Hadrian's Wall

I received this as a gift last Christmas and it took me until the Deep Dive December Solo Challenge to get it to the table. Feeling bad that I neglected the game for so long, I pledged to play this 12 times as part of the challenge. I'm so glad I did because it quickly became one of my favorite roll/flip and write games. It's definitely the most complex game that I've played that uses that mechanism. You play as a Roman general tasked with constructing part of the Emperor's coast to coast wall to help keep out attacking armies. Over 6 rounds, you'll build up your wall, attract civilians to build services and entertainment, and defend yourself from the savage Picts. You'll score points from a goal card selected each round and by gaining renown, piety, valor, and discipline. However, earning disdain from unprotected attacks will lose you points. I love the combo action you can create as you spend your different worker types and resources. The goal cards will push you into certain directions, making it so you can't really try to do the same thing each game and be successful. 

#3 - El Grande

El Grande is the other game I purchased for my 40th birthday and is another that I coveted for a very long time. Published 30 years ago, it remains in the Top 100 games on BGG as of the date of this post. Not only was it designed by one of my favorite designers, Wolfgang Kramer, it also is regarded as one of, if not the best area control/majority games of all time. On top of that, it also won the 1996 Spiel des Jahres. Over 9 rounds, players take the roles of Grandes in medieval Spain, vying for control of the various regions. Skillful play in an ever changing landscape will earn you points from the regions during 3 scoring phases. Bidding with power cards determines how many caballeros you can add to your court and subsequently place using action cards drafted based on the order of power cards played by all players. As I said in my April 2025 Wrap Up post, it's a straightforward game that pits players against one another with a lot of interaction, something I really enjoy but has become rarer as time has gone on. 

#2 - Rebirth

With 4 in person plays in 2025, Rebirth is one of the most played games in the history of our meetups. Those who attend, including myself, are always bringing something new or something they haven't played in a while, so when something sees the table multiples times, it's definitely a favorite. It was also my highlighted game in my February 2025 Wrap-Up post. I really debated if this would be number 2 or 3 on this list, but the two different maps and additional rules with the second map made it squeak by El Grande (even though I believe it's a better game). What really set it apart was my wanting to play it whenever it was available. It gives off Kingdom Builder vibes, as you draw a card (or in this case a token) and then place something on the board. Based on what token is played and where it was placed, scoring and/or other actions happen. I really enjoy games like this where you have limited choices and need to make the best of the options available.

#1 - Castle Combo

    Photo Credit: Catch Up Games

My favorite New to Me Game of 2025, that was also the highlighted game of the month in the November 2025 Wrap-Up post, is Castle Combo. For the third straight year, a card game has claimed the top spot, which should not surprise you if you know me. It was my most played new to me game for the year and was in the top 10 for number of games played across all games. It's quickly become one of my all time favorite filler games, a category that I admire more than any other. In just 9 short turns, you get to build a tableau of interacting characters that allow you to score, earn coins to spend on other cards, earn keys to clear a row or move to select a character you need, and get discounts on one or both types of characters. Biblios has long stood as my favorite filler game, it's possible that there could be a new king of the castle.

What were your favorite new to you games of 2025? Please comment below and thanks for reading!