Thanks to some amazing connections with publishers and distributors this year – and an arguably less amazing addiction to Kickstarter – 2024 has been a big year for my board gaming. I managed to play over 80 new-to-me titles, most of them fresh releases from this year. It’s the first time I’ve felt like I’ve truly explored the hobby’s yearly offerings and am confident in putting up a best board game of the year list.
In saying that, this top 10 list was hard to put together. 2024 delivered a treasure trove of great games, and narrowing them down felt like choosing between favourite kids at times. So before we jump into the list, I need to hand out some honourable mentions to Sky Team, Harmonies, and Ancient Knowledge, all of which stood out in their respective genres but just missed the cut.
Of course, there’s still plenty of hyped titles remaining on my “must-play” list, and I fully expect some of them to shake up my rankings. Games like Unconscious Mind, Endeavor: Deep Sea, and Captain Flip are still in their boxes waiting to be played, yet each has the potential to be among the best board games of 2024.
10. Daybreak
Publisher: CMYK
Daybreak tackles the daunting challenge of climate change, but through a surprisingly hopeful lens. This cooperative game isn’t about despair but about solving problems, with every in-game card inspired by real-world projects aimed at combating climate change.
From the gorgeous graphic design to the exquisite rulebook, the love and care poured into Daybreak is immediately obvious. The biggest example of this is how each card includes a QR code that links to a web page, giving further details on how the card works in game and how the card’s concept works in the real world. It’s a brilliant touch that connects your game table to real-world battle against climate change.
Gameplay-wise, Daybreak is a cooperative engine-building game, where you’re working together to fight the side effects of the rising climate. You’ll decide together which global projects to pursue, while acting locally to fund and research different ways to reduce carbon emissions.
For cooperative game fans, Daybreak stands out as a unique middleweight option. It’s more strategic than Pandemic, but far less intimidating than something like Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. With its stunning presentation and engaging gameplay, Daybreak not only gets you thinking about strategy but also about the future of our planet.
Want to save the planet… at least for a round or two?
👉 Read the full Daybreak review
9. Apiary
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Bees in space. Need I say more?
I will… but I shouldn’t have to.
Stonemaier Games had a stellar year, delivering great board games like Stamp Swap, Wyrmspan, and Expeditions. But the bees knees of their lineup? Apiary.
Lead a colony of cosmic bees to impress your Queen, build out your spaceship and expand your reach across the galaxy.
Each round, you’ll send a bee to an action space to explore planets, build tiles, collect seeds, or even dance. But as your bees work, they age, growing stronger but also inching closer to hibernation (a.k.a. their final mission to the great hive upstate). Balancing the timing of their actions to get the most out of them creates a uniquely satisfying puzzle.
However, what appeals to me the most (outside of the theme) is the combo potential of the tiles you build. There’s a lot of synergy between tiles and putting together an un-bee-lievable combination is heck of a lot of fun.
Between its unique theme, clever mechanics, and engaging gameplay, Apiary stands out as one of 2024’s best board games.
Think bees in space are cool?
👉 They are! And I explain why in the full Apiary review
8. Courtisans
Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
You’ve been invited. The Queen is hosting a grand banquet, where houses from across the land gather for fine dining, lively gossip, and a healthy dose of scheming.
Each turn, you’ll draw three family cards and make three crucial decisions: keep one for yourself, gift one to another player, and place one in the centre of the table. Centre cards can go above or below the central mat, and their placement is everything.
At the game’s end, the balance of cards above and below the mat determines scoring. If more cards are above, you’ll earn points for each card matching that family in your play area. But if below takes the majority, those same cards will cost you dearly.
As a result, you’ll find yourself downplaying your progress, sweet-talking your rivals into favourable trades, and subtly steering the table’s balance – all while keeping your real intentions close to the chest.
What really makes Courtisans great, though, is how smoothly it all flows. Turns zip by, every choice feels like it matters, and the game hits that sweet spot between strategy and accessibility. It’s not just clever – it’s genuinely fun to play.
Desperate for a seat at the table?
👉 Find one in the full Courtisans review
7. Peacemakers: Horrors of War
Publisher: Snowdale Design
Years ago, I reviewed Dawn of the Peacemakers, a game where animal mediators travelled the land trying to end wars – by any means necessary. While it had a unique concept and plenty of charm, it wasn’t without its flaws.
Enter Peacemakers: Horrors of War, Snowdale Design’s second attempt at the formula, and wow, what an improvement. This follow-up keeps the heart of the original but polishes out every rough edge and I mean, every single one.
In this six-scenario cooperative game, you’re dropped into the middle of a conflict between two warring factions. Your mission? Broker peace. You’ll dart between the two armies, working to lower their motivations until they’re both ready to stand down.
What sets Horrors of War apart, outside of the fantastic production choices to reduce setup, are the new Horror cards. These represent the emotional and physical toll of war, adding an extra layer of challenge as they clog up your action deck and create unexpected hurdles for your peacekeeping efforts.
It’s intense, strategic, and deeply thematic. If you’re a fan of cooperative games and looking for something fresh, Peacemakers: Horrors of War is absolutely worth your time. It’s a testament to how good a game can be when designers listen, refine, and double down on what works.
Want to make peace, one battlefield at a time?
👉 Read the full Peacemakers: Horrors of War review
6. Harvest
Publisher: Keymaster Games
Trey Chambers is no stranger to Roll to Review readers—his Argent: The Consortium is my favourite game of all time, and Empyreal: Spells & Steam isn’t far behind. So when the opportunity arose to try Harvest – his debut game, re-released in a shiny new edition from Keymaster Games – I jumped at the chance.
Harvest is a competitive farming simulator where you’ll plant seeds, nurture them, and harvest their fruits. Along the way, you’ll visit the farmer’s market to snag new seeds or head to the workshop to construct buildings that give you a leg up.
Compared to Trey’s later works, Harvest doesn’t feature the same kind of game-breaking, asymmetric powers. Instead, it leans into a tight, streamlined design. With just a handful of rounds to make your mark, every decision feels like a high-stakes race to success.
It’s a fast-paced, satisfying puzzle that keeps you on your toes without ever feeling overwhelming. For anyone looking for a farming game that blends strategy with simplicity, Harvest is a bumper crop of fun.
5. Faraway
Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
Pandasaurus Games is another publisher who had a great year at my table, with hits like Courtisans, Sea, Salt & Paper and Castle Combo. But none stayed on my table as long as Faraway.
For a few months, Faraway dominated my play sessions. It’s a perfect small-box game that punches well above its weight, offering quick gameplay paired with surprisingly deep decisions. Whether it’s a lunch break or a warm-up before a longer game night, Faraway fits the bill beautifully.
Gameplay consists of drafting a line of cards that represents the path you’re hiking on a mysterious island. Each card introduces scoring objectives, icons to collect, and prerequisites to fulfil.
While that sounds like any other drafting game, there’s a twist. You draft cards left to right, you score them in reverse – from right to left. This swaps the way you think about drafting cards from ‘what does my tableau look like now’, to ‘what will my tableau look like at the end of the game’.
It might take a few plays to fully wrap your head around, but once you do, Faraway reveals itself as a phenomenal experience. It’s clever, engaging, and tightly designed – an excellent board game.
Still lost?
👉 Find your way in the full Faraway review
4. Zoo Vadis
Publisher: Bitewing Games
Zoo Vadis gave me some of the wildest board gaming nights of the year – and a new-found appreciation for the brilliance of negotiation games.
In this animal-themed showdown, you play as a creature in a zoo trying to climb the ranks and become the next mascot. To succeed, you’ll need to manoeuvre your way through the exhibit spaces toward centre stage. The best way to do this? Striking deals with other players to speed up your path to stardom.
What blew me away with Zoo Vadis is that there are few rules around negotiation, so everything – and I mean everything – is on the table. Want to let someone dictate your next turn? That’s fine. Or give away the keys to your car to get someone to move a peacock? OK, not recommended.
As a result, Zoo Vadis is dependent on your group’s willingness to negotiate, bargain, and exploit every loophole possible. For our table, the game became a blazing beacon of creativity and chaos. The sheer audacity of some of the deals we struck – bribes, alliances, betrayals – turned every session into an unforgettable spectacle.
This gameplay, along with the stellar job Bitewing Games with its production and presentation, makes Zoo Vadis feel like a must-have negotiation game for any collection. I can’t imagine it ever leaving mine.
Ready to strike a deal?
👉 Do your due diligence with the full Zoo Vadis review
3. Dorfromantik
Publisher: Pegasus Spiele
Released in 2022, Dorfromantik became a staple in my household this year as we steadily chipped away at its campaign. And honestly? It’s been an absolute delight – worthy of this list.
It’s a cooperative tile-placement game where you craft a picturesque countryside and try to gain as many points as you can. Points are earned through completing tasks – like grouping a cluster of four forest tiles or completing a river. As you complete games of Dorfromantik, you unlock new scoring opportunities for future games.
The gameplay here is buttery smooth, making it the perfect way to unwind after a hectic day. Throw on some lo-fi music, settle in, and let the peaceful vibes of Dorfromantik wash over you.
On a side note, my local game shop recently stocked the sequel, Dorfromantik: Sakura. You can bet a 2025 review is already in my plans!
2. Arcs
Publisher: Leder Games
At this point, it’s practically a running joke how often Arcs appears on “Best of the Year” lists – but let’s be real, there’s a reason for the hype. Designed by Cole Wehrle, this game delivers his trademark depth while being surprisingly accessible compared to his other works (Root, Pax Pamir).
On the surface, Arcs looks like a grand space opera: you command a unique faction, battling for galactic dominance by building fleets, mining resources, and playing the political game. And while it touches on that, Arcs is a more a game of strategic decisions focused around a trick-taking mechanic than epic tales of galactic conquest.
Much has been said about the divisive trick-taking system, but what sticks with me are the clever nuances baked into every element of the game. For instance, the movement mechanic is pure genius. Ships can slingshot across the galaxy from any starport you control, allowing dramatic leaps into new sectors. But once they’re beyond your network, their range is limited, forcing you to carefully plan your expansion.
Moments like these, where traditional mechanics are flipped or reimagined, is why Arcs is deserving of every accolade it’s received.
That said, I’d strongly recommend playing with the Leaders & Lore expansion. The added asymmetry gives each faction a unique feel and injects even more variety into the game. With it, Arcs becomes not just a must-play but a must-have – a shining star in 2024’s lineup of strategy games.
1. That’s Not a Hat
Publisher: Ravensburger
If you’ve followed Roll to Review, this top pick won’t shock you. That’s Not a Hat didn’t just make its way to my table – it followed me everywhere this year. Game nights, parties, work functions – if I was there, so was this little box of chaos.
At its core, That’s Not a Hat is a deceptively simple memory game. You start with a card showing an item, flip it facedown, and pass it to another player, declaring what it is. The recipient then has to decide whether to accept your claim or call your bluff.
Sounds straightforward? It is – until the memory challenge kicks in. Once the first round is over, the cards can no longer be checked. That’s when the real fun begins: the bluffing, double-bluffing, and sheer mental gymnastics of trying to keep track of what’s what. Before long, your confidence crumbles, and you’re left swearing that the hat you just passed was actually… a pineapple?
The brilliance of That’s Not a Hat lies in how quickly it devolves into utter hilarity. Every game I’ve played this year has ended with uproarious laughter as players confidently declare items that never existed or try to salvage their bluffs with increasingly absurd logic.
It’s simple, portable, and an instant hit with any group. If you’re looking for a game to spark laughter and turn any gathering into a memorable one, That’s Not a Hat is the perfect choice.
Think a memory game can be your game of the year?
👉 Learn more in the full That’s Not a Hat review
Thanks for joining me on this journey through 2024’s standout board games! I’d love to hear your thoughts – did your favourites make the list, or do you have hidden gems I should check out? Drop a comment below and let’s keep the conversation rolling!
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