It’s the holidays and that means gathering with friends and family to play (and if you’re like me, probably lose…) some games. Luckily for us, there’s always a ton of new games to play so no matter what your gaming tastes there’s something new for you!
In no particular order here are some of our favorite new games for teens and adults we’ve tried out this year!
Campy Creatures – Keymaster Games
Recommended Age: 10+
Players: 2-5
Play Time: 20-30 Minutes
Cost: $24.99
One of the hardest parts about being a mad scientist is finding enough Mortals to perform your experiments on. Keymaster Games understands this so they made Campy Creatures – a card game full of all those classic campy creatures we all know and love with three nights to collect as many Mortals as possible. Watch out for traps and your rival scientists!
Port Royal – Steve Jackson Games
Recommended Age: 8+
Players: 2-5
Play Time: 20-50 Minutes
Cost: $19.95
Port Royal pits players against each other to become the richest merchant in Port Royal! Decide who enters the port and who gets sent packing in the hopes of building the most successful trading empire. Don’t push your luck too far though, or you’ll end up with nothing.
Photosynthesis – Blue Orange Games
Recommended Age: 10+
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
Cost: $44.99
Photosynthesis is an intriguing and very deep sunlight management game. Get points by collecting leaves but in order to do that you need bigger trees. The problem is bigger trees need more sunlight and you’re vying for the same sunlight as everyone else. You may be planted perfectly one round but the sun moves and that next patch of shade is just around the corner. Plan carefully and you might just win the day.
Onami – Wyvern Gaming
Recommended Age: 8+
Players: 2-6
Play Time: 15-30 Minutes
Cost: $29.99
In Onami players vie to have control of the majority of the board. Place a card and compare it’s number it to its neighbors’ to attempt to take control. If the difference is big enough you can continue and take multiple pieces, quickly changing the tides of the game. Make sure to plan ahead though as your tiles can be taken just as quickly.
Dragon Island – R&R Games
Recommended Age: 14+
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 60 Minutes
Cost: $49.99
Up to four wizards find themselves on an unexplored island and they all have the same goals – treasure and fame. As you uncover the island you’ll build structures, find treasures and even tame dragons. Accumulate the most fame by the time the island is completely explored to win Dragon Island!
Wordspiel – Set Enterprises
Recommended Age: 8+
Players: 2-6
Play Time: 45 Minutes
Cost: $12.99
Making words with a hand of ten cards isn’t too difficult, but when the first letter of your word is the last letter of the previous word, things get a little more tricky, and fun! While longer words do use up your cards faster, ending a shorter word with a tricky letter might serve you better in the end.
The Captain is Dead – AEG
Recommended Age: 12+
Players: 1-7
Play Time: 90 Minutes
Cost: $49.99
It’s just another day in space, everything’s going great. Suddenly, aliens attack! Nothing you and your fellow crew haven’t dealt with before until you discover The Captain is Dead! Now you must work together and combine your unique skills to fend off the attack long enough to repair the jump drive and escape!
Dicey Peaks – Calliope Games
Recommended Age: 8+
Players: 2-6
Play Time: 20-50 Minutes
Cost: $30.00
Dicey Peaks pits players against each other and the famed Yeti Mountain. Roll your dice to make the ascent, but don’t forget to rest and keep your oxygen levels up. The higher you get the thinner the air is and each level is that much harder. Watch out for avalanches and the infamous yeti as you prepare to reach the summit and victory!
Legendary: Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Upper Deck
Recommended Age: 14+
Players: 1-5
Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
Cost: $59.99
Welcome back to Sunnydale – home of the Sunnydale High Razorbacks, the Bronze, vampires, demons and the Hellmouth. Take control of Buffy and the Scooby Gang and thwart the evil Schemes of some of the worst Big Bads ever seen in this new game based off the original Legendary game system.
Rail Raiders Infinite – Ninja Division
Recommended Age: 14+
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 30 Minutes
Cost: $59.95
Take control of one of six sci-fi western raiders in an attempt to snag the most loot from the Interstellar Express space-rail. Using a combination of card mechanics and poker-esque dice battles, raiders compete with the train’s defense and each other to end up with the biggest stash of double-dollars before the train reaches the station.
Caverna: Cave vs. Cave – Mayfair
Recommended Age: 10+
Players: 1-2
Play Time: 20-30 Minutes
Cost: $28.00
Caverna: Cave vs. Cave is a two-player variant of Mayfair’s hit Caverna. Take control of rival dwarf factions to dig out and furnish the best cave. Using a familiar game mechanic players must gather resources and score victory points using a limited number of shared actions per turn. Plan carefully but always be ready to react and build the ultimate cave for your dwarves.
Harbour – TMG
Recommended Age: 8+
Players: 1-4
Play Time: 60 Minutes
Cost: $19.95
In Harbour players must use their worker and an ever-changing market to build the most successful enterprise. Use your worker to get resources and cash those resources in to buy buildings. Pay attention to the market though as every purchase causes prices to change. Timing and planning are everything and the only way you’ll win at Harbour.
AssassinCon – Mayday Games
Recommended Age: 12+
Players: 4-6
Play Time: 30 Minutes
Cost: $29.95
Welcome to AssassinCon. Like any convention there’s plenty of seminars, vendors and opportunities to network. What makes AssassinCon special though is the constant game of cat and mouse taking place throughout the whole con. Eliminate your target to score points but don’t be too obvious or the guards will be on you in no time.
Spy Alley – Spy Alley
Recommended Age: 8+
Players: 2-6
Play Time: 45 Minutes
Cost: $29.95
Our Review: Eliminate the other spies to become the best in Spy Alley!
I love a good spy story so when I first saw Spy Alley I couldn’t wait to play! This is a great game night game for those who like sneaky games. Not the back stabby kind though, more like the don’t-tell-anyone-waht-you-are-doing kind of game. Personally I love the challenge of trying to collect my spy items while not letting anyone else know who I am…and if I collect all my spy items and make it to my embassy without anyone figuring me out…I win!
