2025 has come to an end and as we head into a new year, we thought it would be fun to look back at our team’s top picks from the past year. Some were new and some were classics that we wanted to share with you. Read on to learn more.
Harmonies
Age: 10+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Alexandra, Philippe, Vincent and Erin’s Choice!
In this board game, combine reflection, strategy, and creativity with involvement and the joy of creating your most beautiful landscape to welcome animals.
Harmonies is more than a game; it’s an invitation to build, explore, and dream.
At the heart of the game
Harmonies captivates with its innovative mechanics: 3D landscape creation, tile placement, and pattern development. Each decision impacts the ecosystem you create, offering a deep and satisfying gaming experience.
Philippe: The game’s graphic style is exceptional. The game is so enjoyable in terms of building small biomes and manipulating small tiles. The range of possibilities is so vast that you want to play several rounds.
Vincent: A family game with a satisfying sense of accomplishment. Anyone can play, but it involves some great strategic moments.
Erin: Beautiful game, easy to learn, easy to teach, strategic without being hard.
The Lord of the Rings – Duel for Middle-earth
Age: 10+ / Players: 2 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Andrée-Anne’s choice
A dark rumour rises from Mordor. The Eye turns to Middle-earth. The hour has come. The Fellowship is reunited. The Heroes prepare for battle. In Duel for Middle-earth, you’ll have to choose sides. Play as the Fellowship of the Ring, prevent the Enemy from gaining ground and destroy the One Ring. Or play as Sauron and send your Nazgûls after Sam and Frodo, spreading your hordes over enemy cities.
Andrée-Anne: A spin on a classic, I love how there are different ways to win (and I’ve tried almost all of them 😉 with equal satisfaction), I really like the game system. I had never played 7 Wonders Duel before and I loved this version that has a universe that appeals to me!
Star Wars™: Unlimited
Age: 12+ / Players: 2 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Maxime’s choice
Enter a galaxy of endless possibilities in Star Wars: Unlimited!
In this fast-paced, easy-to-learn trading card game, players face off in exciting head-to-head battles full of iconic Star Wars characters.
Maxime: It’s a game that hooked me as soon as it came out in 2024. The new sets add new mechanics and new ways to play that change the way you play with each new release.
Forest Shuffle (and its expansions)
Age: 10+ / Players: 2-5 / Duration: 45-60 minutes
Marc-André, Martin, Eugénie and Sonia’s choice
Forest Shuffle, a beautifully illustrated, strategic card game for nature lovers and set collection enthusiasts. During the game, players compete to plant the most valuable trees and provide an environment where wildlife will flourish, creating an ecologically balanced habitat.
Marc-André: I love playing with my daughter! (and she’s only 7!)
Martin: So much replayability added with each new expansion! Succeed in coming out on top with card combos that earn you lots of points. Always a pleasure to play!
Eugénie: The Forest Shuffle Exploration expansion, because any addition to my favorite game will always be in my top 3! It’s the game that my group of friends and I find super addictive. I can’t spend a moment with them without being asked, “Did you bring Forest Shuffle?!” If I make the mistake of forgetting it, I might as well go home to get it because I’ll be hearing about it all evening!
Sonia: I’m in love with Forest Shuffle! It’s basically my summer in a box. This year, while cottaging, we went for a stroll on a discovery trail, and I couldn’t stop geeking out. Every time I saw something cool in nature, I’d be like, “That’s totally in Forest Shuffle!” Trees? Check. Mushrooms? Check. Squeakers? Double check! It felt like I was playing the game in real life—so much fun!
Ticket to Ride: Legacy – Legends of the West
Age: 10+ / Players: 2-5 / Duration: 45-60 minutes
Martin’s Choice
Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West finally gives you the chance to step into the story of your favorite train game. You will embark on a journey across twelve games, managing your own North American railway company to wealth and fortune in a campaign full of adventures.
Martin: An excellent Legacy game from start to finish! Creating the game map as you progress and adding new rules along the way makes this game refreshing and exciting, with so many discoveries to be made!
Ticket to Ride – Northern Lights
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-5 / Duration: 45-60 minutes
Sylvie’s choice
Ticket to Ride – Northern Lights ™ is the next installment in the best-selling train adventure series. Players use their Train cards to claim rail or sea routes and connect the cities listed on their Destination cards. ln addition, they must keep an eye on the four, randomly selected, common objective cards that may grant them precious bonus points al the end of the game. Designed for up to 5 players, this new Ticket to Ride game is elegant, can be learned in five minutes, and provides hours of fun for families and experienced gamers alike!
Sylvie: Ticket to Ride is THE game we bring out for every occasion, even with those who claim that board games “aren’t for me.” What’s more, this version adds a really interesting twist with draw bonuses and objective cards that add extra points at the end of the game. The result: games that are constantly changing and really stand out from the other games in the series.
Monkey Palace
Age: 10+ / Players: 2-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Marc-André’s choice
A long time ago, an impressive palace was erected in the Jungle. It lay abandoned for many years, until a monkey moved in. One day the Monkey accidently removed a brick from the palace and the whole palace collapsed! Now it’s up to all of you to rebuild the Monkey Palace. Compete against each other while you help the Monkey rebuild the LEGO® Monkey Palace in this innovative and strategic building board game. The winner is the player with the most Banana Points!
Marc André: Because everyone loves LEGO®!
SETI – Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Age: 13+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 90-120 minutes
Anh-Tú’s choice
In SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a eurogame for 1–4 players, you lead a scientific institution tasked with searching for traces of life beyond planet Earth. The game draws inspiration from current or emerging technologies and efforts in space exploration.
Anh-Tú: A complex game with its own twist on the exploration of our solar system. A very satisfying race to discover alien presence and a lot of replayability.
Piles!
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-8 / Duration: <15 minutes
Marie-Ève, Eugénie, and Erin’s choice
A fast-paced free-for-all with no turns and no time to waste. Don’t fold under pressure. Only the best with the mess will win this race. PLAY WITH ANYONE: There is no text and no need to speak other than laughter.
Marie-Ève: This is an exciting, fast-paced party game for all ages. It’s a game that everyone will quickly get into and understand. From 8 to 88 years old!
Eugénie: What a fantastic game when you and your friends are getting a little tired and you need to “pump up” the group to liven up the atmosphere! Thanks to its small size, I took it with me on trips and introduced it at parties with my friends and even at a wedding. Everyone loved it!
Erin: This game is simply chaotic fun!
Duck & Cover
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-7 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Myriam’s choice
Duck & Cover is a 20 minute goofy game in which you’re trying to have the least amount of water around your bathtub. You will either duck your ducks by moving them around your grid or cover your duck cards with other ducks. You have 3 rounds to get the lowest score and to not have water everywhere. Your ducks will love it!
Myriam: Quick, funny and simple!
For a Crown
Age: 8+ / Players: 3-5 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Philippe and Ryan’s choice
Competition will be tough, are you ready to do what it takes to gain the throne?
Over four rounds, recruit Mercenaries, send Masked Bandits to your rivals, increase your influence, or cast a bit of magic to make your opponents lose Rubies and ensure you’re crowned at the end of this battle royale!
Philippe: First of all, the game is so clever and cunning in its mechanics. The art direction is incredible, and the components with the little chests are awesome. It’s really easy to understand and engage players. Once you’re in a game, the feeling it brings is incredible. By far, my game of the year.
Ryan: This came out of nowhere for me. I was given an overview from a colleague at a trade show and picked up a copy. It quickly became one of our family regulars. As the default teacher in most of my gaming groups, it’s also a great title to share with new and casual gamers.
The Fellowship of the Ring – Trick Taking Game
Age: 10+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Andrée-Anne’s choice
Embark on the legendary adventure in a cooperative, card-based game where players take on the roles of beloved characters and work together to complete objectives and overcome challenges.
Andrée-Anne: Easy to carry when camping, quick to play, I love seeing the strategy change as the game progresses. The artwork is incredible and the packaging is well designed. A great find!
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship
Age: 14+ / Players: 1-5 / Duration: 60-120 minutes
Julie and Sylvie’s choice
The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship™ is a cooperative game for 1-5 players where each player controls 2 characters, lending their unique abilities to protect Frodo, battle enemies in pivotal locations, and evade the menacing Nazgûl and Sauron’s searching Eye.
Julie: It’s a combination of my favorite theme with a system (Pandemic) that I love.
Sylvie: For fans of the Pandemic series and The Lord of the Rings, this game is a must-have! It features mechanics we love, in a cooperative or solo environment, all accompanied by magnificent components. Special mention goes to the dice tower, worthy of the greatest fortresses of Middle-earth!
Brass – Birmingham
Age: 14+ / Players: 2-4 / Duration: 120-180 minutes
David’s choice
Brass: Birmingham is an economic strategy game sequel to Martin Wallace’ 2007 masterpiece, Brass. Birmingham tells the story of competing entrepreneurs in Birmingham during the industrial revolution, between the years of 1770-1870. As in its predecessor, you must develop, build, and establish your industries and network, in and effort to exploit low or high market demands.
David: The #1 game on BGG for a reason. The game offers enough depth to be easy to understand while still providing options to satisfy advanced players. The theme is good. The game is complex, but not overly so.
Flip 7
Age: 8+ / Players: 3+ / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Ryan and Maxime’s choice
Flip over cards one by one without flipping the same number twice. Sounds easy? Think again!
This isn’t just any deck of cards… In Flip 7 there’s only one 1 card, two 2’s, three 3’s, etc. plus a bunch of special cards that can score you extra points, give you a second chance, or freeze you or your opponents in your tracks. Are you the type of player to play it safe and bank points before you bust, or are you going to risk it all and go for the bonus points by flipping over seven in a row? Press your luck meets strategy in this addictive card game that’s sure to be the greatest card game you’ve ever played!
Ryan: I can’t seem to tire of this little push your luck card game. Shared with so many people over this past year. Easily my most played game.
Maxime: A quick little game where you don’t need to think too much. A pure and simple game of chance, which reminds me of Blackjack. Easy to learn and fast-paced, this game has everything to appeal to beginner players.
That Sound Game
Age: 14+ / Players: 2+ / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Samuel and Eugénie’s choice
That Sound Game is a fast-paced, interactive and very noisy party game.
The goal is to get your team to guess as many answers on the category cards as they can in a minute. Use any combination of sounds and movements, but your hands must be behind your back. You also get Lifelines. Use them strategically to help you win.
Samuel: It’s impossible not to fall in love with That Sound Game, this completely crazy party game that turns any evening into a night of laughter. From the very first seconds, everyone gets caught up in the game, and the good mood becomes contagious!
Eugénie: Party games involving sounds and charades are always a surefire way to make people laugh. This is definitely the game of choice if you want to break the ice and get the group going.
Azul
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Myriam’s choice
Azul challenges you to decorate the Royal Palace of Evora with beautiful ornamental tiles. You can score extra points by creating specific patterns or completing sets. But you can also lose them by wasting tiles. Fittingly, the player with the most points wins!
Myriam: I love it for it’s ease of play, and for the competition.
Azul Duel
Age: 10+ / Players: 2 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Jean-François’ choice
Specifically designed for 2 players, Azul Duel brings new gameplay features that offers more tactical options than the original Azul. Decorate the ceiling of the palace of Sintra with Dome-plates and round tiles. Stack tiles in the order of your choice to create offers your opponent won’t be able to turn down. Challenge your family and friends to see who is the best tile-laying artist of all Portugal!
Jean-François: Azul Duel is a pleasure to play every time!
Castle Combo
Age: 10+ / Players: 2-5 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Philippe’s choice
You’re hereby invited to His Majesty’s grand Combo Party! Recruit characters to your personal tableau, making sure to take note of the unique abilities and scoring conditions each one offers.
Philippe: The game is very simple in terms of mechanics, but the range of possibilities is enormous. It’s probably the game I’ve played the most this year, given its speed and the fact that you want to try to beat your high score every time.
Star Wars: Super Teams
Age: 7+ / Players: 2-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Maxime and Kalinda’s choice
A strategic and fun race for the whole family, in which your team will try to cross the finish line with all its ships. Choose your cards carefully and watch out for other ships, as they are likely to sabotage you. Move quickly, slow down your opponents, overcome obstacles, and hunt for bonuses.
Maxime: An easy game to learn, but so much fun to play. I like the fact that you have to play cards on your opponent’s ships, and vice versa. It’s a mechanic that, for me, brings a new angle to competitive games.
Kalinda: A fun family game that is also a blast with only adults. If you want a super easy-to-learn game with intense competition, this is the one for you!
Toy Battle
Age: 8+ / Players: 2 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Jean-François and Anh-Tû’s choice
In Toy Battle, each player deploys toy troops on whimsical boards—from castles to jungles to space stations. Your goal: capture the opponent’s HQ or collect the most medals. Each troop has a unique ability: the soldier calls in reinforcements, the duck defeats any troop but loses to all, the robot shoots from a distance… You’ll need to place your toys just right to take the win!
Jean-François: Quick, simple, effective. What more could you ask for? There’s even a big duck!
Anh-Tû: A duel that quickly makes you dive into the conflict. Simple rules, yet each gameboard asks you to adapt your strategy.
The Castles of Burgundy
Age: 12+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 60-90 minutes
Marc-André’s choice
The Castles of Burgundy is a tile placement game, set in the Burgundy region of High Medieval France. Each player takes on the role of an aristocrat, originally controlling a small princedom. While playing, they aim to build settlements and powerful castles, practice trade along the river, exploit silver mines, and use the knowledge of travelers.
Marc-André: I know it’s an older game but I only discovered it this year and it figures within my top 3!
The Hobbit: There & Back Again
Age: 10+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Martin’s choice
The Hobbit: There & Back Again is a competitive adventure game where players draft dice to make pathways, collect resources, and perform actions that help them to reach their chapter goal.
Martin: A roll-and-write game in which each player has their own book to record their journeys to reach their goals and score points. And all this through Bilbo’s landscapes and adventures! Beautifully produced with high-quality artwork!
Slay the Spire
Age: 12+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 60-90 minutes
David’s choice
Slay the Spire: The Board Game is a cooperative deckbuilding adventure. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and finally become strong enough to Slay the Spire!
David: I’m a fan of video games, so board games that are very faithful to the originals are my favorites.
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Ryan and Julie’s choice
Battle of Hoth is a game of heroic and fast-paced miniatures battles set on the ice planet and re-enacting one of the most famous scenes of Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back.
Ryan: A late entry this year but quickly becoming my go-to two-player game. I’ve always loved the C&C/Memoir dice system and with this theme, it kills. I look forward to more content.
Julie: Another good mix of one of my favorite themes with a well-known and loved mechanic.
Pergola
Age: 10+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 45-60 minutes
Kalinda’s choice
Step into the shoes of cheerful gardeners and carefully pick the perfect blend of flowers to attract charming pollinators – bees, butterflies, and other delightful insects – while crafting your dream garden! In Pergola, you get to be a cheerful gardener, ready to bring your dream garden to life! Your mission is to plant a wonderful mix of flowers that will invite all sorts of charming insects to visit. Every decision you make will shape the beauty of your little garden oasis. So, roll up your sleeves and let your creativity bloom as you create a delightful haven in nature!
Kalinda: A calm and cozy game where you can build your garden how you want it. There are tons of different strategies you can have to win the game, making each time you play a new experience.
Happy Mochi
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-6 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Marie-Ève and Kalinda’s choice
In Happy Mochi,all cards must be played in pairs, and you can never rearrange your hand.
To play, you must follow value restrictions — unless you have two matching cards! In that case, shout “Happy Mochi!” and break all the rules!
Special abilities and color-matching add an extra layer to this strategic party game, where luck and tactics go hand in hand.
Marie-Ève: It’s a simple game, and I use the cards to play math games with my children. The pictures are so cute.
Kalinda: A fun little card game to play with the entire family. It was my gift to everyone during the Holidays this year, because I’m sure everyone will love it as much as I do.
Telestrations – After Dark
Age 17+ / Players: 4-8 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Myriam’s choice
Telestrations After Dark is the adults-only version of the #1 LOL party game Telestrations. Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious, weird, irresponsible and just plain wrong outcomes. Telestrations After Dark is “adults only” miscommunication at its best!
Myriam: Funny, with double meanings, but above all I love the quality of the drawings.
Landmarks
Age: 10+ / Players: 2-10 / Duration: 15-30 minutes
Sonia’s choice
You’ve got the map, but the rest of your party is lost in a jungle filled with treacherous traps, evil curses, and big ol’ piles of sweet sparkling treasure.
Guide them to the good stuff by sending a chain of one-word clues, steering them from danger and leading them to riches. Your clue will connect your party to the net landmark, but will they choose the right way to go? Just say the word and find out.
Sonia: I love everything about this game. Do I lead my friends through the treacherous jungle finding treasures (and hopefully no curses) to safety? Or do I play as part of the lost the party trying to be lead to safety through our leader communication. So many different tiles to play through and endless fun and laughter. Love the theme and gameplay.
Brick Like This!
Age: 7+ / Players: 2-8 / Duration: <15 minutes
Erin’s choice
In Brick Like This! Teams of two, one Instructor and one Builder, are tasked with building a shape out of LEGO bricks. The Instructor will tell the Builder how to build a shape on a Shape Card that only the Instructor can see. All teams play at the same time, racing to build their shapes the fastest. The winner is the team with the most points at the end of six rounds!
Erin: Brick Like This! is wonderful for so many reasons. Yes, it is known as a party game but my Kiddo and I like to play it, just us two, quietly at the kitchen table. I love that it helps her with spatial recognition, clear communication and dexterity.
Splendor Duel
Age: 10+ / Players: 2 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Andrée-Anne’s choice
Splendor Duel is a 2-player game with unique and innovative mechanics. Confront your rival guild in a race for victory. Take Gems and Pearls from the common board and gain royal favours and prestige!
Andrée-Anne: I had never played this classic game before, but since I tried it with my husband, we’ve played it repeatedly. Simple and effective, I love it!
Spot it! Bluey
Age: 4+ / Players: 2-8 / Duration: < 15 minutes
Sylvie’s choice
Test your observational skills and hone your reflexes with the award-winning gameplay of Spot It! a game of lightning-fast choices. This Bluey edition comes with a special tin box and symbols inspired by iconic characters and elements from the beloved TV show.
Sylvie: Spot It! is an undisputed classic in our home: perfect for playing with family, friends, during a bike ride, while camping… in short, for any shared moment. And as a new mom, I obviously couldn’t pass up the Bluey theme! So this version naturally became part of our family collection of Spot It! games.
Arkham Horror – Lovecraft Letter
Age: 14+ / Players: 2-6 / Duration: 30-45 minutes
Sonia’s choice
Step into the eerie town of Arkham with Arkham Horror Lovecraft Letter™, a chilling twist on the classic deduction card game. Delve into the madness of the Lovecraftian universe as you face eldritch horrors and uncover allies tainted with madness in this gripping battle of wits. Can you maintain your sanity and outwit Cthulhu, or will you succumb to the creeping darkness that lurks within?
Sonia: It doesn’t get any better for fans of the Arkham Horror series and Love Letter! This game is perfect for anyone who loves to dive into the eerie world of Arkham without committing to a lengthy play session. True to its style, the game challenges you to hold onto your sanity—if you can—in a clever and suspenseful Love Letter fashion. It’s fast, intense, and dripping with ominous Lovecraftian flair! A must add to collection!
And that’s it! Now you know the games that captured the hearts of the asmodee team in 2025! We hope we’ve inspired you to try a few! And if any of them catch your eye, find it at a retailer near you by clicking here!
