Sarah has charged me with recommending some board games and video games to pick up this holiday season. Or feel free to bookmark this and revisit it for your own nefarious needs (i.e. buying yourself a little gift).
I kickstarted this one, but it’s now available for purchase from major retailers. You play as Victorian era botanists who travel the world to bring live and pressed specimens to your estate. This gives me vibes of Ticket to Ride with the traveling aspect, and having enough money to venture out and back again. The artwork is beautiful and there are different strategies to winning.
This game just won a few awards at the Game Awards: best mobile game, best independent game and best debut indie game. You can pretty much get it on any system, including mobile and through Steam. On the outside, it appears just like a regular poker game. IT IS NOT! If you’re a fan of Slay the Spire, where you unlock more card abilities, which then shapes how you play, I cannot recommend this one enough. There’s are fun progression elements, collection aspects to find all the different jokers and mystery hand combos, and a big dopamine rush when you watch your score multiplier stack higher and higher. I will also say that Slay the Spire has a tabletop version of the game out. It’s very fun, but seems hard to find right now.
For all my Wingspan fans out there, this is the latest from Stonemaier Games! Your goal is to excavate caves and invite dragons in to live there. I would say this game plays 75-80% like Wingspan, but with different or added elements. I honestly like this slightly more than Wingspan and of course, the art is lovely!
This is another game available on all systems, depending on how you like to game. Sarah’s younger child recommended this to me and it’s been a big hit! If you like gaming with your friends or partner, pick this one up. It’s very much like Minecraft in that there’s base building and exploration, but there’s also a class system and a focus on crafting and farming. I’m usually in charge of the farming and making sure we’re topped on adventuring food. My partner builds rail systems to the different biomes and sort of creates different areas in our base.
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, $14.95
My partner bought this for me last year! It’s a co-op game for 3-5 players, but they’ve added a method to play with just two people. The group plays through a series of fifty missions that you complete by fulfilling various tasks with your cards (like win a hand in so many rounds or play no X cards). The rounds are super quick, so it’s easy to pick up and do a few missions and then pack it away.
Disney Dreamlight Valley, $39.99
This is very much like Animal Crossing New Horizons. You have villagers, get to decorate your space, buy lots of outfits, and craft decor items. There are currently two expansions out and the developers frequent drop monthly content updates. It doesn’t quite capture the wholesome and cozy magic of Animal Crossing, but it’s a good mindless “chore” game, especially if you’re a Disney fan!
If you like beefy, weighty games, I’d say this one is the weightiest out of everything on the list. It’s also one of our household’s favorites. You have the goal of building a town over the course of the seasons, but everything is run or inhabited by cute little animal villagers. Everdell also has several expansions which introduce new concepts to the game. In terms of fan favorites, Spirecrest is usually the expansion most people favor. We also have that one and enjoy it!
My friend Emma and I played this together over Steam, but this is available on other platforms. You play as two Kiwis who are helping run the local mailroom. It reminds me a lot of Overcooked, but you play as cute birds and can unlock adorable cosmetic items and costumes. Some of the levels are pretty challenging and definitely require communication!
Dungeons, Dice, & Danger, $29.24
This is a “roll and write,” a game where your roll dice and then write in things on a pad of paper. There are four different dungeons scenarios and each players rolls a set of dice to determine how they want to progress through the dungeons on their notepads. You can score points for defeating enemies and collecting treasure. The rounds are pretty quick, depending on the number of players you have. I’m a sucker for a roll and write!
I am outspoken about my love for this game! It’s on every platform and is my go-to “turn your brain off” game. The developers have also produced several free seasonal levels and a bunch of paid DLCs (I think the DLCs are usually $8-9). There is a co-op, if you want to power wash with a friend. At the end of each level, there’s a replay of how you completed each level and it’s so satisfying to watch.
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What tabletop games or video games would you recommend this holiday season? What are the gaming staples in your house?
Fair warning, as someone who is in a board game family but at different skill levels, we found Everdell pretty tedious to set up and a little bit *too* heavy/confusing for us (it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me). The 12 year old loved all the beautiful fiddly bits (but didn’t help much with the set up and didn’t fully understand the game play). My husband (who is the only person who fully understood the rules) haaaated all the set up. We’ve played twice and it devolved into my husband explaining to each of us what we should do with our turn and being grumpy about b/c “it’s complicated for the sake of being complicated.”
My son remains the only enthusiastic fan in the house, but no one wants to play it with him. We told him we might play it with him for his birthday 😉
I recommend if you’re on the fence, maybe borrow it/see if you can rent it first. It’s a beautiful game and it probably isn’t as heavy as the heaviest games, but it still is challenging. I also like Wingspan over Wyrmspan, but that’s more personal preference/feeling lazy about learning new rules.
My daughter LOVES Disney Dreamlight Valley. We just bought her the new map/DLC/whatever, and she is going hard on that one. She’s also mowing through some new “star path” because she loves the ice-themed costumes for her avatar. It’s honestly adorable. She’s also a big fan of Powerwash Simulator (as am I) and we have a lot of fun picking up the seasonal maps, and I just grabbed the Shrek DLC for her.
I haven’t played it yet, but I have it from some side gig money, and am saving it for holiday break, but my understanding is that Astro Bot is the happiest, funnest thing that has come out in a hot minute. I also have been playing my way through the Sony Spider-Man games, and they are ABSURDLY fun. Again, saving Spider-Man 2 for the holiday break.
ok, a very very beginner, has no-knowledge question. I have never played dungeon and dragons but have wanted to. I especially want to play with my 7 yr old who seems to love fantasy-ish stories too. is there a specific game I should buy or it doesn’t matter? thanks for any suggestions!
@Juhi: That’s a tough one! As Dungeons & Dragons needs someone to be the dungeon master and guide the characters through a story. And from my experience, finding a DM is one of the biggest hurdles.
The Lost Mines of Phandelver, though, is designed to be a good beginner campaign for new players.
I will also plug that Minecraft has a Dungeons and Dragons video game DLC with four basic classes and co-op play.