There are so many board games, TCGs, and TTRPGs released in any given year that it's incredibly difficult to keep up with if it's not your job. Thankfully, it's my job, at least in part, and after running up and down Gen Con 2025 seeking contenders for our list of the best board games, I have plenty to recommend.
Naturally, take these with a grain of salt and all that because these only represent my personal highlights, and even then, only from what I actually saw or played or bought. There is just… so much of the convention that I didn't even get to eyeball with any seriousness. For example, I regret not finding the time and money to grab The Land of Eem, which looks great but isn't included here. If you're just looking for a variety of options to consider the next time you want to grab a new tabletop game, however, I've a nice tasting menu of titles to consider. Here are 5 tabletop games, ranging from card to board games to role-playing, that have dominated my thoughts since Gen Con 2025.
