Holiday Board Game Gift Guide 2025
- Bert
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
The Holidays are upon us and its time to start shopping for our loved ones. I have put together my annual Holiday list of things I think would be great gifts. There are going to be a lot of good deals for black Friday and cyber Monday but I think you should first look at your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) this year. Its been especially hard on the brick an mortar stores with all the uncertainty of tariffs. FLGSs are usually much more than a store they are a meeting place and beacon of nerd culture and community hub. So if there is a local store go there first if not go to the publisher directly if you can and then off to the big box stores and online marketplaces if you simply have no other option. Have an amazing Holiday season and may all your successes be critical.
The Holiday Gift List
Big Games
Fate of the Fellowship
Fate of the Fellowship is a great albeit hard (in a good way) game that plays great at all of its player counts including 1. Fate of the Fellowship is built on the Pandemic game system but it doesn't overtly feel like you are playing Pandemic. This is a great addition for a gamer who loves big games and Tolkien (it does a great job of putting you into the Lord of the Rings). This is probably the hardest to find game on the list as it has trouble staying on the FLGS store shelves.
Players: 1-5
Age: 14+
Time: 90
Galactic Cruise
Galactic Cruise is a wonderful worker placement game. Galactic Cruise will have players building space faring cruise ships and attracting customers to ride them. As players send the vessels out on the cruize players must ensure that the itinerary is built to please the passengers.
Players: 2-4
Age: 13+
Time: 30 minutes per player
Dirt & Dust
Dirt & Dust is designed by Petr Čáslava who was on last years Holiday Gift Guide for Kutná Hora. Dirt & Dust will put you in the driver seat of a rally car using deck building and dice placement to maneuver your car and keep it on the track. The unique combination of mechanics is what places this on the list. The game seemed so fresh and fun at GenCon this year. There is also a solo version of the game that has packed the same amount of fun.
Players: 2-4
Age: 14+
Time: 60-120 minutes
Small(er) Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Trick Taking Card Game
The Two Towers Trick Taking Game is exactly as is sounds its the 2nd game in the series and also the second Tolkien inspired game on this list. This series is a unique trick taking game that is cooperative, every hand is a different chapter in the book with different characters and goals for the hand. There are 17 chapters to play through and each one is as fun and different as the last. There are new features in The Two Towers like ring burden. Also the box is the perfect size to slide into a Christmas stocking.Players: 1-4Age: 10+Time: 20 minutes
Flip 7 Grinch Edition
Flip 7 has been a hot game since last winter but this year just in time for the holiday season there is a Grinch reskin of the game. There is nothing new except its dripping with Grinch theme. Flip 7 is a press your luck game where players are trying to get to 200 points by pushing their luck that they wont get two cards with the same number. If they do they are done for that round. I always have my copy of Flip 7 with me because its so easy to teach and you get into the fun within moments of putting it on the table.
Players: 3+
Age: 8+
Time: 20+ minutes
RPG
Alice is Missing: Silent Falls
If you haven't played Alice is missing yet, you are missing out. Silent Falls is an expansion for the original game. Alice is missing is available hard copy or digital. Alice is Missing is played completely silently with players only communicating over text or messaging app. It sounds strange but I assure you its very interesting and worth your time. The game hits on a few mature points as a group of friends try to figure out what happened to their friend Alice.
Daggerheart
Daggerheart is a great fantasy TTRPG for players that are looking for something different than D&D. The system uses a fear economy to swing the tides back and froth between players and their opponents.
Family Games
Star Realms: Academy
Star Realms is a favorite at our house and this version contains no text to read so its perfect for your young ones. Star Realms Academy plays similar to the original except there are tokens for influence (HP) points and you can carry over money tokens to purchase bigger ships and outposts. The game is simplified but in the best way possible that I can now play my favorite deck building game with my 6 year old.
Players: 2
Age: 7+
Time: 20 minutes
Accessories
Bag of Holding
The Bag of Holding once saved my butt on a trip to the netherlands. I needed a carry-on bag in a pinch (missed the check luggage window). I was able to stuff everything I needed for the trip in this bag including a pair of ski pants. This is a rework of that original bag. This is the second year in a row for the bag of holding on our list. The bag is reinforced and is way better that the bag I remember. So if you are looking for a great bag for that special someone this is it. There are also a bunch of great accessories for the bag like custom shoulder straps. Did I mention it has backpack straps too?
Jasper Shelves
If you are like me you have a lot of board games. You may also have an organizational issue that might require a very unique shelving option. Jasper Shelves not only come in sizes that will fit any game you have they are expandable and modular so you can create your very own unique storage solution for all of your games and accessories. There are drawers, shelves and backing panels to finish it all off too.
Your Move!
I love reading and this book really hit it out of the park for me. Each chapter of Your Move! focuses on a game and its relevance to society and culture. Jonathan Kay and Joan Moriarity go back and forth in essay form to deliver a great book that dives into a lot of cultural and societal aspects of games and how they fit an and form the world around them.
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