{"id":18161,"date":"2026-02-10T21:07:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T03:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dlair.net\/austin\/?p=18161"},"modified":"2026-02-10T21:07:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T03:07:51","slug":"2025s-best-board-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dlair.net\/austin\/2025s-best-board-games\/","title":{"rendered":"2025’s Best Board Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our best sellers that you sold out again & again!<\/strong><\/h1>\n

2025 was an incredibly strong year for board game releases. Though there were some road bumps in the industry (tariffs, the closure of industry giants, production shortages), we saw the release of an amazing games catalog to look back at for 2025. With the year over and us being freshly into 2026, we\u2019ve gathered our council to rank the hottest releases from this past year- titles that undeniably dominated the attention of our shop.<\/p>\n

—————————————————————————–<\/div>\n

#5 \u2013 Flamecraft Duels<\/strong>
\nJust squeaking onto the list is the 1-2 player version of 2024\u2019s best seller; Flamecraft Duels (releasing mid December of 2025). We were very grateful to have received our Kickstarter order just in time for the holidays, and wow this release did not disappoint. Pacing at about 30 minutes per game, Flamecraft Duels is a fresh take on pattern-building, while also not being too rules crazy and intimidating new players. Also huge bonus, its designed with travel in mind so its perfect for trips or storing in small spaces.<\/p>\n

#4 \u2013 Twilight Imperium: Thunder\u2019s Edge<\/strong>
\nThe only expansion to make it into the list is the latest installment for everyone\u2019s favorite day long game- Twilight Imperium: Thunder\u2019s Edge. Boy howdy y\u2019all really showed up for this expansion, and for good reason. Thunder\u2019s Edge brings new factions, new worlds, new win modifiers via Galactic Events, and a whole new game mode called Twilight\u2019s Fall that shakes up the dynamic of 4th<\/sup> Edition. Twilight Imperium takes it time with releasing expansions, so it\u2019s nice to see the care they put into Thunder\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

#3 \u2013 Vantage<\/strong>
\nStonemaier had a strong year with some big contenders for this list. They started off with the highly anticipated Finspan, brought out the superhero trick-taking game Origin Story, but then really struck gold with Vantage- the clear favorite of their 2025 catalog. An open-world, cooperative, roguelike adventure game for 1-6 players, Vantage features an entire planet to explore, with players communicating while scattered across a world they find themselves stranded on. It\u2019s a beautifully paced game that really takes its time immersing the players in the world, playing for about 120-180 minutes. The coolest feature might be the Remote Play option, that leans into the \u201cWe\u2019re a crew, stranded and scattered across a new planet\u201d theme by enabling players to remotely play with each other- perfect for long distance bonding.<\/p>\n

#2 \u2013 Flip 7<\/strong>
\nFlip 7 cemented itself as a classic immediately out of the gate, the perfect blend of simplicity and engagement comes together in this little box. Falling somewhere between Blackjack and UNO, Flip 7 offers an easy to learn experience for gatherings of 3-18 players.<\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 Lord of The Rings: Fate of the Fellowship<\/strong>
\n2025 was ripe for Lord of The Rings board games, but there was one game to rule them all; Lord of The Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, Matt Leacock’s most mechanically-rich Pandemic System design to date. The themes of LOTRs perfectly fits into the mold of the Pandemic System, while also feeling like a fresh new concept. Designed as a cooperative experience for 1-5 players, you follow the events of the series and help Frodo evade the hunting Nazg\u00fbl as he travels to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. We reviewed this game in our newsletter when it came out originally, and we\u2019re happy to say that our feelings haven\u2019t changed- Lord of The Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is hands down the best game of 2025.<\/p>\n

—————————————————————————–<\/p>\n

Well that\u2019s it, our top sellers for 2025- like we said, it was a big year! If you\u2019ve been trying to snag a copy of any of these games but always miss grabbing it before they sell out in-between print runs, place a Special Order with us here<\/a>. Cheers to the new year and we hope everyone had a fun holiday season!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our best sellers that you sold out again & again! 2025 was an incredibly strong year for board game releases. 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