Another year is almost over. December is a time for reflection, a time to look back on all that you achieved, and then dream of all you hope to accomplish in a year's time. What do I hope to accomplish, an imaginary reader asks? Well, that's easy. I want to play even more board games.
Lucky for me, there are plenty of promising new titles releasing in 2026. It's too early to tell whether any will be contenders for Wargamer's best board games list, but that hasn't stopped me getting hyped about the exciting new themes, mechanics, and ideas we'll see as the second half of the decade begins.
If you're looking for things to get excited about, then look no further. Here's a quick list of the 2026 board games I'm most excited about (so far).
Sanibel
I've played well over 100 hours of Elizabeth Hargrave's Wingspan, so I'm always on alert when she announces a new title. Sanibel, dropping in January 2026, is her latest cozy nature game, a "Tetris-style" title where you collect beautiful sea shells and score points for arranging them in pleasing patterns.
Tetris being one of my other great gaming loves, this is like catnip for me. Early pictures of the game from cons like Essen confirm that Hargrave has produced yet another piece of eye candy for nature nerds. If this is half as good the soothing puzzler that Wingspan is, I'll still be excited.
Brass Pittsburgh
I'll be honest, I've never played one of the beloved Brass board games. But when Brass: Birmingham is BoardGameGeek's number one game of all time, it's hard not to be curious. Plus, after playing 2024's Skyrise, the most recent design from Brass' Gavan Brown, I'm feeling more confident that I'm in for a good time.
For the uninitiated, the Brass board games are weighty economic board games where you play the role of entrepreneurs in a time of historical industrial boom. Brass: Pittsburgh takes place in 19th-century America, and it promises "innovative new mechanics" to spice up the core Brass gameplay that's already so well-loved.
Endearment
If there were a prize for gorgeous Kickstarter campaigns, Endearment might be 2024's belle of the ball. This glamorous-looking strategy game transports you to Regency England, where you're a Jane Austen heroine searching for her perfect match in matrimony.
I had the chance to chat with Endearment designers Amy and Dusty Droz earlier this year (more to come from that interview soon), and they described their new board game as a bit of a dungeon crawler. Only, instead of dungeoneering gear and monsters, you'll be picking up the most fashionable dresses in order to attract a desirable beau. The novel concept (pun intended) combined with the gorgeous production value have me very interested in playing this one.
The Great Library
The Great Library is the board game that made my fellow Wargamer Matt Bassil realize just how beautiful eurogames could be. I'm a book nerd and a sucker for a good theme, so a stunning game set in the Library of Alexandria certainly has me intrigued.
As someone who loves to extract greater meaning from abstract board game components, there's one aspect of The Great Library that has me especially intrigued. It's this quote from the Kickstarter campaign:
"The story of the Great Library isn't just ancient history, it's a reminder of how fragile knowledge can be. Civilizations don't move forward by accident; they move forward because people choose to learn, to document, and to protect ideas for future generations. We live in a time of unprecedented information, but also unprecedented loss, noise, and revision. Books vanish, archives decay, truth is contested, and entire fields of knowledge risk being forgotten."
This looks to be a heavy, long board game, so I'm looking for an elegant, engaging core gameplay loop that'll keep me in the strategy zone for several hours. Only time will tell if The Great Library will deliver.
Galileo's Truth
Another euro-style game, Galileo's Truth appeals to me based on the track record of its publisher and designers. Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli both worked on the design for Golem, while ThunderGryph games is also known for publishing Darwin's Journey. Both are eurogames that I've played in recent years, and both are excellent. With such promising DNA, Galileo's Truth deserves a spot on my 2026 watchlist.
Galileo's Truth combines worker placement, deck-building, and resource management to recreate the lives of 16th-century astronomers, eager to better define the world around them. It's a classic theme for a heavy strategy game, but it comes with an added twist. The Inquisition, who are suspicious of your every move, can throw negative points, jail time, or even execution by fire your way if you play too foolishly.
What board games are you looking forward to playing next year? We'd love to hear your recommendations in the Wargamer Discord.