A new, fast-playing, lightweight sequel to feathery favorite board game Wingspan is due to be released in winter 2026, according to publisher Stonemaier Games. An unexpected live preview on December 31 revealed the new board game by original Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave, as well as several other ambitious new titles and plenty of expansions to Stonemaier's existing catalogue.
Writing on the Stonemaier Games' blog on January 1, CEO Jamey Stegmaier explains that he has "high levels of certainty regarding the schedule" of releases for 2026 - though he didn't spoil the titles or even box art for most of the games. While 2026's release slate is mostly filled with expansions and revised editions, the Wingspan spinoff isn't the only new game in the mix - we'll be watching for potential additions to our guide to the best board games.
These are all the board games and expansions that Stonemaier Games has announced for 2026:
Q1 2026
- A Wingspan expansion based on the birds of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Stegmaier showed off cards for the Toco Toucan, Andean Condor, Resplendent Quetzal, plus two new birds from a whole new family, Hummingbirds - which actually have physically smaller cards.
- A new four-season expansion board for Viticulture - similar to Tuscany - with the original board on the reverse. Stegmaier says it "takes some pressure off" the 'train a worker' action, with a new 'Expert' action that allows you to permanently upgrade another action slot for just you.
- These new expansions will fit into the Nesting Box and the Wine Crate big boxes respectively.
- A reprint for the Nesting Box is on the way in March.
Q2 2026
- An updated version of Euphoria, called Euphoria Essentials, which combines the core game and the Ignorance is Bliss expansion. The rules are slightly adjusted and there's a new board layout, both of which will be available separately for people who already own the first edition.
- The first Finspan expansion - Stegmaier showed off the cards for the Common Bluestripe Snapper and Blue Shark, with typically gorgeous art.
- There will be some kind of surprise product on April Fools' Day.
Q3 2026
- A new 'Scythe vs Expeditions duelling game', which is both a standalone strategy board game for two players, and an expansion to both of the existing games in the Scythe family. Players control either a Scythe faction or an Expedition character in a race to get four stars on a trimmed down map. The game comes with a new Scythe faction and a new Expedition character - both usable in the existing games - and can be played with any of the existing factions and characters from either Scythe or Expeditions.
- A small-box game inspired by Wingspan which should take only about 30 minutes to play, that will use the iconic art from Wingspan and deliver "a Wingspan experience". It should be a more lightweight game, both in terms of complexity - Stegmaier says it's not quite the full middleweight game as Wingspan - and literally, as it's much smaller and should be "travel friendly".
- A mini-expansion to Origin Story adding many new superheroes.
Q4 2026
- A new Stegmaier version of Namiji, a sister game to Tokaido, which will be released with the expansion in the core box.
- A medium weight eurogame in which players take on the role of airship captains, set in the 'Smoking Bones' world of concept artist Andrew Bosley. The game comes from a debut designer, and will involve engine building, worker placements, track advancement, and Stegmaier promises "a really cool mechanism tied to a really cool component that I don't think I've seen in a game before".
- There will be Rolling Realms promos for both Namiji and the Smoking Bones games.
Which are you most excited for? If you're a big fan of Stonemaier's catalogue, come and share your favorites in the Wargamer Discord community. To get a weekly roundup of our best news, reviews, and features, make sure you subscribe to the Wargamer newsletter.