Board game gifts for board game lovers

Last checked 22 October 2026

Quick answer: Skip the classics they'll already own. Harmonies and Castle Combo are quick and easy to teach, Faraway is a clever card game for up to 6, 7 Wonders Duel is just for two, and Heat is a racing game for 1 to 6. For a bigger present, SETI, Ark Nova and Brass: Birmingham are the heavy ones to save for keen players.

Buying a game for someone with a shelf full of them is hard. They've almost certainly got CATAN, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic, so those are out. These eight are the kind of thing a keen player would be pleased to unwrap: some newer games, a two-player one and three big strategy games. They're in order of our teaching rating, easiest first, which also runs roughly from light to heavy. Before you buy anything from the bottom half, sneak a look at their shelf or ask whoever they play with, because a keen player who loves those games may well own them already.

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Harmonies box: a lion's face in a round sun above stylised yellow, green and blue landscape stripes

1. Harmonies

Stack coloured wooden tokens into mountains, trees and rivers on your board, then build the habitats your animal cards ask for. Has a solo mode.

Players: 1 to 4 players
Age: 10+
Play time: about 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: Johan Benvenuto's Harmonies was on the Spiel des Jahres recommended list in 2024 (the German game of the year award's list of picks). You take coloured wooden tokens and stack them on your board into mountains, trees and rivers, then build the habitats your animal cards ask for. It looks lovely on the table and plays in about 30 minutes for 1 to 4, solo mode included. A good pick for someone who liked Cascadia.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

Castle Combo box: a cartoon jester and castle characters in front of a pale blue castle, with a red Spiel des Jahres recommendation sticker

2. Castle Combo

Pick nine characters from the castle and the village to fill a three-by-three grid. Most cards score from what sits around them, so the last few picks turn into a proper little puzzle.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 10+
Play time: about 25 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: Grégory Grard and Mathieu Roussel's card game made the 2025 Spiel des Jahres recommendation list. You recruit nine characters from the castle and the village into a three-by-three grid, paying with gold and keys, and most cards score from what sits around them. The last few picks turn into a proper little puzzle. It's 2 to 5 players, 10 and up, 25 minutes, and it's only 78 cards, so it won't need much shelf space.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

3. Faraway

Build a row of cards on a journey across Alula, then score it backwards, from the last card you laid to the first. Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat's twist makes every pick a puzzle.

Players: 2 to 6 players
Age: 10+
Play time: 15 to 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Takes a little explaining

Why it suits this: Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat's Faraway has one twist that gets even jaded players talking. You build a row of cards on a journey across Alula, then score it backwards, from the last card you laid to the first. So the card you play at the end decides what your early ones are worth. It's 2 to 6 players aged 10 and up and 15 to 30 minutes. It takes a little explaining, then it clicks.

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Details last checked 21 October 2026.

7 Wonders Duel box: two ancient warriors in front of a pyramid under a golden sky

4. 7 Wonders Duel

Two-player civilisation building from Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala. Draft cards over three Ages and win on points, or grab a military or science win that ends it on the spot.

Players: 2 players only
Age: 10+
Play time: about 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Takes a little explaining

Why it suits this: If they mostly play with a partner, this is the one. Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala took 7 Wonders and made it just for two. You draft cards over three Ages (rounds), and you can win on points at the end or finish it early with a military or science win. It's about 30 minutes, 10 and up, and it's a game a couple can play for years.

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal box: a green vintage racing car numbered 3 speeding past a chequered flag

5. Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Motor racing with cards. Push hard into corners and you pick up Heat cards that clog your hand. Legends robot drivers let you play solo.

Players: 1 to 6 players
Age: 10+
Play time: about 60 minutes
Our teaching rating: Takes a little explaining

Why it suits this: Motor racing with cards, from Asger Harding Granerud and Daniel Skjold Pedersen. You pick your speed each turn, and pushing too hard into a corner gives you Heat cards that clog up your hand. Get the balance right and you fly past people on the straights. It's 1 to 6 players, 10 and up, about an hour, and the Legends robot drivers mean it plays solo. Our pick for anyone who watches F1.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

SETI box: a large white radio telescope dish under a blue sky, with the word SETI across the top

6. SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Run a science institute hunting for alien life. Launch probes round a solar system board with rotating rings, point telescopes at distant stars and play cards based on real space projects.

Players: 1 to 4 players
Age: 14+
Play time: 40 to 160 minutes
Our teaching rating: Takes some explaining

Why it suits this: Tomáš Holek's SETI came out at the end of 2024 and is all about the search for alien life. You run a science institute: launch probes round a solar system board with rotating rings, point telescopes at distant stars and play cards based on real space projects (there are more than 200 of them). It's 1 to 4 players, 14 and up, about 40 minutes a player, and it plays solo. It takes some explaining, so it suits someone who already likes a meaty game.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

Ark Nova box: a group of zoo animals including an elephant, giraffe and lion standing on a floating green island

7. Ark Nova

Plan a modern zoo card by card. Animals bring in visitors and money, conservation projects score the points that win, and any action you leave unused gets stronger for next time.

Players: 1 to 4 players
Age: 14+
Play time: 90 to 150 minutes
Our teaching rating: Hard to teach, so set aside time

Why it suits this: Mathias Wigge's Ark Nova is a big one. You plan a modern zoo card by card: animals bring in visitors and money, conservation projects score the points that win, and any action you leave unused gets stronger for next time. There are 255 cards, and it's 1 to 4 players, 14 and up, 90 to 150 minutes. It's hard to teach, so buy it for someone who's happy to read a rulebook and play it solo first.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

Brass: Birmingham box: a grey cobbled street with the word Brass in large letters and Birmingham underneath

8. Brass: Birmingham

Build cotton mills, coal mines, potteries and breweries across the West Midlands between 1770 and 1870. Canals come first, then railways, and you'll lean on other players' coal and beer to get going.

Players: 2 to 4 players
Age: 14+
Play time: 60 to 120 minutes
Our teaching rating: Hard to teach, so set aside time

Why it suits this: Matt Tolman, Martin Wallace and Gavan Brown's game is set in the West Midlands between 1770 and 1870. You build cotton mills, coal mines, potteries and breweries, linked first by canals and then by railways, and you'll be using other players' coal and beer to get going. It's 2 to 4 players, 14 and up, 60 to 120 minutes. It's hard to teach and best for someone who already likes long strategy games. If they've played it, there's a fair chance they own it, so check first.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

Buying for your dad? See board games for dads. For a present the whole family can play on the day, see our best board games for Christmas. If it’s for someone who mostly plays with a partner, our two-player board games have more ideas. Buying for someone who often plays alone? See our solo board games. On a tighter budget? Try cheap board games under £20. Buying for someone who loves Wingspan or Ticket to Ride? See games like Wingspan and games like Ticket to Ride.

How we choose and check

We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.