The most popular board games released in 2020

The year 2020 has passed and certainly left behind changes and news. It has also been a busy year in the world of board games. As games become more popular and in demand, more and more fantastic and never-before-seen ideas, stories and gameplay mechanics come out. There is no clear answer as to which is the best game launched in 2020, but a compilation of the favorite novelties of board game enthusiasts can be made.

This article was created after listening to the nominations of The Dice Tower guys, the recommendations of Brain Games colleagues and incomparable game fans Jānis Grunta, Jānis Pinkulis and Imantas Priedīš, as well as, of course, taking into account customer reviews and the games they long for.

Expert Game - Gloomhaven: Jaws of Lion

In the last games update, where we got nine (!) pallets of games, one whole pallet was dedicated only to the 2017 game Gloomhaven , which has not left the game charts for quite some time, and the second game in this series - Gloomhaven: Jaws of Lion . Both games are a cooperative dungeon crawl where players join forces to go on different adventures (scenarios), defeat monsters and achieve their goals . If only you alone are ready for this challenge, the game can also be played in a solo version. The games are of the "legacy" type - each party will affect how your further path develops, so it is recommended to play the game in the same company. The events described in Jaws of Lion take place before those reflected in Gloomhaven . The new game also has slightly less content and rules, making it a perfect introduction to its predecessor. It is possible to learn the rules along with the game, gradually learning more and more.

Runner up : Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 - Similar to Gloomhaven: Jaws of Lion , this is a Pandemic Legacy story expansion and co-op legacy game.

Card Game - The Crew

Small in size, but no less impressive than the big game boxes this year was The Crew - a stick-picking game with an element of mind reading and risk. Sure to be of interest to soles and poker enthusiasts, but it's the co-op that makes it unique . Players are the crew of a spaceship, and each mission gives us a little insight into the game's story. Despite the small variety of components, the missions are very diverse. A big challenge is the communication limitation - the ability to communicate about your cards only with the help of signal tokens. The game has received many nominations and awards, including winning the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020. The game was also published in Latvian and quickly became one of Brain Games' most sought-after products.

Runner up : Here to Slay - a game about gathering a team of magical animals, defeating monsters and not giving up to rivals.

Family game - Isle of Cats

A game whose box will also have a place for your purring pet - Isle of Cats was released at the very beginning of 2020, but appeared on Latvian shelves only at the end of the year, but it was a highly anticipated game and was sold out in the first days. Cat lovers are still calling and waiting in lines when they can finally accommodate their four-legged friends on their ship, while also finding treasures on the island of these beasts . The game is very beautiful, with nice wood and cardboard details, and has been praised for its good balance of mechanics and economy. And if you are the only one whose ship is still capable of receiving new kittens, then you can also play alone.

Runner up : The next game in the popular Azul series - Azul: Summer Pavilion . Similar to Isle of Cats, this is an abstract fill-in-the-square game , only this time with a story about creating floor tile patterns.

Expansion - Wingspan: Oceania

Wingspan: Oceania is definitely one of the best game expansions to come out in 2020. The base game Wingspan received countless awards in 2019, and its developers continue to surprise with a quality sequel. It includes new playing areas, new dice and of course the Oceania birds - very gorgeous winged creatures that many of us must not have had the chance to see in the open air.

Detective - Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Baker Street Irregulars

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Baker Street Irregulars - the continuation of the much-loved series of Sherlock Holmes games brings us 10 new crimes to solve using fresh newspapers, meeting new victims and suspects and visiting unexplored corners of London . This game can also be played alone if the would-be detectives are a little tired one evening.

Runner up : Another mysterious co-op or solo game with well-known characters from the animated series - Scooby-Doo: escape from the haunted mansion

This year , cooperative games and those with a solo game option have become especially popular, which is also reflected in our top. Of course, all games deserve praise, and there is no single best game, but it would be very long to describe them all, and some are still worth talking about a little more.

Which games released in 2020 are in your game top?