Welcome to our 12th annual Board Game Quest Board Game Awards. Each year we take some time to honor the best and most creative new tabletop games from the previous years. For those wondering, why we wait until the following year to announce our winners, it’s to give us a chance to check out the games that come out later in the year (like Essen and PAX Unplugged releases).

This year we have a total of 11 award categories that cover a broad spectrum of gaming. Our editorial team has spent a ton of time playing games and has chosen a group of titles from last year that we consider really outstanding. It’s from among these nominations that we will choose a winner. However, since we wouldn’t be doing this without you, our awesome readers, you also get a vote!

Below is a poll for each of the 11 categories for which you can vote. Our readers here will collectively get one vote, and along with each member of our editorial staff, the winner will be chosen. The voting will be open until April 11th, 2025, and the winners will be announced shortly after.

Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees!

Best Cooperative Game

Slay the Spire: The Board Game
Designers: Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, Casey Yano
Contention Games
Get Your Copy

Leviathan Wilds
Designer: Justin Kemppainen
Moon Crab Games
Get Your Copy

Bomb Busters
Designers: Hisashi Hayashi
Pegasus Spiele
Get Your Copy

The Gang
Designers: John Cooper, Kory Heath
Kosmos
Get Your Copy

Hellbringer
Designer: Maxime Gauthier
Les Éditions Smash
Get Your Copy

Best Tactical/Combat Game

Primal: The Awakening
Designers: Tommaso Mondadori, Alberto Parisi
Reggie Games
Get Your Copy

Heroscape: Master Set – Age of Annihilation
Designers: Matt Hyra, Dan Blanchett, Sarah Rowan
Renegade Games
Get Your Copy

A Gest of Robin Hood
Designer: Fred Serval
GMT Games
Get Your Copy

6: Siege – The Board Game
Designers: Carlos G.Q.
Mythic Games, Steamforged Games
Get Your Copy

Star Trek: Into The Unknown – Federation vs. Dominion Core Set
Designer: Max Brooke, Michael Gernes
Wizkids Games
Get Your Copy

Best Game Expansion

Unmatched: Slings and Arrows
Designers: Cohen, Daviau, Guberman, Hager, Jacobson, Neff
Restoration Games
Get Your Copy

Keep the Heroes Out!: Boss Battles
Designer: Luís Brueh
Brueh Games

7 Wonders Architects: Medals
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Repos Production
Get Your Copy

Arkham Horror: The Card Game – The Feast of Hemlock Vale
Designer: Michael Boggs, Josiah Harrist, Nicholas Kory
Fantasy Flight Games
Get Your Copy

Crossbows & Catapults: Weapons Cache
Designers: Rob Daviau, Noah Cohen, Brian Neff, Justin Jacobson
Restoration Games
Get Your Copy

Most Innovative Game

The Gang
Designers: John Cooper, Kory Heath
Kosmos
Get Your Copy

Seaside
Designer: Bryan Burgoyne
Randolph
Get Your Copy

Lego: Monkey Palace
Designers: David Gordon, TAM
Dotted Games
Get Your Copy

Boxtop Pinball: Haunted House
Designers: Zachary Connelly, Alex Cutler
Pandasaurus Games
Get Your Copy

Wilmot’s Warehouse
Designer: Ricky Haggett, Richard Hogg, David King
CMYK
Get Your Copy

Best Casual Game

Flip 7
Designer: Eric Olsen
The Op Games
Get Your Copy

Harmonies
Designers: Johan Benvenuto
Libellud
Get Your Copy

Let’s Go to Japan
Designers: Josh Wood
AEG
Get Your Copy

In the Footsteps of Darwin
Designers: Grégory Grard, Matthieu Verdier
Sorry We Are French
Get Your Copy

River Valley Glassworks
Designer: Adam Hill, Ben Pinchback, Matt Riddle
Allplay
Get Your Copy

Best Strategy/Euro Game

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Designer: Tomáš Holek
Czech Games Edition
Get Your Copy

The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
Designer: Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala
Repos Production
Get Your Copy

Endeavor: Deep Sea
Designer: Carl de Visser, Jarratt Gray
Burnt Island Games
Get Your Copy

Mistwind
Designers: Adrian Adamescu, Daryl Andrews
First Fish Games
Get Your Copy

Imperium: Horizons
Designers: Nigel Buckle, Dávid Turczi
Osprey Games
Get Your Copy

Best Card Game

Flip 7
Designer: Eric Olsen
The Op Games
Get Your Copy

Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game
Designers: John D. Clair
Brotherwise Games
Get Your Copy

Moving Wild
Designer: Chris Priscott
Oink Games
Get Your Copy

The Gang
Designer: John Cooper, Kory Heath
Kosmos
Get Your Copy

Castle Combo
Designers: Grégory Grard, Mathieu Roussel
EPandasaurus Games
Get Your Copy

Best Game from a Small Publisher

Leviathan Wilds
Designers: Justin Kemppainen
Moon Crab Games
Get Your Copy

Gun It
Designers: Randy O’Connor
Randy O Games
Get Your Copy

Mistwind
Designer: Adrian Adamescu, Daryl Andrews
First Fish Games
Get Your Copy

Primal: The Awakening
Designers: Tommaso Mondadori, Alberto Parisi
Reggie Games
Get Your Copy

Forges of Ravenshire
Designers: Sam Stockton
B.A. Games
Get Your Copy

Best Family/Kids Game

Star Realms Academy
Designer: Robert Dougherty, Darwin Kastle
Wacky Wizard Games
Get Your Copy

Little Alchemists
Designer: Matúš Kotry
Czech Games Edition
Get Your Copy

Blast Track
Designer: Sam-goo, Evan Song
Foxmind Games
Get Your Copy

Caution Signs
Designer: Scott Brady, Danielle Reynolds
Wacky Wizard Games
Get Your Copy

Kids Express
Designer: Cédric Lefebvre, Christophe Raimbault
Ludonaute
Get Your Copy

Best Reprint/Reimplementation

Heroscape: Master Set – Age of Annihilation
Designers: Matt Hyra, Dan Blanchett, Sarah Rowan
Renegade Games
Get Your Copy

Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War
Designer: Rob Daviau, Noah Cohen, Brian Neff, Justin Jacobson
Restoration Games
Get Your Copy

Sushi Go: 10th Anniversary Edition
Designers: Phil Walker-Harding
Gamewright
Get Your Copy

Firefly: The Game – 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
Designer: Aaron Dill, Joe Kepler, George Krubski, Sean Sweigart
Gale Force Nine

Through the Desert
Designers: Reiner Knizia
Allplay
Get Your Copy

Game of the Year

Leviathan Wilds
Designers: Rob Daviau, Noah Cohen, Brian Neff, and Justin Jacobson
Restoration Games
Get Your Copy

Slay the Spire: The Board Game
Designers: Gary Dworetsky, Anthony Giovannetti, Casey Yano
Contention Games
Get Your Copy

The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
Designer: Antoine Bauza, Bruno Cathala
Repos Production
Get Your Copy

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Designers: Tomáš Holek
Czech Games Edition
Get Your Copy

Note: Whichever game wins Game of the Year will automatically be removed from any of the above categories except Best Production Values. Our reasoning is if a game wins Game of the Year, chances are it should win any of the other categories by default. That just seemed a bit redundant. If a game wins Game of the Year, you know it is really good.