Top 10 New to Me Games Of 2024

I enjoyed sharing my favorite new to me games last year, so I thought I'd make that another yearly post by bringing it back again this year. I had a higher number of total plays (892) and unique games (162) played this year, so I had a lot to pick from for this list. While I did play some new releases, most of the games on this list were not published in 2024. There are about a half a dozen games that could have slotted into this list somewhere depending on my mood, but what's here is what I'd ask to play anytime.

#10 - Let's Go to Japan

This snuck into the last spot on the list because I like the theme of visiting various places in Japan. It's a simple drafting game where you normally only have a few choices each round to add to your trip. There's quite a bit of luck of the draw that can really hurt if you focus on certain goals and just can't get cards that meld well with those goals on each of the days. However, the game never feels like you're really competing against one another. So when the end game comes and the scores get totaled, I'm happy with the experience, art, and how successful my trip was over who actually won. That last part is a rarity for me and why this game made the list over others.

#9 - Meadow

Meadow is a beautifully illustrated game with worker placement and drafting systems that are a mix of games I've played previously. It's the layering set collection that really pulls you in and is the main focus of the gameplay. Having to match various icons on the over two hundred cards is fun and gives an ample amount of strategic choices that will have to be made in order to be successful. Not every card type is in each of the four decks, so you'll have to be on the ball as the game moves into the second phase. The bonfire board, which allows you to take a variety of extra actions and allows for additional scoring really elevates the game beyond just how beautiful it is.

#8 - Atiwa

A relatively unknown game by the famed designer, Uwe Rosenburg, Atiwa was based on information he learned about Bat Conservation in the Atiwa region of Ghana. In the game players acquire new land and must manage animals and resources to make their community prosper. The player who best balances the needs of their community and the environment wins. The combo action that possible at the end of each round is my favorite part of the game. With only 21 total turns, 3 each round, it's a tight game that fits the typical Uwe style.

#7 - Skyrise

There were a handful of area control games that I really enjoyed this year. It's so nice to have a group of people who embrace that mechanic because it's certainly one of my favorites. I chose Skyrise because it's got great production value and the spatial auction style placement of your buildings was something I hadn't seen before but really liked. Players have sets of different numbered buildings that populate the board to gain control of different types of territories that score depending on various factors at the end of the game.

#6 - Potato Man

This probably won't make anyone else's list this year for a few reasons, one being it's now 11 years old. Despite its age, Potato Man is a well loved game in the trick taking game community. I played four or five new to me trick takers this year, but my single play of this really stuck out because it plays so much differently than a traditional trick taker. First, each set of colored cards has a different value range. Then on each trick, a color can only be played once so two players can't both play a blue card for example. Finally, when a player wins a trick, they take the top scoring card from that color's pile of cards. It's a wild take on trick taking and I love it so much.

#5 - Fantastic Factories

Dice rolling games tend to be very hit or miss for me. I'm usually loving it or just not impressed. Fantastic Factories falls in the former category because the dice get used in multiple ways while players try to build the most efficient set of factories in the shortest time. It's the efficiency puzzle and engine style building that did it for me. Figuring out and then setting in motion a chain of actions to produce the most goods and resources is very satisfying. There's so much content in the base game a lot in the expansions that make it infinitely replayable.

#4 - Finca

I saw pictures of this game on board game Twitter and had it on my wishlist for years but it was out of print/only available in Europe for a long time. Recently Pandasaurus Games reprinted it and with the expansion built in and nice chunky wooden fruit bits like the original had. Using a rondel and mancala style collection mechanism, players gain fruit and then deliver them all over the island for different amounts of points. Being efficient and quicker than your opponents are the keys to success in this light set collection game.

#3 - Cascadia: Rolling Hills & Rolling Rivers

Building off of the success of Cascadia, the 2022 Spiel des Jahres Winner and my game of the year in 2021, designer Randy Flynn had a duo of roll and write games published in the same universe. Across the two games, there are eight different maps and can play anywhere from 1 - 8 players when combing them. In both games, you roll your dice, collect wildlife and Nature Tokens, complete Habitat Cards, and fill in the puzzle on your personal Environment Sheet. Each sheet has it's own twist so every game feels fresh. I love roll/flip and write games and this combo does so many things that makes me love the genre.

#2 - River Valley Glassworks

My most played new to me game of the year (39 plays) and a game I backed on KS comes from a set of designers that make games I like and are generally great guys. I've played games with each at Unpub conventions in the past and have followed their careers since. River Valley Glassworks a very light Azul-esque drafting gaming where players are gathering different colored river glass and then add it to columns and rows on their player boards. The rarity of each color of glass makes the placing order very important because the amount of points scored scales dramatically. I've played a bunch on BGA and think just how quick it plays to be one of its strongest aspects. The deluxe version has inset player boards and acrylic river tiles that elevate the experience. I would highly recommend this game to anyone, whether they're a hobby, casual, or even family gamer.

#1 - Scout 

My favorite new to me game of 2024 is Scout. If you know me then you know I love card games and this one is one of the best I have ever played. It's well loved by my gaming group, so I always have it in my bag in case we need something short to end our session. It's a ladder-climbing/hand-shedding games where players are trying to play higher a higher set from their hand than the set that is currently on the able. Players get a point for every card they collect and lose a point for every care they have in their hand when a player is able to rid their hand of all cards. If a player can't play a set, they can scout a card by taking one of the exterior cards in a set and then add it to their hand. It's at this point that I should mention the main hook of the game.

Players are dealt a hand of cards that all have two values on them and then must play them as they are dealt, meaning they cannot rearrange them. At the beginning of a round, players have a one time opportunity to play the hand as is or flip the hand to the opposite set of values and play the hand like that. When a player scouts, they can flip the card in any direction and add it anywhere in their hand. It's this strategic card play that will allow you to play stronger sets and get extra points when players need to scout from your set. Scout is an absolutely fantastic game that belongs in anyone's collection. 

What were your favorite new to you games of 2024? Please comment below and thanks for reading!