Board games: aren’t they really about family? Friends? Togetherness? Eh, sometimes. But for those times, today we’re talking about the best games of 2024 that thrive on positive human interaction. These are the games that are about sharing experiences with your loved ones. Especially if you aren’t in the mood for anything too competitive.

#6. Earthborne Rangers

Designed by Andrew Fischer, Brooks Flugaur-Leavitt, Andrew Navaro, Adam Sadler, and Brady Sadler. Published by Earthborne Games.

It was tempting to do a list of best climate games. Certainly 2024 had enough of the things. Earthborne Rangers takes place after at least one apocalypse has humbled mankind into living harmoniously with nature. Harmoniously-ish, anyway. Between the freak tornadoes, dangerous relics, and crawling digestion monsters, there are plenty of hazards best tamed or avoided. But that’s also the appeal of Earthborne Rangers. Its environments are not only fascinating, they also feel like genuine ecosystems, with creatures and terrain that interact to produce unexpected situations. It’s a clever and vivid step into humanity’s distant future.

Review: Chewing the Scenery

#5. Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies

Designed by Ryan Laukat. Published by Red Raven Games.

Our third outing into the Wandering World sees Ryan Laukat deepening the journey in nearly every respect. Between the smaller but more generous crew, a sprawling world filled with little nooks and crannies, and new worker placement and boss entries in the storybook, there’s now some real muscle strung across this place’s bones. As always, Laukat is a master at illustration and world-building. The adventure is gentle, sometimes even too easy, but it always pulls us forward to see what lies over the next horizon.

Review: Smothering Gods

#4. Defenders of the Wild

Designed by Henry Audubon and T.L. Simons. Published by Outlandish Games.

I told you! Climate games. All the rage, those. Defenders of the Wild is about woodland creatures setting aside their differences to smash the machines that have been zippering iron walls across their home. With an ounce of courage and a hardy mutual aid network, they’re ready to break the hunter-seeker drones, blast holes in the walls, and rewild those pollution-belching factories. As a cooperative struggle, this one is refreshingly distinct from its peers. But as a parable about the need to build strong coalitions to make positive change, it’s unparalleled.

Review: Those Dying Generations at Their Song

#3. Leviathan Wilds

Designed by Justin Kemppainen. Published by Moon Crab Games.

Speaking of pollution, something has gone and corrupted the leviathans roaming the wilderness. Taking direct inspiration from the classic video game Shadow of the Colossus, Leviathan Wilds sees players metering their stamina in order to climb gargantuan limbs, hold on tight when under threat, and chip away at the crystals that have driven these majestic creatures to madness. With a huge stable of leviathans to save — some of whom bend the rules in thrilling ways — it’s part platformer, part resource management simulator, and all teamwork.

Review: Shadow of the Proboscis

#2. Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze

Designed by Jason Hagar and Darren Reckner. Published by Restoration Games.

This might be the most transformative expansion box I’ve ever seen. The Unmatched series has always reveled in fantasy duels, settling important questions like who would win between Bruce Lee and King Arthur. What Unmatched Adventures does is take those duels, put everybody on the same team against some hulking monster, and turn on the spotlight. Now Little Red Riding Hood can team up with Spider-Man and Geralt of Rivia to take down Mothman. It isn’t just a new way to play, it’s the series at its absolute best. I sincerely hope they make additional sets, because Tales to Amaze single-handedly revitalized my interest in the system.

Review: Annie Christmas vs. Motthew

#1. War Story: Occupied France

Designed by Dave Neale and David Thompson. Published by Osprey Games.

Every year there are a few games that take a stab at the choose-your-own-adventure formula. None have been as successful as War Story: Occupied France. The hallmark of the genre, that all-important gamebook, is crafted with an eye toward minimalism and player choice, swapping florid writing for terse but effective prose. In the meantime, its real-world setting ups the stakes until the pressure is almost unbearable, while its willingness to utilize actual board game systems, like map battles and resource management, gives each of its three scenarios an unexpected edge. Plenty of games have let me battle the Nazis. Very few have made me feel that fight’s sacrifices and apprehensions this keenly.

Review: All Welrod and Good

How about you? What were your favorite cooperative games of the year?

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