PBG · 2026 Issue No. 2026.05 Editorial · Curated · Independent Updated weekly
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By price

Board Games $25 to $50

The sweet spot - substantial games at reasonable prices.

No 01
Patchwork Light
2 30 min

Patchwork

Two-player tetris-quilt. Tense, quick, looks great on a coffee table.

$30 →
No 02
Sky Team Light
2 20 min

Sky Team

Two-player cooperative airplane-landing dice game. Tense, beautiful, 20 minutes.

$30 →
No 03
MicroMacro: Crime City light
1-4 15-45 min

MicroMacro: Crime City

Solve intricate mysteries by examining a giant city map full of clues.

$30 →
No 04
7 Wonders Duel Medium
2 30 min

7 Wonders Duel

The two-player version that's actually better than the original. Tense, every choice matters.

$35 →
No 05
Splendor Light
2-4 30 min

Splendor

Gem-trading engine builder. Plays in 30 minutes, scales clean from 2 to 4.

$35 →
No 06
Dixit Light
3-6 30 min

Dixit

Surreal-art storytelling game. Cross-generational. Hits in mixed groups.

$35 →
No 07
Camel Up Light
3-8 30 min

Camel Up

Bet on racing camels. Riotous, light, plays loud. The party-night pick.

$35 →
No 08
Horrified: Universal Monsters Light
1-5 60 min

Horrified: Universal Monsters

Cooperative monster-hunting. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy. Plays family-friendly.

$35 →
No 09
Carcassonne medium
2-5 30-45 min

Carcassonne

Tile-placement game where you build a medieval landscape to score points.

$35 →
No 10
Cryptid medium
3-5 30-50 min

Cryptid

Deductively search for the mysterious creature with your unique clues.

$35 →
No 11
Gingerbread House light
2-4 30-45 min

Gingerbread House

Build gingerbread houses and attract fairy tale characters to score.

$35 →
No 12
Azul Light
2-4 30-45 min

Azul

Pattern-laying tile game. Looks beautiful on the table. Teaches in five minutes.

$40 →
No 13
Calico Medium
1-4 30-45 min

Calico

Quilt-pattern puzzle. Solo plays beautifully. Adorable, harder than it looks.

$40 →
No 14
Wavelength Light
2-12 30-45 min

Wavelength

Team-based concept-guessing. Lights up mixed-age tables. Endlessly replayable.

$40 →
No 15
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition medium
1-4 45-60 min

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition

Strategically build and develop Mars faster than your opponents.

$40 →
No 16
Cóatl light
1-4 30-60 min

Cóatl

Assemble vibrant snake-like creatures to fulfill prophecies and score points.

$40 →
No 17
Pandemic Medium
2-4 45 min

Pandemic

Cooperative classic. Save the world together. The game that converts non-gamers.

$45 →
No 18
Azul: Summer Pavilion medium
2-4 30-45 min

Azul: Summer Pavilion

Draft tiles to create beautiful patterns and score points strategically.

$45 →
No 19
Res Arcana medium
2-4 20-60 min

Res Arcana

Compete as mages harnessing ancient artifacts and summoning creatures.

$45 →
No 20
Ticket to Ride Light
2-5 45 min

Ticket to Ride

Train routes across America. Five minutes to learn, plays for years.

$50 →
No 21
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion Heavy
1-4 60 min

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

The best campaign-game starter. Self-contained Gloomhaven with built-in tutorial.

$50 →
No 22
The Quacks of Quedlinburg Medium
2-4 45 min

The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Push-your-luck bag-builder. Tense, joyful, scales clean to four.

$50 →
No 23
The Castles of Burgundy medium
2-4 30-90 min

The Castles of Burgundy

Acquire and manage estates in Medieval France to accumulate wealth.

$50 →
No 24
Paleo medium
2-4 45-60 min

Paleo

Work in teams to survive and thrive in a prehistoric world.

$50 →