Age: 8+

The name on the box declares the game’s basic idea right from the start, but Uwe Rosenberg’s Tangram City from Capstone Games still keeps plenty of surprises under wraps. 8+, 1-5 players, 30 minutes

Watching spring flowers begin to bloom outside feels deliciously appropriate since this month’s game focuses on flowers, gardens, blooms, and butterflies. 8+, 2-4 players, 30 minutes

During my first visit to the Origins Game Fair many years ago, someone standing nearby suddenly yelled, “All hail King Torg!” at the top of their lungs. 8+, 2-8 players, 2 hours

Confession time: I’m not a big fan of rummy games. 8+, 2-4 players, 30 minutes

I hope you’re hungry, because we’re bringing a sushi restaurant to your table. 8+, 2-5 players, 30-75 minutes

There’s something magical about bonsai trees. 8+, 1-4 players, 40 minutes

There are luck games and pure strategy games. 8+, 2 players, 15 minutes

Anyone who ever read the rules of Galaxy Trucker from Czech Games Edition knows that truckers can add a lot of different pieces to their craft, and they should add as many of all of them as possible. 8+, 2-4 players, 30 minutes

If any piece of literature deserves to be enshrined in a Fluxx deck, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories certainly qualify. 8+, 2-6 players, 2 to set up; 5-30 to play

When a company comes out with a new, updated version for one of their classic games, you can pretty much count on two things: the new one will cost more — sometimes a lot more — and it’ll add a bunch of complicated new features so it’s harder to learn and takes longer to play. 8+, 2-4 players, 5 to set up; 20-60 to play

It’s good to be a deity. 8+, 2-5 players, 5 to set up, 45-60 to play

When we think about new roleplaying game products, we usually imagine source books with rules, monsters, and character classes, adventure modules that explore some new part of the world, or maps to simplify combat and exploration. 8+, 3-6 players

In the futuristic universe of Starfinder, players can experience an endless number of fantastical and unique planets, all teeming with curious, exotic, and often dangerous species and locations. 8+, 3-6 players

What color is “grape”? 8+, 3-10 players, 3 to set up, 30-45 to play

Unicorns capture the imagination. 8+, 2-4 players, 3 to set up, 30-45 to play

Even with all of the playable races, fantastic feats, and customizable classes in Paizo’s Starfinder roleplaying game, sometimes your character idea still doesn’t exactly fit. 8+, 4-8 players, 30-60 to set up, 2-6 hours to play

Welcome to the frozen north, where the land is cold, the penguins are friendly, the drink is plentiful, and the islands are up for grabs. 8+, 1-4 players, 8 to set up, 45-90 to play

A furtive glance and an almost imperceptible nod. 8+, 2-6 players, 5 to set up, 20-50 to play

Set in the world of C. 8+, 1-4 players, 10 to set up, 90 to play

The city needs more parks, and it’s up to you to build them. 8+, 1-4 players, 3 to set up, 30 minutes to play

You don’t need to dig (well, scratch) very deeply to find cat ladies everywhere you look. 8+, 2-4 players, 5 to set up, 30 minutes to play

Welcome to Copenhagen’s historic Nyhavn ( or “New Harbor”) district. 8+, 2-4 players, 5 to set up, 30-60 minutes to play

The hero dashes through a corridor, with the villain in pursuit. 8+, 4-8 players, 30-60 to set up, 2-6 hours to play

“Tycoon.” For players who know and love it, that one word instantly defines the key parts of a whole genre of world-building games. 8+, 2-5 players, 5 to set up, 45-90 minutes to play

Aliens bring science fiction worlds to life in books, movies, and Paizo’s Starfinder roleplaying game. 8+, 4-8 players, 30-60 to set up, 2-6 hours to play

We started playing Starfinder at the invitation of a friend. 8+, 4-8 players, 30-60 to set up, 2-6 hours to play

My Little Scythe from Stonemaier Games launched from a moment every gaming parent faces: when your too-young-to-play child gets enthralled by your very-expensive-it’s-new-don’t-touch-that board game. 8+, 1-6 players, 4 to set up, 35-60 to play

The story started simply enough, just like they always do: A beautiful French resort filled with beautiful people, beautiful paintings, and ugly secrets. 8+, 2-11 players, 1 to set up, 5-10 to play

Let’s get this out of the way up front: One of us watched more Doctor Who than the other one. 8+, 2-6 players, 1 to set up, 5-40 to play

Congratulations, Mayor! 8+, 2-4 players, 5 to set up, 30-60 to play

If you love pizza and games — and really, who doesn’t love those things — then you need New York Slice from Bezier Games. 8+, 2-6 players, 5 to set up, 20-30 to play

City parks, theme parks, amusement parks, butterfly parks — but bear parks? 8+, 2-4 players, 5 to set up, 20-30 to play

It all started with a short story. 8+, 1-10 players, 5 or less to set up, 10-120 to play

City planning must feel like designing a massive jigsaw puzzle — at least that’s what it looks like from the outside. 8+, 2-4 players, 5 to set up, 30-60 to play

Confession time: I always wanted to run an amusement park. 8+, 2-4 players, 10 to set up, 45-60 to play