Words by David C. Obenour
Gen Con | July 31 – August 3, 2025 | Indiana Convention Center & Surrounding Area
You didn’t think we’d be able to fit four days into just one post, did you? Hosting 575 companies, publishers, artists, covens, crews, and cults, head back into the exhibitor hall with us one last time to enjoy more of the games we played at Gen Con 2025.
Sail Legacy (AllPlay)
The sea is full of mysteries and wonders, and now you and your best mate can explore them together and live to tell the tale! Based off AllPlay’s wildly successful two-player trick-taking card game, Sail, this legacy version gives a rich and evolving narrative to your adventures on the high seas. Thirty unique missions await you and branching decisions promise their own unique outcomes and endings.
Jerry Garcia’s Cosmic Journey (Twogether Studios)
Working with Jerry Garcia’s estate, Twogether Studios set out on the long strange trip of creating a game that Jerry himself could have enjoyed. Fun and inviting for folks of all ages and persuasions, the game is centered on the core mechanics of rolling dice and pressing luck to get rid of the bummers life throws at you. For those of your looking for a headier trip, there are also additional rule cards that can be used. Wonderfully illustrated in folksy tie dye and screen print, it’s sure to be a hit out on Shakedown Street.
Raas (Arcane Wonders)
The traditional Indian dance of love, in Raas players assemble and outfit their troupe while creating matches between passing dancers. With a board made from seven interconnected discs, each round sets the music and tempo (literally, through the help of QR codes), and the discs spin – representing the dancers out on the floor. When a disc slot matches a neighboring slot of equal value or color, a match is made! Plenty of other clever thematic mechanics make this the first game I’m telling everyone about from this year.
Phoenix New Horizon (Devir)
Accomplishing what might seem impossible, Devir has delivered an even bleaker vision of the 2020s. The Cold War spun out of control, bringing with it nuclear devastation and decades of fallout. Only some half a century later has mankind been able to descend from the stars in an attempt to reclaim Earth. Sharp components and clever blending of classic mechanics make this grim horizon seem somehow welcoming still and exhilarating.
Dice Words (Kosmos)
Push your luck, toss your dice, and spell out the most quenching words possible! In Dice Words, players head to the chiller to roll that round’s featured Dice Cubes and then roll up their Drink Dice to create the longest, most valuable word possible. A fun and frantic word game, the concept is not entirely distinct, but it is beautifully worked into bright and fun components.
Chai Garam (Mozaic Games)
As a cultural bridge, gaming provides a wide entrance. While food is often celebrated as a shared experience, gaming engages who we are, how we dream, and how we think. The husband and wife duo behind Mozaic Games understand this and have curated a catalog of games that introduce and engage players with Indian culture. A local vendor’s cry of “hot tea!”, Chai Garam uses classic modern gaming mechanics to throw players into the midst of a bustling mela as they compete to keep up with the busy queue.
The Walls Will Swallow You (Plus One)
Ever since you entered this house nothing feels as it seems. Is everyone around you acting a way? Are you acting a way? Is it your senses that are presenting things of a way? In The Walls Will Swallow You, players are delved into a micro-RPG setting of psychological Haunted House horror. Using only a deck of cards and a handful of six-sided dice, players navigate their way through short adventures – and some that may best be even shorter!
Menagerie (Moose Games)
Sold out every day of the convention, Menagerie is a game of small wonders making a large impact! Playing with real-life insect traits integrated into the mechanics, players compete to curate the most awe-inspiring terrariums. While demos were short as copies were more readily dedicated to retail, it was obvious to see the attention of detail through illustrations, design, and production – with intentionality rivaled by Wingspan.
Guessocracy: Roll & Vote (Hobby Japan)
Beautifully illustrated, simple to explain, and fun to play, Guessocracy isn’t as concerned with truth as much as consensus. Translucent dice are thrown into the box lid, players quickly scan the results before they’re covered up, then each assert the most and least rolled results. Majority wins, regardless of reality – unless a player objects – risking big in their righteous indignation. Lampooning democracy in these times is both needed and hilarious – depending on your mental state in that given moment.
Winterhaven Woods: Fresh Snow (Featherstone Games)
Winter is coming, which means many different things for all the creatures who live in your section of Winterhaven Woods. Over three rounds, players weigh classic card and modern board gaming mechanics to best position their environment and its inhabitants to thrive through the coming harsh months. Trees are planted, shelter is sought, and predators head to the meadow. Beautifully done, conceptually and visually.
Hanami (Keymaster)
Blossoming soon on Kickstarter, Hanami is a reimagining of the classic game of Samurai. Originally set in medieval Japan as an abstract game of area control with samurai, peasants, and priests, the setting has been updated to an appreciative observance of nature, culture, and cuisine. Designing legend, Reiner Knizia has added some additional new growths on Hanami that stay in line with Samurai’s simplicity, while adding new areas for play.
Finding Calm (Rabble)
With all of their games, Rabble understands that play is ultimately as meaningful as what we bring to the table. Which isn’t a setup or excuse for a loosely defined ruleset, but to give emphasis to the company’s ongoing attention to the interaction and creativity that games can inspire. In Finding Calm, cards are drawn as a gamified approach to intentional thinking and evidence based therapy strategies for managing and understanding our anxious thoughts.
Cola Wars (One More Turn Games)
Call your financer. Pull together your portfolio. It’s the summer of 1985 and the Cola Wars are just about to start on Kickstarter – this is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss! As Corpo Cola reigns supreme, you and your team are young and scrapy and know what quenches the thirst of the youth today. Through advertising, shelf space, distribution and more, do you have what it takes to be the voice of a new generation?
Onoda (Salt & Pepper Games)
An empire that spanned the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, in an era before modern interconnectivity word traveled slowly of Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. For the solitaire game of Onoda, you play as Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda – a Japanese soldier stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines. Over six rounds, you experience the real-life dangerous, comical, and tragic events that befell Onoda as he struggled through the physical and mental toll of fighting a war that was already over.
Arctica (This Way!)
Still in early production, Arctica is an environment management game where players oversee the interconnectivity of their ecosystem. With a rounded game board and tiered and geared player boards, there were a lot of promising and exciting components to match an elevated gameplay of worker placement, zone control, multi-use cards, and simultaneous action.
And that concludes the games we played at Gen Con 2025! If you hadn’t seen it, be sure to look at part one of our Gen Con highlights and our full gaming section.