Welcome back to the second iteration of Quest List, where the writing staff here at Board Game Grow talk about games we think best meet a certain criteria. Today, we’re going to highlight the games we are most looking forward to being released in 2020.

Games are hitting retailers at an unprecedented pace, so it’s almost impossible to track when games are coming out or what even is being made at all. We did the best of our ability to detail games that we want our readers to know about. Some are hitting Kickstarter in the future, some are currently on Kickstarter, some have preorders available, and some have almost no information outside of some pictures of the box.

Most Anticipated Board Games of 2020

Mariposas

Recommended by Alex
On the heels of the stellar success Wingspan, the second offering from Elizabeth Hargrave is pretty much a must-buy for me. I love games with an innovative theme that ties into the mechanics, and Hargrave’s attention to detail and respect for science is beyond compare. I love the continued exploration of design space within a capped number of turns, and the varied scoring goals seem to guarantee an ever-changing game experience. Mariposas will be on my shelf come August.

2-5 Players • Ages 14+ • 45-75 minutes 

My City

Recommended by Dylan
I have never finished a Legacy game. Shocking, I know, but coming from the audio medium, campaign-style games aren’t the easiest to finish playing. I’m writing now, so I can dabble my toes in games that require more than three plays. And just in time for Reiner Knizia to release his first Legacy game. He’s known for his tile-laying games, and that’s what My City is, only with an eight-part story. When I first saw that it was played over 24 games, I was initially skeptical and thought it would take quite a while to finish. But apparently three games form a chapter that has its own rules and new material. Here’s hoping that Knizia and Kosmos have a gem that I’ll actually be able to complete.

2-4 Players • Ages 10+ • 45 minutes

Rococo Deluxe

Recommended by Tahsin
This was quite the surprise, but also extremely welcome. A Rococo reprint is exceedingly welcome, even if I already have the original game because now I get to relish the design aesthetic from the graphic design master Ian O’Toole. Especially welcome is the kind of strategic replay value that we love where the decisions of other players force a player to alter their own paths to victory points. Although I still need to set aside some budget for Kanban, Rococo easily takes the top anticipated spot for my gaming dollars.

1-5 Players • Ages 14+ • 60-120 minutes

Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps!

Recommended by Brian W.
I was able to see a rough demo version of this game at GenCon last year and was instantly hooked. It seemed like a highly thematic co-op dungeon crawler with the look and feel of the classic 1986 movie. Players are the marines and crew of the Sulaco who are trying to survive against the countless Aliens. The demo game included other objectives to discover, such as what happened to the Hadley’s Hope colonists as well as an event deck that kept the players on their toes. The staff at Gale Force 9 said there will be 6 different missions and even an option for a campaign mode in the retail version. I’m excited to hopefully get my hands on a copy at the end of April.

1-6 Players • Ages 14+ • 30-120 minutes

Wonderland’s War

Recommended by AnnaMaria
I’ve been following Wonderland’s War since the first art was released—its GORGEOUS—and I’ve always been a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. I had the opportunity to play this drafting/area control game at SHUX and I was doubly hooked: awesome components, well-crafted mechanics, and engaging gameplay make this tea party completely mad in all the best ways. I was an instant backer when the Kickstarter campaign launched.

2-5 Players • Ages 13+ • 45-75 minutes

Sleeping Gods

Recommended by Jason
I have always been drawn to exploring the unknown, uncovering mysteries and supernatural/otherworldly elements influencing my experience. Games like Skyrim, The Long Dark, and Fallout 3 were ones which I could sink hours into. While these offered great solo experiences, I haven’t found a comparable board game that appealed to me and offered a similar thrill. I’ve had this unsatisfied longing for exploration. But I think Sleeping Gods might be able to do that. I like the prospect of being able to experience an exploratory campaign again, which usually isn’t feasible for this busy parent and start-and-stop when life gets hectic. I really can’t wait to check this out.

1-4 Players • Ages 13+ • 60 minutes

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Venice

Recommended by Tony
I’ve had my eye on this one for a while. It’s made by Triton Noir, who made the criminally under the radar stealth game V-Commandos (check it out, it’s pretty good), so I have high hopes for the gameplay in this one. And then there is the fact that it’s based on Assassin’s Creed, one of my absolute favorite video game franchises. The cooperative gameplay seems to successfully draw in the spirit of the Assassin’s Creed games, with stealth, combat, and it is even set between the events of the Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Revelations video games. I can’t wait to take this campaign-style game for a spin.

1-4 Players • Ages 12+ • 30-120 minutes

Kanban EV

Recommended by Andrew
Kanban has been my favorite game for as long as I can remember. Despite being the worst looking of Vital’s games by a wide margin, the gameplay more than made up for it. And this year we will get a game with production and graphic design (from Ian O’Toole) that meets that standard. Not to mention a few mini-expansions and extra goal tiles to keep things fresh. I’ve played Kanban over 30 times at this point and I’m sure this new edition will get to the table just as much.

1-4 Players • Ages 14+ • 60-180 minute