If you thought board games were all about rolling dice and building settlements, think again. This week’s latest from the endlessly creative world of tabletop gaming shows just how wildly imaginative—and weirdly wonderful—things can get. From robot races across collapsing space tracks, to ant colonies waging tiny wars, to tarot-themed revolutions driven by fate and symbolism, there’s something for every kind of gamer. Whether you like your strategy crunchy, your themes quirky, or your gameplay enveloped in mysticism, BoardGameGeek’s new wave of upcoming titles has a little magic for everyone.
Intergalactic Speed Freaks: Void Zone: Racing Day by Junghan Kim
You may recognize Junghan Kim as the mind behind the cerebral city-planning game Squaring Circleville. But now, he’s shifting gears—literally.
His new creation, Void Zone: Racing Day, is a fast-paced, interplanetary racing game where robots careen through ever-changing tracks floating in the chaos of deep space. Think Robo Rally meets Galaxy Trucker, but with the caffeine dial turned all the way up.
Players don’t just steer—they actually program their robot’s movement ahead of each round, unleashing a cascade of planned chaos as the modular track morphs in real time. One moment, you’re pulling ahead—then WHAM! You fly into a wall, thanks to a poorly timed booster and a last-minute tile flip. It’s frustrating, it’s hilarious, and it’s the kind of gaming mayhem that keeps you coming back for more.
A crowdfunding campaign is on the books for 2025, and we’re already looking forward to the moment we crash headfirst into a pile of space debris… for the fifth time in one session.
Insect Empire: Ant Empire by Arvis Games
If the Disneyfied woodland politics of Root never really scratched your strategy itch, then Ant Empire might just be your new obsession.
This one’s gritty, grounded, and refreshingly Darwinian. You lead a colony of war-hardened ants in brutal turf wars and ecosystem conquest. From strategic egg-laying to deploying venomous attackers, every move matters in this tough-as-nails worker-placement-meets-area-control romp.
Each ant species has its own specialties—some focus on defense, others on aggressive tactics or nurturing larvae for long-term gain. The game board itself mimics a living environment, with terrain types like soil, fallen branches, and leafy canopies affecting movement, resources, and encounter dynamics.
What makes Ant Empire especially compelling is that weird balance of cooperation and one-upmanship. Sure, you might temporarily help a rival colony fend off predators. But there’s no friendship when food gets scarce or the queen gets hungry.
Biologists and gamers alike will love the realism woven into the gameplay. It’s survival of the smartest—no wings required.
Mysticism Meets Revolt: TAROT – Augur of Revolution by Schüler & Ruskowski
Here’s one for the thinkers, the dreamers, and the folklore fiends.
TAROT – Augur of Revolution might just be the most head-turning release on the list. It’s a semi-cooperative narrative game that uses the 22 Major Arcana tarot cards not just as theme—but as actual gameplay structure.
In this one, you don’t just draw the cards—you become them. Players take on the roles of figures like The Star, Death, or The Emperor, each with deeply distinct personalities, powers, and hidden motivations. You’ll navigate a storytelling campaign full of shifting alliances and philosophical conflict, where every card carries weight—not just for strategy, but for meaning.
Gameplay involves:
- Drafting cards
- Navigating an asymmetrical rule system
- Making choices that literally alter the rules as you play
Combine that with stunning, atmospheric artwork by German artist Daniel Lieske, and you’ve got a game that’s as much about introspection and storytelling as it is competition.
And yes, a solo mode is in development, so if you’re a night owl with a cup of tea and a penchant for moody metaphors, TAROT might be your new favorite self-care ritual.
Around the Gaming Globe: Quick Bits
- The Cost: Black Lung Edition has been announced—a revamped version of the bleak but brilliant economic strategy game tackling the coal industry’s dark underbelly.
- Pax Hispanica, from Sierra Madre Games, will be rolling out a new beta on Tabletop Simulator this summer, for those who enjoy their empire-building with a side of historical nuance.
- BoardGameGeek’s “Spring Fling” crowdfunding event is happening this April, giving smaller publishers a platform to shine—and for hidden gems to find their way into your collection.
So, What’s the Big Picture?
Here’s the thing: the world of board games is only getting more varied and vibrant. Some designers double down on tight mechanics and well-worn genres, while others push creativity to its outer edges. This week’s lineup has range—from high-speed hilarity to cold-blooded strategy to esoteric soul-searching. But what unites these titles is boldness. Each one dares to ask: What else can a board game be?
So whether you’re racing malfunctioning robots through a collapsing space-track, charting an empire on the back of an insect queen, or diving into your own psyche through a deck of tarot cards—this new generation of board games is here to make us think, laugh, curse, and feel.
And that, really, is what the best games always do.
🤔 Which of these strange and wonderful games speaks to your soul? Tell us in the comments—we’re dying to know what’s next for your game shelf.