Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare both dropped on July 18, 2025, introducing a plethora of beautiful new cards for collectors to sink their teeth into. Featuring a brand new rarity and artwork by legendary Pokémon artists, it’s a dual set worth watching.
To help you plan which chase cards to go after, I’ve hunted down the most expensive cards in Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare, using data from a multitude of sites to pick out the most valuable pieces at the time of writing.
The Escapist recaps
Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare released as a dual special set on July 18, 2025, with 172 and 173 cards apiece.
A new rarity was introduced with this release, called a BWR, or Black White Rare.
Due to the popularity of the Unova Pokémon and the beautiful artwork, the prices for this set have been high since launch day, although some are settling down.
The most expensive cards in Black Bolt and White Flare include all three of the Black White Rares, as well as the Special Illustration Rares for the box Legendaries.
Seismitoad (BLK 105)
Shinji Kanda has an utterly iconic art style. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Seismitoad
Card Number
105/086
Set
Black Bolt
Card Type
Illustration Rare
Selling For
$70-$200
Is anyone surprised to see this card on the list? I honestly thought it’d be higher up – Shinji Kanda is an absolute icon in the Pokémon TCG community, with a following of dedicated fans that adore his mind-melting art style.
Seismitoad isn’t a hugely popular Pokémon by any means, but it looks powerful and otherworldly thanks to the psychedelic artwork on this card.
I spotted auction prices ranging from $70 all the way to $200 while digging around for data on this card, so if you’re keen on getting it, I’d suggest watching the prices and seeing if they settle down in the coming weeks.
Reshiram ex (WHT 166)
This piece accurately captures the strength of Reshiram in the lore. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Reshiram ex
Card Number
166/086
Set
White Flare
Card Type
Special Illustration Rare
Selling For
$120-$215
This card manages to make Reshiram look poised and powerful, which pairs with the Pokémon perfectly. It’s an elegant yet destructive Special Illustration Rare, with spectacular artwork by kawayoo.
It’s one of the most expensive Special Illustration Rare cards in the White Flare list, giving fan-favorites Keldeo and Hydreigon a run for their money.
While researching, I found that the majority of the auction prices for this card sat in the range of $120 to $190, with a few higher prices based on quality. Graded copies, particularly PSA 10 slabs, went for even larger sums.
Zekrom ex (BLK 166)
This card has an electrifying aesthetic. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Zekrom ex
Card Number
166/086
Set
Black Bolt
Card Type
Special Illustration Rare
Selling For
$100-$220
While it’s not selling for quite as much as its Black White Rare counterpart, this iteration of Zekrom ex is still a worthy chase card to pick up for your collection.
With artwork by danciao, Zekrom feels as if it’s ripping out of the card, shredding the sky apart with lightning bolts. It’s a visually stunning piece, so I wasn’t surprised to see prices ranging from $100 to $220, with even higher prices popping up for graded copies.
Reshiram ex (WHT 173)
Much like the next card in the list, Reshiram ex is strong. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Reshiram ex
Card Number
173/086
Set
White Flare
Card Type
Black White Rare
Selling For
$310-$440
Reshiram ex is a magnificent card, topping the charts as one of the most expensive pieces in White Flare. It’s the most affordable Black White Rare currently on the market, but that’s not saying too much as the prices are still decently hefty.
Most auctions that I found for the BWR copy of Reshiram ex placed it between $300 and $380, with a few exceptional prices at either end of that spectrum. There were a few copies up for auction on eBay in the realm of $180, but I can’t see that lasting too long as it’s an immensely popular card right now.
As with any high-value Pokémon card, it’s crucial to make sure that you buy from verified sellers and always do a price check before making a purchase. Despite the set dropping a few weeks ago at the time of writing, prices are still likely to change somewhat.
Zekrom ex (BLK 172)
This card has some competitive potential. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Zekrom ex
Card Number
172/086
Set
Black Bolt
Card Type
Black White Rare
Selling For
$300-$450
There isn’t much of a difference between the BWR cards for Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex, but the Black Bolt card comes out ever-so-slightly on top.
In my opinion, it’s the best looking card out of the bunch – it’s dynamic and polished, with the lighting on Zekrom still managing to make the creature pop despite the overall aesthetic theme being incredibly dark.
The majority of the prices I found while digging into this card ranged from $300 to $400, with a few higher-quality pieces taking the auction price well over the $400 mark.
Graded copies are selling for higher prices, so if you pull this and don’t want to keep it, it could be worth getting it graded before choosing a platform to sell it on.
Victini (BLK 171/WHT 172)
It’s not a powerful card, but it’s exceptionally valuable. Image credit: The Pokémon Company
Card
Victini
Card Number
BLK 171/086 or WHT 172/086
Set
Black Bolt/White Flare
Card Type
Black White Rare
Selling For
$300-$600
At the time of writing, Victini is one of the most expensive cards you can pick up from both Black Bolt and White Flare. Unlike most of the cards in this list, it pops up in both sets, featuring slightly different card numbers.
While searching for live auction data, I found prices in the range of $300 to $600 for good quality copies of the card, but also spotted some PSA 10 copies that were starting to creep into the thousands. It’s a card that’s got the community talking and the current prices reflect this.
Victini is one of the first Black White Rare cards in existence and it has a striking aesthetic, with a vivid red color theme and dynamic design.
I’m predicting that the hype for some cards from Black Bolt and White Flare will start to die down, but I think Victini will continue to be a hugely popular card in the collector’s scene, at least for the next few months.
Pokémon TCG Black Bolt and White Flare both have an impressive roster of cards up for grabs, and they’re worth picking up if you’re a collector looking to stock up on valuable pieces. The prices in this list are sure to fluctuate after publication, so always double check prices on other sites before making a purchase, especially for higher value cards.
Ask The Escapist
Does Black Bolt or White Flare have the most valuable Pokémon cards?
While they both offer plenty of artistic and monetary value, Black Bolt stands out as a slightly better option for avid Pokémon TCG collectors who are looking to invest in top-tier cards.
Where do you find out how valuable a Pokémon card is?
I’d recommend shopping around and using a range of sources – for example, I referenced Cardmarket, Price Charting, TCGPlayer, Collectr, and eBay for this article. If you’re investing in an expensive card, research is crucial.
What’s the difference between Pokémon Black Bolt and White Flare?
Despite being part of the same release, it’s best to think of Pokémon TCGBlack Bolt and White Flare as separate special sets. They have individual card lists and rare hits, with a variety of art styles contained in each pack.
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As terrifying as they can be when things go wrong, survival games such as Valheim, Once Human, and Sons of the Forest have an underlying goofiness to them that keeps things light. Project Zomboid is more oppressive, at times relentless in its pressure, while Escape From Tarkov threatens you with the ever-present fear of a bullet from the shadows. Of late, however, I’ve had a particular penchant for The Forever Winter. Its grimdark, future sci-fi world is an unforgiving, hostile place as you claw for scraps in the shadow of giant mechs tearing the landscape apart for their respective megacorporations. Now, Fun Dog’s July update delivers a new broken cityscape to explore, along with its most horrifying foe to date.
The Forever Winter July update adds a lot of new features to the table, as developer Fun Dog continues to hone its promising-but-flawed creation into what could become one of our best survival games. The impressive worldbuilding and atmosphere was hampered at its early-access launch by bugs, clunkiness, balance issues, and a general feeling that it was a little undercooked. As we near the one-year mark, however, regular updates have continued to hone and refine it, and this new patch includes further, fundamental changes to movement and game feel.
Fun Dog has improved the sense of character, rig, and gear weight, fine-tuned movement and acceleration/deceleration speeds, and tweaked jumping to feel more natural. Adjustments to reload rates will “allow for much smoother ‘fire, reload, fire’ gameplay,” and small arms such as pistols now equip far faster than their larger counterparts, allowing you to respond to situations quickly. Gaz would be proud. Target marking has been made more precise, and there’s also the new ability to mash buttons to speed up mantling, climbing, or getting back up when knocked down.
The ruined city of Lost Angels is now available to explore, along with a fresh crop of region-specific quests. It promises to be a valuable source of supplies, but you’ll need to watch your corners, as you aren’t the only one roaming the streets. What has me most afraid, however, is the arrival of Stiltwalker 1.0, Europa’s “multi-legged destruction machine.” Perhaps it’s the spider-like movements, or maybe it’s the combination of direct-fire missiles, guided ATGM munitions that can home in to obliterate any foe, and a point-defense system that keeps it safe from incoming explosives, but the mere sight of this thing strikes fear into my heart.
Alongside this comes some additional weapon customization options, with several guns being equipped with new hardguards and the ability to attach the likes of flashlights. Among the smaller but still significant tweaks, enemy soldiers will no longer take random ‘pot shots’ at targets they shouldn’t be aware of; squads will better spread out in an attempt to surround suspected threats; recruits have been made more responsive to your commands; and larger enemies can now be briefly stunned if you manage to hit them hard enough. Fun Dog has also continued to work on performance improvements and optimization.
The Forever Winter July update is out now. You can read through the full patch notes courtesy of Fun Dog Studios. “Note the file size on this update is fairly large,” it warns, “thanks for tolerating that and we are working on cutting this down in future updates.”
Looking for more of the best co-op games for you and your friends to enjoy together? We’ve rounded up our top picks for 2025, along with a guide to the best gaming headset for PC to make sure your communication sounds crystal clear.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.
The very best space RPGs can inspire a sense of wonder and scale unlike anything else. Games like No Man’s Sky and Starfield, when they are at their best, offer a magnificent sense of smallness and an equal embracing of freedom. That feeling goes to back to some of the best retro RPGs like Wing Commander: Privateer. Continuing in this legacy, Star Valor is a overlooked throwback. An upcoming DLC centered around base building looks to make it even better.
In Star Valor – Base Building, you can do exactly what it says on the tin: manage and construct your own bases. The DLC adds multiple station types, like mining stations for extracting minerals from gigantic asteroids or production facilities to boost your economic power. You can even start with a base instead of a space ship in a new mode, battling waves of enemies to preserve the center of power. Like the best space games, Star Valor offers multiple approaches to play, letting you become an intergalactic trader, a pirate warlord, and much else besides.
For the unfamiliar, Star Valor is a space-based RPG in a procedurally generated galaxy. No two games of Star Valor are alike; the game redraws the map every time you start a new game. You’ll start on your own, but as you level up and get cash, you can hire crew members to pilot bigger ships or entire fleets. You’ll barter, argue, fight, and ally with seven different factions.
The Base Building DLC for Star Valor will launch on July 27, 2025. The price has not yet been announced.
If you are looking for more richly defined, speculative worlds, take a look at our list of the best RPG games. If you want to wander through endless possibilities, check out the best open-world games.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.
I am not sure anyone was shocked this week when a multi-billion-dollar company carved its way through the videogaming arm of its workforce, laying off thousands of people who, until that point, had been diligently coding the games it had approved.
Minutes later came the mealy-mouthed soundbites about restructuring, innovating, and an exciting future for all. All released to the background of thousands of resumes being hurriedly and worriedly emailed to the recruiters of the three jobs that are available.
“We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace.”
10,000 jobs cut in 2023, another 9,000 now. How’s that positioning going Microsoft?
Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer was also at it, “I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously.”
The desks were emptying at studios such as Rare, King, and Bethesda, among many others, as he spoke.
The elephAInt in the room
Executive Producer at Xbox Game Studios, Matt Turnbull, will be wishing he hadn’t posted his advice on LinkedIn to those booted out to load up ChatGPT and get it to help you with the recruitment process. He’s now removed it, and I feel a bit sorry for him as he was trying to be helpful. And LinkedIn is a dumpster fire at the best of times, but still, if you still have your job when colleagues are losing theirs, my advice would be to keep your head down.
It’s not clear if or indeed any of the job cuts are as a direct result of Microsoft’s love-in with Artificial Intelligence. It would be silly to presume there is no connection, and this is the way the world is headed wither way. But we don’t have to like it
The thing is, and I have said this vociferously before when industry layoffs occur, that all that ever happens is that you get a few media outlets – many themselves often under constant fear of staff cuts, highlighting the problem, and then some bleating on Reddit from players who were looking forward to a particular game coming out that has now been canned, and that’s it. Rinse and repeat.
Seemingly ad infinitum.
Nothing new
I interviewed a long-standing CEO of a prominent publisher not long back – an interview you will be able to read in full on The Escapist in the near future and he told me he thought the games industry had always been a mess. And he has been in the game for decades.
He also said that perhaps it is time to start looking at things the way the movie industry does. There, you don’t so much work for a company but on a project. When the project is complete – ie, the movie gets released, that’s it. Job done, and you move on to the next one. If a movie gets canned, same thing.
It’s just a different perception and maybe the way things are already going, even if it’s not being outwardly stated.
Do most people care that the gaming industry is so dysfunctional?
Nobody objects for more than a few hours. Nobody is held to task. Corporations gonna corporation, and we just accept it. There’s no, “well, you sacked all those Perfect Dark devs, so we will hit you in the pocket by letting you stick your next Call of Duty where the sun don’t shine”.
Speaking of Perfect Dark, that’s another area where we should be outraged. I, like you, saw the gameplay trailer only a few months back and thought, yeah, that looks pretty cool. Now the game is canned for being in “poor shape,” and we are thinking, ‘but hang on, it looked alright to me.”
Now we find out that “demo” was somewhere between a fake and a load of sections frantically duct-taped together to hold it in one piece for the one minute the trailer lasted before presumably bursting into flames the second recording stopped.
Just stop lying to your audience.
Or at least if you continue to lie to us, and we find out, then there will be consequences for your profit and loss sheet. Which, let’s face it, is all they really care about. If it’s a “vertical slice”, tell us it is. But the push to see all the latest trailers at the same old games festivals means that companies feel the need to do this stuff.
Should we be bothered?
In the main, the games industry is not a cosy cottage industry. It is a behemoth full of corporations and money guys trying to extract the most cash from you. Some of you may be young enough not to remember it being any different, but it was. And it was better for it. But that version of the games industry couldn’t exist today. It is naive to think it could.
The cottage industry aspect survives in the form of (some) indie studios, but the world of the triple A (or even the AA or, just the bloody A) can be found north of Disaster Town. And then these companies have the gall to tell us we don’t own the games, only rent them. What happens? We complain for a few hours, then pre-order the next one so we can play it 48 hours early.
Maybe it really is all our fault in the first place.
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My left hand opponent dealt and bid one diamond. Partner passed. My right hand opponent bid one spade. I wanted to double one diamond, but not one spade, with the following hand: ♠KQT5 ♡K92 ♢2 ♣ KT653.
So I passed. Left hand opponent rebid two diamonds. Partner and right hand opponent passed. Now I doubled, because the last opposing bid was diamonds.
Partner’s distribution was 4-3-4-2, with xxx in hearts and Qx in clubs. She passed because she had four cards each and her remaining seven honor points in suits bid by the opponents, and she thought she was "playing defense." She didn’t want to bid one of her short "round" suits (clubs or hearts)to take out my double.
I told her, "I had four spades to support a spade bid, and a only a singleton diamond opposite your four diamonds. We were not strong enough to defend, but we were strong enough to play two spades" (RHO opponent had five little ones for his bid).
Partner thought that my double showed shortness in both the opponents suits. I say that my bidding pattern showed shortness only in diamonds and suggested strength in spades. Are either of these interpretations more nearly correct than the other? Or do some world class partnerships use one, and some the other?
If you know the British Isles as well as I do, you’ll know that the fine city of Birmingham doesn’t exactly scream ‘potential videogame location.’ But what about if you take things back to the 14th century? And fill it with zombies. Now it’s got a chance. That’s exactly what God Save Birmingham is looking to do, and after watching around eight minutes of new gameplay footage, it’s just shot to the top of my ‘most anticipated zombie games’ list.
Now, I’ll admit that I usually prefer my zombie games to be co-op affairs that are full of massive, dynamic hordes and ludicrous weapons. Call of Duty Zombies. Dead Island 2. You know the vibe. For that reason, the likes of Killing Floor 3 and the concerningly silent John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando have been way up on my list of upcoming PC games that I’m looking forward to. However, I think God Save Birmingham just surpassed them.
This isn’t some co-op horde blaster where you can smack shamblers with an electrified baseball bat or suck zombies up into a portable jet turbine. I’ve seen snippets of gameplay before, but looking at the new extended trailer posted by IGN, it actually comes across as very The Last of Us-y with its third-person sneaking and meaty takedown animations. I doubt the narrative juice will be quite as potent in God Saves Birmingham, but when it comes to taking down zombs, it’s definitely got that TLOU flavor.
There’s also a big focus on using and reacting to the environment around you. Furniture can be moved to block doorways. Ladders can be repurposed as bridges for crossing gaps. Standing on chairs can help you jump up to ledges that would typically be too high. Everything (including you and the zombies) has realistic and reactive physics, and looks like a really fun sandbox.
The new trailer also shows just how deep its survival game mechanics go. Meters for hunger, thirst, fatigue, and panic can be seen. Trying to replenish these with items in your inventory will require real-time actions and menu scanning – there’s no pausing the action and instantly eating a loaf of bread here. Falling from a height inflicts a leg injury, which then hampers your movement speed. Objects can be disassembled for raw materials. There’s a proper cooking system too.
I think it all looks marvelous, and the medieval setting feels like a novel one for a zombie survival experience. God Save Birmingham is currently without a release date, but an early access launch is on the cards for it.
Be sure to check out our list of the best medieval games if, like me, you’re loving ye olde vibes of God Save Birmingham. Our upcoming PC games list is also on hand to show you what else is on the way in the near and distant future.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.
At the start of each year, we take a look at what games are coming in the next twelve months. Some of these will inevitably slip into the next year and we’re really basing this on the publishers timelines. So, here are twenty games that we’re excited about that are slated for release this year.
Galactic Cruise
Publisher:Kinson Key Games Designer: T.K. King, Dennis Northcott, Koltin Thompson Release Window: Q1 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Everyone
Galactic Cruise is a game that we’ve seen for almost 3 years as the team at Kinson Key Games has polished every part of this project. The final game will arrive to Kickstarter backers in Q1 and it’s pretty amazing. Players are building space cruises as they attract clients for out of this world travel.
The artwork and iconography from Ian O’Toole really makes this game shine. Galactic Cruise is a game that is on everyone’s radar for good reason. Thankfully, the wait is almost over and I get most of the year to play this gem.
Wine Cellar
Publisher:25th Century Games Designer: Andrew Stiles Release Window: Q2 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ric and Bob
As trick-taking games become more and more popular, it’s good to see those that add solid creative twists. I’m a fan of the auction sub-genre, where the trick results impact the acquisition of different assets. That’s what you’ve got with Wine Cellar, a game originally designed by Andrew Stiles for an 18-card design contest. In this game, you’ll all be working to create the best wine collection, and each bottle scores differently based on its “age”… that is, its location in your collection.
The little wine bottle cards aren’t everyone’s thing, but I love them. I like the look when they’re all lined up at the end of the game, ready for scoring. It also plays up to 8 people, and more people don’t necessarily stretch the game too long or too thin. With easy-to-learn rules and quick gameplay, I think this will end up as one of the more versatile titles in my collection.
Deep Regrets
Publisher:Tettix Games Designer: Judson Cowan Release Window: Q2 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
This dark and unsettling fishing game really impressed us when we previewed it in 2024. The artwork for Deep Regrets pulls you in as you try and balance your mental state during your time at sea. Players have to find ways to mitigate regret cards while still finding wild creatures at sea.
This is Tettix Games second design and even at the prototype level, the game was really well made. Deep Regrets is a game that I understood better each time it hit the table and I’m itching for more. You can learn more in my preview from 2024.
Azul Duel
Publisher:Next Move Games Designer: Michael Kiesling Release Window: Q2 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan and Erin
Do we need another version of Azul? Possibly. Azul Duel is built for a 2-player focused experience and we’re hearing good things from people who have played it. Azul (and its board game siblings) are pretty solid at most player counts. I’m not 100% sure that this game is necessary but it could surprise me.
Azul is a game that has made its way into so many game shelves. If Next Move Games can shake up the formula enough to stand out, Azul Duel may be a great purchase for Erin and I. Our 2-player focused selection of games is growing and we’ll be watching for this release before summer.
Lairs
Publisher:Kids Table Board Gaming Designer: Christopher Westmaas Release Window: Q3 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan and Bob
Lairs is a unique take on dungeon crawling for 2-players. Each player builds out the dungeon that their opponent has to move through. Using traps and monsters, players are trying to keep the other player from easily grabbing the loot and finding the exit. Erin and I had a great time trying the game out at Origins last summer prior to the Kickstarter campaign launch.
What makes Lairs so cool is that after playing the game, you’ll start opening new content that makes dungeons more dangerous and introduces new features. This game builds on itself the more you play. Lairs is a fun time and the KTBG crew has a great game on their hands as we head into 2025.
Luthier
Publisher:Paverson Games Designer: Dave Beck, Abe Burson Release Window: Q2 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ric
I’m quite tired of fantasy, space and even nature-themed games. So it’s always nice to see a game asking me to do something I haven’t really done before. That’s what I’m seeing in Luthier. You’re a crafter of instruments, and you must manage your shop so that you build the strongest reputation.
I haven’t gotten to dive into the rules and gameplay as much as I would like. However, from what I’ve seen, it provides the opportunity for those chain reaction decisions I love so much, where a choice lets you do something, which leads to another thing, and so on.
The only thing holding me back from more excitement is the price. You’re getting a lot in the box, but $75 for retail is generally outside of my price range, no matter what I do. Here’s hoping I can find a good deal and/or unclaimed bag of cash in the near future…
Speakeasy
Publisher:Eagle-Gryphon Games Designer: Vital Lacerda Release Window: Q3/Q4 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan and Bob
One of my favorite gaming experiences of 2024 was playing Speakeasy with family and friends. This Vital Lacerda game quickly climbed my list of favorite games after just a single play. Players will align themselves with mobsters as they take over parts of Manhattan during the Prohibition Era.
Speakeasy has artwork from Ian O’Toole, incredible player boards, and a sprawling city to take over. The way Lacerda ties this game to the real world mobsters of the 1920’s brings so much depth to this game. Look for Speakeasy to hit a game table near you before the end of the year.
Camping Season
Publisher:SweaterBear Games Designer: Casey Mattes, Zoey Mattes Release Window: Q3/Q4 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
I love the idea of managing a campground where people are going to adventure and make memories. Camping Season is a game that is supposed to simulate running the facilities where campers are choosing to vacation. I love the look of the game and just the idea of managing reservations and facilities sounds super fun to my messed up brain.
The couple behind SweaterBear Games seems to love the great outdoors and the Kickstarter did really well back in October. I’m hoping this game can be found at retail after they fulfill orders to backers later this year. This is a game that is definitely on my radar going into the fall.
Scoville 2nd Edition
Publisher:Trick or Treat Studios Designer: Ed Marriott Release Window: Q1 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
This game made my 2024 most anticipated list but it looks like it will show up one more time before the game arrives. Scoville is a pepper farming game that I’ve always wanted to play but with it being out of print, I wasn’t willing to pay the inflated price.
Scoville is getting a brand new release from Trick or Treat Studios (Halloween, Blood Orders) and it has artwork from Vincent Dutrait. I’m so pumped to finally play this game and cannot wait for this new edition with its previously released expansion already in the box. Hopefully it will show up early in the year so that I get loads of time with the game in 2025.
House of Fado
Publisher:Eagle-Gryphon Games Designer: Vital Lacerda, João Quintela Martins Release Window: Q1 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ric
When we played Speakeasy with Ryan, I was definitely a fan. However, I know that I will rarely be able to get a game that complex and that lengthy onto the table with my friends and family. It’s just not in the cards for me these days. Or the dice. Or the meeples.
So that’s why I’m excited about the release of House of Fado from Eagle-Gryphon Games. Even before I knew it was a Lacerda co-design, I was drawn in by the artwork and concept, as was my wife (which is likely more important if I’m wanting the chance to play). There seem to be plenty of important choices to make as you control your restaurant, hoping to feature the best music to attract the most customers.
A small box with big decisions and cool artwork? These days, that’s my sweet spot.
Publisher: Restoration Games Designer: Lots of people Release Window: Q3 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan and Ric
You know that Unmatched has to show up on this list somewhere. Unmatched Adventures was a big hit for us in 2023 and when you throw the Ninja Turtles into the mix, oh snap! I’m excited to see how each of the turtles play against other Unmatched fighters. Restoration Games does such a great job of creating a co-op experience, and this time you’ll go toe-to-toe with Shredder and Krang.
TMNT is a license that so many people are excited for. It’s not often that an 80’s kid and their 19 year old kid are excited about the same game. Unmatched Adventures: TMNT should be arriving to Kickstarter backers at the tail-end of summer. Look for this to hit retail around fall of 2025.
ULTRAMASSIVE
Publisher:Studio Unknown Designer: Alex Greenberg & Jacob Phillips Release Window: Q3 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Phil
I had the pleasure of being introduced to ULTRAMASSIVE at One Board Day and am quite eager to get this on the table at home. This strategy game invites you to take the role of a fledgling black hole with one simple goal: get BIGGER! This is carried out by manipulating two tracks on your player board, adding matter or antimatter and delivering it to the center to fuel your growth.
Incorporating drafting, engine building and clever manipulation of player boards via wormholes and gravity, ULTRAMASSIVE presents itself as an excellent introduction to strategy gaming with enough complexity to keep veterans puzzling out new strategies. What I saw in my demo session seemed like a perfect match of theme to mechanics and I look forward to the final product.
Botswana
Publisher:25th Century Games Designer: Reiner Knizia Release Window: Q3 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
About 6 years ago, Bob Crowell introduced me to Quandary, an out of print game by Milton Bradley from Reiner Knizia. My immediate reaction was “how come this is out of print?!”. Eagle-Gryphon Games brought back the game under the title Botswana, then Wildlife Safari. This summer, 25th Century Games is bringing Botswana back into print with completely new artwork from the phenomenal Weberson Santiago.
This is one of Reiner’s more simple designs with players placing an animal card and drafting one of the animal types from the center of the table. Once the cards of one animal type are all on the table, the game ends. Players get points based on the top card value for each animal type that they have. This is such a great filler game and with the new artwork, I cannot wait to introduce the family to Botswana.
Power Creep
Publisher:PNP Arcade Publishing Designer: Jason Greeno, Jason Tagmire Release Window: January 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ric
Print-and-play games are becoming the main thing I purchase on Kickstarter these days. They’re significantly cheaper, they take up way less room, and they often provide just as strong of a gameplay experience.
Dungeon Pages stood out back in 2023 with its unique approach and solid gameplay. A fun recreation of a classic dungeon crawler, you used dice to help you navigate around, defeat enemies, and collect items. The base game came out with a few maps and characters, which you could mix and match together to your liking. Dangerous Space used the same format with some extra bells and whistles. I’ve played through both, and while they kicked my butt several times, I kept coming back to the games, hoping a better approach or character choice would improve my chances.
Power Creep promises to take the best parts of both games and make an even better overall experience. Plus, the creators are continuing with their year-long support option in which they’ll release a new map every week of 2025, along with a new character every month. I’ve not tried this out with the other titles, so I’m excited to start playing once the content begins delivering in January.
Spooktacular
Publisher:Level 99 Games Designer: D. Brad Talton Jr. Release Window: Q2 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
Last summer I got to play a digital version of Spooktacular with a member of the Level 99 team. This game puts players in the role of monsters that are haunting a movie theater in the 80’s. Each monster has unique abilities and powers that will help you terrorize the patrons of the theater.
Each monster has a movie poster tied to them and is a throwback to a movie monster from the past. I loved the flow of this game and was really impressed with the amount of player choices that come in the box. Level 99 Games has a hit on their hands and I’m ready to check out the final product when it becomes available later this year.
Popcorn
Publisher: iello Designer: Victor Saumont Release Window: Q2/Q3 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
I love the theme of running a movie theater and trying to find the right movies to fit the audience. Popcorn is a bag building game where players will build their theater, then draw audience members from their bag to pair them with the right experience.
Over nine rounds, players are building and even stealing patrons from other players using advertising. If this game is as fun as it sounds, this might be a “must buy” for us this year. It sounds a little like the tableau building game Funfair which is another favorite of mine.
I sometimes get sucked into scrolling through Kickstarter for an hour or two, seeing if I can find something awesome I’ve never heard of. That’s what happened with Eternal Decks. I didn’t see or hear ANYTHING about this title, but I’m hopeful it catches some attention once it hits tables early next year.
What you’ve got is a cooperative card-playing game in which you’re all working together to complete different stages. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to unlock an Eternal, which will add more cards to a player’s deck.
I’m hopeful that the challenges will increase as you go from stage to stage, and that you’ll have to make important choices as to who gets what cards and when. I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity here for a special game built on an easy-to-learn rules set. We’ll get to find out early next year!
My kids and I spent so many hours playing Don’t Starve on Playstation over the years. I’m really intrigued with how this game will play out as a tabletop experience. They have a solid track record of bringing video game content to the board game space which is promising.
Don’t Starve: The Board Game should launch any time now on Kickstarter. I have some concern that we may not see this project on the table this calendar year. If you’re a fan of this digital game, chances are that you’ll be watching this project like we are.
RA and Write
Publisher:25th Century Games Designer: Reiner Knizia Release Window: Q2 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan and Erin
Last year, we were excited to see a flip and write game associated with the classic bidding game RA. This new game from Dr Knizia is such a streamlined experience that is still rooted in the original game. RA and Write was one of our favorite games we played in 2024 and we’re excited to have the fully published game this coming year.
While I’m (Ryan) a big fan of the original RA, Erin absolutely adores RA and Write. The bidding mechanic is removed and players are choosing their path from the cards that are rolled out each turn. Flipping out the third RA card will end the era, triggering scoring for that portion of the game. RA and Write should be here before the summer which means that this is probably the game you’ll see on our table all summer long.
The Dark Quarter
Publisher:Lucky Duck / Van Ryder Games Designer: Evan Derrick Release Window: Q1 2025 Excitement Level: Nominated by: Ryan
Way back in the year 2022, Lucky Duck and Van Ryder Games combined forces to create a game called The Dark Quarter. This narrative driven game brings players into the dark and seedy underbelly of New Orleans in the 1980’s. Raising over a million dollars through Kickstarter, this is a game that I’m excited to see finally arrive on the game table.
Backers of the game will be receiving the game at the start of the year, with the game hitting retail later in the year. Lucky Duck has a proven track record with creating immersive experiences using a digital companion (Chronicles of Crime, Destinies). We’ll definitely be sharing our experience once this game finally hits our hot little hands.
