Holiday Gaming Gift Guide 2023 | 30 Board Games We Recommend This Holiday Season!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Planning to use our recommendations for anyone this holiday season? Let us know! Or tell us what other games you're picking up these holidays!

[@IndianaGeologist]

Take 5 has been such a hit, so I'm giving out a couple gifts to some card game family members. Great video btw, really love the energy you guys bring.

[@CheeseDud]

Would love to see best games to play at 2am 😂 Great video, guys! I can tell you’re being really intentional about quality. Your effort is definitely making a difference :)

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Thanks, CheeseDud! A lot of thought and work went into this one for sure. Haha, good to know SOMEONE'S interested in the 2am games...

[@PRie-gx6bc]

I love Dylann's "you got it" at 7:42 in such a wholesome dad voice❤

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Wholesome Dad is what I’m usually going for.

[@86Disab]

I was able to track down HEAT at JR Toys out of Ontario. When I bought it it was $79.99 with free shipping to BC. They still have lots of stock, but the price went up to $89.99. Just played it this weekend and we got a ton of rules mixed up (don't recommend trying to learn a game with 6 people lol) I looked up a video yesterday and it's actually pretty simple and not sure why we had a bunch of confusion.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Always a challenge to learn a game with large groups! But Heat is definitely worth it, great game!

[@Golden_Mustang]

I love Victory Pints and it's also my favourite local game store. Thanks for all the game recommendations!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Our pleasure! Victory Pints for the win!

[@chrisjohnphillips6352]

I agree that Patchwork is phenomenal. I recently stumbled upon another 2 player gem that's went under the radar so far. It's called Patterns. It's by Trevor Benjamin and Brett Gilbert, who previously created Great Plains and Mandala. Patterns is a must play!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Say no more! I'm very intrigued. Thanks for the recommendation! 😊 - Braiden

[@dannyanderson4723]

I know this isn't a competition, but Carlo wins this video. His recommendations aligned so well with my tastes, except, Dylann is right about Veiled Fate. Great video boys, keep it up.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Carlo will be thrilled to read that! :D

[@daniellekent3058]

Just found your channel. Cool to see more content from Canada!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Thanks! Glad you found us. 😀 We launched the channel in January 2020 so we've been at it for almost 4 years, just as something fun in our spare time, but we really enjoy doing it. Thanks for watching!

[@Michaelrsted]

Great list. I would throw in another for two players. That totally killed Radlands for us (me and my wife). Star Wars a deck building game. Is just stellar. Even if you don’t like or don’t really dig Star Wars. It’s really good. Easy to get into and has so much depth.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Good call! Even though none of us are HUGE Star Wars fans we all enjoy it a fair amount still, and I've heard really good things about that game too. We'll try to get our hands on a copy some time in the new year to try it out. Thanks! - Carlo

[@jacobfigler5275]

My favorite winnipeg boardgame store too! Such a nice owner!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Oh yeah, Dave is one of the nicest people we've met since launching our channel and meeting more gamers around here. And the selection of games at VP is top notch.

[@pamd9834]

Some good pics in this video! The categories led to a nice selection of a variety of games!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Thanks! And thanks for watching and commenting. ☺️

[@TurtleDude05]

What a great list(s). A real who's who of board games. All except AFFO. No one actually likes that game. But otherwise fantastic. As a side note, I love the setting and style of this video. A really nice change of pace.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Glad you enjoyed, it was fun for us to switch it up too. #TeamAgricola - Carlo

[@HachetteBoardgamesUSA]

What great picks! Thanks for including Akropolis!

[@BraidenWatling]

Of course! Now I just have to stop borrowing Carlos copy :P!

[@Raphaelus13]

Thanks for the video, guys. Dahlias, the new art re-print of Bohnanza, seems like a good stocking filler.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

oh, nice one! I didn't even realize this was being made. I loooooove Bohnanza. Interesting that they've dropped the player count here to 5 instead of 7, not sure how I feel about that (even though I've never played it with 7, but I have with 6 and it was still great). Also, I actually prefer the goofy art in the original version, but I realize I'm probably in the minority there. Also, I'm not 100% sure but I think I recommended Bohnanza in one of our Family Game categories in a previous gift guide, so I wasn't even considering it this year. But definitely a great pick as a stocking stuffer. - Carlo

[@ryanlohman4922]

Awesome suggestions! I need to figure out what to get some of my gaming friends so this was a good start.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

So happy we could help!

[@tbahr123]

Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig is amazing. I don’t ever hear people talk about it. It’s a top 5 game for me. Games that go up to 5, 6, 7 without being too long or straight up party games are exactly the niche I look for and I’m not sure there are many that do it better than Between Two Castles!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Yeah I've never understood why I rarely hear people talk about it. I've played it with at least 7 or 8 different people over the years and everyone has loved it and requested to play it again. Simultaneous play for THAT many players that you can play in under an hour is pretty rare. Thanks for watching! - Carlo

[@writerian]

Great recommendations as always but no solo? Strange. I’ll be picking up a few of the games…for me! 🤣🥃 Thanks for the mental health category. It’s one of the main reasons I play board games.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Only 10 categories, and we had a solo category the past 2 years. With thousands of people seeing these guides each year, there's just no way to hit every category that every person wants. We had to make some tough choices... just like the best board games.

[@derkcast620]

OMG i can see Cobblehill puzzles in the background! eeeeee!!!!! this is so cool!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Can't go wrong with Cobble Hill!

[@steveg9939]

Very nice list! I already own many of the suggestions and that makes me want to play the games! Won’t spoil the list but great picks

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Sounds like you have great taste in games! 😀

[@DaninaPetroskova]

“Tens o jogo Lisboa?” Loved it!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Haha, obrigado!

[@tonycork2pa469]

Some great picks there. It's funny how personal biases can put any of us off certain games. For example, I have allowed the "Radlands" box image and card graphics to put me off taking a close look at the game play, which your video suggests I might actually enjoy (I will check it out). Separately, while I generally love "beige" games, in "Guilds of Merchant Explorers", I find the cube size images and multitude of board spaces off putting - I imagine an accidental minor bump of the board causing mayhem, with the game state being lost - perhaps my perception is far removed from reality.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Great point about personal biases. Re: The Guild of Merchant Explorers - it's more of a laminated sheet than a board, and each person has their own sheet. I've played the game around 10 times or so and I never had that happen, and trust me, I share the same concerns with stuff like that (i.e. the player mats in Terraforming Mars where you track all your resources and production capabilities). I wouldn't rule out the possibility entirely, but I'll say 2 things about this: 1. Since there isn't a lot going on in the game outside of your personal sheet, you're not moving your arms around much as you play. Like there isn't much to be reaching across the table for. 2. IF you were to bump the table/sheet, since your cube placement options are pretty restricted by building out from the middle, it wouldn't be quite as hard to figure out where things were and reset compared to something like the mats in Terraforming Mars where you could easily forget which exact numbers you have. Still a valid concern though, I don't want to dismiss it entirely. - Carlo

[@JonathanNation]

Veiled Fate is my favorite on your list --- IV Studios does great games. A few I've added to my wishlist, like Hansa Teutonica Big Box and moved Caesar's Empire up my list a little.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Yeah, we also have a copy of Moonrakers here from IV Studios which we haven't played yet, but we're hoping to play it soon. I hope you have a blast with Hansa Teutonica and Caesar's Empire. Incredible games. - Carlo

[@JonathanNation]

​@@AllYouCanBoard Moonrakers is what turned me onto IV & have got to know Austin well since. Love Moonrakers, it's better with the overloaded expansion at a minimum. Looking forward to having my copy of Fractured Sky. BTW: the Veiled Fate mini expansion is a ton of tun for Moonrakers.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

@@JonathanNation Austin seems like a great guy (we've had limited interactions with him, but he put forth some amazing prizes when we did our 24-hour livestream for mental health last year). Veiled Fate mini expansion for Moonrakers, you say? Hmm, we'll look into that, thanks.

[@JonathanNation]

@@AllYouCanBoard it's the one called "The Endless" ... they have one good image on their store, but they are all fun.

[@lookoutspiele9135]

Great recommendations, guys! Thanks for mentioning Patchwork among them. This baby will get a special #10thanniversaryedition in Autumn 2024!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

10 years. Now we feel old, THANKS A LOT 😂

[@gilabalsam9511]

Patchwork is my best game ever!

[@tdubkickflic]

great lists!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Thanks! Hope you found something you might like. ☺️

[@petermcpherson15]

Thanks for including Fit to Print in this amazing list, folks!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Congrats on designing another super fun game! Tiny Towns, Wormholes, and now this? Quite a 3-game run to start with, you should be super proud. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

[@petermcpherson15]

Aw, thank you so much! Lots of projects in the works 😁

[@tomlikeabomb6706]

Age of Innovation is great. I probably still prefer Gaia Project though.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

I still have to play Gaia Project, but for me personally, the fantasy theme almost always tops the space theme. But I'm excited to try it and compare! -Dylann

[@tomlikeabomb6706]

@@AllYouCanBoard the fantasy theme is cooler haha

[@busgus7969]

Bought Libertalia from Victory Pints the other day!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Nice! Great game, hope you're enjoying it. 😀

[@curtisrobinson7962]

They have legs. I did not know.

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Almost 4 years into our channel, we thought it was finally time to confirm this.

[@kylaulbricht]

Great video!!! Thanks for taking the time to share your lists!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Thank YOU for taking the time to watch it! We hope you found it useful (or at least entertaining if nothing else).

[@laminas]

Porra, não estava à espera de ver alguém falar em português neste vídeo. Cumprimentos desde... Lisboa. 😂

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Haha, muito obrigado!

[@conniepatterson6811]

That's great! 🔥🔥🔥

[@AllYouCanBoard]

We think so!

[@JackieLatimer]

Any idea where I can find Can’t Stop? I’ve been trying for a while with no luck. Love the video, the categories were perfect, great choices, another wonderful review!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Where abouts in the world are ya located?!

[@JackieLatimer]

@@AllYouCanBoard in Nova Scotia

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Le Valet d'Coeur has it in stock online!

[@JackieLatimer]

@@AllYouCanBoard thank you, I just ordered it from them 😊

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Awesome! Hope you enjoy!

[@jacobfigler5275]

Lol love the shout out

[@BraidenWatling]

Here for it.

[@zalbo_]

The most recent Asterix & Obelix comic came out on the 26th of October fyi :P

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Oh, cool! I knew it's been around for a long time but I wasn't aware they were still releasing new ones. - Carlo

[@zalbo_]

@@AllYouCanBoard There was even a new movie this year, although I don't think it was released in English

[@AllYouCanBoard]

@@zalbo_ You're blowing my mind here, haha. One of my friends still LOVES Asterix & Obelix, I need to let him know this asap.

[@cam_3012]

Also what happened to marvel champions

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Still a big fan of Marvel Champions and will likely do more content, but had to take a pause from being as active and frequent with it as I have been in the past because life has become very busy and hectic. But I'll come back to it when my time frees up a bit! -Dylann

[@Raphaelus13]

LEGS?!

[@AllYouCanBoard]

I know, right? If we could trade them in for tentacles we probably would.

[@scottmcfarlane7524]

Hey where is Dave?

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Just off screen watching us record haha

[@dylanwatson6761]

@AllYouCanBoard I was hoping that you were going to pull Dave into the frame at the end. 🙃

[@AllYouCanBoard]

Haha, we don't know if the world is ready for how cool Dave is. Maybe next time!