That means it's Fridayyy!!!

It may feel like things have come to a stop this week with the largest boardgame convention in the world happening in Germany right now, but that’s not the case for many of us, so we’re keeping the momentum going!

Catan Seafarers

You can’t resist the call of the sea and have to explore the world of Catan through a series of scenarios. Embark on an epic journey and set sail into the unknown. Rough waters, pirates and dense fog won’t stop you from going after that alluring gold and those precious resources. Our thanks to Benjamin Teuber and the late Klaus Teuber, the game designers, as well as Catan, the publisher, and darhf for the BGA port.

Lodge

Ahh, the Swiss Alps… The slopes are covered in snow, and the sun shines high in the sky. Everything is ready to ensure that tourists flock to your lodge. Everything? Not quite. Draft room tiles and place them on matching floors to attract guests to your lodge. Accommodate them on their preferred floors and construct amenities to keep them happy. Our gratitude goes to  Peter McPherson, the game designer, PickPocket Games, the publisher, as well as Kayvon and  Mogri for the BGA adaptation.

a-way
Are you ready to compete in the legendary spaceship race to the Quazarys galaxy? Begin in your own base, which, coincidently, is your opponent’s finish line. Race through solar paths, stations, directional arrows, and strange space phenomena. On this ever-changing track, clever navigation is just as vital as raw speed. We bow to Benjamin Niess, the game designer, Blue Orange, the publisher, as well as Moof for the BGA version.

We also released Luthier and Labyrinth this week but you might have seen these already.

Some of the games above can be played with two players and are a perfect fit for the BGA Battle. Have you joined a team yet?

More games are already lined up for next week and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Imagine the smell of fresh maple filling your workshop. Outside, the streets hum with 18th-century Europe, where a single note can change history. You're a luthier, and your instruments are about to become the soul of the grandest concert halls.

In Luthier, you're building more than violins or cellos, you're crafting a legacy. You'll start with a simple workbench and a dream, but soon, the greatest composers of the era will be knocking on your door.

And here's how you make your mark.

First, win the hearts of your patrons, you need support to thrive. Take on commissions, handle repairs, and deliver masterpieces to keep them happy. But make a patron wait too long, and they'll take their funding to a rival family.

As your reputation builds, your family of artisans will expand, growing your influence. Juggle resources, master complex plans, and refine your craft to stay ahead of the competition.

Finally, seize the spotlight. It's not just about the instruments; you'll also need to show off your work through performances. The goal? Claiming a "First Chair" in the orchestra. When the music starts, your instrument needs to define the entire performance.

Whether you're tuning strings or managing your workshop's frantic pace, every decision ripples through the symphony. Grab your chisel and train your apprentices. Let's see if you have what it takes to compose a masterpiece.  Will you catch the ear of royalty, or will your instruments remain in the shadows?

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=luthier

Our thanks go to Dave Beck and Abe Burson, the game designers, as well as the team from Paverson Games for crafting the game and letting us add it to the platform. We'd also like to thank c12h22o11_ for their BGA port.

This was your Wednesday release.

May your melodies linger long after the final bow. Take care and play fair…

Let’s go back in time a little… A little more… A little more… There you go, we are now in the mid-eighties. You’re watching Madonna on MTV, your outfit is all acid-washed denim, color block and oversized shoulder pads but most importantly, when your mom is leaving for her aerobics class, you have friends over to play a game of Labyrinth.

Those days are back! I mean, besides the fashion, MTV, aerobics or the Mexico World Cup, Labyrinth made its way to BGA, 40 years after its original release!

The game needs no introduction for many of you but for those not familiar with it, it is a rather simple concept: race for treasures in a moving maze! You move around the shifting paths of the labyrinth in a race to collect various treasures. Whoever collects all of their treasures first and returns to their home space wins!

Let’s be honest, we all remember that "kid’s game" feeling, but Labyrinth was never actually just about the treasures. It was about that moment when you were one turn away from victory, ready to slide your piece into home, only for your friend to grin, slide a row, and demolish your path. That sudden shift in the walls? That was the moment of a perfectly laid plan turning into a total scramble for survival. Kind of your first lesson in tactical betrayal…

Four decades later, your world has gone bigger but that feeling hasn't changed a bit. You’re not just sliding tiles; you’re outmaneuvering your opponents, predicting their next move, and trying to stay three steps ahead of a maze that refuses to stay still.

So, are you ready to see if you’ve still got the steady hand and the sharp eye for the maze? Let’s see who really owns the labyrinth this time around.

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=labyrinth

Our gratitude goes to the original architect Max J. Kobbert, the game designer, and Ravensburger, the publisher, for letting us add this classic to the platform. And a special nod to Ábel Tibor Tóth, aka Doctor Neo Cortex, for navigating the BGA port and bringing this digital maze to life.

This was your Monday release.

It’s your turn to step inside the Labyrinth. Take care and play fair…

You’re most likely used to it by now: Friday brings you more games and this week we have a couple of gems for you!

Sunfield Farm
Ever dreamed of escaping to the countryside and building a farm of your own? Grow delicious crops and raise adorable animals to meet the village’s demands. Can you earn the most prestige and become the most beloved farmer at Sunfield Farm? Thanks to
Céline Levet and Yoann Levet, the game designers, Studio H, the publisher, and Galeelox for the BGA port.

Echoes of Time
What if you could bend time to your will and change the course of history? Assemble the most well-rounded group of characters and equipment, harness the forces of the past and future, and outsmart your rivals to control the forces that rule the world. Every decision matters in this epic race to master time itself! We bow to Simone Luciani and Roberto Pellei, the game designers, Cranio Creations, the publisher, as well as xevizero for the BGA version.

Games keep making their way to your table as often as possible, and you shouldn’t ignore Odysseus and Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition, which were also released this week.

That's it for this week. Some SPIEL fun and more games next week, same BGA time, same BGA channel. In the meantime, take care and play fair…

Someone in the BGA team celebrates their birthday today, so we chose to kick off the festivities with a bang. Yes, it is here! Check the date all you want, it is not an April Fool’s joke: after spending so long in development that many of you stopped believing this day would come, Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition has finally made its way to Board Game Arena.

Get ready to embark on an epic journey with a game considered one of the greatest strategy board games ever made, a 4X style space opera of galactic conquest, trade, and diplomacy.

The Lazax Empire once ruled the galaxy from Mecatol Rex. But now the throne stands empty and many factions have their eyes on the prize. You are one of them. Will you seize power through military strength, economic mastery or political influence?

Explore distant systems, claim planets, research powerful technologies, and build fleets ready for war. But brute force isn't the only path to victory: trade with your rivals, negotiate alliances, and make deals that might not last until the next round.

Each round, you choose a strategy card that shapes your plans and grants you special advantages. Meanwhile, public and secret objectives give you new ways to score victory points. Control the right planets, outmaneuver your opponents, and seize opportunities before someone else does. And then there's Mecatol Rex... Claiming it won’t win you the game but it can bring immense power, and it paints a target on your back.

In Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition, every deal has a price, every alliance has an expiration date, and every decision can change the fate of the galaxy. Laying claim to the throne is a destiny sought by many, yet the shadows of the past serve as a grim warning to those who would follow in their footsteps…https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=twilightimperium

We want to thank Dane Beltrami, Corey Konieczka, and Christian T. Petersen, the game designers, and everyone at Fantasy Flight Games for letting us add this highly anticipated gem to the platform. And congratulations GTSchemer to for tackling this monster of a game for the community!

This was your Wednesday release.

Good things come to those who wait, but the galaxy isn't going to conquer itself. Take care and play fair…

Congratulations to all participants and winners from Season 26!

What exactly is "the Arena?”

The Arena is the competitive mode on BGA. If you master a game and want to play it competitively, this is THE mode to use, so you can challenge the best players and get the most experience points.

The Arena is organized in seasons of 3 months each. Achievements are awarded to the best players at the end of each season.

To play in the Arena: select "Play" and then choose "Arena" instead of "Simple game."

Read more about Arena mode

Arena format and Gurus

In the previous seasons the gurus chose the game formats for the Arena: player number, options used...

We are very happy to see that this way of doing things contributed to making the Arena more popular: thank you to all gurus for their smart suggestions and their votes!

Season 27 is NOW Launched

The new Arena is now open for its new season. And there is more:

You can get your ticket to the Ark Nova World Championship by taking part in Season 27. The best players from the Eastern and the the Western regions will be will be presented with a flight ticket to Berlin as well as free hotel accommodation during the main event in summer 2027. More information here!

Some Explanation About: Relegations

At the end of each season, after winners have been awarded, you are relegated.

League relegation is determined by the number of Arena leagues available for each game:

• For games with 6 leagues: Elite players are demoted to Gold, Diamond players to Silver, and everyone else to Bronze.
• For games with 5 or 4 leagues: Elite players are demoted to Silver, and everyone else to Bronze.
• For games with 3 or 2 leagues: Everyone is demoted to Bronze.

Note that some games might not follow these relegation rules, as we might have decided to adjust the number of leagues in between seasons.

It's up to you to find the way to the elite!

May the odds be ever in your favor!

You can find all changes to the Arena Game Formats here!

The Trojan War is over. Time to go home and enjoy a well-deserved break. Simple enough, right?

Well, not if you're Odysseus, the trouble magnet. The journey home to Ithaca takes another ten years. Along the way, there's a Cyclops with a cheese issue, sirens with questionable intentions, a powerful sorceress, monsters who really need to discover personal space, and gods who apparently have nothing better to do than ruin his day.

In Odysseus, you'll help the legendary hero navigate the perils of his epic journey across the Mediterranean. Your mission? Develop your skills, overcome trials, collect Tales, and turn a very rough trip into a legendary adventure. Strength, Intelligence, Cunning, Luck. You'll need to master all four to give Odysseus a fighting chance.

On your turn, choose a Trial card and decide whether to embark on an adventure or take a well-earned rest. Adventures help you develop your skills and build your collection of trials, while resting gives you a chance to strengthen a skill of your choice and gain Athena's Favor.

At the end of the game, you only score the points from trials you've successfully overcome. So, do you build up your strengths, shore up your weaknesses, or take a gamble on the cards available? Every choice matters, and the best plan today might not survive tomorrow.

And don't underestimate Athena's Favor. A little help from the goddess of wisdom can be just what you need to turn a decent plan into a great one.

Ready to set sail? Make sure you do before you start helping Odysseus find his way home. Just don't expect Poseidon to make it easy. He's got a reputation to maintain.

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=odysseus

We bow to Johannes Goupy and Matthieu Verdier, the game designers, as well as the Gigamic crew for letting us embark on this journey with them. And our thanks to tchobello, who made this trip a pleasure to navigate on BGA.

This was your Monday release.

Don’t get lured by the sweetness of sirens’ song. Take care and play fair…

Can you believe it’s already our second edition of Board Game Afterwork?

Another week, another stack of new games on the table. The weekend is upon us, and it is time to play!

Good Fortune

Test your luck and strategic timing in this fast-paced game where you compete to collect the most prosperous omens. Mixing push-your-luck tension and clever set collection, Good Fortune makes every round feel unpredictable. A tip of the hat to Jean-Louis Roubira, the game designers, Daïmon Play, the publisher, and Moof for the BGA version.

Bordeaux
In this pencil-and-paper game, you are a winemaker from Bordeaux striving to create the highest quality and most prestigious wines in France. As every good winemaker knows, time itself is an ingredient, and patience is as vital as ambition. We raise our glass to Ben Rosset, the game designer, to Road to Infamy Games, the publisher, and to tchobello who uncorked the BGA version.

Forest Shuffle - Smoky Mountains

Experience the wild beauty of the Appalachians in this stand-alone version of Forest Shuffle, as you build a thriving mountain ecosystem filled with new flora and fauna Create a forest according to your own vision: will you focus on densely planted tree lines or varied river landscapes? Thanks to Kosch, the game designer, Lookout Games, the publisher, and firgon for the BGA port.

Pixies' Expansion - Little Giants

It turns out there was more to learn about the forest’s little creatures. Meet the Little Giants, 14 new cards keeping watch at the edge of the Pixies’ world! Thanks to Johannes Goupy, the game designer, Bombyx, the publisher, and thoun for the BGA version.

Gaia Project’s Expansion - The Lost Fleet

Expand your galactic dominion with brand-new factions and advanced technologies that bring fresh strategic depth to your space-faring efforts. New planets and new sector tiles and a lot of new possibilities await you. We’re grateful to Jens Drögemüller and Helge Ostertag, the game designers, everyone at Feuerland Spiele, the publisher, and to Kayvon and Mogri for the BGA port.

We also released The Oracle of Delphi and Citadels Duel during the week. Check them out if you haven’t already.

Enjoy the weekend and see you next week. In the meantime, take care and play fair…

In the early 2000s, Citadels gave you something you didn’t know you needed: the power to get into someone’s mind… sort of… For over 25 years, it has been about building a medieval city of your own and outthinking your opponents. Citadels Duel is a brand-new reimagining of the award-winning game of intrigue and deduction, designed exclusively for head-to-head play.

You compete for control of a living, breathing city. You’ll work to sway the council, build new districts, and utilize unique character powers to stay one step ahead of your opponent. Every ally you recruit is an advantage your opponent can’t use, but every character you leave behind becomes their greatest weapon. Anticipate their moves and act decisively.

Citadels Duel refines the core mechanics of the original game to create a tighter, faster-paced experience where every move matters. Never played Citadels before? Let us quickly run you through how to play the Duel version.

Each round consists of 3 phases. The draft phase where you choose your characters. The resolve phase, where each character card is called out in ascending order and its ability activated. The expansion phase marks the end of the round, during which the player with the most council seats gains 3 gold coins and builds a district. The other player can then gain 2 gold coins or build a district. Players may build a district only if they can afford to.

Once the city’s 4x4 grid is fully built, the game ends. The winner is the player with the highest total points, based on the number of controlled districts, gold coins, and council seats.

Give the tutorial a go before you jump in, but know that In this duel for dominance, there are no alliances to hide behind, and no extra players to absorb the consequences of a misstep. Every action is personal, and every decision can tip the balance of power.

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=citadelsduel

Thanks to Bruno Faidutti, Guillaume Montiage, and Manuel Rozoy, the game designers, as well as the Z-Man Games’ crew for letting us add this 2-player gem to our roster. And our gratitude goes to LeSteffen for the BGA port.

This was your Wednesday release.

Two players enter; one city stands. Take care and play fair…

Pack your bags, mortal: Zeus is in a good mood which almost never happens (and that’s why it took so long to get this game on BGA). He's offering you a free ticket to Olympus. The catch? You've got to pull off 12 demigod-tier tasks first: raise statues, build shrines, make offerings, and smash some monsters, while your only GPS is a slightly spacey priestess sitting in a temple. Welcome to The Oracle of Delphi, where the Odyssey is one deliciously vicious dice game.

Here's the twist: you don't roll your 3 Oracle Dice hoping for a miracle. You roll them to find out what you'll even be allowed to do next turn. Each color unlocks a different move, sail your ship, fight a monster, load a statue, and you've got to build your plan like a captain who refuses to admit he's lost. Rolled the wrong color? Recolor the die with Favor Tokens, beg the Gods camped at the top of your board, or eat the loss and wait for the next roll.

And while you're zigzagging between islands hunting down hidden tiles, a cranky Titan is lurking at the end of every turn, ready to hand out Injury Cards like stale candy to anyone without enough shield. It all flows, chains together, and rewards planning in a race with tension pulled tight as a bowstring.

Every die is a tiny promise, every turn a gamble, and every triumphant return to Zeus a victory earned in the sweat of your imaginary crew. So, ready to consult the Oracle and find out if the stars (or, well, the dice) are finally on your side?

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=theoracleofdelphi

Thanks to Stefan Feld, the mastermind who decided mortals needed 12 impossible tasks and a moody priestess to survive them, and to Hall Games for letting us drag this Olympic fever dream onto the platform. And a shoutout to gzed for wrestling Zeus's oracle dice into digital form.

This was your Monday release.

Cast off. Delphi's waiting, and she hates being kept waiting. Take care and play fair…