Top 10 Games Heading Into 2020
There’s a strange trend going on. More and more games are hitting the market every year yet stores like Toys R Us have gone out of business and Target is reducing their shelf-space allocated to games. Crazy, right? So here’s a list of the 10 best games and where to find them as 2020 approaches…and these are all family-friendly games.
1. What The Film?! by Lethal Chicken Games- What The Film?! is a party game where players combine three cards: one ACTOR, one PLOT and one SET to create a funny movie. Pitch, vote, backstab, win. Out of the 400 cards, 200 of them feature beautiful artwork and the content is really funny ranging from a metrosexual hobo to someone discovering their superhero powers…one can see where things could go.
Why on the Hot List?
What The Film?! was launched as a Target exclusive last year, but only in a few locations. It became a 2019 finalist for Toy of the Year from The Toy Association, but was banned from being sold on Amazon until just a few months ago. It was featured in celebrity gifting suites and was also the offical game given out to celebrities who will appear on the 2019-2020 season of Hollywood Game Nights.
2. Camping with Sasquatchalso by Lethal Chicken Games– Camping with Sasquatch is a light, quick card game with a ROAR! A cross between Rummy and Slapjack, Camping with Sasquatch checks all the boxes for being both family-friendly but strategic and vindictive enough to keep the adults coming back for more! Roar with one card left, or face the penalites of the Sasquatch!
Why on the Hot List?
The creators of the game, Mike Szalajko and Alex Mackey are currently nominated for a 2019 TAGIE Award for Rising Star Innovator of the Year. Their games are fun, quirky, have outstanding artwork. So far they’ve created two award-nominated games that work well for both kids AND adults.
3. Sabaccby Disney Theme Park Merchandise – Sabacc is “perhaps the galaxy’s oldest and most popular card game” according to starwars.com. It’s weird to think this card game is made by a theme park, but the game is fun, the components are great and it’s just off kilter enough to transport you to a world of scum and villainy.
Why on the Hot List?
Sabacc is only sold at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at either Disneyland or Walt Disney World for $16.99. You can find it on ebay, it will cost twice as much, but certainly much cheaper than a trip to Disney World.
4. Unicorns & Zombiesby Unicorns & Zombies, LLC – “Lose Friends. Gain Allies.” is the tagline for this new game. Successfully launched through Kickstarter, this game is freshly listed on Amazon and will eventually hit other retail locations beginning in 2020. There’s, like, a totally tubular 80’s vibe and the videos and website are super rad, dude.
Why on the Hot List?
It hits all the hot buttons of current trends…zombies are back, unicorns are always magical and who doesn’t love the 80’s? It’s both retro and current all at the same time with totally bodacious artwork.
5. Can’t Catch Harry by James Rallison aka TheOdd1sOut – You might know him from his YouTube Channel, TheOdd1sOut, but now he’s created a fun, fast and furious game called Can’t Catch Harry. It has colorful minatures that players must capture to gain the most points. It’s several rounds of frantic frenzy and the person to hit 11 points first, wins the game.
Why on the Hot List?
It successfully funded on Kickstarter, it’s by the uber-cool TheOdd1sOut, and it is just hitting retail in time for the 2019 holiday season.
6. Creatures and Cupcakes by Social Sloth Games – The storyline is feeding cupcakes to creatures! Need anything more be said? This press-your-luck game is cute and has an epic theme with tiny little cupcake pieces.
Why on the Hot List?
As another Kickstarter success, this division of Grey Fox Games has also just begun hitting retail. Available on Walmart.com, Creatures and Cupcakes will delight those younger players while sending the adults to the nearest cupcakery.
7. Exiled Legends by TeeTurtle – From the creators of Unstable Unicorns comes Exiled Legends, a slightly more complex, strategic card game. Choose an exiled champion, assemble your team and defeat your enemies in this 30-60 minute game.
Why on the Hot List?
Based on the smashing success of the award-winning Unstable Unicorns, everything TeeTurtle touches seems to turn to gold. Based on the cool artwork and similar mechanic, this game should be no different.
8. Growl by Vigour, Inc. – Growl takes the social deduction game to a whole new level. Players don’t die off in this game…they simply turn into werewolves bite by bite, frightfully leaving a single player as the lone human.
Why on the Hot List?
Joey Vigour is the genius behind Chaosmos and with Growl as his first game under the banner of his own company, expect unbridled creativity to abound.
9. Disney Villainous by Ravensburger – Be a villain, cast curses and determine fates. The figurines are catchy and the art work is typical top-notch Disney quality.
Why on the Hot List?
While this isn’t a new game, it has won awards and just released a few expansions making this stay relevant through the end of 2019 and into 2020.
10. Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Gemstone Mining Game by USAopoly – this super cute game has lots of fun pieces from sparkly gems to minecarts to coins and cards. Press your luck as dwarfs mine for gemstones to earn “pie points”.
Why on the Hot List?
Sparkly gems, pie and dwarfs! What’s not to love?! The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs theme is adorable and clever. And combining it to earn pie brings an element that’s out-of-the-box but still relevant to the theme.
1. What The Film?! by Lethal Chicken Games- What The Film?! is a party game where players combine three cards: one ACTOR, one PLOT and one SET to create a funny movie. Pitch, vote, backstab, win. Out of the 400 cards, 200 of them feature beautiful artwork and the content is really funny ranging from a metrosexual hobo to someone discovering their superhero powers…one can see where things could go.
Why on the Hot List?
What The Film?! was launched as a Target exclusive last year, but only in a few locations. It became a 2019 finalist for Toy of the Year from The Toy Association, but was banned from being sold on Amazon until just a few months ago. It was featured in celebrity gifting suites and was also the offical game given out to celebrities who will appear on the 2019-2020 season of Hollywood Game Nights.
2. Camping with Sasquatchalso by Lethal Chicken Games– Camping with Sasquatch is a light, quick card game with a ROAR! A cross between Rummy and Slapjack, Camping with Sasquatch checks all the boxes for being both family-friendly but strategic and vindictive enough to keep the adults coming back for more! Roar with one card left, or face the penalites of the Sasquatch!
Why on the Hot List?
The creators of the game, Mike Szalajko and Alex Mackey are currently nominated for a 2019 TAGIE Award for Rising Star Innovator of the Year. Their games are fun, quirky, have outstanding artwork. So far they’ve created two award-nominated games that work well for both kids AND adults.
3. Sabaccby Disney Theme Park Merchandise – Sabacc is “perhaps the galaxy’s oldest and most popular card game” according to starwars.com. It’s weird to think this card game is made by a theme park, but the game is fun, the components are great and it’s just off kilter enough to transport you to a world of scum and villainy.
Why on the Hot List?
Sabacc is only sold at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at either Disneyland or Walt Disney World for $16.99. You can find it on ebay, it will cost twice as much, but certainly much cheaper than a trip to Disney World.
4. Unicorns & Zombiesby Unicorns & Zombies, LLC – “Lose Friends. Gain Allies.” is the tagline for this new game. Successfully launched through Kickstarter, this game is freshly listed on Amazon and will eventually hit other retail locations beginning in 2020. There’s, like, a totally tubular 80’s vibe and the videos and website are super rad, dude.
Why on the Hot List?
It hits all the hot buttons of current trends…zombies are back, unicorns are always magical and who doesn’t love the 80’s? It’s both retro and current all at the same time with totally bodacious artwork.
5. Can’t Catch Harry by James Rallison aka TheOdd1sOut – You might know him from his YouTube Channel, TheOdd1sOut, but now he’s created a fun, fast and furious game called Can’t Catch Harry. It has colorful minatures that players must capture to gain the most points. It’s several rounds of frantic frenzy and the person to hit 11 points first, wins the game.
Why on the Hot List?
It successfully funded on Kickstarter, it’s by the uber-cool TheOdd1sOut, and it is just hitting retail in time for the 2019 holiday season.
6. Creatures and Cupcakes by Social Sloth Games – The storyline is feeding cupcakes to creatures! Need anything more be said? This press-your-luck game is cute and has an epic theme with tiny little cupcake pieces.
Why on the Hot List?
As another Kickstarter success, this division of Grey Fox Games has also just begun hitting retail. Available on Walmart.com, Creatures and Cupcakes will delight those younger players while sending the adults to the nearest cupcakery.
7. Exiled Legends by TeeTurtle – From the creators of Unstable Unicorns comes Exiled Legends, a slightly more complex, strategic card game. Choose an exiled champion, assemble your team and defeat your enemies in this 30-60 minute game.
Why on the Hot List?
Based on the smashing success of the award-winning Unstable Unicorns, everything TeeTurtle touches seems to turn to gold. Based on the cool artwork and similar mechanic, this game should be no different.
8. Growl by Vigour, Inc. – Growl takes the social deduction game to a whole new level. Players don’t die off in this game…they simply turn into werewolves bite by bite, frightfully leaving a single player as the lone human.
Why on the Hot List?
Joey Vigour is the genius behind Chaosmos and with Growl as his first game under the banner of his own company, expect unbridled creativity to abound.
9. Disney Villainous by Ravensburger – Be a villain, cast curses and determine fates. The figurines are catchy and the art work is typical top-notch Disney quality.
Why on the Hot List?
While this isn’t a new game, it has won awards and just released a few expansions making this stay relevant through the end of 2019 and into 2020.
10. Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Gemstone Mining Game by USAopoly – this super cute game has lots of fun pieces from sparkly gems to minecarts to coins and cards. Press your luck as dwarfs mine for gemstones to earn “pie points”.
Why on the Hot List?
Sparkly gems, pie and dwarfs! What’s not to love?! The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs theme is adorable and clever. And combining it to earn pie brings an element that’s out-of-the-box but still relevant to the theme.