Top 10 Board Games of All-Time (2023) 

What was your biggest surprise from our Top 50 or Top 10 this year?

Thanks for your lists guys! I got Just One as a Christmas family game and we loved it! I used your recommendations to get Quest for El Dorado and Patchwork this year. Also so excited to add Lost Cities roll and write and Azul to my game shelf this month - board games are so fun!!!

Just love the balance Braiden brings to the team! Meanwhile, Carlo and Dylann were already such a great pair with their distinct tastes. Well done, friends!

I’m at the stage where my favourite games are the ones that make it to the table with friends that aren’t all at the same level of enthusiasm/experience. Not necessarily gateway games but ones where they don’t get discouraged when I take out the rule book. I love how your top 50 includes a lot of those brilliant easy to learn but still strategic games. You guys are fun to watch and I have come to really trust your reviews. Happy new year fellow Canadians! :)

I really love the diversity of tastes and styles in these lists. Dylann focuses in on the mechanics and experince of it all, while Braiden zeros in on the social aspects, then Carlo brings seems to view things from a competitive standpoint. It really makes a rich tapestry of oppinions. It makes these videos so enjoyable to watch. Thanks for another year of awesome table top discussion.

Enjoyed the lists and fun editing! Decrypto is great. Like Carlo, it sat on my shelf for awhile. And Like Braiden, I have trouble describing it lol ;). I end up just playing a tutorial round to teach it. Thanks and keep up the good work. cheers

Loved watching your top 50 (going to be honest I binged it in the last 2 days). Great dynamic with the 3 of you and im eager to watch some more of your content. I’m also a huge knizia fan and haven’t played modern art! So I will go watch your play through. Appreciate the content guys and keep it up!

Love ya'll end of year wrap ups! My fav videos!

I really enjoy these videos from AYCB. If this hasn't been said enough already, Braiden has been a great addition to the team. I wish you guys happy holidays, a happy new year, and can't wait to see your upcoming content. Thank you for contributing to our awesome community! You guys are truly appreciated!

I just found you guys this last year on RU-vid. Love your content. It’s always very laid back and more personal sounding.

I’m new to the hobby and your channel is my favorite! Who would have thought I’d be anticipating a video about 3 dudes’ top 10 board games so much?

I got bit by the gaming (and collecting games) bug right around the time you did your first Top 50, and this was the first channel I came across and really connected with (and still my favorite). I love your humor and your warmth; love the channel and the Discord. Braiden has been a wonderful addition to the team! In earlier days, Keyflower was always in the background of the videos and I was just enamored by the cover. So pretty! I still know nothing about the game. I should make a point of learning that on BGA (as I've said/thought about a gazillion other games). Wishing you all a blessed 2024!

Highlight of the year, AYCB Top 10. Thanks boys, another great year of videos. Here's to a happy, healthy, and successful 2024!

Biggest surprise is the decline of A Feast for Odin! Always love the variety in your top 50 lists - the mix of old and new games as well as gateway/party and heavier games. So glad to see Carcassonne getting a mention in the top 10. My husband and I played it 2 player this week and had a great time as always. I find it hard to rank games like So Clover and Just One (which I love!) against heavier games like Castles of Burgundy because they're all fantastic but so different, so it's nice to hear about what you all consider when going through the ranking process. I still need to try Keyflower - maybe this year! I'm also interested in Caesar's Empire, which reminds me a bit of Concordia. Have you played Caesar's Empire at 2 player? That's my main player count so I'm wondering if it's worth getting or if it needs 3-5 players to shine.

Great video guys! The game that was a big hit for 2023 with my family was a surprise for me because it is a cheap game but everybody loved it and it was the Mind and 2nd was Codenames. My favorite solo game is actually Dicey peaks which isn't a solo game but I turned it into one with my own rules to make it solo.

Hi guys! Great discussion and awesome video shots! I was so glad to see so many good old classics or family games among your choices, when most channels worship heavier games or the cult of the new.

Alright Dylan I can agree with you on the kingdom builder but this time Im with Carlo on this one with the estates and for it to reach that high after so little plays really says something. Well fellas thanks for another year of content, the top 50 was great.

Nice video. Never seen your channel before. It seems like my gamer profile matches better with Braiden and Dylann, but that's only because I hadn't heard of a several of Carlo's games. :)

So glad y’all added Braiden so I have someone to relate to ;) Kidding of course! But I love the diversity of the list. I would LOVE to play some BOTC with y’all sometime! - Max

Excellent - thanks guys!

Thanks!

Great lists as always. Personally it’s interesting to see how my own tastes have changed so much throughout the years. There are some constants (euros), but I’ve really moved away from some genres (deck building, dungeon crawlers), while gravitating towards others (dice placement, push your luck)

When does Braiden get his AYCB mug? Still a few tests left to pass?

Great vid as always! Can't seem to find modern art in canada - been looking for 2 years now. I see BoardGameBliss has Modern Art the Card Game - is that any good??

Great to see the love given interactive euro games on this channel. As a long-time boardgamer (first-day member of BGG), I've seen the zeitgeist of the hobby move away from tight, interactive games to multi-player solitaire designs. But you guys are kickin' it old-school with this channel. An older game you guys would love is Santiago. It's long out of print, but well worth tracking down in the used market. It's right up you alley - auctions, tile-laying, intense, cut-throat interaction, the rules are only a few pages long and it plays in a little more 60 minutes. Guaranteed it would make your top 50 list in 2024.

Great list, very diverse! I love your insights

Amazing lists, guys! 😊 I sold both Keyflower and Modern Art this year, despite loving both, because I could just never get them to the table 😢 I felt the double auction just moved Morden Art from simple teach to a little bit awkward.

Great top list series guys, I truly love watching these videos ;). Two questions (spoilers below): . . . . 1) Have you ever tried Race for the Galaxy with the Alien Artifacts expansion? 2) Do you play old Agricola (with the expansion) or the new revised set?

Question for Braiden - what happened to Secret Hitler? 6 to off the Top 50 is a pretty big drop in less than a year.

Dylan and Carlo, have you both tried Mandala? I think you'd both love it - it's so beautifully tactical!

The only game i have played from this top 10 is Azul, Im gonna check out So Clover, Modern Art, For Sale, Kingdom Builder, and Caeser's Impire more to see if i would want to by them.

Played my copy of Modern Art for the first time recently and we loved it. I added a mini wooden easel for the auctioned card which everyone though came with the game ☺. I need to revisit Hansa Teutonica.

Always love the keyflower love. Glad to see some people still realize it should be number 1.

Carlo is 100% correct about Agricola. The tightness and the card draft brings me back again and again. It’s a popular opinion to prefer Caverna nowadays. But Caverna isn’t even close to Agricola in my estimation.

Looking to your lists i think Concordia and Power Grid should be great hits for you all. Have any of you tried them? I have enjoyed watching you guys. You seem to have tastes similar to mine in general. Keep playing!

Braiden wins. He has decrypto highest in his list, and he also has two of my other favourite games (so clover and just one). I'm now going to rewatch all of his reviews so youtube shows you those parts were viewed the most.

I think Carlo's list is the one that is most aligned with my taste! That being said, I can't believe you have T&E and Babylonia but not Y&Y on your list! I was wondering if you have not tried it yet. Also, if you like Renature, I highly highly recommend you to try Mexica. I think they have some similarities but Mexica has a bit more strategic value (?) Although I do love the neutral trees in Renature XD.

Carlo got some good taste

I am with you Carlo, Agricola is my #1 game of all time. Keyflower is also a great game Dylann and nice list from everyone.

Carlo coming in with The Estates 🔥 It's in my top 5. Insanely good and incredibly mean and opaque auction game.

Castles of Mad King Ludwig is one of my top 5 maybe top 3. Played that game so many times and it never gets old.

I've been playing games for a long time and Carcassonne is still a super solid game. Easy to teach and transport, quick to play and surprisingly strategic for something that is so simple.

Someone had a lot of fun with the editing. 😄

* Listening to Carlo talk about Agricola * PREACH! ✊🏻 -Ryan

Channel support: Let the commercials play through and don't hit "Skip". It's tough when the commercial is over 2 minutes; deep breaths, deep breaths.

Now I want to go to the cabin.

Played Mille Fiori at dice tower! Then… I bought Mille Fiori at dice tower!!!

Has Dylann and Braiden played Mythic Mischief? I've not, but it seems like his type of abstract game. Great video guys (I'm still watching:) )

I got 12 of those. As 2-player, Carcassonne is still my number one. I share Carlo's opinions about the depth of the game. Suprises? Maybe Dylann's top 10 suprised me the most. He has some nice games on his list. Even if Feast for Odin lingers 🙈 I believe TZAAR, Cuzco and Through the Desert (both as 2 or 4p, not 3p) would have been on my current top 10. Tried them?

Ok I had to rewind and google that you guys are from Winnipeg!!

It is possible to complete your quilt in Patchwork, but it's extremely rare. I have played a ton and it's only happened once. Been very close many times but usually things don't line up perfectly for you to complete it.

Caesar's Empire fell really flat with multiple groups of mine. Maybe we expected more out of it. But glad others enjoy it!

As an Euro gamer, trying to dip my toes into RPGs like Gloomhaven, Frosthaven (just coz of the bgg ranking really), which one is better? Also, will Frosthaven have a JOTL-like spinoff? Where do you recommend I start? And at what player count?

I commented on another video that I was thinking of buying Ceasar’s Empire and here I was reading the rules while it was mentionned in this top 10 😂 It’s really simple but there is no luck so I think it will be a hit with my family.

This is it guys. Everyone sees the words "Top 10". It's time to click.

Carlo, as someone who loves Race For the Galaxy which expansion would you recommend ?

Yeah, unfortunately, as a huge Reiner Knizia fan, I have to say Mille Fiori doesn't really hold up to repeat plays. It looses the magic imo. I'm glad you are enjoying it now, though! Lovely game.

My favorite game is Ra - one of my first two games (the other is Samurai) that I bought when I first got into the hobby around the turn of the century. So there may be something to the argument that we gamers have a 'first purchase' bias, given our sentimental attachment to the entry game and possible nostalgia for those initial plays.

My Top-10 2023': 10. Nemesis 10* Nemesis: Lockdown 9. Brzdęk! Nie drażnij smoka - pokochałem tą grę od samego początku 9*. Brzdęk! Katakumby 9*. Brzdęk! Raban w próżni - jeszcze bardziej dopracowana wersja Brzdęka 9*. Brzdęk! Legacy 9*. Brzdęk! Katakumby 8. Diuna: Imperium - ta gra świetnie odzwierciedla klimat Arrakis i całej DIUNY 7. Wiedźmin: Stary Świat + dodatki - o jak mi ta gra się spodobała i pozytywnie mnie zaskoczyła, naprawdę czuć w niej KLIMAT Wiedźmina 6. Mage Knight - świetny klimat, świetny świat, po prostu Mage Knight !! 5. Anachrony - bardzo fajnie pomyślany świat i klimatyczna gra 4. Łowcy A. D. 2114 - o jaka ta gra jest klimatyczna i dopracowana… 3. Etherfields - klimat tej gry, mechanika i piękne grafiki urzekły mnie... 2. Scythe - klimat tej gry jest genialny... Świetnie odzwierciedla klimat konfliktu... 1. Bonfire

What sites would you guys recommend to play board games online?

Don't feel bad catan would probably still be on my top 10 or 20. It definitely gets played the most.

I have a running bet with my group, that if we fail 3 dungeons in Gloomhaven JotL, we'll get a GH tattoo. We lost our first map the other day. I'm getting scared now 😂

Say goodbye to Valhalla

Bravo!

They said that Frosthaven and Gloomhaven 2nd Edition will likely NOT be digital. Too many changes in Frosthaven (and ported to Gloomhaven 2E) for the developers to add to the existing app and I'm not sure their interested in another big, expensive Software Development project.

Where are the best places to play online ? Can you leave a link ?

You can build Walls in FrostHaven! It's SO GOOD

Ares Expedition is a funnier and slightly more advanced version of RftG. I like it much more, as it is bars to climb as a goal.

Stained glass of sentra is my favorite version of azul. Have y'all tried it?

carlo suggest me games which is best at 2 players other than 2 players only...fyi i have seen too 10 2 players.....and simple rules heavy stategy

Agricola is in my top 10 and the card drafting puts it over Caverna for me easily. Always makes me sad when people say they prefer Caverna. I need to check out some of the other card decks than the base set, though.

Hansa Teutonica and Race for the Galaxy are the best games I have that no one wants to play with me. I play mostly with my kids and "light" gamers. Gonna have to check out So Clover and Decrypto.

Great video and great choices! Please please please get rid of that countdown timer though. It’s a long form, slow chill video. I dont think a countdown adds anything to the video but creates a sense of urgency in what’s supposed to be a chill video.

the fancier and more over the top board game's components are the more suspicious I am of it and I am usually right.

first time I watched a video on your channel... and probably last time :) considering how different my taste is from yours. Anyway, thank you for the quality of the video and the nice editing

Surprised at no root in anyone’s top 10. Haven’t played a game as fun! Time to broaden my horizons it seems!

YOU ARE ALL AWESOME! ❤❤❤

You should keep a photo of the game on screen while talking

I wanna play Clocktower with Braiden!

Feast for Odin is the best game ever. Definitely deserves #2 or even #1. The GOAT

If you like frosthaven You will love oathsworn

Libertalia is really reeeeally good AND FUN BUT I just simply prefer Mission Red Planet (at 3 players) and Citadels (at all player counts) over Libertalia... I own all three, but... yeah its less spicy (aka mean, interactive) and more rulesy thsn the other two.

@10:04 I lost my Kickstarter virginity with this game; I got (lie, I will get) the Pantheon edition. Santorini is to arrive in June if I am still alive. Cost $109.00 USD.

Agricola is great👍😎 Agree that it takes a few plays before you see the genius of the game👍💙😎

Hot take: Caverna is better than Agricola and Feast for Odin

What is the point of the timer?

You really should keep the title on screeb when your talking about a game.

where are you playing online ?

So basically Braiden only plays party games or easy light games?

SPOILERS . . . . . Here are your top games that I’ve played (plus my ranking): SANTORINI (D: 9, B: 9, J: 309) Haven’t played with god powers yet; apparently that makes the game way better. AZUL (D: 8, J: 213) My favourite in this series is Queen’s Garden, which feels nothing like the others. But each game is very good. FOR SALE (B: 7, J: 283) I like how this game has two parts. For some reason I can’t remember the rules so I have to relearn it every time! 😄 7 WONDERS DUEL (D: 6, J: 282) I would like to try this with the expansions. I had a bad experience with the seesaw, because that takes away from the point salad nature of the game (the only cards available to my opponent made them win). I think adding a new win condition would help. KINGDOM BUILDER (B: 6, J: 263) This game is decent but uninspiring to me; maybe I need to try some expansions. LIBERTALIA: WINDS OF GALECREST (D: 5, J: 362) I have played both the original and the sequel. I agree with your friends that the sequel is better. My game tastes have changed a bit and I’m not sure this level of player interaction is something I look for these days. DECRYPTO (B: 5, J: 197) Only tried this once in Montréal. Want to play again! CARCASSONNE (C: 5, J: -) I played this with a couple who played it every week (before I started logging plays, which was why it wasn’t ranked). I got destroyed because they had the tile distribution memorised. I didn’t like how solved it felt. SO CLOVER (B: 4, J: 210) Tried once and it was good quick fun! Not usually a party game fan but this one is decent! HANSA TEUTONICA (C: 4, J: 166) I have balance concerns, and it’s a bit competitive, but the gameplay is enjoyable! CASTLES OF BURGUNDY (D: 3, J: 109) Need to play this more to see how much I like it. Seems fun from my one play of it. A FEAST FOR ODIN (D: 2, J: 119) I am astonished that this isn’t number one! Great game! JUST ONE (B: 2, J: 233) I agree that this is the most approachable game ever. People who hate games will play this! RACE FOR THE GALAXY (C: 2, J: 305) I have only played this once and it was very late at night. Want to try it again when I’m capable of thought. 😄 AGRICOLA (C: 1, J: 138) I need to play this more as well, but I played Caverna a few times last year and it was really good, and I’m told they’re similar.

Lots and lots of party games lol

I hate Agora. Only Pantheon ;) or just vanilla, its really good on its own too.

Agricola seriously? I can’t take this top serious now

Adding a amerithrash player to the group would be entertaining

30 missed opportunities to list TI4 :\

I think Modern Art is just average, maybe a little below average. I can appreciate it as a game to be played with gateway gamers, but then that leads to AP. The lack of control in this game (a novice throwing the game to the person next to them) + AP (which is common in new players) makes it a subpar experience almost every time. I would much rather play estates every time

I tried Santorini for the first time this month and I really disliked it. It felt unbalanced and mean. It's also overproduced. I'd rather play Hive any day. Yes to Modern Art in every list, one of my few 10/10.

Just one and so clover. Excellent pastimes. Awful games.

Are you serious guys? It seems that I'm seeing the list of party games for casual gamers. Not a real boardgames. That's humiliating for the hobby