It’s UKGE month and we’ve been sifting through the UKGE exhibitor list to pick out all the games we want to check out. And here are our top 12 (because whittling to 10 was too hard!) – 6 picked by me, and 6 by Matt.

There were simply too many games to include on the list here, so if you want more, including board game recommendations, check out our UKGE highlight Instagram. And if this is your first year at UKGE you might want to head over to our UKGE FAQs!

Lauren’s top 6

Meadowvale – Brass Fox Games (stand 4-854)

One of my most anticipated games for this year! Meadowvale is a tile laying game inspired by British nature. The gameplay is designed to reflect real ecological behaviours: players lay tiles to form the shared countryside and place animals whose effects align with how they act in the wild. 

Foxglove Farm – Alley Cat Games (stand 3-902)

Foxglove Farm is a cute tile-layer for up to 4 players, where you’re simultaneously playing over 4 rounds to build the best town by constructing buildings and trail to produce and transport resources.

This looks to be a reimplementation of Minecart Town, but now set in the world of the hugely popular 2-player Timber Town (which we love – look out for our review soon!). We’ll be checking out Bookshelf while we’re at the stand too!

Aridnyk – boardova (stand 4-275)

Aridnyk is inspired by the folklore & legend of the Hutsuls, Ukranian highlanders from the Carpathian mountains. Players are shepherds travelling through the mountains with their flock, looking for the best pastures and engaging with the magical spirits. The player with the largest flock at the end of the game wins. And there’s different player modes: competitive, co-operative, solo and family mode!

Mariners – Owen Davey Games (stand 3-962)

Mariners is an upcoming sci-fi adventure exploring strange new worlds, with resource management, deckbuilding (one of my fave mechanics!), and of course the striking artwork of Owen Davey.

Owen’s debut board game Fame and Fable was one of our top games of 2025 and will be in retail later this year – this will also be available to demo so if you haven’t checked it out before we strongly recommend you do!

Threaded – Osprey Games (stand 3A-448)

A cosy worker placement game of collecting threads and tools to create tapestry and fulfill commissions! This game looks *sew* cute and puzzly, and I love that you can make your own first player marker.

Catvale – FUdice (stand 4-586)

Coming soon to Kickstarter, Catvale is a sandbox-style adventure-meets-euro, where players are rival cats who can score points in various ways – from cozy construction to battling. A cat theme brought to life with gorgeous watercolour? I’m in! I can’t wait to learn more about it in person.

Matt’s top 6

Forestry – Capstone Games (stand 3A-468)

There’s a couple of Capstone games I’m interested in, but Forestry is top of the list. Balance harvesting the forest for resources and contract fulfilment with environmental conservation. You  do this as a player by making meaningful decisions assigning action points across your harvester and manager workers. If you can find balance in these competing interests then your forest should thrive!

Flip Towers – Osprey Games (stand 3A-448)

A new flip & draw from Osprey Games set in a magical land with Welsh inspiration. Build & decorate castle towers, meet royal requirements and defend from pesky dragons, all with the help of some magical creatures. Lauren played this recently and enjoyed it, so I think it might be coming home with us from UKGE this year.

War of the Toads – AAAR GAMES (stand 4-151)

An 18 card head-to-head battle of samurai toads! Each round both players play 2 toads head-to-head – one set face up and one face down. The winner in each pair is the card with the highest value, but not before the face down cards are revealed, triggering effects that can change everything! Lauren recommended this one after playing it at AireCon earlier this year.   

Slam Throne – Dice Throne (stand 3A-116)

POGS! What more do I need to say!? Slam throne seems to be a reinvention and modernisation of the 90’s Pogs, turning it into a fantasy duel with variable player powers. Wield your Barbarian, Moon Elf, Shadow Thief or Pyromancer hero slammer to attack your opponents health caps and land the most crushing defeat! 

Almighty – Keen Bean Studio (stand 3-644)

Take on the role of gods competing for the most belief and glory. Perform incredible acts upon mortals within the four game locations, which will create, move, bless or curse them but more importantly will make them believe. You get to decide if the mortals survive or thrive!

Race! Formula 90 – Gotha Games (stand 4-391)

It’s lights out and away we go! I’m a big F1 fan, so racing games always catch my eye. Race! Formula 90 appears to be more complex than other F1 games, with weather, damage, fuel, and safety cars to contend with – perfect for board gamers who are also racing fans. I’m personally eyeing this one up for its solo mode.  

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What games are you looking forward to seeing – were any of our choices on your radar? Let us know in the comments or join in the conversation over on our Instagram