Gen Con 2025: The Good, The Bad, and The Games
Gen Con bills itself as the best four days in gaming, and with a sold out record-setting attendance of 72,000, it is hard to argue. The biggest tabletop gaming convention in the U.S., Gen Con 2025 delivered new games, trends and included some disappointing experiences. Here are some highlights from the event.
One-Player Games continue to grow
One-player board games are a trend that started with games like Final Girl around the time of the pandemic and have grown in recent years. Two of the top 10 most anticipated games at Gen Con - Hercules and the 12 Labors and Ace of Spades - are one player games. Almost all of the top 10 have a one-player option. It seems likely this genre will continue to grow, and we are here for it.
Another packed vendor hall
Many participants were worried how recent tariffs would affect the vendor hall, where the latest new games were available to try and buy. While a few companies decided to relinquish their booths this year, there were plenty of options for consumers. With over 575 game publishers and vendors, there was plenty to do and see.
Considering the record-setting attendance, it was no surprise that popular games sold out. Multiple vendors ran out of copies of some titles on the first or second day. Some held part of their stock to release each morning when the doors to the hall opened. Devir had extremely limited stock of their highly anticipated game Ace of Spades. Each day they released 120 copies of the game between their booth and games room. This limited stock was gone within eight minutes of the hall opening.
Cards vs. Meeples
One of the more noticeable changes for new games released in 2025 was a move to dice and card-based gameplay. Fewer games with lots of little fiddly bits were available, again likely due to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. President. Of the top 10 games, over half had simple components. Compare that to 2024, where only two had basic elements and it will be interesting to see how this shift continues next year.
No GMs
One of the joys of Gen Con is purchasing a ticket for a game and having someone there to teach it to you. Unfortunately this year we ran into multiple instances where we were just handed a game and had to read the instruction booklet ourselves. When you have seven players like we did for our playthrough of The Captain is Dead, there is barely time to setup and read through the rules before your time is up.
This is not why people pay for a ticket to a game. A teacher or at least someone who knows the rules is expected. For players who want to read the rules to play a game, Gen Con offers a number of free and paid game libraries where individuals can check out games to play. The lack of GMs is unfortunate, and we hope it is a trend we do not see again in 2026.
Favorite games from Gen Con 2025
As a lifelong board game fan and editor of The Games Letter, I played and demoed over a dozen games at Gen Con, all in the name of research. Below are my top three, but there were two that deserve mention that did not make the cut. First is Age of Comics: The Golden Years, in which you manage a comic book company in the 1920’s. Second is the latest Final Girl expansion which debuted at Gen Con called Mort. In it, you are trying to track down a killer at a gaming convention.
Now without further ado, here are my top games:
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3. Hercules and the 12 Labors
A single-player card and dice game where you play as Hercules, striving to conquer the 12 Labors to ascend to godhood. Roll dice to defeat the enemies that stand in your way, and gain a bonus when you do. Enemies got progressively tougher, and fortunately time ran out before I died. I look forward to giving it another try soon.
2. Cola Wars
A game about the rise of soda popularity in the 1980’s. Hire a former heavyweight champ as company president, Sign the King of Pop to an exclusive agreement and battle for shelf space over a span of six years. Can your cola become the dominant beverage? Cola Wars is slated to drop in 2026, but you can sign up now for updates, including when its Kickstarter goes live.
1. Sanctuary: An Arc Nova Game
I am a fan of Arc Nova, but it seems like a little too much to me. Too much setup. Too many fidgety parts. Sanctuary: An Arc Nova Game refines the original, making it a quicker and easier version of a great game. Cards are replaced by hex pieces that you need to fit into your sanctuary. It keeps much of the nuance of the original game, but tightens it up to make it easier to teach and play. Sanctuary is the version I wanted of Arc Nova since playing the original.
