Top 7 Hottest Board Games of Gen Con 2024

Gen Con is coming soon! Starting on August 1st and running through the 4th, many of the hottest hits of 2024 in board gaming are hitting the vendor floor, ready for us Nerds to enjoy. Between demos, playtests, previews, and releases, Gen Con is the best four days in gaming for a reason!

This is THE show to attend in the United States if you’re a gaming nerd, and this year is no exception. Oftentimes, Gen Con is also the biggest convention as far as new releases and announcements, heralding in the next wave of hot 2024 board games.

And I’ll have boots on the ground this year, walking the Con and reporting on all of the new and exciting things I can find! There are plenty of things to prepare for ahead of time if you’re attending Gen Con, so check out our list of convention safety tips. Also, here’s a link to the Gen Con Exhibit Hall map to plan out your days so that you don’t miss any of your favorite publishers.

Heading to Gen Con? Here’s my Top 7 list of the board games you should be on the lookout for. They’ll probably go fast, so this can serve as your de facto shopping list for some of the hottest board games of 2024!

In no particular order, let’s kick things off!

In the board game design circuit, I’m constantly seeing prototypes and ideas of games revolving around the theme of becoming a rock star. We’ve seen some music-centric games like Rap-Godz before, but this experience is more focused on the rock genre, because after all, ‘we all just wanna be big rock stars’.

This title drew me in because I enjoyed the heyday of video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, which had campaign modes of building up fans and growing your reputation. The brief of this one gives similar vibes and I hope that the promised Event cards are varied enough and offer choices to make each game feel unique as you climb the path to stardom.

You’ll be able to check out Rock Hard: 1977 at the Devir Games Booth #2827 at Gen Con! Official release date is August 2024, so I’m assuming that copies will be available for sale at the convention.

It wouldn’t be a hottest games of 2024 list without something from Leder Games! Arcs was highly touted when it was first announced, with people looking forward to trick-taking mechanics combined with a space opera campaign. Having watched some of those playtesting streams – and just generally gobbling up any bit of Kyle Ferrin art – I was also hooked.

The game has changed from its initial state, and I haven’t been following as closely as I would have liked to on the development. That’s what prompted me to snag an event ticket for an Arcs demo and playthrough at Gen Con to really get a firsthand look at what the buzz is all about! Unlike Oath where you really need a dedicated group to get the most out of the game, it seems like Arcs will be more friendly towards new players learning the mechanics.

The way I see it, Cole Wehrle games are at least worth trying out once or twice, and so I’m really excited for this one.

You can find Arcs at the Leder Games Booth #837at Gen Con! Official street date is October of 2024.

Alright, I’ll admit once again that I totally judge books and game by their covers, but you can’t argue and say that this one doesn’t just draw you in immediately. The Sea Dragons board game flips the script, having the players assume the role of legendary Sea Dragons to upturn pirate ships and collect their treasure en route to becoming the most feared leviathan of all

Players will be laying down one of two cards each turn, which dictates the positioning for their Sea Dragon across four quadrants of the high seas. Placing them too closely to other dragons will grant them treasure, so it seems like the game naturally influences players to avoid clumping around each other too much. There are also missions to complete that add to your renown when completed.

The Sea Dragon meeples look incredible, little humps in the sea capped off by the mighty sea dragon head. Seems like it will be a tense and tight game of area control with a variable board setup at the beginning of each game.

You can find Sea Dragons at the Draco Studios Booth #905 at Gen Con! Official street date is August 15, so it’s possible that copies will be available for purchase in advance at the show.

My second Devir Games board game on the list is Cities! Lately I’ve played a few games dealing with little house miniatures (looking at you, Sunrise Lane), but since this one is actually centered around building up your own little neighborhood, it is more reminiscent to something like Sim City than the other games that I’ve played. For whatever reason, gamers are really drawn to x-building themes, because board game mechanics lend themselves well to building things up by developing a board.

Having stackable building pieces is an excellent touch that enhances the table presence of the game while giving players a tangible feeling of progress. The real draw for me, however, is the quick 30-40 min gameplay time that’s advertised. The concept of the game seems like it should be around 90 minutes, so a speedy game that’s half of what I’d expect definitely intrigues me. If you’re also making quick decisions in other aspects of life, consider the importance of informed choices, like Buy Antabuse.

The real question is to whether or not the fast gameplay time results in players wanting more when the game ends, or if they feel as though something is missing. The game board also seems kind of busy to me, but maybe in-person it’s more manageable.

You can find Cities at the Devir Games Booth #2827 at Gen Con! Supposedly the release of this one is July 2024, so it’s hot of the presses when Gen Con rolls around.

One of the more recent hot board games in the industry has been Distilled by Paverson Games, and Luthier is the publisher’s next big title. You can also see how board game themes somehow run in parallel with each other, similar to how the movie industry works (think The Prestige vs The Illusionist). Although with Luthier, we’re dealing with classical music instead of rap or rock.

The game’s blurb touts a game utilizing a hidden bidding and worker placement system. Hidden bidding is slowly becoming one of my favorite mechanics, simply because when it’s utilized well it really pays off. Umbra Via was a semi-recent example of this, and I feel like those hidden wagers create a mini-game within the game that forces you to anticipate your opponents’ strategies.

Once again, like its predecessor, Luthier promises to be on the heavier side of complexity, so it’s not going to be for everyone. But wow, that box art really pops off the page.

You can find Luthier at the Paverson Games Booth #2151 at Gen Con! This is a 2025 title, so don’t expect much more than perhaps a demo and a tease.

You know, I didn’t realize that I had a second city-building game on my list until I reached this point, so I’m still going to run with this one. For those of you that aren’t aware, Foundations of Metropolis is actually the same game as Foundations of Rome, just with a different coat of paint slapped across the top, and at a much more affordable price point. It lacks the plastic buildings that Rome is known for, but that’s the tradeoff for having something that’s more approachable in the industry.

Essentially the gameplay boils down to buying contracts and constructing buildings on those lots. By building up your metropolis, you gain prestige corresponding to how much positive impact that your city has in terms of population and commerce.

Normally I wouldn’t be excited about reskinned games (unless it’s a Marvel theme), but I really do feel like making a game more accessible to the community is a big win. Plus, I don’t think I’d ever gotten a chance to play Rome, but now I have an opportunity to play the next closest thing. Although I do prefer the Roman theme, considering how I think about that Empire so frequently if you believe what social media tells you.

You can find Foundations of Metropolis at the Arcane Wonders Booth #629 at Gen Con, which I believe coincides with the release date.

Last game on the list is one that I actually backed on Kickstarter, and it’s Harvest by Keymaster Games! Between Caper: Europe, and PARKS, I’m basically the target audience for anything that Keymaster puts out, and for whatever reason I don’t have a single farming game on my shelf anymore. Couple that with an anthropomorphic animal theme and I really can’t say no.

In Harvest, you’ll be managing your own little slice of country. This means buying supplies, planting and harvesting crops, and building up structures to make your job easier tomorrow. There’s also an optional(?) bit of asymmetry with the specific character you play with, adding a bit of directed strategy to help guide you towards victory. And, to top it all off, there’s a solo mode!

With fantastic production quality, I’ve been excited for Harvest since the beginning, and I know I’m not alone. There is also plenty of opportunity for component deluxification if you’re into that sort of thing, including screen-printed animeeples. This game will shine on your table.

You can find Harvest at the Keymaster Games Booth #2113 at Gen Con! Kickstarter Fulfillment is right around the corner, so I believe this one will be available for sale at the show.

There are so many great games to be discovered at Gen Con 2024, and there certainly isn’t enough time to get to all of them. Hopefully this gives you a jumpstart on your last-minute convention planning!

If you’re going to Gen Con – have an awesome time! Share your favorite moments and great finds on social media so that we can all relish in the joy of gaming. And, of course, don’t be afraid to flag me down and say hello!