January 2026 Notable Toys — Family Game Night

This cooperative board game for 2–4 players invites you to explore a 3D game board where you’ll dodge fire spirits and navigate ladders and slides. Designed as a legacy game, it features evolving rules, hidden elements, and components that change permanently based on your choices, creating a fresh adventure every time you play. Each of the six chapters takes 20–40 minutes to complete, so you can play one or more sessions depending on your schedule and return later to continue. Developed by Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau with artwork by Cory Godbey, Ziggurat helps players ages 8 and up build problem-solving skills, teamwork, and strategic thinking. The game includes a board with six levels, 12 heroes, 4 hero cards, 12 fire spirit tokens, 38 starting cards, a storybook, a hidden lore package, and other surprises to discover.

In this cooperative board game from Peaceable Kingdom, players work together to keep a ghost from escaping a haunted manor after two kids and their dog accidentally wake it in the attic. The game is designed to encourage strategy, cooperation, and shared decision-making, all while providing a unique play experience in the dark with a glow-in-the-dark game board and a light-up ghost mover. It supports emotional development, creative problem-solving, and positive self-esteem in a relaxed, non-competitive setting. The set includes a game board, a light-up ghost, three explorer movers, four camera flash tokens, a spinner, and instructions, and it’s suitable for ages 5 and up.

Co-operative games are a great choice for young children, and this one has earned a TOP Rating from Canadian Toy Testing. The set comes with a 12 x 12 inch board, a special die, four movers, and four cat treats. It was designed by Jim Deacove and is recommended for children ages 3 to 5.

In this cooperative game, players work together as aspiring wizards and witches to save the kingdom from a dark spell. Everyone collaborates to outsmart the wizard and brew a magical potion that will break the curse. Along the way, players use strategy and problem-solving to collect ingredients before the wizard blocks their path, using tokens, dice, and potion bottles to add to the experience. This type of shared play supports emotional development, decision-making, and creative thinking in a relaxed setting. The game includes 6 potion bottles, 6 cauldron ingredient tokens, 6 wizard tokens, a wizard hat with stand, a spell-breaker token, 2 action dice, a game board, and 3 magic dice. It’s designed for 2 to 4 players ages 6 and up.

In Hurry Little Owls, players work together in a color-matching game to guide all the owls safely back to their nest before sunrise. This cooperative approach means everyone wins or loses together, creating a supportive and low-pressure play experience. As children play, they practice simple strategy, following directions, and taking turns, with two levels of play that help the game grow alongside your child and make it easier for older and younger kids to join in. The game encourages emotional development, shared decision-making, and creative problem-solving in a relaxed setting. On each turn, players use color cards to move the owls along the board, but if a sun card is drawn, the sun moves closer to rising. Players can move any owl and discuss their moves as a group to plan the best way to win. Designed for 2 to 4 players ages 4 to 8, the game includes a game board, 6 owl tokens, 1 sun token, 14 sun cards, 36 color cards, and instructions for two different ways to play.

This two-player game is a timeless battle of wits that combines deduction, strategy, and cunning. Each player works to outsmart their opponent by deducing their rival’s hidden identity, eliminating key targets, or making a bold move to seize the throne. With a striking table presence, the game includes eight finely sculpted 3-inch fantasy busts, a stained-glass puzzle board, and premium components. Games are quick and strategic, lasting just 20–30 minutes, making it easy to set up and replay for head-to-head challenges. The complete set comes with eight fantasy figure pawns, a four-piece puzzle board, a movement sideboard, movement tiles, identity cards, and aid cards.

In this family strategy game, you can dive into a neighborhood, meet iconic Sims, and work toward fulfilling your life’s aspirations. Gather up to five players, each crafting their own unique story as you collect matching SIMbols along the way. Every game brings a fresh journey with unexpected surprises, so your life story can turn out differently each time you play. Fans will appreciate the nostalgic details, including iconic artwork, plumbob movers, interaction dice, and a needs tracker—making the game both fun to play and nice to display. It’s designed for 2 to 5 players ages 12 and up.

In Castles of Burgundy, players trade, build, and manage their realm through strategic decisions and careful planning. The game includes 164 six-sided tiles, 42 goods tiles, 20 silverlings used as currency, 30 worker tiles, 12 bonus tiles, 4 victory tiles, 8 playing pieces, 9 dice, a game board, and 16 player boards. Designed for 2 to 4 players, it works well for family or friend game nights. Recommended for ages 12 and up, it suits both teenagers and adults. A typical game lasts between 30 and 90 minutes and is geared toward an intermediate skill level, encouraging strategic thinking and planning throughout play.

In The Peak Team, players work together as wildlife rangers to protect endangered species and complete conservation missions across a dynamic mountain reserve. The game uses a unique reverse-drafting system where players assign cards to one another, helping everyone gather the tools needed for exploration and teamwork. You'll explore a towering mountain board divided into different regions, using paths and transportation systems to reach observation points and important wildlife zones. Each ranger must complete personal and team objectives before actions run out, so you'll need to balance exploration with efficiency to succeed together. Designed for family game nights or cooperative strategy fans, the game offers engaging gameplay with plenty of replay value.

In this strategic origami challenge, players compete to become the ultimate Origami Collecting Master by gathering the most pieces of a single design. Each turn, an arrow token determines which row or column you can take from, so every move matters—not just for what you collect, but for what you leave behind for other players. The game includes 48 beautifully colored wooden origami tokens and one arrow token, offering both tactile appeal and vibrant visuals. It’s fast-paced and family-friendly, easy to learn and quick to play, making it a great choice for game nights, travel, or family gatherings. Suitable for ages 8 and up, the game has enough depth to keep adults engaged. With its compact size and dynamic mechanics, COLORO is portable and replayable, perfect for casual fun or more strategic play sessions.

Lucha Lucha 345 is a fast-paced strategy game with a stack-based system that plays out in a compact arena, offering plenty of replay value. It's designed for players ages 6 and up, with straightforward rules and strategic depth that work well for family game nights, quick matches, or gatherings with friends. The game sets up quickly and plays in energetic rounds, making it a good fit for two players or larger groups. Built with durable components and a travel-ready format, it holds up well whether you're playing at home or on the go. As a thoughtful gift for birthdays or holidays, it appeals to fans of strategy games and casual play alike.

Explore the Great Plains in this two-player abstract puzzle game, where rival tribes compete for dominance with the help of spiritual animal guides. Players use clever tactics to navigate hills, cross lowlands, and advance into their opponent’s territory, aiming to claim the most land for their tribe. Each game offers a fresh challenge, as the tablets are shuffled and arranged randomly to create a unique board every time. Designed for ages 10 and up, this strategic game supports two players and typically takes about 20 minutes to play.