Summer isn’t over yet and there’s still a ton of new tabletop games on the way, that includes video game tie-ins for XCOM and Cult Of The Lamb.
Unlike for video games, there is no summer games drought when it comes to tabletop games and the last few months have seen dozens of new releases and announcements. There’s been yet more video game adaptations, as well as animation crossovers for Justice League and Ghost in the Shell, and the latest for Warhammer and the Pokémon trading card game.
At the same time, the Disney Store in Oxford Street had to shut its doors, as crowds from all over Europe tried to get their hands on the latest Lorcana offerings, as Disney’s trading card game becomes ever more popular.
There’s never been so many excuses to hit your local gaming café, and take advantage of their aircon while building the perfect deck or plotting against friends over a cardboard map.
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
11th Edition already? How time flies when you’re the biggest tabletop gaming company in the world. The battle for Armageddon returns with one of Games Workshop’s biggest Warhammer 40,000 releases in recent years, with a brand new clash between the Imperium and the Orks.
The launch box delivers two complete armies, including Space Marine units such as the newly sculpted lieutenant and tactical squads, alongside a brutal Ork force packed with characterful miniatures including Boyz, Nobz, and heavily armed war machines. The push-fit models make it an accessible starting point for newcomers, while veteran hobbyists have loved the updated sculpts.
Built around the streamlined Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition rules, the set introduces faster gameplay, refreshed mission systems, and smoother army building. With recent rumours about Games Workshop using AI put firmly to bed, this is more than a starter set, it’s a celebration of everything fans love about the 41st millennium.
Riot Games is proving it means business with Riftbound: Vendetta, the latest expansion for its League Of Legends trading card game, that pushes competitive play deeper into the world of Runeterra. This set focuses on legendary rivalries, introducing new versions of champions including Shen, Zed, Mel, and Ambessa – alongside more than 160 new cards designed to shake up deck strategies. New mechanics such as flow, burn, and empower give you more ways to control battles, while unit-gear cards add another layer of customisation to champion builds.
Like previous Riftbound releases, the appeal comes from combining tactical card play with the personalities of League’s biggest characters. Whether you prefer aggressive champion-focused decks or slower strategic builds, Vendetta offers plenty of new tools for competitive players.
With stunning alternate art cards and collector-focused Showcase cards, this is another major step forward in Riot’s attempt to challenge the biggest names in the TCG world.
Disney Lorcana is rushing towards Spooky Season with Attack of the Vine, an expansion that brings fresh characters, clever new mechanics, and plenty of reasons for collectors to start hunting for those elusive Enchanted cards.
The 13th set sees the mysterious Vine spreading across the Inklands, introducing a new storyline alongside fan favourite Pixar worlds including Monsters Inc., Up, and Turning Red. The set also introduces dual-named characters, including combinations such as Sulley & Boo (I love their dedicated playmat), creating exciting new deck-building possibilities. While new abilities like temporary shift and floodborn shift add more tactical depth for competitive players.
With more than 200 cards to collect, top chase cards include my favourite Meilin as a singing red Panada using the Karaoke Queen ability and the iconic Belle and Beast card, which can fetch up to $2,000 on eBay.
I definitely don’t have room left in my flat for anything Pokémon related, especially not a 6.8m by 1.9m puzzle, but I really want it even at its eye-watering price. This jaw-dropping 40,320 piece jigsaw puzzle is one of the biggest officially licensed puzzles ever made, turning Nintendo’s monster-catching phenomenon into the ultimate challenge for collectors with far more patience and floor space than me.