24 of the best board games to give in 2025

Agricola is one of the best board games ever designed and one of the best examples of worker placement mechanics. The concept is simple. Each player uses a farmer and wife (both known as “workers”) to complete a variety of actions, including collecting wood and vegetables, upgrading farm homes, building pens, buying animals, children and more. Over time, players will have children (using more workers) and expand the farm. But all of this problem is rarity. Agricola is a tough game. Even if the other person isn’t blocking you from certain actions, it often feels like you’re just worn out – get enough food to feed your family for the winter. Players often have very few (or negative) points in the first game, but once they start learning, they feel incredibly satisfying.