Christmas Gift Guide 2025: Tabletop Games

T’is the season when it’s great to stay indoors where it’s cozy and warm, and get lost in some good old fashioned tabletop games.

With this particular market growing bigger and bigger ever year, trying to find the right gift for the trading card collector, Dungeon Master, or board game fan on your holiday shopping list can seem daunting. But CGM has prepared a handy list of the most exciting tabletop games of the year, and some classic standbys that are great choices for those who are looking to delve into this world.

So without further ado, chart a course to adventure (and your Friendly Local Game Store) and Christmas shopping success with this year’s suggestions!

Daggerheart Core Rulebook

One of 2025’s most interesting developments in the world of tabletop games was the rise of Daggerheart, a new RPG from Darrington Press and the talented minds behind Critical Role.

Daggerheart functions like most other tabletop RPGs—one participant is the Game Master who leads the narrative, and the others make up the brave adventuring party—but what sets it apart is its unique philosophy and mechanics. The biggest change is the Duality Dice system, which uses two different-coloured d12 dice, one for “Hope” and one for “Fear.” Players roll both to make a check, and the outcome is about more than just the numerical result; if the Fear die got the higher number, the GM gets an advantage, but if the Hope die was higher, the player gets a boon.

The Daggerheart system, as laid out in the Core Rulebook, is a diverse framework, turning many tried-and-true conventions of RPGs on their heads in ways that revitalize the entire experience. Players and GMs are both empowered with a new suite of tools, from reworked classes and species, to new rules on death saving throws and the highly customizable Campaign Frames. For tabletop players who want a change from the usual mechanics, Daggerheart is an excellent choice.

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Daggerheart Core Set

Hardcover Book
Starke, Spenser (Author)

Dungeons & Dragons 2025 Starter Sets

When it comes to roleplaying tabletop games, Dungeons & Dragons is the introductory course and the foundation, a skeleton key to learning the entire genre—and this year has seen two great gateways into its latest revised edition.

The first introductory package, Heroes of the Borderlands, is a more traditional offering, while the second box, Welcome to The Hellfire Club, is aimed at fans of Stranger Things by building off the series. Both offer several premade characters and adventures, aimed at teaching aspiring players and Dungeon Masters alike.

The 2025 versions take a slightly different approach to previous starter sets, with assets like game cards for handy reference. These aids don’t necessarily carry into playing D&D beyond the Starter Sets, but they do make the learning curve that much smoother.

If you know someone who wants to start playing Dungeons & Dragons thanks to the show, Welcome to the Hellfire Club is a perfect jumping-on point—and at the same time, it doesn’t require familiarity with Stranger Things to be useful. While the tie-in theming is heavy, beneath the easter eggs and allusions, its adventures are just plain inspired by classic D&D.

Dungeons & Dragons – Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands

THE START OF A LEGENDARY D&D ADVENTURE—Create your first character, fight monsters, save your friends, and embark on thrilling quests. This is the start of something legendary. This is D&D for everyone.
FAST FUN FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY—Heroes of the Borderlands is playable in bite-sized, hour-long sessions, perfect for game night with friends and family.

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Stranger Things: Welcome to The Hellfire Club | Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game

FINISH THE CAMPAIGN—The Hellfire Club was born in Eddie Munson’s basement—a haven for outsiders, free spirits, and dice-slingers. But his final campaign was left unfinished… until now. Keep the flames of Hellfire burning in this collaborative 3–5 player game.
TURN YOUR ADVENTURES UPSIDE DOWN—Take on challenges hotter than Hellfire with 4 of Eddie’s lost adventures—from gnarly battles with Demogorgons and Demodogs, eerie dockside murders, and the treacherous Vale of Shadows.

Dungeons & Dragons—New Forgotten Realms

Over decades, Dungeons & Dragons has spawned many dearly beloved worlds through novels, video games, other tabletop games, and more, but perhaps the most recognizable is the Forgotten Realms. You or that gamer on your list may have already explored Faerun through the blockbuster Baldur’s Gate 3, or the Drizzt novels from R.A. Salvatore; now, the Realms are back and updated for the 2024 edition of D&D.

The player-focused Heroes of Faerun has plenty of info and character options drawing upon the unique setting, while Adventures in Faerun offers DMs more monsters, items, and premade adventure hooks to get their games rolling. Along the way there’s plenty of lore to help players on both side of the table get up to speed on the cultures and lands they’ll be bringing to life.

The Forgotten Realms is a tried, tested, and true campaign setting, and spawned immeasurable hours and memories for fans of tabletop games. Gift these books to the gamer on your list and they can make their own mark on this storied realm.

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Dungeons & Dragons – Heroes of Faerun (D&D Forgotten Realms Player Expansion)

THE REALMS WILL KNOW YOUR NAME—Go from ordinary hero to world-shaking legend; this compendium of D&D player options awakens new possibilities for your hero that will transform your campaign into the next greatest Forgotten Realms epic
EXPLORE THE EXPANSIVE FORGOTTEN REALMS—Experience the Forgotten Realms like never before! Unlock its full storytelling potential with new adventures set in unexplored lands, novel magic, and fantastical player options, all in one place

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Dungeons & Dragons – Adventures in Faerun (D&D Forgotten Realms DM Expansion)

THE REALMS WILL KNOW YOUR NAME—The most expansive take on the Forgotten Realms in D&D history, this book has everything Dungeon Masters need to tackle this timeless fantasy setting, complete with new stories, lore, locations, and encounters
A WORLD OF LIMITLESS STORYTELLING—Go where your imagination leads in this enormous Forgotten Realms expansion. There is no power too vast, no mountaintop too high, and no possibility too great to leave unexplored

Disney Lorcana

Trading card games have been all the rage in recent years, and for our money, one of the most fun and approachable tabletop games on the market is Disney Lorcana from Ravensburger. With its own unique spin on Disney’s beloved characters, Lorcana is easy to learn and fun to play with friends and family of all ages—perfect for when Uno is too boring for kids but Pokémon is too weird for Grandma.

There are now ten different sets out, each focused on different Disney IPs—like Whispers in the Well, the most recent, which introduced classic 90s cartoon Gargoyles into the mix, while the previous set, Fabled, is particularly geared at newcomers. Each set has two different Starter Decks for quick pick-up-and-play action, or Illumineer’s Troves to quickly bolster any player’s library with new cards.

Ravensburger also has several different gift offerings, like a Portfolio Bundle (available in Canada through EB Games), or the Fabled Gift Box featuring Frozen 2‘s Elsa. For those looking to learn the game, the Gateway box is an especially fine offering which teaches the rules gradually, and one of the finest introductory boxes in tabletop games today.

(Or, if you could just use a gift for a regular Disney fan, Ravensburger offers multiple 1000pc puzzles based on Lorcana‘s brilliant art—perfect for fans even if they don’t play tabletop games.)

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Ravensburger Disney Lorcana TCG: Elsa Gift Box – 5 Booster Packs, The Fifth Spirit Promo Card & Storage Box for 252 Cards | Trading Card Game & Disney Collectible | Ages 8+

A GLIMMERING ADDITION TO YOUR COLLECTION: For collectors and new players alike, the Elsa – The Fifth Spirit promo card is a must-have. With its “glimmer foil” finish it will quickly become a favorite piece of your collection.
PLENTY OF STORAGE SPACE: Within the storage box, you can keep up to 250 sleeved cards. That way you can protect your cards from unexpected blizzards or frozen blasts.

Ravensburger Disney Lorcana – Glimmers of The Realm: Amethyst 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle | Premium Quality Made in Europe | FSC Certified Materials

Challenge yourself with a 1000 piece puzzle from Ravensburger! Puzzling is more than just fun! Puzzling develops logical thinking and problem-solving skills, memory, focus, and concentration, and builds confidence. Plus, it’s a great way to unplug, relax, and destress.
Ravensburger puzzles are designed to be a positive, frustration-free experience. Our steel-cut pieces offer a perfect, interlocking fit and no two pieces are ever the same shape! And our fine, linen-structured paper eliminates glare so you can really see the pieces. Ravensburger, bringing families together since 1891.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying (5E) / The One Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien has inspired more people to seek out tabletop games than any other force out there, so it’s only fitting that his legendarium has some representation in the space as well. For Lord of the Rings fans, Free League offers two excellent gateways to Middle-Earth.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is compatible with D&D‘s Fifth Edition (5E), essentially turning the beloved world of Arda into an additional campaign setting and reskinning D&D with Tolkienian trappings. The One Ring, meanwhile, is a self-sufficient game system in its own right with different mechanics. For their Starter Sets, both games share a scenario called “Over Hill and Under Hill,” which makes comparing the two game systems

In theory you could even try both starters to compare how the games approach RPG systems before investing further into either; since the adventure itself is narratively the same in both boxes, it’s a direct comparison. (For example, while my group likes the appeal of using the 5E rules with some Tolkien-inspired add-ons, we slightly preferred The One Ring in the end.)

Both tabletop games share some of Free League’s new features which help bring a taste of the beloved movie trilogy to your RPG sessions: Journey simulates (and summarizes) the feeling of the Fellowship’s long trek; Combat adds a large-scale combat feel to regular RPG fights; and Council offers a mechanically-inspired way to incorporate large NPC meetings like the Council of Elrond. Whichever game you choose, any Tolkien and RPG fan should enjoy slipping into the world of Middle-Earth for themselves.

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Free League The Lord of The Rings

Roleplaying 5E Starter Set – Journey Through Middle-Earth

ALL-INCLUSIVE KIT: Dive into Middle-earth with this starter RPG including a condensed 5E rulebook, the “Over Hill and Under Hill” adventure, custom dice, a large map, illustrated cardboard standees, a combat diagram, and five ready-to-play characters.
IMMERSIVE COMPONENTS: Enjoy illustrated standees, two engraved d20s with the Rune of Gandalf and Eye of Sauron, and transparent polyhedral dice that bring the lore of Tolkien to life in your campaign.

Free League The One Ring

Over Hill and Under Hill Starter Set – Beginner RPG Adventure in Eriador

ALL-INCLUSIVE STARTER: Begin your TTRPG adventure with this complete starter set, featuring simplified rules, pre-generated characters, custom dice, detailed maps, for play in Middle-earth.
THEMATIC DICE SYSTEM: Unique D12 Feat Dice and D6 Success Dice feature symbols like Rune of Gandalf and Eye of Sauron, adding thematic success and failure to every roll for an immersive fantasy experience.

Magic: The Gathering—Final Fantasy

This summer two worlds collided in a massive collaboration when Magic: The Gathering, the world’s premier TCG, incorporated the worlds of Final Fantasy, the pioneering video game series. The adventure continues this holiday season with two new products designed for gift-giving.

The Chocobo Bundle is a deluxe, expanded edition of MTG‘s Bundles, which are normally among the best products in tabletop games. This holiday version, however, includes a little extra: 10 Play Boosters, a 12-card Chocobo Booster with new printings, 1 alternate art Birds of Paradise promo, 1 of 24 new Scene cards, a special Click Wheel life counter (instead of the usual spindown die in regular Bundles), and 32 Basic Lands (half of which are foil). It’s not only a handy way to expand someone’s collection, but to find beautiful new variants, and as a longtime fan of both the video and tabletop games, I know I’d love to find one of these under the tree.

(If it can still be found at a reasonable or retail price, the Gift Bundle that came out with the main set this summer is also a great gift idea with similar offerings, but the Chocobo Bundle has the benefit of new alternate arts made for this release.)

Alternately, the new Scene Box offerings are ideal for gift-giving too, and in a more price-friendly fashion. Each of the four designs represents a scene from a different Final Fantasy—the original, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, or Final Fantasy XV. Inside the corresponding box you’ll find six brand-new cards whose artwork combine to make up the complete mural, as well as their art cards, and an easel which makes an easy way to display the scenes. You’ll also find three regular Play Boosters.

These new offerings feature some of the games which were underrepresented in the original set, so if you have a fan of both Final Fantasy and tabletop games on your shopping list, either are a sure hit.

Magic: The Gathering—Universes Beyond

Conversely, if the tabletop games-lover in your life prefers Spider-Man or Avatar: The Last Airbender to Final Fantasy, two of Magic: The Gathering‘s latest sets have you covered as well.

The Avatar: The Last Airbender set features Scene Boxes, but more importantly, it offers several products which are great for learning how to play MTG and wading into its waters. The Beginner Box guides new players through their first rounds, and includes some handy aids like placemats that show the various zones where cards go. The Commander’s Bundle is similar to the Final Fantasy Chocobo Bundle, but specifically geared to the popular Commander game format.

Meanwhile, the Spider-Man set is full of cards inspired by the character’s comic history and the entire Spider-Verse, and features plenty of spectacular variant arts—also available in Scene Boxes and Gift Bundles.

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Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender Beginner Box | 2-Player Card Game | Includes 2 Tutorial Decks, 8 Themed Half-Decks, 2 Playboards, 2 Spindowns, and More

LEARN THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF MAGIC—Your Magic: The Gathering journey begins with a friend beside you! Play your first game in a guided battle of Aang versus Zuko. Choose your side and send your forces to your opponent while learning essential gameplay lessons
GUIDED LEARN-TO-PLAY EXPERIENCE—Start by playing a tutorial game with two 20-card decks, each with a step-by-step guide booklet that will walk you through your first game

Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game

If that Marvel fan you know prefers their tabletop games in roleplaying form instead of trading cards, look no further than Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game. A substantial departure from the usual D&D-inspired games, Marvel’s game utilizes a unique dice-rolling mechanic and a different approach to character building which pulls from the company’s long publication history.

In addition to the Core Rulebook, the game now offers two additional supplements to lean into players’ favourite superheroes. The X-Men sourcebook is a very deep dive into the world of Charles Xavier’s exceptional students and other mutants across the Marvel timelines, while this year’s Spider-Verse book does the same for Peter Parker, his allies, his clones, his rogues gallery, and anyone else whose borne the Spider-mantle across the multiverse.

These books may even be an idea for fans who aren’t into tabletop games and just enjoy Marvel history—in addition to dozens of full-page character sheets for almost any character you can think of who’s associated with these universes, the books are packed with lore and information on the various teams and events which shaped both the X-Men and Spider-Man. Even if the recipient never plays the game itself, they’re terrific coffee table books, packed with art and info.

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Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game: Core Rulebook

Featuring the All-New, All-Different d616 System, the MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME gives players the chance to explore their own corner of the multiverse.
Written by New York Times-bestseller Matt Forbeck, with artwork by Mike Bowden and Marvel’s many incredible artists.

Riftbound: League of Legends Trading Card Game

League of Legends is one of the world’s biggest games and a pioneer of the MOBA genre, and now it’s breaking free from computer monitors to the world of tabletop games.

Functioning similarly to Magic: The Gathering‘s Commander format—in that your deck revolves around a particular legendary character card—the League of Legends TCG has taken off since its launch this fall. The first set features over 300 cards and has Champion Decks for Jinx, Lee Sin, and Viktor; the next set, Spiritforged, will expand it further this February with over 200 additional cards, featuring heroes like Ezreal, Fiora, and Lucian.

If you can track down the highly-desired intro box, Proving Grounds, you’ll have everything a League fan needs to learn how to play. Otherwise, you can expand the collection with booster packs or prebuilt Champion Decks.

HeroQuest: First Light and The Crypt of Perpetual Darkness

As much fun as roleplaying games can be, sometimes it’s a relief to have the whole experience planned out for you and ready to run—and that’s where HeroQuest comes in. Melding the different forms of tabletop games, HeroQuest is a RPG (like D&D) that plays like a regular board game. You get the fun of an ongoing story/campaign and having characters to embody, but with fully premade adventures including all of the required minis and maps.

That being said, the core game can be daunting, so HeroQuest: First Light simplifies things (and brings the price down). Players can choose to either designate one person to be the narrator, like D&D‘s Dungeon Master, and control the monsters and dungeons per the included instructions; or, a free companion app can help perform this role, allowing everyone to embody a hero.

From there, expand the adventure with The Crypt of Perpetual Darkness, a new expansion designed by Joe Manganiello. This additional pack includes 10 new quests and a stunning metallic black dragon miniature, and is a thrilling way to keep the First Light experience rolling.

Avalon Hill HeroQuest First Light Game System Board Game – English Version

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PLAY: Designed for newcomers and fans alike, HeroQuest First Light Game System includes 10 unique quests, over 100 pieces and beginner-friendly rule booklet that will get you started right away
Immersive FANTASY ADVENTURE: In this standalone game, you play as Zargon, the game master, or one of the mythical heroes who fight monsters in teams and quests to defeat Zargon’s evil powers

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Avalon Hill HeroQuest Joe Manganiello’s The Crypt of Perpetual Darkness Quest Pack | Ages 14+ | 2 to 5 Players

PREMIUM HEROQUEST EXPANSION: Joe Manganiello’s The Crypt of Perpetual Darkness Quest Pack is a premium version of the edition previously only available to crowd funders of the HeroQuest relaunch! (Requires HeroQuest Game System. Sold separately.)
SAVE YOUR HOMELAND FROM THE FORCES OF DREAD: A fallen knight’s tomb is rumored to contain a powerful artifact. Embark on a perilous journey to the long-lost crypt, and keep the treasure from Zargon

Final Fantasy XIV Tabletop RPG

Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV? You may not have heard that it has also received an analog adaptation in the form of the Final Fantasy XIV Tabletop Roleplaying Game.

In this d20-based system, Warriors of Light can bring their adventures in Eorzea to the world of tabletop games. The Starter Set has everything aspiring heroes to set out with premade characters, while the Standard Rulebook presents the full rules and the tools for character creation, including every job from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. The Scenario & Gamemaster Guide is due out this winter with all the tools the GM needs to expand the experience further and create their own unique adventures.

Tabletop games helped inspire Final Fantasy in the first place, and fans have long experimented with making their own D&D versions of the games, so Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG is a welcome, official take. Bring one of the most world’s biggest MMORPGs to your own table this holiday season.