The best board games of 2022, selected by The American Tabletop Awards

polygon.com:

The American Tabletop Awards, an annual celebration of the very best new board games, returns Tuesday for its fifth consecutive year. The United States’ alternative to Germany’s Spiel des Jahres, the event sorts entries into several novel categories to be judged by an independent panel of industry experts. Together, these 20 titles represent some of the best art and design work around. The winners are extraordinary examples of their type and would make excellent additions to anyone’s collection.

This year’s categories are the same as last years, and include titles best for Early Gamers, an assortment of Casual Games, more traditional Strategy Games, as well as Complex Games for experienced players.

We’ve indicated what the recommended winning and runner-up titles are for each category below. Most are available for sale online — or at your friendly local game store.

Boop is the grand prize winner in the Early Gamers category, narrowly beating out KitesandMantis. Designed by Scott Brady with illustrations by Curt Covert, it charmed us mightily even as a prototype at last year’s Gen Con. Published by Smirk and Dagger, the final product is now widely available. The surprisingly strategic little match-three game has you corralling cats and kittens on a tiny, plush bedspread. Most rounds play in just 20-30 minutes, making it the perfect warm-up game for a long night at the table with friends.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

• 2 players, age 10+

• Playtime: 20-30 minutes

• Similar games: Shōbu

Turing Machine (pictured above) wins this year in the Casual Games category, edging out Next Station: Londonand Cat in the Box. Designed by Fabien Gridel and Yoann Levet, with art by Sébastien Bizos, the game is literally an analog