Top 25 Games of All Time - 2026 Edition: Games 15-11
- Aaron Baillio
- Jul 18
- 8 min read
Alright...we're closing in on the top 10 games. But first, games 15-11. These games are so good, they all have a solo mode, and all but maybe one of them are readily available. Without reviewing the prior games 25-16, let's jump right in to number 15!
The #15 game is pretty new to me I just got it maybe earlier this year, but it's not a new game. It was recently on Kickstarter with a new face lift and small tweaks to the rules. A game published by Frost Bite Games and designed by Tom Jolly and Luke Laurie, it's Manhattan Project: Energy Empire. This was originally released in 2016 following the success of The Manhattan Project. As mentioned, it has now been released with new art and inclusions of all the prior expansions and a solo mode. This is primarily a worker-placement, tableau builder with a bit of resource management. Let's take a look at the gameplay.
The setting is cold war era world economics with the rise of nuclear energy. You take control of a nation struggling to produce enough energy to sustain its economy and grow its power. But, as nations increase in industry so does it's pollution. Excess pollution can have global impacts and so you have to manage between growing your industrial base while managing the damage you are doing to the planet, all while vying against other nations to be the strongest.
On your turn, you can either place a worker or generate energy. However, to do the work, you have to have energy. Placing workers and managing your energy supply is the heart of this game because energy can be scarce and placement spots become limited unless you have what you need in your own tableau. Otherwise, on a generate energy turn, you roll dice signifying your energy production (coal, oil, nuclear, etc.). Build building into your tableau to build your industry and provide more power and abilities.
Why is this game fun? I know on the surface, the theme may seem kind of bland. But because it's a pretty closed economy, the race for resources makes this a highly competitive game. The types of power you generate and when can make a huge difference in the game. This contention of choices is what makes this such a juicy game. Even in the solo mode, there is enough competition from the AI that you still feel the struggle. It's a little more on the thinky side of things, but there are so many ways to win and it's a challenge every time. I can't recommend this game enough.
At number 14 comes from the mind of one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson. If you are aware of him (if you're not have you been living under a rock?!) you know he has several famous series. This particular series is about a cataclysmic event that gave certain people super powers...and those people began to abuse those powers. Those people with powers were called 'Epics' and those who opposed them were 'The Reckoners.' That's right...from Nauvoo Games and designed by Brett Sobol and Seth Van Orden is The Reckoners.
This is a co-operative game that can play up to 6 people! (There are very few of those that are good.) Your goal...defeat the mighty epic, Steelheart. Before you can do so, you have to find his weakness. As you research his weakness and battle other minor epics, the city continues to suffer at their hands. If the population is reduced to zero, you lose. You have to learn Steelheart's weakness and kill him before that happens.
On you turn, you can take a number of actions either to help a team member, handle a blockade or deal with the epic in your part of town. Working together to get stronger and gain more intel is important but leaving the epics unchecked slowly kills the population, so you have to make every decision count.
If you are a fan of Brandon Sanderson and his work, the theme really comes out here. Brandon has an immense talent of telling a compelling story, and that show through here. You almost feel like you're playing out the story. Because it's cooperative, you can work as a team, solo (true solo or multi-handed), and it works both ways. And the game is fairly difficult, so getting that win is very exciting. The face off against Steelheart can be very cinematic as well. I can remember multiple times trying to take down what is essentially a demi-god, coming so close, only to have the last of the population destroyed during our final battle. There are fun, tactical choices in this game and working as a team is fun to take down the big boss. This is the one game though that might be hard to find.
Speaking of dystopia, in an alternate era WWI, where mechs roam the countryside and the industrial complex reigns supreme, lives Scythe, produced by Stonemaier Games and designed by Jaime Stegmaier. I love pretty much anything that Stonemaier puts out, but Scythe stands above most. At the heart of the game is an engine building mechanic built into your action selection board. That in itself is really interesting. So as you progress, you increase the power of your actions. That's just one of the cool things about the game, but that's what tickles the mind the most.
In addition to that, there's area majority, fighting, resource management, influence and more. You can actually pursue any of these options to win the game. Don't want to fight? It's not even necessary! Don't want to build moral among the people? Not necessary. There are so many paths to winning that it's a new puzzle every time. What does matter is managing your resources and upgrading your actions strategically so that the action pays off when you need it to. The road to 7 stars, or winning conditions, will be made if you can do that 1 thing better than the others. The solo mode is also very challenging and makes you feel like there is legitimate competition on the board.
Finally, you can't talk about Sythe without mentioning the components. The mechs are top notch. The art is next level...Jakub Rosalski does an amazing job pulling a 1920's era Europe and spinning it with a slight dystopian feel and coloring it with industrial revolution depression. The models look great and metal coins are standard. Because this game has been out since 2016 and people love it (ranked 26 on BGG top 100!) there are plenty of upgrades out there. It's just a fun puzzle but it's challenging. Be prepared to lose frequently. There's now a campaign that can also be played solo called The Rise of Fenris. It'll keep you engages with Scythe for days.
At number 12, we're returning to an intellectual property (IP) that we've already visited on this list. And for good reason. This is The Witcher: Old World. This game is also produced by CD Projekt Red and designed by Lukasz Wozniak. If I didn't mention it the last time, I'm a huge fan or The Witcher series. I won't go into the background here (check out my review 20-16), but just to quickly recap...The Witcher is a monster hunter in a medieval mythical country. This game more closely follows the life of a witcher than he last game on my list The Witcher: Path of Destiny.
At the heart of this game is a deckbuilding mechanism where you leverage different witcher signs to create power combos. As you adventure through the land, taking commissions and fighting monsters, you learn more and more about the witcher abilities and gain more power and reputation. The first player to reach a set number of trophies (4-6), that player instantly wins the game. You can also gamble, take on other witchers, and generally wander the country side looking for a good adventure.
So what sets this apart from the other witcher game? Well, this one has more actual adventuring and combat where as Path of Destiny is more about a storytelling adventure. Think of Star Wars: Outer Rim with deckbuilding. The cards are multiuse cards and can be used to travel, or for combat or for special abilities. The way the cards chain together takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's a fun challenge to draft cards that will enhance your deck the best. There is a purpose built solo mode that provides enough of a challenge to feel like you are in a race to claim the most trophies. The monsters you battle are increasingly more difficult and the game has a bunch of expansions and modular add-ins that really enhance the game play. For example, have you ever wanted to be part of the fabled wild hunt? Or mix it up with mages? It's all possible in the Witcher universe.
I have bent the rules before and made this a 6 player game and cooperative. (My last group only like cooperative games...don't get me started.) This is a fun game suitable for all experience levels...mostly because deckbuilding is easy and fun. If you're a Witcher fan, and love open world adventure, leveling up your character and fighting monsters, you can't go wrong with this game.
Alright! Rounding out the list today, at number 11, is a time traveling marvel, it's Anachrony. Anachrony is published by Mindclash Games and designed by David Turczi. It seems this list won't be finished without another future dystopia. The earth is recovering from a catastrophic explosion that wiped out most of humanity. The remaining humans created 4 factions with unique ideologies: Harmony, Dominance, Progress and Salvation. Each facts lives mostly peacefully separate from each other except for the 1 area that overlaps...the Capital.
Each faction has learned to leverage time rifts that have opened up across the globe. Using these allows you to go back in time to collect resources. In order to travel through time, you must use an exosuit, but those are in limited supply and can only be powered by certain resources. The last thing to watch out for...if you don't put the resources back in time where you found them, you create a time anomaly that can have devastating effects.
Why is this game so fun...it's like living a Christopher Nolan movie. It bends your mind thinking about time travel and anachronisms that might affect you in real life. This is a worker placement and resource management game. As you manage your workers and travel through time, you can build up faction's ability to produce resources. Because it's worker placement, it's not a direct combat situation with the other factions, you're vying for resources and to either ensure the planet doesn't explode or that you're off the planet before that happens.
There's an excellent solo mode that still makes the puzzle intriguing. The quality of the components are top notch and the art has that futuristic quasi-utopia vibe with sinister undertones. I've never played anything like this where you have to consider the ramifications of your turns down the line. It's really interesting, it's a fun theme and though it's a bit complex for new players, it's a very rewarding experience.
Alright my friends! That concludes today's list. Here is a quick recap:
Manhattan Project: Energy Empire
The Reckoners
Scythe
The Witcher: Old World
Anachrony
I hope you liked the list! Stay tuned for the next batch, 10-6. We're getting close! Please let me know if you have any comments. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube or email at theforeversologamer@gmail.com.
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