New year, new games! With a new year comes a new list of game that we want to add to our collection this year, what better way to start that off with some hot releases, re-releases, plus old favourites. Check out our list of the top five board games burning up the charts in January 2022.

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (Revised Core Set)

Following up on the recent release of the revised edition of Arkham Horror: The Card Game, Fantasy Flight Games has released an updated version of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. The team at Fantasy Flight has revisited one of the best LCG games of all time, looking to increase the core set contents and make some 'quality of life' improvements.

A perfect opportunity for new players to dive into the game, the Revised Core set includes cards to support Campaign Mode. The previous core set supported only standalone scenarios. New Burden and Boon mechanics add cards that persist with players from scenario to scenario. Finally, support for up to 4 players comes standard out of the box. Add all of this to an already expansive line of expansions and campaigns and this revised core set takes the LOTR LCG to the next level!

Buy The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (Revised Core Set) online now!

4. Black Sonata

Originally released as a print and play game, the retail version of Black Sonata has been a long time coming. This solo game of deduction and mystery is the perfect blend of challenge and fun, without being a true brain-burner.

Set in 1600's London, you are in pursuit of Shakespeare's Dark Lady, try to deduce who she is and where she is hiding. A specially ordered deck of cards determines where the Dark Lady moves around the board. You must figure out her location and then catch a glimpse of her to gain a clue to her identity. Several clues are needed to identify her, but with each clue gained her movements become harder to track. As we mentioned above, this game combines logical deduction and hidden movement perfectly to create a unique solitary experience steeped in literary history.

Buy Black Sonata online now!

3. Undaunted: Reinforcements

The first expansion on our list this month is a hotly anticipated title from Osprey Games. Undaunted: Reinforcements is a modular expansion to the very accessible wargames Undaunted: North Africa and Undaunted: Normandy.

This expansion introduces a wide range of new rules to the game, as well as adding more scenarios and units. Unleash the power of the American and German tanks and see how your new unit options fare against them in Undaunted: Normandy. Or, use assault aircraft, land mines, and other units to try to outfox your opponent in Undaunted: North Africa. No matter what Undaunted game you already have, the Reinforcements expansion expands on an already great war-themed board gaming experience.

Buy Undaunted: Reinforcements online now!

2. Camel Up: Off Season

The original Camel Up has long been a light, fun, party game favourite of ours. When Camel Up: Off Season was announced, the team at Board Game Bandit was very excited to see what this new game would bring to the table.

A standalone game set in the Camel Up universe, Camel Up: Off Season features the families bidding mechanisms of the original game but adds a market and set collection element to the game.

At the start of each round, players bid to see who gets first pick of goods from the market, with the bidding rules changing based on which good is visible. The winning bidder take the goods from a market of their choice and loads up their camel. However, there are some limitations, camels can only hold one type of good and a limit on how many they can hold. Can you stack camels in your caravan with goods without making them topple over? Manage that while keeping a nice bank of coins and you could come out on top!

Buy Camel Up: Off Season online now!

1. Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders

Lost Ruins of Arnak was one of the runaway smashes of 2020, quickly becoming a modern classic. The much anticipated expansion to the game arrives this month with Expedition Leaders.

This expansion lets players give their expeditions an edge by adding in six unique leaders, each with their own unique skills, abilities, and starting decks. Each leader offers different strategies and styles of play for players to explore. These leader abilities bring a new level of asymmetry to an already great game.

In addition to the leaders, this expansion also includes different research tracks that introduce even more variety and steeper challenges, new artifact and item cards to create exciting new combos, as well as more assistance and guardians to meet and sites to explore.

There is a ton of content in this expansion, it's poised to be a must-have for any Arnak fan!

Buy Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders online now!