If you’ve ever walked the crowded halls of Gen Con in Indianapolis, you know what to expect: the hum of thousands of voices, the clatter of dice hitting tabletops, and the sense that just around the next booth you’ll stumble across the game everyone will be talking about for the rest of the year. Gen Con 2025 didn’t disappoint.
This year’s convention was a showcase of extremes — from horror to high art — reminding us that tabletop games can be as playful as they are profound. Four titles in particular stood out: the blood-soaked return of Camp Grizzly, the icy survival drama of ARCTICA, the mythic storytelling of Duat, and the experimental artistry of Raas: A Dance of Love. Together, they painted a fascinating picture of where the hobby is headed.
Camp Grizzly: A Slasher Classic Returns
Once whispered about as a cult gem, Camp Grizzly is clawing its way back into the spotlight. Originally released in 2014, the semi-cooperative slasher send-up had long been out of print, fetching absurd prices on resale markets. Now, Ameritrash Games is resurrecting it with polished components, a streamlined rulebook, and even a proper solo mode for the truly daring.
The conceit is pure 80s horror: players are underpaid summer camp counselors trying to escape ”Otis,” the machete-wielding killer stalking the woods. Expect traps, random encounters, and the nerve-wracking race to survive. Nostalgic veterans welcomed it like an old friend, while curious newcomers lined up to see why this was once whispered about as legend.
ARCTICA: Survival on the Melting Ice
If Camp Grizzly is popcorn slasher fun, ARCTICA is its sobering counterpoint. From newcomer Frostbite Studios, this title blends euro-style mechanics with a chilling survival narrative: rival research teams vying for breakthroughs on a melting ice continent with dwindling resources.
Worker placement, shifting terrain, and board changes that mirror collapsing ice make every turn urgent. The clean design, with stark whites and icy blues, reinforces the environment’s cold indifference. Surprisingly, attendees noted its accessibility — rare for a genre notorious for heavy manuals. Now the question is: can it survive in the crowded eurogame marketplace?
Duat: Walking with the Gods
Some games want you to win; Duat wants you to journey. Drawing on Egyptian mythology, it casts players as wandering souls navigating trials of the underworld. Through card-driven storytelling and modular tiles, you’ll face gods, moral dilemmas, and symbolic obstacles that shape hand-crafted mythic stories.
It calls to mind narrative games such as *Sleeping Gods*, but distinguishes itself with openness and ambiguity — letting players interpret the meaning for themselves. The buzz at Gen Con was split: storytellers swooned, while others debated if it even qualified as a “game.” But perhaps that’s exactly its strength: Duat isn’t about points, it’s about transformation.
Raas: A Dance of Love
Every Gen Con has that one title that stops you in your tracks. In 2025, it was Raas: A Dance of Love. Part abstract, part performance piece, it’s inspired by the Indian dance form Raas. Gameplay involves pattern-building on the board while creating movements that echo dance. Some tables even encouraged players to mimic gestures, blurring the line between game and performance.
It’s not made for mass appeal, but as an art piece, it challenges what board games can be. Some wandered away intrigued, others baffled, but nearly everyone was touched by its audacity.
The Bigger Picture
- Camp Grizzly proves nostalgia can still thrill when designed with care.
- ARCTICA shows how euro mechanics can carry real-world urgency.
- Duat stretches storytelling into the mythic, where choices matter on a spiritual level.
- Raas: A Dance of Love insists games can be art that perform as much as they entertain.
Together, these releases show a hobby that reflects back on its roots while daring to leap into uncharted cultural territory.
Release Dates to Watch
- Camp Grizzly: late 2025
- ARCTICA: early 2026
- Duat: early 2026
- Raas: A Dance of Love: limited art edition later this year
No localized Swedish editions are confirmed so far. For beginners, Camp Grizzly appears the most approachable. Narrative seekers will likely gravitate toward Duat.
So which one would you pull from the shelf first — the classic horror, the cold survival, the mythic journey, or the artistic performance? And perhaps the bigger question is this: should Gen Con continue elevating blockbuster fun, or push into daring experiments that redefine what a game can be?