Daniel (@dungeondive) returns to his adventure game countdown for 2026, framing it as a snapshot of what he is enjoying right now: a game had to have hit the table fairly often since 2024 to qualify. He defines the genre by camera distance. A dungeon crawl zooms in on minute detail, while an adventure game pulls back to a wide shot of overland travel, where an entire dungeon might be abstracted to a single card.
The list shifts noticeably from 2024. Star Wars: Outer Rim enters at ten on the back of Daniel’s renewed love of bounty-hunter Star Wars, and Darkest Night Second Edition arrives at seven for its 29 characters and tight one-action turns. Dark Venture rises on its second-edition rules, including the solo mode Daniel helped design, and Stonemaier’s Vantage lands at three, praised for its fail-forward challenges and an entire planet of cards to discover. Paupers’ Ladder slips from the top spot to two, making way for Arkham Horror Second Edition, a game Daniel once sold and then bought back at collector’s prices.
Each entry closes with an honest negative, from out-of-print scarcity and UK shipping costs to a recurring grievance: game boards are far too big.
Which of your adventure games has earned a place on the table regularly enough since 2024 to make your own snapshot list, and which old favourite would you have to admit has quietly fallen off?