1Which games we cover
Official digital editions of modern board games that players in Canada can start today on a mainstream computer, console, tablet or phone, and a few video games built like a board game. We favour games you buy once, and we name every expansion and map pack plainly.
2How we play them
Across many evenings: the tutorial, solo games against the computer on every level, pass-and-play on one device, online games with friends and ranked games with strangers. We read every store page, try the accessibility and family settings and time ordinary games before we write a word.
3What a score weighs
- The game: decisions, tension and how different each game feels.
- The adaptation: rules handled for you, clear screens, computer players worth beating and smooth online play.
- The welcome: tutorials, family modes, accessibility and how easy it is to teach someone new.
- The last turn: a clear end, turn alerts and how hard the game pulls you into another round.
4Meeples and bands
One editorial score out of five, in tenths, shown as five meeples filled to the score. The number also sets a band:
- Table classic (from 4.6): A game we would put on any table, for any group that fits it.
- Shelf favourite (from 4.4): Excellent, with a fault or two the review names plainly.
- Good company (from 4.0): Very good for the right table; the review says which one.
- Niche pick (below 4.0): Uneven, but worth a look if its idea appeals.
5Pace
Pace describes how a game feels to play, never how good it is:
- Easy-going: a relaxed game with room to chat.
- Thinky: long-term plans, combos and careful turns.
- Lively: quick turns and a lot of table talk.
6Length, workers and the last turn
Length is the typical game we timed against computer players, from the first turn to the score screen; online games with people usually take longer. One worker is 10 minutes of it. The last turn is the place to stop: a score screen, the end of a season or the end of an age. None of these changes a score; all of them help plan an evening, and tonight’s round puts a 10-minute stretch between two games.
7Break calls
Start the round on the home page follows common advice: rest your eyes every 20 minutes, drink every half hour and get up and stretch every 45. It runs only in your open tab.
8Comfort notes
Small cards on a phone, dense icons, long thinky turns and late-night alerts all matter. Each review lists the comfort and accessibility settings we found useful. Always read a game’s own health and safety notes too.
9Where the facts come from
Platforms, player counts, online features, accounts, prices, languages and age ratings come from our own play and are checked against each game’s official site, the Steam store in Canadian dollars, the Canadian Google Play store, the App Store and the console stores, and the ESRB ratings shown on those listings, which remain the reference for current prices and ratings.
10What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.