As per tradition, in December, we always shake things up from our regular Mox Spotlight routine. Rather than choosing one specific publisher, we shift the spotlight to highlighting our favorite games. We asked our staff to pick the most fun games that they recommend playing with friends and family over the holidays. Stop by Mox this month to receive a 10% discount on any titles mentioned in this blog post.

Mox Staff Favorite Games

When undecided about what game you should pick up next there is no better resource to help you choose than Mox. We are experts with countless game-play hours under our belts. On a daily basis, we research new games, read about them, watch videos, and teach them to our customers. Keep reading to find out more about our favorites.

Xander (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Seattle) - Dixit

45 minutes | 3-6 Players | 8+

An easy-to-understand party game where you have a hand of cards with abstract pictures on them and you give a clue that you think will identify one of your cards. Each player picks a card in their hand, then everyone bets on which one they think was yours. It’s fun and challenging to play with kids because they can get very literal, something I’ve learned while playing it with my niece. 

Logan (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Bellevue) – Paint The Roses

90 minutes | 2-5 Players | 11+

Paint The Roses is a cooperative visual deductive game, which makes it a fun and unique game to try out. You and the other players select tiles from the greenhouse and give hints to other players to show how many times your hint card appears on the board. It’s like Cryptid, but it’s all the players working together against the game and the Red Queen is coming for all of your heads and she gets faster with every turn!

Vid (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Portland) – Betrayal at House on the Hill

90 minutes | 3-6 Players | 12+

It's a cooperative game... until it isn't! Betrayal at House on the Hill is 3-6 player game that gives you the opportunity to explore an everchanging haunted house with your friends. Work together to chart secret rooms and mysterious hallways while you survive disturbing encounters with spectral entities and foul creatures. Keep track of mechanics like Sanity and other Wait. Where did your friend go? And why is there a dragon in the mystic elevator?!

James (Retail Supervisor at Mox Seattle) – Ark Nova 

120 minutes | 1-4 Players | 14+

Players plan and design a modern conservation-focused zoo, and you want to build the best zoo you can. Each player has a set of action cards, and the actions actually get more powerful the less you use them, so there’s lots of fun strategy to be had. Through building new enclosures for new animals, you’ll have to balance the needs of making a successful zoo with your goal of conservation. It’s got some complexity to it, so give this a shot if you’re into deep strategy games. 

Steve (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Bellevue) - Here to Slay

60 minutes | 2-6 Players | 14+

Sharpen your daggers, it's time to stab your friends in the back! Evade your friends sabotage cards while you recruit a band of adventurers to vanquish monsters. Kill three monsters or collect all six hero archetypes in order to slay the game and win!

Flynn (Retail Supervisor at Mox Portland) – Terraforming Mars

120 minutes | 1-4 Players | 14+

The people of Earth are looking to expand, and humanity has set its sights on the next best planet to call home: Mars. To make that dusty red rock habitable, you and up to 4 friends will take control of gigantic corporations with the resources and influence needed to purchase and finish terrestrial project cards. Track Mars’ surface temperature, oxygen levels, and ocean coverage to unlock more difficult projects with higher payoffs. For lovers of resource management, you’ll enjoy balancing 6 different values with every action: credits, steel, titanium, plants, energy, and heat. Watch your efforts change the planet over generations at a time, and you see which company reigns supreme in our spacey future!

David (In-Store Sales and Marketing Associate at Mox Seattle) – Tokaido 

60 minutes | 2-5 Players | 8+

Tokaido is the relaxing vacation we all wish we could take, but can’t find the time to do. You play as a traveler, going down the famous Tokaido road in Edo period Japan with the goal of just having the best vacation possible. You’ll stop at restaurants, hot springs, maybe sit and just enjoy the view. It’s got a beautiful art style and it’s the perfect game to just relax and play with friends. 

Cindy (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Bellevue) – Great Western Trail 

120 minutes | 1-4 Players | 12+

Gather around, one and all, for the cattle drive of the season! In Great Western Trail push your cattle (including Cindy's favorite, the West Highland cattle) from Kansas City to San Francisco to raise the most profits and achieve victory through synergistic deck-building and worker placement. 

El (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Portland) – Tsuro

30 minutes | 2-8 Players | 8+

The squiggly-line-noodle-tangle-up game! Out-squiggle your opponents in this beautiful 2-8 player tile placement game. You'll draft pathways and try to be the last player on the board. You can yeet your friends to oblivion as you chart your path to stay in the game, but be careful not to crash into another player! Tsuro has many versions you can pick from, so your options for playing are limitless!

Thomas (Retail Sales Associate at Mox Seattle) – Pusheen Purrfect Pick

30 minutes | 2-5 Players | 8+

You move a cute little Pusheen around the board, and collecting cards every turn which will be the items used to collect snapshots, each worth a certain number of stars. It’s chill and very kid friendly, but there’s enough there for players of all ages. 

Nick (Retail Supervisor at Mox Bellevue) – Wormholes 

60 minutes | 1-5 Players | 14+

Create wormholes through the galaxy in order to deliver passengers to their planetary destinations. This game picks up its pace quickly, as players scramble to discover planets first and efficiently travel through the stars. Enjoy lots of replay ability through its modular map and tempting others to use your wormhole gates for victory points.

Dolan (Restaurant Server at Mox Portland - Spirit Island

120 minutes | 1-4 Players | 13+ 

The invaders are coming, but together we can save our island home! Spirit Island is a cooperative game for 1-4 players where you embody titanic spirits with unique elemental abilities. Each turn, you’ll spend your energy on defenses for the island – some of your spells quickly impacts the board, but others take multiple turns of invading attacks in order to charge. You decide whether to bide your time or go on the offensive. There’s a host of expansions and unique invaders to fight time and time again, too. Who doesn’t want a nice island vacation with a helping of magic and teamwork?

Perfect Gifts For The Whole Family

All month long we’re offering 10% off all these Staff Picks as part of our Mox Spotlight program. Our expert staff is happy to help you get started or make new recommendations based on your preferences. We'll have amazing deals throughout the holidays so make sure to stop by, or shop online. 

-See you at Mox