UK Games Expo 2025 - Games to Watch Out For

Get ready for the UK Games Expo 2025, now celebrating its nineteenth year and showing no signs of slowing down! This year, the UK Games Expo is set to welcome around 65,000 visitors and over 630 exhibitors for three unmissable days of tabletop gaming. For the Chaos Cards Expo team, the event at Birmingham's NEC is a highlight of the year. With activities ranging from live entertainment and role-playing to tournaments, seminars, workshops, and a vast selection of stalls and demos; the UKGE is the place to be this May, trust us!

As the largest tabletop games show in the UK and the third largest in the World, the UKGE is a great place to pick up some new games and even some old favourites. You might even pick up your new favourite obsession! If it is your first time attending, check our our previous post on reasons to attend the UK Games Expo this year.

With a treasure trove of games to look out for, the expo can feel overwhelming sometimes! Luckily the Chaos Cards Expo team have you covered. Here are a few games that we think you should keep your eye out for this year!

Storm the Castle Combo

Have you ever found yourself wanting to design your own medieval society? Castle Combo  is a tableau building game which allows you to do just this! It is great little card game for getting everyone together, whether family or friends and being a card based game, it is super easy and speedy to set up. The game comes with a set of simple and easy to follow instructions, so you can play straight out of the box, always a plus! Players only need a few cards laid out in a 3x3 grid. Each card has an instant effect, and this is how you gain keys and money throughout game play. Cards also add up to your final score at the end of the game. The person with the most points wins! Wahoo! We think it is sure to be your new card game obsession!

Take part in the Battle of Hoth

2025 has been a great year for Star Wars fans. We have had the Revenge of the Sith anniversary, launch of the expansions for Star Wars Unlimited and now the Battle of Hoth  is arriving, just in time for the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back! Battle of Hoth is a miniatures game full of heroics and fast paced battles. The game is ideal for 2 -4 players over the age of 8, and the Chaos Cards team love that you get the chance to recreate one of the most iconic battles from the Star Wars Saga. There are 17 scenarios included in the box, and players choose commands to activate units and decide how to move and attack. Battle of Hoth is the perfect game for any devotees of the rebellion.

The Fate of the Fellowship lies with you

The fate of Middle Earth is in your hands… Fate of the Fellowship has been on our radar for a while. The highly anticipated release is from the creators of one of our all time favourite games; Pandemic; Matt Leacock. Add in Lord of the Rings as the theme and we are pretty sure this game is set to be a hit at the UKGE this year. Fate of the Fellowship is the perfect combination of cooperative and narrative gameplay that fits in really well with the much loved subject matter. It is perfect for between 1 and 5 players, who must trek across a perilous Middle Earth as 2 characters with a mission. The aim is to protect Frodo from the menacing Nazgul and Saurons ever watchful eye, whilst utilising your characters unique abilities to aid the quest and battle enemies. Fate of the Fellowship mechanics will be recognisable to anyone who has played Pandemic. Also, on a side note, the dice tower and the artwork look INCREDIBLE! We definitely cannot wait to get our hands on a copy.

Check Out the Wondrous World of Flow

Did you get to see the beautifully animated film ‘Flow’ in the cinemas lately? The board game gives players the chance to fully immerse themselves within the wonderful worlds the animation created. Every second counts in this game as you navigate the tides to victory. Players have to work together cooperatively to help cat and his companions get onto the boat and survive. To make things interesting, you have to do all of this whilst a timer ticks down to an impending wave.

Flow is essentially a tile placement game; in order to win the game, players must work co-operatively to connect animal spaces to the boat tile at the centre of the board. You must do this by drawing and playing tiles. If a player runs out of tiles and no connection to the boat can be made, then all is lost! Oh, and did we mention that this is all happening as players are counting down to the next wave strike? Sounds intense right? Flow as a game is perfect for players age 8 and up, and can be played by between 1 and 6 people.

Why Not Head out on a Galactic Cruise

Sticking with a space theme for this game, players are tasked with building and launching shuttles to send guests on luxurious space vacations. Think of a luxury cruise, but in space! Players take on the role of a high-level supervisor for a premier space vacation company, the aim of the game is to show that you are the most effective cruise director in the game! Galactic Cruise is a medium-heavy worker placement game which is ideal for solo play as well as up to 4 players. This game is a little more aimed at older players, probably those aged 14 and up. The Chaos Cards team think Galactic Cruise is a great game for those who enjoy seeing progress happen throughout game play

Seti - An Adventure into Space, and Beyond!

SETI, or ‘Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence” is the new game from Czech Games Edition. Beautifully designed by Tomáš Holek, the new strategy game is for between 1 and 4 players and focuses on the search for alien life. Inspired by current and emerging technologies within space exploration it is a great buy for any space or science enthusiast in your life! In the game, players are tasked with leading a Scientific Institution which is on the lookout for Extraterrestrial life. You can look forward to exploring other planets, and testing out technology whilst gathering data and searching for any signs of extraterrestrial life. The rules are pretty logical which we always find helpful when mastering a new game. Gameplay lasts around 40 minutes so Seti is a great option for a games night in with friends.

The Countdown is on!

And of course, we cannot wait to hear more from Paper Fort Games about their upcoming game Fathom. We are super excited for this release and have some fun things lined up with Paper Fort Games in the not to distant future, so don’t forget to keep an eye on our blogs and social media for updates. You can pop by Stand 2-714 and say hi to the Paper Fort team!

The Chaos Cards Expo team will be at Stand 3-302 this year, so don’t forget to pop by and catch up! The team will be happy to help with any recommendations or questions you might have. Oh and don’t forget to check out our exclusive pin that is available as part of this years new Pin Collective initiative.

Let us know over on our socials if there are any games you are looking out for particularly this year!