The countdown is officially on! The UK Games Expo kicks off this Friday at the NEC in Birmingham, and Hachette Boardgames UK is returning with our biggest, most action-packed presence yet.
Whether you are hunting for the hottest new releases, looking to bag an absolute bargain, or wanting to challenge your friends to giant-sized games, we have something for everyone.
📍 Where to find us: Stand 416, right in the middle of Hall 2.
Here is your ultimate checklist of what you can see, play, and buy at our stand across the weekend:
🛍️ The Hachette Shop: Promos, Exclusives & Bargains
We have split our shopping area into two dedicated zones to make your convention haul epic:
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The New Release & Promo Zone: Grab our latest titles and scoop up fantastic Expo offers, including exclusive pins, promos, and free games with your purchases!
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The Bargain Zone (Roll for Price!): Back by popular demand! You pay exactly what you roll on the dice for selected titles. Missed out on Friday? Don't worry—we are fully refreshing the stock on Friday night so Saturday attendees get a fair shot!
🏆 Hot Summer Releases & Designer Signings
Be the envy of your game night by picking up these highly anticipated titles way ahead of their general release. Plus, meet a legendary designer!
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Mookie Island (Releasing June — Only 72 Copies Available!): Winner of the Best Children's Game of the Year in France and a prestigious Spiel des Jahres finalist. Come grab an early copy and get it signed by designer Florian Sirieix!
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Stomp the Plank / Stomp the Plank XL: The modern dexterity classic. Florian will also be on hand to sign copies of these fan favourites.
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Dicey Waters (Releasing July — Only 48 Copies Available!): High-thematic, pure push-your-luck dice chucking. We have managed to secure a limited number of German-box copies with full English rules for just £12!
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Pirate King (Releasing August — Only 60 Copies Available!): The ultimate "my first deckbuilder" with a thrilling push-your-luck adventure twist.
🏅Our UKGE Award Winners and Finalists
We are incredibly proud to have two award winners and multiple games shortlisted for the UKGE Awards this year. Come by our stand to play them!
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In the Footsteps of Darwin - Correspondence: Winner for Best Expansion.
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MicroMacro Jigsaw: Winner for Best Gaming Novelty.
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Hero Slam, Zenith, and Moonshine: All proud finalists!
🌌 Explore Our Immersive Gaming Zones
We have themed our demo tables to transport you directly into the worlds of our games:
🏴☠️ The Pirate Area
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Captain Flip & Isla Bomba: Flip tiles if you dare, build the richest crew, and watch out for multiple treasure maps floating around!
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Hellapagos: Cooperative... until it’s not! The ultimate big-group survival game. If you are arriving with a crew of 6 or more, come and join the chaos.
🚀 The Space Zone
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Zenith (UK Premiere!): Play a giant version for the first time in the UK! It's a tense 1v1 or 2v2 Tug-of-War card game from the creators of Castle Combo, and it just won Advanced Game of the Year in France.
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Shackleton Base + Expansion: Explore three brand-new modules for one of the absolute best Euro games of 2024.
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Space Lab: A clever new tableau builder from the brilliant minds behind Faraway.
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Strange World Above the Clouds: The meanest draft tableau builder you can imagine, packed into a wonderfully small box.
🏛️ The Greece Zone
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Akropolis & Expansions: Try Athena for high-stakes competition, or Pantheon for a tricky cooperative challenge.
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Cyclades: Experience epic, legendary fights to control the archipelago!
🃏 Clever Card Games & Quick Play Favs
Looking for games that pack a massive punch in a small box? Check these out:
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Symbiosis: This absolute smash-hit debuted at Airecon and we are on the verge of selling completely out until Christmas! Grab it while you can—it's a unique tableau builder where your score depends entirely on your neighbour's board.
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Moustache (Releasing July — Limited Early Copies): A beautiful, silly, team-based trick-taking game with a twist: only one single player can win.
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Omens: Shed your hand by playing clever tricks in teams, featuring entirely unique card abilities.
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Bella Vista: A vibrant city-builder that is an auction game at its core... with intense area control. The fight is on!
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Mozaik: A stunning art-based tableau builder featuring work from 33 artists. Draft your cards in lines and columns to match themes!
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Difference Asterix: Spot the difference on cards... with Asterix and friends. Simple, fast, and addictive.
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Canal House & Paper World: Come and see how a 3D tableau builder actually works, and discover a brilliant new way to draft!
👀 Exclusive Previews: Play Them First! (Demo Only)
Get a sneak peek at what we are releasing later this year and be the first of your friends to play them:
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Odysseus (First Public Demo): Play it here first before its official global launch at Essen! It's a gorgeous, family-friendly set-collection adventure.
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Kronologic Babylon (Releasing July): From the genius designers of Turing Machine comes a pure-logic, time-travelling detective game with an incredible mechanical twist. Think Cluedo, but completely reimagined.
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Mythologies (Releasing July): A striking new tableau builder utilizing a completely unique drafting and auction mechanism.
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Dwarves (Releasing August): Be among the first to try this highly anticipated new standalone version of Nidavellir.
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Salamandra: An innovative worker-placement game where your workers never move! We've partnered with our friends at the HandyCon Stand to host demos of this one all weekend.
🎲 Giant Games, Tournaments, & Giveaways!
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Giant Wall MicroMacro: Come and play a completely unreleased map on a giant wall! We will also have the standard titles available, alongside our quiet jigsaw area if you need a breather from the busy show floor.
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Giant Qomet & Giant Slide: Experience Gigamic’s most streamlined new abstract game and tactical card game on massive, oversized boards.
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Snake Charmers: For small groups who love a bit of backstabbing... Play under UV lights wearing Venetian masks and hooded cloaks (which you get to keep!).
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Machu Picchu: Who doesn't want to play with silly, dressed-up llamas? Bonus: we will be giving some copies away for free over the weekend!
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Official Tournaments: Think you've got what it takes? Compete in Quoridor, Gwent, Castle Combo, Faraway, Tag Team, and Leaders to win a mountain of goodies and vouchers.
We will also have all of our staples and modern classics ready to demo, including Yogi, Castle Combo, Faraway, Courtisans, Moonshine, Gatsby, Nekojima, the new Kiwizou £10 early-years line, and timeless Gigamic classics like Quarto and Katamino Family.
Yes, that is a massive line-up... but believe it or not, we have even more surprises waiting for you at the show.
We can't wait to see you there. Come say hello to the team at Stand 2-416!