Having collected and played hundreds of different board games, I have accumulated a top 10 list for overall best games I've ever played. This list is made of my own personal best games, and I make no claim to have played all games out there (not even close).
I also want to clarify that I enjoy playing all of these games and cannot rank them against each other for various reasons, this is why I will use bullet points and list alphabetically. They are simply the best games I've ever played - you cannot go wrong purchasing these games.
Requirements for this list: FUN, SIMPLE, ENGAGING, HIGH REPLAYABILITY, STRATEGY IS REQUIRED, and TIME TO PLAY IS 10 MIN-1 HR
Yes, I know that "Go" and "Chess" are not on this list. Simply put, I believe there are better games available now that have displaced Chess and Go.
...
OK, so that was really tough... here's my runners up to make a list of "top 20 games":
Every gaming group is different. I enjoy 2 player abstract strategy games the most -- there is a tendency toward those games here. No big games that take hours with miniatures, etc. Not to say those games are not good -- only that they're not in my top 10.
Hope that helps you identify some great new games you haven't played. If you have any questions or would like specific category recommendations, please comment or message me.
Stormnexus on Boardgame Geek or Hop over to my boardgame website.
