Gen Con, North America's largest tabletop gaming convention, opens on 30 July in Indianapolis, with vendors from around the world showcasing new releases in the exhibit hall. Many of the year's most anticipated board games sell out quickly at the event, so Polygon has highlighted 10 titles worth seeking out early, along with preorder links for those unable to attend or grab a copy in person.

– Abroad (Portal Games): a strategy game about making the most of a four-week European holiday using a 240-card deck of locations
– Ants (Cranio Creations): an engine-building colony game making its North American debut after impressing at Spiel Essen 2025
– Container (Allplay): a Kickstarter-backed remake of the 2007 trading classic, where players set prices for each other's goods
– Drillers (Czech Games Edition): a mech-based mining game where managing fuel and upgrades is key to delving deeper underground
– Entropy (Board & Dice): a cosmic world-building game about creating solar systems, planets and evolving life
– Hacienda (Pandasaurus): an ecotourism-themed game set in Argentina's Patagonia, breeding animals like capybaras and pumas
– The list also promises further entries, including tie-ins with Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings, not detailed in the excerpt provided