The 8 wonders competing for the 2025 Golden Diamond

???? Ancient civilizations, space exploration and mysteries of the mind: the 8 finalists for the 2025 Golden Diamond are going strong.

Diamant d’Or 2025

In short:

• The prestigious 2025 Gold Diamond award has revealed its 8 finalists, with games ranging from ancient Egypt to space exploration.
• The final selection will take place in January 2025 by a jury of 20 experts who will decide between the finalists.
• The winner will join the pantheon of great expert games alongside Darwin’s Journey (2024) and Ark Nova (2022).

If you thought you already had too many games on your pile to play, the 2025 Gold Diamond will give you eight new reasons to expand it.

That’s it, like every year 2015, the (big) games nominated for the Golden Diamond are known. For those who don’t know this price, what exactly are we talking about?

The Golden Diamond is a prestigious award in the world of board games, specifically dedicated to Eurogames, often called “expert management games”. Created in 2015 by a group of gaming enthusiasts, this award aims to highlight complex games that don’t always receive the attention they deserve in other board game competitions. The Golden Diamond stands out for its focus on strategic depth, the complexity of the mechanisms, and the quality of the gaming experience offered to players eager for intellectual challenges. Like you, perhaps, like me, clearly!

A brief history of the Golden Diamond

Since its creation, the Golden Diamond has gained recognition, becoming a reference for fans of (big) management games. Each year, a jury made up of experienced players selects around fifty games and then pre-selects eight. These games are then extensively tested and discussed to determine which ones deserve the Gold, Silver and Bronze Diamond titles. This year, the Golden Diamond also introduced the “Super Golden Diamond”, an award for the best game among all winners from previous years, won by “Underwater Cities”.

The selection process for the Gold Diamond is rigorous:

1. Pre-selection: The games must be released in the current year, be expert Eurogames with high replayability. Around fifty pre-selectors from different countries play and evaluate these games.
2. Final selection: Eight games are chosen to be replayed by a final jury of twenty people during a weekend in January.
3. Counting and ranking: Each juror awards 20 points to at least four games. The results determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Diamond winners.
4. Announcement of the Winners: The ceremony takes place live on social networks January 12, 2025where the winning plays are revealed.

The 8 finalists for the 2025 Golden Diamond

Here is a small presentation of the games competing for the title this year:

1. Civolution – A game where players explore and develop civilizations through the ages. With a mix of worker placement, dice and resource management mechanics, Civolution offers infinite replayability thanks to its card system. Yes, we’ve already talked to you about it (and we only have good things to say about it!)
2. Ezra & Nehemiah – Based on the rebuilding of Jerusalem, this game challenges players to manage resources and build structures in a historical context. Time management and optimization of actions are at the heart of this game.
3. Inventions: Evolution of Ideas – Here, players take on the role of inventors seeking to develop the greatest inventions in history. The game combines hand management with (wow) combo mechanics, offering a rich strategic experience. We played it, we’ll tell you about it soon, we promise!
4. Men-Nefer – Immerse yourself in ancient Egypt with this construction game where each player attempts to build the greatest wonder of the era. The mechanics of resource management and worker placement are central.
5. Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age – This game transports you to the dawn of the Bronze Age in Minoan Crete. With an innovative dice system, players must navigate trade, war, and cultural development.
6. Salton Sea – A game where players must manage lithium mining in the Salton Sea. Strategy and environmental management mingle, with a rather clever card use system. We played the original version, we’ll tell you about it soon, I promise.
7. SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – In SETI, you are scientists searching for signs of extraterrestrial life. The game combines scientific research, project management and 200 unique cards. We played it, we’ll tell you about it soon, we promise, too!
8. Unconscious Mind – Explore the depths of the human mind with this game that combines mechanics of worker placement, engine building, multiple rounds and cascading effects. Same, we played it, we’ll tell you about it soon, promise!

For your information, here are the Gold Diamonds of the last nine years:

Each of these 8 games for 2025 offers a unique gaming experience, highlighting creativity, innovation and (very) (very) great strategic depth. The competition for the 2025 Gold Diamond promises to be exciting, with titles that champion not only the management game but also the fun that these games bring.

Stay tuned to find out this year’s winner during the ceremony on January 12, 2025. Like every year, the 2025 Golden Diamond promises one thing: no matter who wins, our brains, and our shelves, will take expensive (as we said in 2016)!

What is your prognosis?

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