Gatsby (2025)

The reviewers praise Gatsby as a tight, fast-paced two-player area influence game that packs clever action chains and plenty of strategic tension into a compact box.

The reviewers praise Gatsby as a super sharp, highly engaging two-player game that offers clever action chaining, tight tactical decisions, and a deeply satisfying strategic back-and-forth.

The reviewer praises Gatsby as a fantastic tactical two-player game on par with greats like Splendor Duel and Seven Wonders Duel, highlighting its great tension and action selection.

The reviewers featured the game within their curated list of top-played titles for the year, reflecting high praise and frequent table time for the game.

The reviewer expresses pleasant surprise with this Bruno Cathala design, highlighting its clever gameplay mechanics and engaging two-player tension despite usually being critical of the designer's work.

The reviewers enjoy this two-player tug-of-war game set in the Roaring Twenties, praising its engaging mechanics across multiple locations, though they note it can become somewhat repetitive over time.

The reviewer found Gatsby to be a beautiful, charming two-player game with compelling gameplay and nice components, deciding it was good enough to keep around despite not appealing to absolutely everyone.

“If you want a duelling game that isn’t a lane battler but has a similar vibe in tug of war, then perhaps check out Gatsby. This is a great themed game that will appeal to a wide audience and won't outstay its welcome, all being over in 30 mins.”

“In short, Gatsby is an excellent two-player game: tense, fluid, interactive. If you like games where each move has real weight and you have to constantly anticipate your opponent, then Gatsby is likely to please you.”

“Admittedly, none of the three challenges is overly complex (or exciting), but having to balance your progress in all three makes for an interesting game.”

“Gatsby is another game in a long line of two-player-only games that I have enjoyed while playing it but not thought about again after finishing.”

“So I’m half in love with Gatsby, which harbors a very good game under a mismatched theme, and could be a fantastic game with a little tweak to the rules here or there.”