Czech Games Edition, the studio behind Codenames and last year's space-hunting hit SETI, has a new game worth keeping an eye on. Drillers is a deckbuilding race into the dark, where 1 to 4 players pilot mining mechs down into an abandoned mine to grab whatever a long-gone corporation left behind. Pre-orders are open now ahead of a Q3 2026 release.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeThe hook is in the descent. Each level of the mine offers richer pickings but tighter decisions, because your fuel keeps draining and you have to judge just how far you can afford to drill before you are stuck. The cards do double duty. Every card in your deck is multi-use, so each turn is a small puzzle about what to spend where. It plays in about 30 minutes per person.
What sets it apart from a solo-in-a-group deckbuilder is a shared resource system. Your actions ripple across the whole table, opening up opportunities or piling on complications for everyone else, so there is more needling and table talk than the theme might suggest. It is designed by Adam Španěl and Říman, with a crew of CGE artists giving the four mechs their chunky, real-vehicle-inspired look.
Looking for board gamers near you? Browse local communities and find your next game night.
Find events near youDrillers carries an RRP of €49.99 (about £43) or $59.99 and is up for pre-order at the usual shops now, with copies due in the third quarter of 2026. If a tense, puzzly mid-weight is your group's speed, line up a session for when it lands later this year.
Sources: Czech Games Edition | PHD Games
