If you fancy a half-hour engine-builder where the engine is, essentially, dinosaur bones, First Giants is heading to UK shelves on 15 May. The game comes from Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert, the British design duo behind the well-loved Costa Rica and Antinomy, and it's published by Asmodee studio Space Cowboys with art from Maud Chalmel and Jessica Cognard.
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Find events near youThe hook is one of the smartest tensions in modern card-driven design. You play a museum curator collecting fossils (dinosaurs, flying reptiles, giant mammals) and every card has an effect that helps you draft, dig or bluff better. The only way to score points is to display those cards in your exhibit, which permanently turns off the effect. Hold cards back too long and a rival museum's gala steals the headlines; cash them in too early and you're playing without an engine for the rest of the game.
For 2-5 players, ages 10+ and a 30-minute play time, this is squarely aimed at the family-and-gateway-plus space that Space Cowboys has been building out alongside heavier titles like Splendor Duel and 7 Wonders. Dunstan and Gilbert are a safe pair of hands here, with a string of well-regarded compact designs behind them and a knack for games where every decision matters and nothing overstays its welcome.
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See how it worksUK retail launch is 15 May 2026 through Asmodee UK, and the game is already available to play on Board Game Arena if you want to try it before committing. At 30 minutes per game it's the kind of thing you'll happily play three or four times in a session, which is exactly what gateway games should do.
If your gaming group has a wide spread of experience, this looks tailor-made for slipping in between the heavier picks. Find a board game cafe near you and put it on the shortlist for your next game night.
Sources: BGG | Asmodee North America | Asmodee UK
