If you've ever escaped Forbidden Island only to crash-land in Forbidden Desert, you'll know Matt Leacock's co-op series has quietly been telling one long story. Now it's getting a proper finale, and it arrives with legacy heavyweight Rob Daviau along for the ride.
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Start organising for freeForbidden Legacy is a new co-operative legacy game from Leacock, designer of Pandemic, and Daviau, the man who kicked off the whole legacy genre with Risk Legacy and Pandemic Legacy. It ties together the entire Forbidden run, from Island to Desert to Sky to Jungle. The story picks up as your adventurers step through a portal into an ancient floating city in the distant past, finally coming face to face with the mysterious people they have been chasing all along.
The clever bit is the "chronicle", a sturdy comic book that tells the story across seven episodes, hiding panels, stickers and surprises that unlock as you play. Where a Pandemic Legacy campaign can stretch across a dozen or more sessions, Forbidden Legacy keeps things to a manageable seven-game arc, so you still get the permanent changes and reveals that make legacy games special without committing your group for months.
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See how it worksPublished by Gamewright, it debuts at Gen Con at the end of July before reaching shops later in 2026 for around $50. For a genre that can feel intimidating, a shorter, family-friendly legacy from two of co-op's biggest names is an exciting prospect. It's the sort of box you'll want a steady group for; if yours is scattered, Backseat Gamer is a good place to pull one together.
Sources: Matt Leacock | We're Martin
