If your group has ever sat in tense silence, unable to say a word while trying to win exactly the right trick, good news: The Crew is back for a third outing. The Crew: Journey to the Ends of the Earth trades deep space and the ocean floor for a globe-trotting treasure hunt, and it is the biggest reason to clear the table this summer.
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Start organising for freeFor anyone who missed the first two, The Crew is a cooperative trick-taking card game for 2 to 5 players from designer Thomas Sing. The clever bit is that you all win or lose together, but you can barely communicate, so pulling off a mission feels like a tiny heist you planned with your eyes. The original, The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, won the Kennerspiel des Jahres in 2020, the German award for the year's best gamer's game, which is about as strong a pedigree as a card game can carry.
This time the story sends your team scaling Everest, hacking through rainforests and racing across the map in search of Charlemagne's lost treasure, all spread across a 25-stage campaign of escalating missions. Publisher Thames & Kosmos is keeping the price low, at around $14.95 (roughly £12), the same pocket-money entry point that made the series such an easy sell at game night.
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Find events near youCopies are due to ship from the end of July to coincide with the start of Gen Con, ahead of a wider release in August 2026. If you have never tried talking your way through a mission without actually talking, this is the cheapest ticket into one of the best co-op experiences going. Gather your crew, and if you need a few more hands, find a game night near you.
Sources: Wargamer | Thames & Kosmos | Spiel des Jahres
