Ride The Wave with High Tide, Our June Game of the Month

The tide is rising this summer and so is your next game night obsession. June’s Barnes & Noble Game of the Month, High Tide, proves that a great strategy game doesn’t need a giant board or hours of playtime to create memorable moments. It is quick to learn and easy to carry around in your picnic bag, perfect to take this cozy competition anywhere you go. 

Created by designer Marceline Leiman and published by Underdog Games, High Tide is a two-player abstract strategy game inspired by the shifting tides. Players stack and move elegant wooden hex tiles, trying to cover their opponent’s shells while keeping their own visible from above. The result is a quick but surprisingly tactical experience that feels calm, thoughtful, and endlessly replayable!

 One of the best things about High Tide is how portable it is. Packed in a soft cloth travel bag, the game is ready for coffee shop tables, beach blankets, road trips, or game nights at home. With rounds lasting just 5–15 minutes, it’s easy to play a quick match—or several.

The gameplay is simple to learn: on your turn, you move one of your own tiles or a neutral tile onto an adjacent tile or stack, always climbing higher. As stacks grow and the board changes shape, players must think ahead, protect their own pieces, and find opportunities to bury their opponent’s tiles beneath the rising tide.

When no more moves can be made, the player with the most visible tiles wins the round. Win three rounds, and you win the game. Stack wisely! Whether you’re playing at home, at a café, or even by the ocean itself, High Tide is ready to bring a little friendly competition wherever the tide takes you.