Our toy inventors’ top 15 picks for 2025

Luckily, our intrepid toy inventors and play experts at IDEO Play Lab are ready to weigh in on the best of the best!

Here are our most highly recommended toys, games, and more for everyone from the littlest on your list to your most raucous game night buds. Some we had a hand in making, others are from toy and game makers we admire.

1. Harmonies by Asmodee
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Who will love it: Families with kids ages 10+.

What’s great about it: In this calm, creative, strategy game, every move makes your world a little more harmonious. You’ll take on the role of a gentle nature spirit, shaping the land and guiding animals to their new habitats. Place colorful terrain tokens to build mountains, forests, and fields, and create a living landscape. Choose animals to live in your habitats, earn points through clever placement, and watch your ecosystem come to life in peaceful balance. I love the game for the light amount of strategy required, its adorable graphics, and the chance that it gives kids (and adults!) to feel smart. 
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—Jeremy Chen

2. A Gentle Rain: Bloom Edition by Incredible Dream
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Who will love it: Kidults looking for a quick, screen-free way to unwind—because sometimes playing is better than meditating.
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What’s great about it: Keep this cozy tile-placement game close by on your coffee table or desk for a quick, relaxing play session whenever you need a break. It’s especially great for jigsaw puzzle fans who want something that’s easier to dive into and put away when done. Match the flower shapes on the edges of each tile to create the board. When you complete a square, add a flower bloom piece in the center. The goal is to bloom all eight flowers before you run out of tiles. It’s therapeutic to play this game solo, but also easy for someone to join or step away at any time. My nine-year-old son and I love playing a round while we’re waiting for dinner.
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—Diana Tobey

3. NANO-MALS by Hasbro (IDEO invention)
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Who will love it: Children who love cute, interactive collectibles and adults who also appreciate an aesthetic collectible with a soothing fidget element.
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What’s great about it: These adorable, interactive fidget toys are for children and adults alike! There are tons of different characters to choose from, like Meadowmist the Unicorn, Cowbert the Highland Cow, and Pamanda the Red Panda. Press their noses and watch as they light up and talk. Their arms and ears click back and forth, which provides a satisfying fidget element. These pocket-sized cuties can even interact with each other. Place two or more NANO-MALS close to each other and watch as they react with lights, sounds, and even speak in their made-up language.
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–Shaylyn Berntson

4. Flip 7 by USAopoly
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Who will love it: Families with kids ages 8+.
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What’s great about it: Flip 7 came out last year and has been growing in popularity ever since. It’s a fast, easy-to-learn game where players score points by flipping over cards from a deck. You can keep drawing cards as long as you like, but if you flip a card that matches the number on one you’ve already flipped, you “bust” and get no points that round. This push-your-luck kind of game is fast and fun—even when it’s not your turn—and leads to a lot of good-natured table talk.
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 —Matt Hovde

‍5. Rubik’s Pulse Cube by Spin Master (IDEO invention)

Who will love it: Classic Rubik’s Cube fans—and anyone who likes a new kind of puzzle. ‍

What’s great about it: Rubik’s Pulse Cube reimagines the classic Cube through the lens of sensory play and digital interaction. At first, the Cube is entirely silver with no colors—but when you press the button, the Cube lights up to reveal the colors beneath one-way mirrors. When the lights pulse on—go! You have to solve it before it’s lights out! Pulse Cube blends the familiar challenge with new layers of feedback, encouraging players not just to solve the puzzle, but to experience it.
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—Inna Yankelovich

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Pizza Fire Delivery Van by Playmates Toys

Who will love it: Recommended for 4 to 14-year-olds, but this toymaker can confirm it provides hours of entertainment to 30-plus-year-olds, too.
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What’s great about it: This van looks amazing, holds all your TMNT characters, and most importantly, has a super fun motorized pizza disk shooter. Just push down on the slice atop the van, and the door automatically swings open, revealing the shooter. The graphics on the box are so cool, I saved it.
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—Sam Hobish

7. Ollyball Planet Earth 22” MEGA by VICTURY Sports

Who will love it: Playful children and adults.‍

What’s great about it: Two things: One, you can inflate this lightweight 22-inch ball with regular air using the enclosed straw, or you can fill it with helium and watch it float “gravity neutral” indoors or out. Kids and adults can have fun playing “keep-it-up” or just be mesmerized by the way the ball floats when you hit it. (Its patented KrunchCOR construction, which absorbs impact while maintaining its shape, also makes it safe for indoor play without fear of breaking anything.) And two, it’s a tool for learning about science and geography. Use the included pens to color in different countries, and the accompanying curriculum and lesson booklet for at-home STEM learning. 
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—Weishan Liao

8. Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity by Cas Holman

Who will love it: Adults who want to rekindle their spirit of play and wonder.‍

What’s great about it: Adults need play just as much as kids do. Cas Holman’s book, Playful,  is the perfect reminder of why it’s so important, especially today, when play can prepare us for uncertainty and help us see beauty in complexity. It’s a great read to help you identify your adult play style and bring more play into your life, both for the adult you and the kid that still lives within.
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—Michelle Lee

9. Bluey Chikit Chikit Camera Toy by Moose Toys (IDEO invention)
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Who will love it: Kids who love the adorable animated Australian Blue Heeler, Bluey.
What’s great about it: This camera is the perfect roleplay gift for Bluey fans and anyone who likes to take photos. Easily load pre-printed Bluey images into the photo frames, then put them into the camera. Press the button and watch as the photos come out of the sides. Kids can even customize the toy with their own photos and drawings!
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—Weishan Liao

10. Monopoly Deal by Hasbro
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Who will love it: Anyone 10+.‍

What’s great about it: If you’re wondering how vicious your friends can be, this game is an excellent way to find out. The gameplay itself moves quickly, leads to plenty of surprises and unlikely winners, and lends itself to making up your own house rules. And because it’s a pocket-sized Monopoly, it’s easy to chuck in your purse or backpack whenever you leave the house. I’ve played this in a parking lot, on a picnic bench, and at a restaurant table before dinner. So much fun and frustration in just 15 minutes!
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—Elise Granata

11. Booger Buddy Light-Up Nasal Bulb by Playhouse MD (IDEO design)
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Who will love it: New parents, especially.
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What’s great about it: This one’s a sniffle-season helper. Part toy, part tool, it’ll make both parents and sick little kiddos happy. The adorable light-up narwhal nasal bulb adds calm and even a little delight to clearing stuffy noses. With its kid-friendly, ENT-informed design, it turns a sick-day routine everyone dreads into a moment of playful connection. It even lights up with a gentle glow.
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—Keren Ruth Wong

12. Project Shindig by Sony Interactive Entertainment
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Who will love it: Pretty much everyone, especially if you want to play with both long-distance and IRL friends and family.
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What’s great about it: For those who can’t be together in person this holiday season, we highly recommend Project Shindig, a new website that combines video chat with fun, casual party games. Think of it like a virtual game night you can play right in your web browser with your family and friends—no apps or installs required; invitees don’t even have to sign up for an account! This product is currently in Closed Public Beta, so give it a try, invite your friends, and let us know what you think!
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—Diana Tobey

13. Skytrails by PLAYMOBIL (IDEO invention)
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Who will love it: Future engineers from 7 to 99.
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What’s great about it: Tired of gifting LEGO to the builders in your life? Check out Skytrails! This modular construction set is both fun to build and to play with afterward, thanks to loads of kinetic action. Enjoy sending figures zipping around the tracks you just assembled. 
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—Rikki Devlin

14. Hot Wheels Toy Vehicle Track Creator Triple Loop Kit by Mattel
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Who will love it: Recommended for kids ages 4+.
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What’s great about it: Hot Wheels recently updated their track design with this snap-together system. This is a big improvement from the old sliding platform, which is prone to coming apart and is difficult for younger kids to use. The new tracks stay together, feel stronger, and are far easier for smaller hands to play with. 
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—Sam Hobish

‍15. The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship by Z-Man Games
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Who will love it: Experienced gamers who like Pandemic, Lord of the Rings, or games that balance strategy and luck.

What’s great about it: Fate of the Fellowship is the latest iteration of a cooperative game based on the revolutionary Pandemic. The board is a map of Middle-earth, and the players work together as the familiar heroes of the story—from Samwise and Frodo to Éowyn and Gandalf—to defeat the rising dark forces of Sauron. This game perfects the formula: the gameplay is tense and full of interesting decisions, and the odds feel just the right amount of stacked against you to make winning feel legitimately satisfying. Plus, it’s richly layered with the LotR theme—it really feels like you are experiencing your own version of the story.
 
—Matt Hovde

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