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How exciting is it to have Gladiators back on TV?! The legendary TV show from the 90’s had a hugely successful reboot in 2024 on the BBC with a whole host of new Gladiators, presenters, events but maintaining that style that made the 90’s show so successful. We are loving seeing it back on TV now with season 2 in 2025 and the team at Zatu have pulled a raft of games together connected to the new cast of Gladiators to celebrate this successful reboot of such an iconic show.
Roborally - Steel: David Ireland
Steel on Steel, Robrally sees players take control of a robot in a hazardous arena full of assorted pitfalls to race against other robots in a checkpoint race, or battle for survival, pending on how successful your programming is.
This is a wonderfully chaotic game, much like an episode of Gladiators, where players on each turn programme their robot with 5 movements. The movements are assorted moves that include forward (1 to 3 spaces) a reverse, left, right or U turn. However, you do need to take into account the board's pitfalls of conveyor belts, rotating cogs, laser walls, pits and more. You will end up somewhere you didn’t mean to if you do not.
Then you need to navigate the other players and you don’t exactly know what they will do. But you will shunt each other about and collide on numerous occasions. Not to mention get shot by the opponents on board laser, don’t worry you have one as well. So the robots can be damaged which then limits the control you have of your robot as it gets progressively battered. There are ways and means of repairing your robot. If you don’t do this in time though you will lose a life. 3 lives lost and your race is done.
You could be forgiven for forgetting you are in a race. With robot enhancements also available this is an incredibly challenging game to achieve what you want to do, when you want to do it. Much like Steel's impact on the contenders in Gladiators, he really doesn’t let them do what they want. Roborally offers a lot of laughs, a few cries but ultimately a highly entertaining gaming experience.
Marvel United X Men - Saber: David Ireland
Both Saber from Gladiators and Sabertooth from the X men are serious hunters! They get their prey. Sabertooth is one of the classic X Men villains and he is absolutely merciless in Marvel United.
Marvel United for those unfamiliar is a cooperative game where players take the role of the heroes to take on the game to defeat a villain. Players assemble a squad of 2 to 4 heroes to go toe to toe with stopping the Villain from achieving a masterplan.
Game play is reasonably straightforward. The Villain always starts which instantly puts the heroes on the backfoot. Then heroes take 3 actions, initially trying to rescue civilians, defeat thugs and complete objectives before having a shot at taking down the villain. It sounds reasonably straightforward but it isn’t, there are only 12 turns maximum before the villain completes the master plan so things progress very quickly. Every villain has a unique skill set (as do the heroes) so every game is incredibly different even though game rules and mechanics are the same, it has been so cleverly designed.
Sabertooth specifically comes with his very own hunted token. This is assigned to a hero at the start of the game. Sabertooth basically focuses all their efforts on chasing down this hero. And he is an effective hunter dealing 2 damage instead of a typical 1 damage to all in his location. The heroes have to be smart here otherwise the hunted hero isn’t lasting long.
There is a lot of Marvel United content out there. The X men version is from season 2 from CMON and is a base set. Players need to ensure they have a base set version of the game in order to be able to play anything else. I think it is a wonderful game that brings players together to work to complete a common threat.
Diamant - Diamond: Sophie Jones
I loved Gladiators back in the 90s, so I was thrilled when it returned to our screens last year. With one season done, season 2 is looking even better. There are two new gladiators joining the team, exciting new games, and plenty of fan favourites returning. Speaking of which, my favourite gladiator has to be Diamond.
Standing at an impressive 6ft 2 and built from pure muscle, Diamond is the last person you want to face on Duel, The Wall, or anywhere else. She dominates every game she plays and is even known for helping up her opponents afterward. So, what board game matches Diamond’s power and shine? It has to be Diamant. Not only does it sound like her name, but it is also full of treasure, risk, and Excitement.
In Diamant, players explore caves to collect gems while avoiding traps. Each turn, you secretly decide whether to push on for more treasure or return to safety with what you have collected. If you keep going, you could score big, but if a second trap appears, you lose everything you have earned in that round.
What makes Diamant perfect for Diamond is the shiny red gems you can collect and trade for sparkling diamonds. They are satisfying to add to your treasure chest, and the game’s risky choices feel a lot like facing Diamond in Duel. Will you come out on top, or will you get crushed under the pressure?
If you are as excited as I am for Diamond’s return to Gladiators, Diamant is a great way to capture her sparkle and strength in your next game night.
Heat: Pedal to the Metal - Nitro: by Sophie Jones
Nitro may be out with an injury this season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate his incredible speed! While there isn’t a game in my collection that shares his name, Heat: Pedal to the Metal captures the thrilling pace he is known for.
In Heat, players compete, over a series of laps, to cross the finish line first. Your aim is to win by managing your cards, shifting gears, and handling the heat from your engine. At the start, each player shuffles their deck and draws seven cards. These include speed cards to show how far you can move, upgrade cards, and stress cards. Stress cards add an unpredictable twist because you have to draw from your deck to decide how fast you will go. Sometimes it is just what you need, and other times it can slow you down.
The real highlight of Heat is the corners. Racing along the track feels exciting, but when you reach sharp turns, strategy is key. If you push your car too fast, you risk spinning out. To keep up your pace, you can take heat from your engine into your hand for an extra boost. This feels a bit like a nod to Nitro’s explosive energy. The challenge is balancing how fast you go while avoiding overheating your engine.
Just like Nitro, it is all about speed but knowing when to slow down is just as important. Push too hard and you will find yourself spinning out, both in the game and on the Gladiators arena floor.
I will miss seeing one of my favourite Gladiators this season, but even a glimpse of Nitro in the locker room will be a treat. If you are missing Nitro too and want a game with some of his speed, Heat: Pedal to the Metal has you covered.
Phantom Ink - Phantom: Dan Street-Phillips
At this point there are so many games that incorporate speaking to the ‘other side’ going back to Hasbro’s original Ouija to last year’s Ghosts Can’t Draw. One of my past favourites has been Mysterium or its more streamline update, Mysterium Park which see you communicating via weird visions to solve a murder, Cluedo style. But more recently I have found myself playing Phantom Ink more than any other. Phantom Ink from 2022 is a word based deduction game where you play in two teams, trying to be the first to figure out the word coming from your spirit guide. Each team will have a guide but both will have the same word that they are trying to convey. However what makes this game so interesting is the way limited information works. Each team/medium will choose two questions from a hand of cards and offer them up. The spirit then chooses which one to answer and writes their clue one letter at a time. If the medium guess what the word is going to be they can sound SILENCIO and the spirit must stop writing. Throughout the game teams will be able to add a letter to their or their opponents’ clues but they will have no idea what question it is an answer to. It’s such a fun game that scales really nicely and much like its Gladiatorial namesake Phantom, it’s tough as hell, in the best way!
Fury of Dracula - Fury: Sean
Quoting Jodie's classic tag line, "I hope the contenders [also known as vampire hunters] are ready to feel the Fury (Of Dracula)."
Fury Of Dracula shares plenty of similarities with its Gladiators namesake, Jodie Ounsley, aka Fury. She plays for Exeter, well you can almost get there on the map when you travel to Plymouth. Her father was a contender on the show in the 2000s before she's a Gladiator around 15 years, well the early editions of Fury Of Dracula came out early enough to be the parent of the newest copies. And when Jodie watched the show growing up she was always in awe of the strength and power of the Gladiators, just like our esteemed vampire hunters will be when they finally encounter Dracula. She's also a World Coal Carrying champion and coal mining was a big thing back then...maybe I'm clutching at straws now, let's just look at the game instead!
Fury Of Dracula is an asymmetrical game of hidden movement. One player will control Dracula, moving in secret around the map while laying traps and spawning vampires. Against him one to four players will take the roles of four individual vampire hunters, spreading out around Europe to track down Dracula's trial, pin down his location and come together to defeat him. Over the course of three weeks the hunters will each take an action during the day then again at night, before Dracula takes his turn where he'll choose a new location to move to and a new encounter card to hide there. If Dracula ever shares a spot with any of the hunters then he is revealed and placed on the map, and there will be a round of combat after all the actions that turn, after which Dracula will likely take flight into the dark, as enough wounds dealt to Dracula will lead to a win for the hunters. Meanwhile, Dracula needs to advance the despair track to 14 in order to take the victory, either by landing repeated bites on hunters, hiding vampires who survive enough days to mature fully grown, or just remaining alive after three weeks to trickle it in.
The game is great to play from both sides as each gives a vastly different experience, plus there are extra rules to give Dracula extra powers and the ability to create lairs to add more drama to the game. Usually it's the perfect game to break out for Halloween but now could also be ideal for the next few Saturday nights too!
The vampire is out there somewhere. Hunters ready? 3...2...1...Beeeeep!
Fire Tower - Fire: Dan Street-Phillips
I remember being at UK Games Expo two years ago and one of the most memorable table presences was that of Fire Tower. A game about spreading fire away from your tower in order to take down another’s didn’t grab me straight away but the beautiful board adorned with little plastic Amber fire tokens persuaded me to try it. The game is simple. On your turn you are first placing a fire token on a space in the direction of the wind and playing cards from your hand to manipulate the elements before your fire town burns to the ground. Cards come in four flavours. One, change the direction of the wind, two, spread fire, three put fire out and four, build fire breakers to try and defend yourself against the incoming flames. Its gameplay is very simple. However, Fire Tower is a fun chaotic experience that is not for the easily upset. It is brutal but quick and for the first eliminated, they become the ‘spirit of the wood’ continuing to play but taking vengeance on those left in the game. There are a few expansions offering modules to spice it up but Fire Tower really shines in its most simplistic form. To quote a classic, ‘burn baby burn, burn that mother down’!
Ticket to Ride - Legend: Favouritefoe
When I was little, Saturday nights were all about watching Gladiators. My parents would be getting ready to go out, and I would be on the sofa eating tea and watching these warriors battle it out in colourful (tight!) spandex. Fast forwards about 30 years and believe it or not they’re back!
And whilst the Gladiators of yore have now retired, this new influx look stronger, faster, and more powerful than ever before. Their names are enough to tell you they mean business, and Legend is gearing up to be a formidable foe. But outside of the crash-matted, brightly lit TV studio, our hobby also contains many legends…of the cardboard variety.
Ticket to Ride is most definitely on that list. A gateway game for so many of us – it has
inspired us to fall in love with board gaming and is still one of the games which keeps me enthralled by it. Euro style play with zero elimination, it’s a wonderful mix o
collection, hand management, area control, and more. And with more map expansions and versions than I can even count, there’s a mode for everyone to enjoy. TTR Legends of the West is the latest iteration of the well loved formula, and it brings in everything we already love and more. With a legacy style campaign that reveals new content as you play through, this game will go down in board gaming history as a legendary moment for the series as well as the hobby!
Are you a Gladiator?
We’ve very much fallen in love with Gladiators again in 2025. We hope you are enjoying the show also and appreciate our Gladiators themed gaming ideas for your own arena
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