All "Deutscher Spielepreis🇩🇪 1996" game award winners & nominees in comparison 2026

We have clearly compared and listed all winners and nominees of the audience award "Deutscher Spielepreis🇩🇪 1996".

Audience Award instead of Critics Award

In contrast to the Spiel des Jahres, the "Deutscher Spielepreis🇩🇪" is not awarded by critics but by a professional audience (individual players, retailers, game circles, journalists). It is also called the "player" award - by players for players.

All games between "Essen" & "Nürnberg" are nominated

All games published between the SPIEL in Essen of the previous year and the Nuremberg Toy Fair of the same year are included in the nomination list for the "Deutscher Spielepreis" (german for "German Game Award").

Anyone can participate

In addition to trade magazines and retailers, everyone (since 2001) may vote online. All participants choose what they think are the 5 best games of the vintage - first place gets 5 points, second 4, third 3, fourth 2 and fifth 1 point. Each participant is weighted exactly the same and their points are added up.

List of the 10 best games of the year

Finally, the 10 games with the highest total score are published. The game with the highest score is then the winner of the "German Game Award".

Since 1992 also "Deutscher Kinderspielpreis" (German Children's Game Award)

In addition to the 5 best games, each participant may also select a children's game. The one with the most votes then becomes the winner of the "Deutscher Kinderspielpreis" for the respective year.

All other "Deutscher Spielepreis" years

The German Game Prize is awarded since 1990, we have listed for you both across all years, all Children's Game Prize winners and separated by year you can find at the bottom of the page.

More info can be found on the official website of the "German Games Award".

List with all Deutscher Spielepreis🇩🇪 1996 winners and nominees:

This list was last updated on June 6, 2026. There's also a print version for this list .
  1. PitchCar

    PitchCar and its earlier version Carabande are dexterity-based board games that create a fun and competitive racing experience. Players use finger flicks to propel small discs (representing cars) around a track constructed from wooden pieces.

    Nominated for 4 awards and won 3.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1996

    More details for PitchCar
    • 👥 2 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 6+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  2. El Grande (Spiel des Jahres 1996 winner)

    El Grande is a classic strategy board game set in medieval Spain, where players, as powerful lords or "Grandes," vie for control over various regions in a declining kingdom. The game is known for its blend of tactical depth and strategic planning.

    Nominated for 5 awards and won 4.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1996

    💰 12% cheaper on Amazon than at other retailers

    More details for El Grande (Spiel des Jahres 1996 winner)
    • 👥 2 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Medium difficulty
  3. Gloria Picktoria

    Players try to collect majorities in as many of the ten different glamorous resource chicken holdings as possible by playing the most or the second-most cards of each type. There are three scoring rounds triggered by the appearance of specific cards from the draw pile. The game has previously been released under different names in Germany and the USA.

    More details for Gloria Picktoria
    • 👥 2 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 45 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  4. The "Spiel des Jahres" jury has determined the winner for Spiel des Jahres 🇩🇪1996 - they also published the list of nominees for the year of 1996. But which are really the best games of the 1996 vintage? We compared all the winners and nominees and sorted them by quality.

    All "Spiel des Jahres🇩🇪 1996" game award winners & nominees in comparison →
  5. Top Race

    • Essener Feder Best Written RulesEssener Feder Best Written Rules
    • Family GameFamily Game
    • Kids' GameKids' Game
    • Bluffing & BettingBluffing & Betting
    • AuctionAuction
    • RacingRacing
    +4 more

    Maximize your earnings by finishing as one of the first to cross the finish line while also betting on your performance. Each player starts with 200,000 credits and selects their "Speed cards" after an auction for "Contestants cards" corresponding to their colors.

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Top Race
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 45 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  6. Hallo Dachs!

    A children's game by Klaus Teuber features animals, meals, and memories. Players take on the role of a badger in the forest, where paths lead to various meals. Upon reaching a meal area, the badger rolls the dice according to the number of meals available, turning over stones for points. The first player to reach the point gate wins the game.

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 2.

    More details for Hallo Dachs!
    • 👥 2 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 6+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  7. MarraCash

    Players take on the role of shop owners in a Moroccan marketplace, purchasing various stores as color-coded tourists appear at the entrance. They can bring tourists to their matching stores for profit or direct them to opponents' shops to share in the earnings. The player with the highest bank balance at the end wins, combining auction elements with spatial relationships for an engaging experience.

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    ⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2003

    More details for MarraCash
    • 👥 3 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  8. Mü & More (Winner À la carte 1996 Card Game Award)

    • Fairplay À la carteFairplay À la carte
    • Trick-TakingTrick-Taking
    • Strategy GameStrategy Game
    • Team GameTeam Game
    • Large GroupsLarge Groups
    • Card GameCard Game
    +3 more

    The card game features several games, with Mü as the main attraction. Players engage in complex trick-taking gameplay to win points. It includes variations like The Last Panther, Wimmüln, and Rummü, catering to different age groups and player counts. The game consists of 60 cards in five colors, each with a numerical value and point indicators.

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Mü & More (Winner À la carte 1996 Card Game Award)
    • 👥 2 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 11+ years old
    • 🧩 Medium difficulty
  9. Campanile

    • Game of the Year (nominated)Game of the Year (nominated)
    • Family GameFamily Game
    • Tile-LayingTile-Laying
    • Area ControlArea Control
    • Bluffing & BettingBluffing & Betting
    +3 more

    A beautiful combination of tile placement and betting. Players place long tiles to build five towers taller and taller while betting on which will be the highest or shortest. As players build, the height they add determines their betting limits and which draw pile they can take from. A clever mechanism creates engaging and frustrating decisions, rewarding the majority supporters on each tower with points.

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Campanile
    • 👥 2 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  10. Ab die Post!

    • Game of the Year (nominated)Game of the Year (nominated)
    • Family GameFamily Game
    • Large GroupsLarge Groups
    • AviationAviation
    +2 more

    Players navigate a racetrack, avoiding storm clouds, making repairs, and possibly picking up a passenger for bonus points. A black plastic storm cloud with a clear cap holds colored balls that determine flight speed. Players draw cards to assist in repairs and choose between outer, middle, or inner lanes, with the inner lane being the shortest but most expensive to use.

    More details for Ab die Post!
    • 👥 3 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 45 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  11. Entdecker

    • Meeples Choice AwardMeeples Choice Award
    • Family GameFamily Game
    • Tile-LayingTile-Laying
    • Area ControlArea Control
    • ExplorationExploration
    • Strategy GameStrategy Game
    +2 more

    Players start with an empty game board representing uncharted waters. They draw pieces and place them on the board, creating islands where they can pay to establish settlements, bases, or scouts to become the most powerful explorer. Completed islands reward all investors with victory points, but the player with the strongest presence earns the most points.

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Entdecker
    • 👥 2 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  12. Looking for a really good game from game designer Klaus Teuber 👨? Then we have just the thing: the list with the best Klaus Teuber games 2026.

    The best games from Klaus Teuber 🇩🇪👨 →

    The "Deutscher Spielepreis" (German Game Award), which has been awarded since 1990, is presented annually for 10 family and 10 adult games. Unlike the Spiel des Jahres, however, this is not awarded by critics but by a professional audience (individual players, game circles, journalists, retailers). It is also called the "player" award - by players for players.

    The best "Deutscher Spielepreis"🇩🇪 award winners and nominees →

Didn't find the game you were looking for?

We're positive that you'll find it in one of our other lists! To make the search easier for you, we split our website into different categories. The following board game categories will help you find the right list: