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

Sanctuary is Mathias Wigge's lighter, tile-laying take on Ark Nova, released by Feuerland Spiele for 1 to 5 players. You manage a modern, conservation-focused zoo, build it tile by puzzle-shaped tile, and balance animal welfare, attractive exhibits, and species-protection goals.

Boss Fighters QR sends 2 to 4 players aged around 10 and up into cooperative fantasy duels that feel like compact adventures at the family table. Children get bold heroes, mysterious enemies, and visible deck progress, while parents can enjoy teamwork, planning, and shared deduction. A game usually takes about 40 to 60 minutes.

Galactic Cruise is a heavy worker-placement game for 1 to 4 players from Kinson Key Games, with art by Ian O'Toole. You play senior staff at the first company to offer extended space vacations, racing to climb your way up to CEO.

Take Time is a cooperative card and puzzle game for 2 to 4 players ages 10 and up. Instead of competing, children, teens, and adults work together to solve mysterious clock-based challenges. With a playtime of about 30 minutes, it fits well into family game nights, short after-school sessions, or relaxed evenings for players who enjoy logic, teamwork, and clever deduction.

Rebirth is an elegant tile-laying area-control game by Reiner Knizia for 2 to 4 players. In a hopeful future you rebuild a scarred land: farms spread, communities take root, and castles change hands.

Cozy Stickerville is a gentle adventure and village-building game by Corey Konieczka for 1-6 players, recommended from age 8. Families explore a growing valley together, add buildings, animals, shops, farms, and personal touches with more than 800 stickers, and watch their own village take shape over several relaxed sessions. It is especially appealing for children who enjoy creative choices and parents who like shared storytelling without pressure.

River of Gold is a mid-weight Eurogame in which you play river merchants in feudal Japan competing for wealth, glory, and wisdom. Along a busy river you ally with legendary samurai clans and try to exploit the trade route for yourself. Despite real strategic depth, play stays brisk and runs about an hour.

Star Trek: Captain's Chair is an asymmetric duel card game for one or two players who command iconic captains across the galaxy.

Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor is a standalone game within the Forest Shuffle family that sends players into a brand-new habitat where they compete to build the most valuable forest. You lay out trees, shrubs, and now also terrain cards, then attract animal and plant species to create an ecologically balanced environment. For fans of accessible card-laying games with a nature theme, it is an attractive, self-contained entry point.

A charming two-player collecting game: befriend the adorable Mookies, but watch out for the Spider!

Paleolino invites families into a friendly prehistoric world where Lino the mammoth rolls valuable resources down the mountain. Children aged 5 and up collect wood, stones, berries, and crystals to help build a small village together. Designed by Marco Teubner, this cooperative children’s game works well for 1 to 4 players and offers a short, focused playtime that fits family routines.