All "Spiel des Jahres🇩🇪 2001" game award winners & nominees in comparison 2026

Carcassonne is a renowned tile-placement game set in the picturesque landscape of Southern France. This game is beloved for its simplicity, depth, and the beautiful mosaic players create on the table.

Winner's Circle is a thrilling board game that brings the excitement of horse racing to your table. Players get to place bets on various horses and try to accumulate the most money over the course of three races. It’s a game of chance, strategy, and a bit of intuition, making it a great pick for family game nights or gatherings with friends.

Turn the Tide is a clever card game that combines strategy, prediction, and a bit of luck. Players start with a hand of 12 cards from a deck numbered 1-60, with the remainder set aside for the entire game. Each round involves choosing a card secretly and then revealing them simultaneously. Scoring involves collecting cards from a separate deck, with the highest card played taking the lower scoring card and the second-highest taking the other. A unique aspect is the rotation of hands, as players pass their entire hand to the next player after each round, challenging them to score well with the same cards their neighbor previously used.

Cartagena is a thematic board game based on the historical 1672 pirate jailbreak from the fortress of Cartagena. It blends strategy and tactical movement with a strong pirate theme.

Players control seven colorful piglets that love to run through meadows on narrow paths, often needing to stack on top of one another to pass. Using a special die numbered 1-4, players take turns moving their piglets; rolling a black number allows an extra move. If a player lands on the same space as another pig, they can carry the lower piglets in a piggyback style, aiming to reach the end of the track first to win.

River Dragons is a dynamic and strategic board game where players aim to cross a river by building a network of planks over foundational stones. The challenge comes from the fact that each player plans their moves secretly and simultaneously, leading to unexpected outcomes and interactions as players' paths cross and plans collide.

Players take turns drawing three wooden balls from a bag. Black and gray balls represent gravel, while yellow balls signify gold nuggets. Players place the balls on a round aluminum plate and try to "shake" the gold, with others betting on the outcomes, adding a bluffing element to the game. Basic and advanced rules are also available.

This is a modern version of classic games like Parcheesi or Sorry. Players aim to move their pawns from their starting position to a safe zone around the board. Instead of rolling dice, players shake small containers filled with balls, trying to select the one with the highest number that does not exceed the results of two rolled dice.

Players compete against a team of three witches, attempting to guide them through a randomly generated obstacle course made of 48 cardboard discs. Both the players' cards and the board move the witches, but the challenge is heightened since the board discs start face down, making it harder for the leaders.

Players navigate a fairy tale forest made up of a 7x7 grid of cards. The goal is to rescue a sick princess while avoiding obstacles like goblins, witches, and crows. The game also supports solo play.

San Marco invites you to the charming districts of Venice, where you'll use strategy and influence to outmaneuver your opponents. Ideal for players who enjoy a blend of strategy and luck, this game stands out with its unique card distribution mechanic, especially in a four-player setting. Players draw cards, form them into groups, and then choose from these groups to take actions. These actions include placing and removing aristocrats, building and relocating bridges, and scoring regions. The game is played over three Passages, each comprising multiple turns, making it a dynamic and engaging experience.

Players build cascades of moving cards across the board to advance their cards to the end goal in the opposite corner. Strategy and planning are key to successfully navigating the challenges presented by the game.

The Lord of the Rings is a cooperative board game that immerses players in the epic journey of the Fellowship as they strive to destroy the One Ring and thwart the dark powers of Sauron. Each player assumes the role of a Hobbit from the Fellowship, each with unique abilities that contribute to the team's success.

Babel is a competitive game where you leverage the strengths of ancient tribes to build temples, outmaneuver your opponent, and ultimately construct the tallest structures for victory. Set against the backdrop of five ancient civilizations—Medes, Sumerians, Hittites, Persians, and Assyrians—you're dealt cards representing each tribe, using them to strategically move, build, or disrupt your opponent's progress on a compact board adorned with regions of these civilizations.

Genoa, originally known as The Traders of Genoa, immerses players in the Renaissance era, where they become savvy traders navigating the bustling city to acquire and deliver goods, send messages, and obtain special privileges. The game stands out for its emphasis on negotiation and deal-making, as players work to outmaneuver each other to become the wealthiest trader in Genoa.

Rivalry in ancient Rome centers on creating the most spectacular buildings and dominating the Roman prefectures. Players utilize 90 blocks and 40 roofs over four rounds, each consisting of building, auction, scoring, and card-drawing phases. Players auction off temples, fountains, and amphitheaters for extra points while competing to construct the highest structures.

The goal is to collect jewels to complete your amulet. You need either seven different colored jewels or eight jewels of any kind to win. Powerful spells are auctioned each round using a fixed set of energy stones that players can bid with throughout the game.