All "Spiel des Jahres🇩🇪 2012" game award winners & nominees in comparison 2026

Las Vegas is a lively, dice-based game that combines luck, strategy, and the joy of thwarting your opponents. Developed by Stefan Brück at alea, it's designed to be an easy and interactive game, full of schadenfreude moments.

Rhino Hero is a dexterity-based card game that combines elements of building and strategy. Players take turns constructing a skyscraper with walls and roof cards, while moving a heroic rhino figurine up the building.

Pictomania turns the conventional drawing game on its head by combining drawing and guessing into simultaneous, frenetic action. This game, perfect for those who pride themselves on either their quick sketching or sharp guessing skills, ensures a level playing field and promises high energy from start to finish. Over five rounds, players are challenged to draw a word or phrase indicated by randomly assigned cards while also guessing what their opponents are drawing to earn points. Missteps can lead to becoming the round's "black sheep," affecting scores negatively, making each stroke and guess a calculated risk.

Targi is a strategic board game set against the backdrop of the Tuareg culture in the desert. Players assume the roles of leaders of Tuareg tribes, engaging in trade and seeking to expand their families and influence.

Indigo is a captivating tile-laying game that combines strategy with a touch of competition, as players maneuver to guide precious gemstones to their goals. This game, reminiscent of classics like Metro, Tsuro, and Linie 1, challenges players to construct pathways on a shared board, where the twist lies in moving gems towards objectives for points, rather than simply building the longest route.

Cheating Moth is a mischievously fun card game where cheating isn't just allowed, it's necessary to win! Players aim to get rid of all their cards, but traditional card play is only part of the strategy. You'll also need to cleverly cheat by secretly dropping cards without getting caught. Each round begins with players holding eight cards and trying to play a card onto the discard pile that is exactly one number higher or lower than the top card. But here's the twist: certain cards, like the Cheating Moth cards, can't be discarded normally and must be slyly disposed of through cheating.

In the cooperative game, players explore an old house by first constructing a 3D maze from "broken" walls and then pursuing a ghost. Each player starts in a corner of a 4x4 grid house, discovering wall types using a compass device. The goal is to find the "magical doors" to summon the ghost "Hubi," with the challenge increasing through different difficulty levels and a timer for the hardest mode.

Friday, part of Friedemann Friese's Freitag-Project Series, unfolds the tale of Robinson Crusoe and his loyal partner, Friday. Stepping into Friday's shoes, players navigate the challenges of Robinson's arrival on the island, disrupting your peaceful existence. The objective is clear: assist Robinson in surviving the island and prepare him for a showdown with incoming pirates.

Kingdom Builder is a strategic board game where players shape their domains by building settlements, with the ultimate goal of earning the most gold by the end of the game.

Only a dirty pig is a happy pig! In Dirty Pig, each player has 3-5 clean pigs in front of them and three cards in hand. Players play cards to get pigs muddy, clean them with rain cards, or protect them with barn cards. The goal is to be the first player to dirty all their pigs.

Kulami is an abstract strategy game for two players played on various wooden tiles that are assembled randomly into a board. Players place their pieces on the tiles, and the placement of the previous stone determines the rows where the next piece can be placed. The goal is to claim as many tiles as possible by occupying the majority of fields on a tile, with bonus points awarded for completing rows or areas.

Players take on the role of amateur researchers in Africa, excited about the discovery of a new species named "Kali." Meanwhile, Kali's rhino friend, Mambo, aims to keep the group moving by pushing discoverers into the dung piles scattered across the land. Players must navigate carefully to avoid getting a face full of dung while racing to score the fewest penalty points by the end of twelve rounds.

K2 is a board game that simulates the challenging and perilous experience of climbing the second-highest and one of the deadliest mountains on Earth, known as the Savage Mountain. It combines strategy and survival elements in a competitive mountaineering adventure.

Players draw random symbols and objects to create memorable and funny stories. The goal is to build the best mnemonics and listen well to others' stories, increasing their chances of winning.

Players compete to grab discs that match the colors and symbols rolled on two dice. Each turn, the dice determine which discs can be taken, while players can only use one hand. The game concludes when all discs are claimed, and the player with the most discs wins.

Village is a board game that captures the essence of life in a medieval village, where each player manages a family's journey through generations, seeking fame and glory in various ways. The game is renowned for its innovative handling of the passage of time and the inevitability of death, making it a unique and tactically rich experience.

Four young witches race to reach the magical orb at the top of the tower. Players move their figures based on dice rolls, gradually ascending the staircase. They can occasionally use a magical broom to fly, but only one side of each figure is attracted to the broom, adding a twist as players must remember which side is affected. The first witch to reach the top of the tower wins.

Players begin each round with ten number tiles (0-9) and four task cards, keeping three. These cards present challenges such as having two identical numbers in row 5 or increasing the sum of tiles in a row to over 10. Players take turns placing a tile on an empty space in the 4x6 grid, and the game ends when the board is filled or two players run out of tiles. The player with the most completed tasks after a set number of rounds wins.

A goblin has stirred up chaos in the witch's kitchen, leaving everyone searching for lost ingredients. Players must recall where each item is located to add chips to the magical cauldron. As the cauldron fills, monsters will appear, and the player with the most witch commands and monsters at the end wins.

A cunning dragon has stolen Nils' treasure and taken it to his rocky perch. Nils climbs the mountain using various objects, but he must be careful, as the dragon guards his sparkling loot closely. Players stack items to navigate the 3D dragon mountain, but a wrong move can ruin their progress, and only certain colors can be stacked together.

Immerse yourself in the mysterious culture of Rapa Nui, Easter Island. As a powerful tribal leader, choose which valuable tribe members will serve your village next: lumberjacks, priests, or hunters and gatherers. Alternatively, you might focus on building an impressive stone statue that surpasses all else.

Frank the farmer is proud of the delicious apples, pears, cherries, and plums growing in his garden. It's harvest day, and he is in a great mood. However, six crows are in the trees eating his fruits. Frank is determined to catch the naughty crows before they steal all his harvest.

Santa Cruz is played in two independent rounds where players build houses, churches, and lighthouses while uncovering valuable resources on an island. Each player starts with a hand of travel and point cards to explore a board consisting of three islands featuring face-down tiles that represent various buildings. Players must choose to play a travel card to explore and place their buildings or a point card to evaluate specific buildings, resources, or game conditions for all players, while being cautious of the central volcano that can cause eruptions and destroy their constructions.

In Hawaii, a tactical board game, players take on the role of active strategists rather than idle vacationers. The challenge lies in efficiently using limited resources over five rounds to build and enhance villages on the Hawaiian islands. Players, acting as chieftains, navigate the board to acquire new tiles, making strategic purchases with three different currencies. The game requires careful management of these resources as they deplete over time. Success in Hawaii hinges on the ability to provide for the people while adapting to a diminishing income, demanding a balance of various point-scoring strategies.

Ora et Labora, designed by Uwe Rosenberg, is a resource management and strategy board game set in the Medieval era. Each player takes on the role of the head of a monastery, aiming to develop their land, construct buildings, and create valuable items.

Flossen hoch! is a children's game about fishing, where players act as penguins waddling in search of food. Each player has a penguin and a set of fish of varying lengths, which are placed in slots at the ocean surface. Players roll a die and simultaneously try to catch fish of the rolled color while avoiding empty fish bones, which bring bad luck. Successful catches determine how far their penguin advances on the race track.