All "Spiel des Jahres🇩🇪 2014" game award winners & nominees in comparison 2026

In Love Letter, you must compete with other suitors to deliver a romantic letter to Princess Annette, who has secluded herself in the palace.

Splendor beckons you into the vibrant world of Renaissance merchants, where the pursuit of gem mines, modes of transportation, and opulent shops is the path to acquiring prestigious points. In this strategic game of chip-collecting and card development, your goal is to amass wealth and influence that will make you the most renowned merchant of the era. Perhaps, if fortune smiles upon you, nobility may even grace your endeavors, further enhancing your prestige.

Camel Up is an exciting and unpredictable racing and betting game where players wager on camels competing in a zany race around a pyramid. With its unique mechanics and charming theme, it's a game that promises fun and laughter for up to eight players.

In Concept, the challenge is to convey words using a network of icons. A pair of players, seated as neighbors, collaborate to select a word or phrase that others must deduce. Working in tandem, they strategically place markers on the available icons on the game board.

Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters, also known as Geister, Geister, Schatzsuchmeister!, is an award-winning cooperative board game where players embark on an eerie adventure to collect treasures from a haunted house.

Concordia is a peaceful yet strategic board game set in Roman times, focusing on economic development and expansion. It is designed for 2-5 players aged 13 and up.

Potato Man is a trick-taking game centered around the theme of potatoes, where the smallest cards can score the highest points. Players play one card into the middle to form a trick, but each of the four colors can only be played once per round, except in a five-player game where one color may appear twice. Winning a trick allows players to collect scoring cards of the corresponding color, and strategic decisions are key as players balance holding high cards with the risk of being unable to play in later rounds. The game continues for as many rounds as there are players, and the player with the most points at the end wins.

Istanbul is a strategic board game set in the bustling environment of Istanbul's grand bazaar, where players compete as merchants trying to outmaneuver their rivals to collect precious rubies.

Battle Sheep, formerly known as Splits, is a light-hearted yet strategic board game where players aim to spread their flock of sheep across the pasture to occupy the most territory. The game is known for its simple rules, quick gameplay, and fun theme, making it a great choice for families and casual gamers.

Players strive to become as strong, brave, and glorious as the knight Brandon the Brave. To achieve knighthood, they must complete royal tasks and demonstrate good intuition. The player who skillfully arranges the tiles to conquer these challenges will emerge as the shining champion at the end of the game.

Haim Shafir's renowned game features a bell that players love to ring after discovering winning combinations. Each player has a set of five colored plastic cups and tries to replicate a colored sequence shown on a card drawn from a shuffled deck. The first to ring the bell correctly claims the card, and play continues until all cards are collected, with the player holding the most cards declared the winner.

At 11:40 PM on April 14, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic strikes an iceberg, flooding the ship and causing chaos among passengers. Players take on the role of crew members who must act quickly to rescue as many passengers as possible as time runs out. Using a patient card mechanism, the game requires players to organize passengers into lifeboats while managing the sinking ship's available resources.

In the valley of Fire Dragon, danger brews beneath the earth. The mighty volcano Rubino is about to erupt after a thousand years. Players assume the role of dragon riders, aiming to collect valuable dragon rubies by navigating around the volcano with tactical skill and a bit of luck. The player with the most rubies in their pouch at the end wins.

Create a flower garden for the world-famous Sanssouci Palace in this tile-laying game. Compete against up to three other landscape architects, building rose gardens and vineyards while meeting specific building requirements. Players manage personal boards divided into rows and columns, drafting tiles to fulfill garden layouts and earn points based on completed rows and columns. The game lasts 18 rounds, with bonus points awarded at the end for completed objectives.

Players take on the roles of members from two clans: the brutal warriors of the Beast clan and the graceful members of the Rose clan, along with the human Inquisition if there's an odd number of players. Under secret identities, they aim to capture the opposing clan's Elder or sacrifice themselves for their own. Players must attack, negotiate, and deduce information, revealing ranks or clan affiliations to gain the upper hand, while unique character abilities come into play when revealing ranks. Victory is achieved by capturing the correct Elder of the rival clan, but capturing the wrong one leads to defeat.

Guildhall is a unique and competitive card game where players aim to progress from the Dark Ages by building a guildhall that attracts professionals from across Europe. The goal is to achieve economic stability and outmaneuver your competitors by gathering like-minded individuals into chapters and utilizing their collective skills to earn victory points (VP).

The idea for this game is inspired by many videos featuring cats chasing small race cars on slot racing tracks. Children take on different roles each turn: the driver assembles race cars of various colors and must say "Wrooom!" each time; the player controlling the car rolls the cat die quickly, saying "Meowwww" for each cat face rolled; and the race coordinator moves the pieces on the board, declaring "Stooop!" when the car is caught or reaches the STOP sign.

Players take on the role of small barbarians searching for their princess, who is imprisoned in a dungeon represented by a 5x5 grid of face-down cards. To rescue her, they must find the key by visiting rooms, which involves revealing cards that may present challenges like Blorks, lead to an exit, or even uncover the key. The game is inspired by the comics of the same name by Midam.

Rococo immerses players in the lavish Rococo era during the reign of Louis XV, where they take on the role of managing a prestigious ball. The game blends elements of deck-building and resource management, requiring players to skilfully navigate the demands of dressmaking and event planning to gain the most prestige.

Russian Railroads is a strategic board game where players compete to build the most extensive and advanced railway network in Russia. The game combines worker placement with track building and resource management elements, offering players various paths to victory.

Amerigo takes players on an adventurous journey with the famed explorer Amerigo Vespucci, as they discover new lands in South America, establish trading routes, and build settlements. The game stands out with its unique cube tower mechanic, which adds an element of surprise and strategy to the gameplay.

As midnight approaches, the vampire, witch, and headless butler gather in the hall of Villa Schauerstein, but the mummy's presence raises questions. Players first build the villa and then maneuver cardboard figures through slits as they add a roof and light. In each round, one player positions two characters and must verify their placement to earn points, with variations allowing for more characters and guessing mechanics among opponents. The first to collect three tokens wins.

Emil, with his enormous elephant belly, goes to the supermarket to grab a bite to eat. As he fills his shopping cart with delicious snacks, mischievous mice try to scare him and make his tower of treats topple. Players can assist Emil and only succeed with bravery, skill, and a steady hand.

Players dress up as various animals, with sixteen cards showing children in costumes laid out on the table. There are also sixteen hidden cards depicting the corresponding animals.