All "Spiel des Jahres🇩🇪 2019" game award winners & nominees in comparison 2026

Just One is a cooperative party game that combines elements of mystery and creativity. Players work together to guess as many words as possible, using unique clues provided by their teammates.

Werewords is a fast-paced word-guessing game blended with the intrigue of a hidden role mechanism. In this engaging party game, players work together to guess a secret word, while also navigating the deceit of a werewolf who knows the word but is trying to lead them astray.

Wingspan is a captivating, competitive board game from Stonemaier Games, masterfully designed by Elizabeth Hargrave. It's a medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building game that stands out with its unique theme and stunning artwork, featuring over 170 bird illustrations by artists Beth Sobel, Natalia Rojas, and Ana Maria Martinez.

Players purchase artwork for their museum while trying to align with current trends and uncover genuine pieces created by their team. However, the notorious Belratti aims to trick them with fake paintings in their collection.

Players cooperate in a version of the game designed for children who cannot yet read. They take turns trying to have others guess an animal by using symbols on the game board to indicate characteristics of that animal. With 110 animals to guess, divided into two difficulty levels, this beautifully illustrated communication game helps children discover the world of animals in a fun and innovative way.

L.L.A.M.A. is a light and engaging card game that combines elements of strategy and luck. The game's title, an acronym for "Lege alle Minuspunkte ab" (German for "discard all minus points"), cleverly plays on the word "llama," adding a whimsical touch to the gameplay.

Players compete to get rid of their cards in the game Who Did It? The goal is to avoid taking responsibility for the animal that made a mess. Each round is quick and fun; find your card, play it first, and blame someone else!

Monster-Bande includes 2 sets of 54 identical tokens featuring monster images and two dice that display different monster traits. Teams of two or more players take turns rolling the dice, drawing a token, and describing the monster without using specific traits named on the dice. The team identifies the matching monster from the table, aiming to collect the most tokens by the end of the round.

Players fill their scorecards with dice collected each round. They take turns choosing dice from the center of the table, ensuring that the next die matches the previous ones. At the end of a round, they mark all boxes on their filled scorecard, but competition for the needed dice adds a challenging twist.

Reef is an abstract strategy game where players embody the role of a coral reef, engaging in the growth and expansion of their reef through careful selection and placement of colors and patterns.

In Architects of the West Kingdom, set against the backdrop of the late Carolingian Empire around 850 AD, players step into the roles of royal architects. Tasked with constructing important buildings and advancing the construction of the Archbishop's cathedral, this game uniquely combines resource management, worker placement, and moral choices into a rich strategic tableau. Players vie for the King's favor and maintain their noble status in a world where virtue and vice coexist.

Monster Match stands out among speed games because multiple players can score in each round. This dynamic ensures that everyone has a chance to earn points, making it more engaging and strategic. The changing number of cards on the table each round affects decisions, creating a lively gameplay environment that sets it apart from other options on the market.

In Carpe Diem, players step into the roles of wealthy patricians in ancient Rome, striving to build prosperous city districts and accumulate prestigious points. Designed by the accomplished game designer Stefan Feld, this board game offers a unique and engaging gaming experience.

Every year, the keg bowling competition takes place. Players must show courage, skill, and a willingness to take risks as they use a ball to knock over the right kegs and position their Vikings on the dock. The player who wins the most gold coins emerges victorious, but those who venture too far may fall into the water and leave empty-handed.

Imhotep: The Duel transports players back to the rich historical setting of ancient Egypt, where they engage in a strategic contest as two of Egypt’s most renowned figures, Nefertiti and Akhenaten. This two-player game is a standalone sequel to the acclaimed board game Imhotep, known for its deep strategy and engaging gameplay. Imhotep: The Duel focuses on the competitive dynamics between two players, offering a nuanced and tightly contested battle of wits and strategy.

Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game immerses players in the role of true detectives, blending traditional board game elements with modern technology and storytelling. This game offers a unique and interactive experience, as players solve interconnected cases using both physical game components and an online database.

Players try to solve a mystery case using 32 clues. Each player reveals one clue at a time until all cards are either exposed or discarded. After revealing all clues, players must collaboratively piece together the available information and answer questions to score points based on their theories and deductions.

Paper Tales is a dynamic card game that blends elements of drafting and kingdom-building. Set in a mythical world, players guide their realms through centuries, facing challenges and opportunities as they emerge.

Young residents of Fridolins Hof occasionally wander off and need the players' help to return to the barn. They must rely on luck while rolling dice and work well together. If the players ensure that no animal takes the last spot on the path and leaves the farm, they win the game together.

A spell gone wrong has scattered the inhabitants of Fabulantica across the land. Confused, they seek shelter in towers while players must help to find them. Players use tickets corresponding to four path types to move across the board or take a magic carpet to their chosen location. Each tower reveals its resident when visited, but if that resident is part of an active player's mission, their position changes. The first player to successfully complete three tasks by planning their travels and remembering resident locations wins. Suitable for ages 6 and up, the game encourages players to make the most of their hand while preventing residents from "disappearing."

The king has accidentally been turned into a frog! Gather your friends, navigate through the forest, and find the right ingredients to brew a potion that will heal him. This cooperative game adapts the original mechanics of Magic Maze for younger players, with everyone controlling the heroes but only in one direction. The rules are gradually introduced through tutorials, and the game evolves through multiple levels as children play.

Newton is a strategic board game that immerses players in the era of the Scientific Revolution, a time of profound discoveries and intellectual advancements. Players step into the shoes of aspiring scientists, striving to achieve the stature of legendary figures like Galileo, Copernicus, and Newton himself. The game encapsulates the journey of knowledge, exploration, and scientific achievement.

Lowlands is a captivating board game that seamlessly blends strategic farming with cooperative dike-building to protect against floods. Players are thrust into a challenging environment where the balance between individual prosperity and community welfare is key. Here's a closer look at its gameplay, strategy, and thematic integration.

Go Gecko Go! is a dice and movement game where players stack smaller animals on larger ones while keeping an eye on the height of bridges that must be cleared. Each swimming team consists of a crocodile, a turtle, a frog, and a gecko. Players roll three dice and choose combinations of symbols to advance their animals, but they must be careful not to stack them too high or they risk being knocked off by the bridges. The first player to get their entire animal team to the finish line wins.

Tim Löwe and his friends have discovered the tastiest coconuts, but they grow on a palm tree located on a wobbly rock. Players must constantly balance the animals while carefully moving them over this unstable rock to earn coconuts as rewards. Collect the most coconuts by the end of the game to win!