Best games released at SPIEL 1996 in Essen 2026

A variety of oddly-shaped wooden blocks is placed on a round wooden base. The base has a cork ball underneath, positioned on a conical stand. Players must carefully remove these oddly shaped pieces, risking the delicate balance of the setup. Larger pieces yield more points, but they also increase the chances of a spill, resulting in negative points.

Players build three types of districts in a developing city. In each round, one or two blocks are zoned based on player votes. The base score is determined by the number of completed adjacent blocks, but players must consider significant multipliers that affect certain types of developments placed next to each other.

Players aim to gain control over companies represented by cards in this revenge-themed game. Each round, players earn income from companies where they have the most board members, roll three dice, and use them to introduce new companies, add board members to existing ones, or draw new cards.

Players navigate the German beer market, aiming to establish their beer brands in national markets. They must first master local and regional markets, ensuring everyone has access to beer while anticipating and developing the public’s taste.

Another game from the "Bestseller Authors" series by Schmidt. Players travel along the coast of Zanzibar, trying to collect quadruples of specific goods. It was published as "Molukki" by Reinhold Wittig's company "Edition Perlhuhn."