Best games released at SPIEL 2000 in Essen 2026

Imagine a hamster's training wheel divided into multiple segments, separated by low fences. Players each receive seven wooden pieces to place into the wheel, one per person per turn, without any pieces falling out. Discarded pieces result in penalties, and the first player to rid themselves of all their pieces wins.

Monza is a car racing game designed for children. Players roll six identical dice, moving their cars based on the colors shown on the dice. The game encourages tactical thinking and color recognition, making it suitable for children aged 5 and up, though younger kids can also join in the fun.

Blokus is an abstract strategy game known for its simple rules and deep strategic gameplay. It features colorful Tetris-shaped pieces that players aim to place on the board.

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.

Obstgarten is a cooperative game for two or more players aged 3 and up. Players must quickly harvest the trees filled with crunchy cherries, juicy apples, sweet pears, and wonderful plums to prevent the greedy raven from stealing the fruit. Everyone collaborates to gather the harvest.

Nightmare Productions, designed by Reiner Knizia, is a unique auction-based board game centered around the theme of producing movies, with a special twist in its Nightmare Productions edition that brings a horror and fantasy element to the filmmaking process. The game is structured around bidding for various components necessary to complete a movie, with a focus on strategic bidding and resource management.

The "Anno Domini - Sport" set features historical events related to the world of sports. It can be played as a standalone game or combined with other sets for an enhanced experience.

Players take on the role of knights participating in prestigious tournaments at the king's court. They use cards to win duels, fighting with swords, axes, or maces. Strategic use of action cards can change the dynamics of ongoing tournaments, impacting weapon choices and combat outcomes. The first player to win four or five different tournaments becomes the overall champion. There's more strategy involved than it may seem at first glance.

Tally Ho! turns the tables on the traditional hunter-prey narrative, offering a two-player game where one participant controls hunters and lumberjacks, and the other manages foxes and bears. The game begins with a serene forest, represented by face-down tiles. As the game progresses, these tiles are flipped and moved, simulating the chaotic disruption of hunting.

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.

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 are given a job at the company Crazy & Co., where positions frequently change. Suddenly, a junior employee might find themselves in charge, while the last one remaining on the cards ends up with the dirty work as the dishwasher.

Bus is a pioneering strategy game by Splotter Spellen, emerging from Essen 1999 as a standout creation by a group of students. This game challenges players to efficiently manage a public transportation system to deliver as many passengers to their destinations as possible. The game combines route planning, passenger distribution, and timing to create a deeply strategic and competitive experience.

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.

Kill Doctor Lucky puts a unique spin on the classic mystery genre. In this darkly humorous game, players scheme to off the ill-fated Doctor Lucky. He's the guy everyone loves to hate – maybe he snubbed you in his will, or perhaps he's responsible for your pet rock's untimely demise. Whatever the reason, you're out for revenge, but so is everyone else! The catch? You've got to do the deed secretly, without witnesses, or it's back to square one.

Roll the dice and quickly identify the correct animal! First, check the two yellow dice for the right number. Then, look at the animal dice and find that many animals among all of them. Call out the correct animal to collect a token, but be careful not to call the wrong one, or you'll lose all your tokens for that animal. The first player to collect two tokens for each animal wins.

Turbo Taxi is a competitive puzzle game reminiscent of Ricochet Robot. Each player has 12 identical pieces representing a network of city streets, and they must rearrange their pieces to connect designated markers on a 3x3 grid while complying with certain routes for yellow and black taxis. The game can also be played solo, challenging players to complete the grid in the shortest time possible.

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.