Best games released at SPIEL 2012 in Essen 2026

Dixit 3: Journey expands the enchanting world of Dixit with 84 new cards, each adorned with evocative and surreal artwork that stirs the imagination and fuels storytelling. As an expansion to the beloved Dixit game, it enhances the experience by offering a fresh array of visually stunning cards that players can use to inspire their tales, adding depth and variety to the game's creative narrative play.

Qwixx is a fast-paced and engaging dice game that involves all players actively, regardless of whose turn it is. It combines simple mechanics with a need for strategic decision-making, making it a fun and interactive game for all involved.

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

Cockroach Poker Royal (Kakerlakenpoker Royal) elevates the art of bluffing to a royally entertaining level. This game, a twist on the original Kakerlakenpoker, swaps the traditional poker deck for one festooned with critters like cockroaches, rats, and stink bugs, emphasizing bluffing over traditional poker hands.

The Resistance: Avalon is a standalone game set in the legendary world of King Arthur, combining the mechanics of secret identities and deduction found in The Resistance with a thematic backdrop of Arthurian legend and the struggle between good and evil.

Coup is a strategic bluffing game set in an Italian city-state. Players, as heads of rival families, seek to outmaneuver and eliminate others to be the last one standing. Influence is key, represented by face-down character cards, each offering unique powers.

Carcassonne: Winter Edition wraps the classic tile-placement game in a picturesque blanket of snow, offering a seasonal twist on the beloved mechanics of Carcassonne. This edition captures the essence of winter with beautifully illustrated tiles that transform the familiar French countryside into a serene snowy landscape. Players continue to strategically place tiles and deploy their meeples as knights, farmers, and highwaymen, endeavoring to dominate this frosty version of the medieval terrain.

Survive: Escape from Atlantis! is a thrilling and competitive board game where players aim to evacuate their pieces from a sinking island. The game is known for its intense gameplay and strategic decisions.

Hanabi, named after the Japanese word for "fireworks," invites players to collaboratively create the perfect fireworks display. In this cooperative game, the goal is to arrange cards on the table in the correct order to achieve a stunning pyrotechnic spectacle. However, there's a catch - players must hold their cards so that they are visible only to their teammates. To succeed, you'll need to provide hints to your fellow players about the numbers and colors of their cards, working together to avoid mistakes and complete the fireworks show before running out of cards.

The princess has once again been captured by an evil wizard, and it's time to rescue her from the enchanted tower. One player takes on the role of the wizard, who hides a key under one of 16 spaces on the board. The other players, as Robin, must find the key before the wizard does. Once found, they can attempt to unlock one of the towers; if they choose correctly, they win the game.

Pluckin' Pairs captures the spirit of classic party games by encouraging players to match images to score points, but it allows for more individual freedom as everyone plays alone. In each round, eleven images are laid out, and players secretly form pairs based on similarities, writing them down on their sheets. Points are awarded based on how many players match the same pairs, with the player having the highest score after a set number of rounds declared the winner.

Dominion: Dark Ages is the seventh expansion for the highly acclaimed deck-building game Dominion. This expansion takes players to a grittier era, one filled with struggles and decline, as reflected in its theme and mechanics. It's important to note that Dark Ages is not a standalone game and requires the base game of Dominion or another expansion to play.

Players face the question of whether the game board will tip over with each move in KIPP X, a captivating and challenging balance game that is easy to play. To win, be the first to get rid of all your blocks by carefully placing them on one of the raised halves of the board. However, be cautious, as the weight may eventually cause the board to tip, resulting in the loss of your blocks if they fall.

BraveRats is a simple and quick simultaneous action selection game for two players, played with cards. Each player has a hand of eight cards numbered from 0 to 7, with each card possessing a unique power. Players reveal their selected card simultaneously, with the highest card winning the round; the game continues until one player has won four rounds.

Cheeky Monkey is a gambling game featuring eight sets of animals, including elephants, seals, and monkeys, represented by plastic chips. Players draw chips until they decide to stop or draw a duplicate of an animal already collected, returning their current chips to the bag in the latter case. Special rules allow players to steal matching animal chips from opponents or trade monkeys for chips on top of their opponents' stacks, with the game ending once the last chip is added and bonus points awarded for the most chips of a single type.

Players aim to swing their axes at a tower made of discs, each featuring colored plastic "gemstones" in grooves. During their turn, a player swings a plastic pickaxe twice at the tower, collecting any gemstones or discs that fall. The game ends when no gemstones are left, and the player with the most points wins.

Players collect cards to claim routes between cities on the board. They aim to connect cities shown on their secret tickets, earning points for claiming routes and completing tickets. The game features a map focused on Germany and Austria without the passenger mechanics found in other versions.

Stick 'Em, initially released as Sticheln, is a captivating trick-taking card game that turns traditional card game objectives on their head. Players aim to score points by collecting as many cards as possible, except in one chosen color—referred to as their "pain" color—which they seek to avoid. The game involves both strategic depth and a twist of predicting opponents' moves to avoid pitfalls.

Players arrange game pieces to gain the favor of the emperor in Okiya, also known as Niya. They can also block opponents from placing their tokens in the imperial garden to show more control.

There are too many monsters and adventurers in the dungeon. The treasure of the dead king is well-guarded, but the adventurers are fearless! Players must keep their secret character in the dungeon as long as possible or leave with the treasure.

Players try to complete various building tasks, often relying on their teammates for assistance. For instance, one player might need to construct something based on a teammate's description, while another could be tasked with building a structure blindfolded. All challenges must be completed within a set time limit, adding to the excitement and urgency.

Players use Sticky Sticks to grab game pieces that match the rolled dice. The board features plastic indentations containing various stones, each displaying multiple faces in different colors and expressions. The game continues until a certain number of indentations are empty, at which point players compare their collected stones, and the one with the highest stack wins.

Heimlich & Co. is a clever and secretive board game where players maneuver a group of spies around a track to earn points, all while keeping their true identity hidden. The game's unique twist lies in the mystery of each player's color, only revealed at the end, making deduction and misdirection key elements of play. With a simple roll of the dice, players decide how to advance the spies, influencing the scoring but trying to conceal their motives.

Taluva is a strategic board game set on an emerging South Sea island, where players compete to settle the land amidst the constant threat of volcanic eruptions. Each player must skillfully navigate the dynamic landscape, strategically placing tiles and buildings to expand their settlements while contending with the volatile natural environment.

In Libertalia, players delve into a world of piracy, vying to become the most cunning pirate of all. This game is about outsmarting your rivals through strategic use of crew member cards and seizing the opportunity to thwart their plans.

In this abstract strategy game, players aim to collect as many points as possible by placing tokens on numbered spaces on a board composed of two concentric rings and several spokes connecting them to the center. Each player's turn allows them to either play a chain of tokens or draw new ones, while matching colors to earn points. The game ends when all dark gray spaces are filled or a player cannot draw enough tokens to complete their turn, with the winner being the one with the most points.

The expansion includes two double-sided game boards and a counter sheet featuring ladders, windows, explosion markers, and more. Each board represents a floor of a building, requiring players to cover more area to maintain control. Ladders and stairs provide access to the upper level, while windows allow firefighters to enter and exit without causing structural damage.

Players act as art critics and gallery owners, working to increase the value of certain artists' works before redeeming them. The game includes masterpieces from five different artists, and players start with a hand of masterpiece cards that let them influence the fate of these artists. The game consists of four rounds where players earn money based on the popularity and representation of the artists’ works.

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.

Qwirkle Dice is a continuation of Qwirkle, where the goal remains the same: create lines and columns that match either in color or symbol to score points. Players roll as many dice from their hand as they wish, create lines, and draw replacement dice. The game continues until there are no more dice in the reserve and one player has placed all their dice, earning a six-point bonus, with the player having the most points declared the winner.

Kemet is a strategy board game set in ancient Egypt, where players command Egyptian tribes and harness the powers of gods to earn victory points through battles and territorial control.

Players start with a secret dragon color from seven options and a hand of three cards. They begin by placing the Silver Dragon on the table as a wild card. On their turn, players draw a card and play one from their hand, connecting cards of the same color. The goal is to create a contiguous area of seven fields in their chosen dragon color.

Trains is a strategic deck-building board game that combines railway development with elements of capitalist competition. Set against the backdrop of the industrial revolution and the subsequent railway boom, players take on the roles of capitalists managing private railway companies in Japan. The game offers a fascinating blend of historical railway development and modern strategic gameplay.

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).

Hey, monkeys! It's time to climb and grab the juiciest fruits before the other monkeys do. To reach the top of the tree in Banana Matcho, roll the dice and create the most valuable fruit combinations while avoiding the top monkey "Banana Matcho" on an opponent's roll.

Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery is a board game that captures the intrigue, strategies, and violent conflicts depicted in the STARZ Original series. Players take on the roles of Dominus, heads of powerful houses in ancient Rome, vying for influence and power in the city of Capua. The game is known for its blend of political maneuvering, economic strategy, and gladiatorial combat.

Players navigate a labyrinthine board to reach symbols displayed on their hidden cards. The board consists of fixed tiles and movable rows and columns that shift the tunnels, altering the paths available. A Darth Vader variant adds a twist, requiring players to maneuver Vader instead of their own token when a specific symbol is drawn, allowing for simultaneous competition to control Vader's movements.

Tanto Cuore: Expanding the House is a standalone game and the first expansion for the series, introducing a garden theme with building cards like "Garden," "Lily Garden," and "Abandon." Players assume the role of a master of a mansion, hiring maids to fill their houses and compete to become the king of the maids. The aim is to score the most victory points by using a variety of maids and "Love" cards, while also managing the potential negative effects that opponents can impose on your maids.

Seasons is a captivating card and dice game that transports players to the mystical Argos forest, the venue for the legendary tournament of the 12 seasons. Aspiring sorcerers compete in this three-year contest to become the next archmage of the kingdom of Xidit. Players must skillfully draft cards, manage resources, and adapt to the changing seasons to emerge victorious.

The expansion set Goldene Zeiten for Die Fürsten von Catan includes 125 new cards and introduces three thematic sets: "The Era of Explorers," "The Era of Sages," and "The Era of Prosperity."

Smash Up is a unique and engaging "shufflebuilding" game where players combine two distinct factions, each with a 20-card deck, into a single 40-card deck. The game is known for its quirky and diverse factions, each with its own unique mechanics and gameplay style.

Players colonize the Chinese hinterland in Qin by conquering territories and expanding their influence through the placement of game pieces and pagodas. A turn is straightforward: choose one of three pieces from your hand, place it on the game grid, and draw a new piece. By creating territories from neighboring landscape tiles, players can conquer areas, expand their holdings, take over opponents' territories, and connect their regions with villages to ultimately place pagodas. The first player to place all their pagodas on the board wins.

Factions adds various elements to the base game, including ship and colony tokens for a fifth player. Each faction grants its owner a unique ability and introduces new orbital facilities. Players can also pursue hidden agendas for bonus points at the end of the game or when revealed, alongside new alien tech cards that provide strategic advantages.

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.

Players are chosen to participate in the Qladitorial Games, summoned every four years by Empress Quiana to compete in the grand Quolosseum. The expansion introduces forty new custom dice featuring six new creatures and two new spells, along with a new "lock" mechanism that allows certain creatures to create lasting game effects.

Players explore a rolling galaxy for resources called "Nuts" needed to build ships, find colonies, and gain technological advantages. Landing on foreign planets presents dangers but can also be beneficial. The player with the most colonies at the end wins, and the game allows for tactical play without being overly complex.

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.

Keyflower is a strategic board game designed for 2-6 players that spans over four rounds, each representing a different season: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The game combines elements of auction, tile placement, and resource management set in a medieval world. Players start with a "home" tile and a team of workers, using them to bid for new tiles, gather resources, and build their village.

Ginkgopolis is a futuristic city-building board game that blends strategic tile placement, resource management, and card drafting into an engaging and environmentally-themed experience.

Jinx is a new game from the Dixit family, featuring abstract images instead of realistic illustrations. Players place nine cards face up in a 3x3 grid, and the active player selects a location card to guide their play without revealing it. They creatively express the connection, while others guess the correct card; successful guesses earn points, while mistakes result in card exchanges.

Munchkin Conan is a core set consisting of 168 cards featuring 101 doors and 67 treasures. Players can embody epic characters like a Cimmerian warrior or a Stygian sorcerer, using unique items such as the Sword of the Phoenix and concocting strategies against monstrous foes. New mechanics like Birthrights introduce additional gameplay elements, allowing players to tweak their strategies while adhering to classic Munchkin themes.

Dive into the colorful world of fortune tellers and snake charmers. Players shape the journeys of four traveling shows across a kingdom, where they can earn applause or face ridicule. Choose wisely which entertainers to sponsor, as only successful shows will help fill your coffers. The most astute patron who amasses the greatest wealth wins the game.

Players embark on a ten-day journey through Germany, aiming to complete their trip first to win the game. Each player has a rack with ten pieces representing different sections of Germany and trains, which come in five colors. On their turn, players can draw a piece and either discard it or replace one from their rack while creating a valid path connecting regions and trains.

Zombie Fluxx is a dynamic and thematic variation of the classic card game Fluxx, featuring an exciting zombie uprising theme. In this version, players navigate an ever-changing set of rules along with the addition of a new card type: the Ungoal card, introducing conditions where all players could lose the game.

The Palaces of Carrara takes players to the renowned marble-producing region of Italy, where they compete to acquire marble at the best prices and use it to construct buildings. The game's strategic depth lies in balancing the cost of marble with its potential value in building construction. Players must be savvy in their purchases, as any decrease in marble prices can also benefit their opponents. The decision of when to buy marble becomes crucial, especially when considering the fluctuating values of buildings in the town. The Palaces of Carrara includes two levels of play – beginner and advanced – making it accessible to new players while offering depth for experienced gamers. Wolfgang Kramer, the co-designer, emphasizes the importance of starting with the beginner version to fully grasp the game's mechanics and how they interact.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the bestselling game, this limited edition features all the original game cards and a selection of popular characters from previous expansions, presented in a metal box. It includes deluxe components like wooden bullets and oversized game boards, as well as three previously unreleased characters and a brand-new game board.

Players compete in various card-based challenges inspired by a German television show. The game features over two thousand quiz questions, including tasks like unscrambling words, counting letters, and identifying quotes from movies. Challenges are randomly selected, and points are awarded for each, with the team scoring the most points after a set number of challenges declared the winner.

Following the events of the previous expansion, players descend into the depths of the Caverns of Bane. Adventurers uncover clues leading to the abandoned dwarven kingdom of Caligin beneath Cheah Dell, facing new challenges and allies along the way. The expansion introduces six new monster groups, new treasures to capture, and adds seven new heroes and 14 new village cards to enhance gameplay.

Eclipse: Rise of the Ancients expands the universe of Eclipse with new factions, technologies, and challenges. As galactic conflict widens, players must form uneasy alliances to combat the threat of the Ancients, advanced beings with powerful technologies who refuse to negotiate. This expansion introduces Rare Technologies, Developments, Alliances, Ancient Homeworlds, and Warp Portals, alongside three new player boards and four alien species, enhancing gameplay and strategic possibilities. Designed for up to nine players, Eclipse: Rise of the Ancients offers modular additions for customized play experiences, challenging players to adapt and overcome to emerge victorious in the face of a rising ancient threat.

Legends of Andor is a cooperative adventure board game that immerses two to four players in the role of heroes defending a fantasy realm. Designed with a strong narrative focus, the game challenges players to balance strategic decision-making with immersive storytelling.

Players expand their Galaxy Trucker experience with a new large expansion that introduces new tiles, a support team for shipbuilding, and new ship classes, including massive IV ships. They will encounter especially challenging cards and intruders that board their ships, creating additional threats that require their heroic crew to fend off. This expansion also highlights the rising trend of crew versus intruder scenarios in the game universe.

Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar is a unique board game that introduces a dynamic worker placement mechanism set against the backdrop of the ancient Mayan civilization.

Munchkin Cthulhu is a humorous and quirky standalone game in the Munchkin series, this time diving into the eerie and absurd world of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Players navigate a realm filled with classic monsters and oddities from the mythos, vying for treasure and the chance to level up.

In 1952, three German federal states voted to merge into one, and to commemorate this event's sixtieth anniversary, a special edition of Teuber's Settlers of Catan was released. Players roll dice to determine resource production, trade resources, and use them to build settlements, cities, roads, and purchase development cards. The game features the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, where players can construct significant landmarks like the Stuttgart TV tower and Heidelberg Castle.