Best games released at SPIEL 2016 in Essen 2026

Dixit: Revelations invites players to look beyond the surface and discover hidden meanings. Featuring artwork by French illustrator Marina Coudray, this expansion brings a unique aesthetic influenced by early 20th-century design. It adds 84 new cards to the game, where players become storytellers, choosing a card and sharing a related story, while others submit cards from their hands to guess the original. Points are awarded based on correct votes, and the player with the most points at the end wins.

Embark on a noble quest to expand your kingdom in Kingdomino. As a lord, your mission is to explore vast lands filled with wheat fields, serene lakes, and towering mountains. Competing with fellow lords, you must identify the choicest plots to claim as your own.

You have finally reached the Temple of Secrets, filled with immense gold treasures. However, you must navigate the treacherous Temple Guardians who hide among the adventurers, seeking to mislead you to protect their riches. It's a fast-paced bluffing game where trust is uncertain, and danger lurks behind every chamber.

In Junk Art, creativity knows no bounds as players transform a pile of junk into stunning works of art. With more than ten engaging game modes and over sixty vibrant wooden or plastic components, this game invites you to explore your artistic talents like never before.

7 Wonders Duel: Pantheon is an expansion to the popular strategy game 7 Wonders Duel, introducing a dynamic element of ancient deities from various civilizations, each offering unique powers and strategies.

Encore! (originally published as Noch mal!) is a dice-based board game that challenges players with strategic choices and a touch of luck. In this game, players use dice to determine the colors and the number of spaces they can mark off on their playing sheets.

King of Tokyo is a game where players take on the roles of mutant monsters, robots, and aliens, all competing to become the sole King of Tokyo.

Players split into two teams and compete simultaneously in a communication game. In each round, one player from each team attempts to get their teammates to guess a hidden word or phrase using only the 105 explanation cards provided. Speaking and acting is strictly prohibited; players must rely solely on the cards, each featuring a single word. The team with the most points at the end wins.

Dr. Eureka is a fast-paced, dexterity-based board game that challenges players to become the quickest and most precise scientist in the laboratory. Designed for players with a keen sense of logic and a steady hand, this game puts your problem-solving and fine motor skills to the test.

Fuji Flush is an energetic and engaging card game that combines simple rules with strategic depth, making it perfect for both casual gamers and those looking for a quick, entertaining play session. The game's objective is straightforward: be the first to get rid of all your cards. However, achieving this goal requires savvy hand management, timely collaboration with others, and knowing when to strike out on your own.

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is a cooperative, app-enhanced board game that combines elements of horror and mystery. It's set in the same universe as Eldritch Horror and Elder Sign, offering an immersive narrative experience.

In the fast-paced card game, players must think quickly! The active player places a card from their hand on one of three discard piles and calls out the most frequently occurring attribute in the center: animal type, color, zero, or Dodelido. It sounds easier than it is, especially with the slow turtle and the fast crocodile adding challenges. Play flawlessly to win, as any mistake can cost you!

Dominion: Empires expands the universe of Dominion into grander and more expansive territories, elevating players from monarchs to emperors ruling over vast domains. This tenth expansion to the critically acclaimed deck-building game Dominion introduces new mechanics and elements that challenge players to navigate the complexities of imperial governance and conquest.

Port Royal Unterwegs is a standalone, streamlined sequel to the card game Port Royal, introducing new characters that can also be used as an expansion for the original game.

World's Fair 1893 is a board game where players become organizers of the iconic Chicago World's Fair, aiming to boost their influence and secure notable exhibits to win the best reputation by the fair's start.

Mystic Vale is a unique and innovative card game that blends deck-building mechanics with a distinct "Card Crafting System." It's set in a mystical world where players take on the roles of druidic clans aiming to restore a cursed land. The game is known for its engaging gameplay and the novel way it allows players to customize their cards.

Cottage Garden is a charming and strategic board game where players delve into the art of gardening. Designed by Uwe Rosenberg, renowned for his skill in creating engaging board games, Cottage Garden invites players to carefully plan and cultivate their own garden beds with a variety of flowers. The game combines elements of tile placement and point accumulation, set against the serene backdrop of garden landscapes.

The expansion for visitors of the vineyard bog, designed by renowned designer Uwe Rosenberg and the Viticulture designers Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone, introduces 40 new visitors for each version of the vineyard game. It also includes corrected reprints of the promoter and harvest machine cards.

Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails expands the classic Ticket to Ride gameplay to a global scale, introducing an innovative twist by incorporating boats into the well-loved train route-building formula. Players are tasked with navigating both land and water, using trains and ships to connect distant cities and fulfill their ticket objectives.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a Lovecraftian horror card game that blends role-playing and card game elements. Set in the eerie town of Arkham, players face mysterious, monstrous, and maddening challenges.

Escape Room: The Game brings the thrill of escape room challenges right into your living room. It includes four unique 60-minute puzzles that test various problem-solving skills. Players work together to decipher clues ranging from images to maps, under the pressure of a ticking timer. The game's centerpiece, the Chrono Decoder, adds a real sense of urgency with its countdown and sound effects. Whether you're defusing a bomb or escaping prison, the game provides a mix of tension and teamwork.

Players adapt their species to thrive in a dynamic ecosystem with scarce food and lurking predators. Traits like flight and horns offer protection against carnivores, while a long neck helps access hard-to-reach food. With hundreds of ways to evolve, each game unfolds uniquely, providing a fast-paced and strategic experience for two players.

A Feast for Odin is a rich and complex board game that takes players on a journey through the life and times of the Vikings. This game combines elements of exploration, resource management, and strategic planning, offering a deep and engaging experience.

Fields of Green is a strategy board game set in the latter half of the 20th century where players immerse themselves as farm owners. The objective is to expand your farm by strategically drafting cards to add fields, livestock, and buildings, creating a productive economic engine. Inspired by Among the Stars, this game spans four rounds, representing years, during which players grow their farms and prepare for the harvest season. Success in managing resources during harvest allows for further expansion and accumulation of wealth, ultimately converted into victory points.

Building more in the Colosseum Masters makes it easier to win, but acquiring the materials won't be simple. The pace of construction determines the game's duration, so planning ahead is crucial.

Control the crowns to rule Europe in this exciting medieval conquest game. Players assume the role of a medieval king, building castles, taxing subjects, expanding territories, and engaging in battles. With four separate armies and seven unique starting kingdoms, each with distinct strengths and abilities, strategy and diplomacy play crucial roles as players vie for control of seven crowns to win the game.

In the distant future, humanity has long been extinct, replaced by new races from across the galaxy. The Galactic Elder Council maintains peace and balance among these ambitious races, each secretly striving to discover advanced technologies for dominance. A massive, damaged spaceship named "Andromeda" suddenly appears, believed to be the remains of an ancient race with incredible technology, prompting a diverse exploration team to uncover its secrets while navigating their individual agendas.

Imagine a world where technological advancements have led to powerful diesel-driven machines of the early 20th century. In 1948, the world as we know it has ceased to exist, and players gather resources, expand their bases, and weaken opponents through attacks and raids. The goal is to plunder the contested Ark for Paragon and be the first to reach a set amount to win the game.

Railroad Revolution is a strategic board game that immerses players in the competitive and industrious period of the 19th-century American railroad expansion. This game combines elements of worker placement, network building, and strategic planning, offering a rich, thematic experience that mirrors the ambitious endeavors of historical railroad tycoons.

Doom: The Boardgame transports players into the iconic universe of the DOOM computer game, set within the Union Aerospace Corporation’s Mars base that has been invaded by demonic forces. In this intense and action-packed game, up to three players take on the roles of heavily armed marines, while one player controls the horde of demonic invaders. The game is designed for 2 to 4 players, aged 12 and up, and offers an immersive experience lasting 1 to 2 hours.