The best "As d'Or - Jeu de l'Annรฉe Expert"๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท winners & nominees. (Expert Game) 2026

The As d'Or โ€“ Jeu de l'Annรฉe ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท is a French game award that has existed every year since 1988. Since 2009, it also awards an extra prize for the best expert game of the year. It is meanwhile awarded in Cannes at the "Festival International des Jeux" to a board game published within the last 18 months. As d'Or means "golden ace" (in the sense of the playing card "As"), Jeu de l'annรฉe in German "Spiel des Jahres" and "Expert" means "expert" โ€“ so the award is more or less French equivalent to the German Kennerspiel des Jahres โ€“ but goes even more into really board game experts... so this list may well contain real board game hunks.

All "As d'Or โ€“ Jeu de l'Annรฉe" years listed individually

The "French Game of the Year" has been awarded since 1988. Originally there were two different awards ("As d'Or" and "Jeu de l'Annรฉe") โ€“ but in 2005 they merged into one award. We have created separate lists for you for all years, all award types (family, expert, children's game) as well as all nominees:

More game awards from all over the world

At the bottom of this page we have listed for you the best game awards spread across the globe: Game Awards from around the world.

List of the best winners & nominees of the As d'Or โ€“ Jeu de l'Annรฉe Expert ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท 2026

In this list you will find the best kids games that won or were nominated for the "As d'Or โ€“ Jeu de l'annรฉe โ€“ Expert".

This list was last updated on June 21, 2026. There's also a print version for this list .
  1. 7 Wonders Duel

    7 Wonders Duel

    7 Wonders Duel takes the essence of the classic 7 Wonders and refines it for an intense two-player experience. It retains the thematic elements of building a civilization through acquiring various types of cards, but it introduces unique mechanics suited for a duel.

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    2 30 min 10+ Easy to learn
    + 2 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    23 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
    Video reviews 1
  2. The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

    The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

    The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is a cooperative trick-taking game that takes players on an adventurous space journey, filled with challenges and strategic gameplay.

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    2โ€“5 20 min 10+ Easy to learn
    + 2 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    11 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  3. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 1

    Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 offers an extraordinary gaming experience as a cooperative campaign game, immersing players in an overarching story-arc that unfolds over 12-24 gripping sessions. The duration depends on your group's performance and the fate of the world. Here's an overview of this thrilling journey:

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    2โ€“4 60 min 13+ Medium complexity
  4. Dune: Imperium

    Dune: Imperium

    Dune: Imperium is a strategic deck-building game inspired by the iconic Dune universe, incorporating elements from both the recent film adaptation and the classic novels. Players lead one of the Great Houses in the interstellar political landscape of the Landsraad.

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    1โ€“4 60โ€“120 min 14+ Medium complexity
    1 โ‚ฌ below the next retailer
    37 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  5. It's a Wonderful World

    It's a Wonderful World

    It's a Wonderful World is a strategic card drafting and engine-building game, where players take on the role of leaders of expanding empires. The game is designed for 1 to 5 players and offers a compelling blend of careful planning and resource management.

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    1โ€“5 45 min 14+ Easy to learn
    + 3 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    39 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  6. The King's Dilemma

    The King's Dilemma

    The King's Dilemma presents a captivating blend of narrative storytelling and strategy, set in the fictional Kingdom of Ankist. As players, you step into the roles of leaders of various noble houses, each with your own agendas and influence, making critical decisions that shape the fate of the kingdom.

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    3โ€“5 45โ€“60 min 14+ Easy to learn
  7. Terraforming Mars

    Terraforming Mars

    Terraforming Mars is a strategic board game set in the 2400s, where players, representing giant corporations, embark on the colossal task of terraforming Mars. Sponsored by the World Government on Earth, each corporation competes to contribute most effectively to raising the planet's temperature, oxygen level, and ocean coverage to make Mars habitable. While players work together in the terraforming process, they also compete for victory points awarded for their contributions to terraforming, advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system, and other notable achievements.

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    1โ€“5 120 min 12+ Medium complexity
    Video reviews 1
  8. Paleo

    Paleo

    Paleo is a cooperative adventure game set in the Stone Age, where players work together to ensure the survival of their human characters while completing various missions. The ultimate goal? To paint a woolly mammoth on a wall, leaving a mark of your existence (or just because it looks cool).

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    2โ€“4 45โ€“60 min 10+ Medium complexity
    + 4 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    37 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  9. The White Castle

    The White Castle

    The heron flies over the skies of Himeji while the Daimyo observes the activities of his servants from the castle's summit. Players control a clan to earn victory points by gaining influence at court, managing resources, and strategically placing their workers. The game features resource management, worker placement, and dice placement mechanics, set against the backdrop of Himeji Castle, where players engage in tending gardens, defending the castle, and climbing the social ladder. With accessible rules and a carefully crafted setting, it offers a blend of simplicity and strategic depth.

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    1โ€“4 80 min 12+ Medium complexity
  10. Ark Nova

    Ark Nova

    Ark Nova is a strategic board game where players take on the role of zoo planners, aiming to build and manage the most successful modern zoo.

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    1โ€“4 90โ€“150 min 14+ For connoisseurs
    + 7 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    47 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  11. Scythe

    Scythe

    In the turbulent 1920s Europa, a period overshadowed by the aftermath of the first great war, a city-state known as "The Factory" stands at the center of attention. This capitalistic powerhouse, renowned for its heavily armored mechs that fueled the war, has mysteriously closed its doors, leaving neighboring nations vying for its secrets.

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    1โ€“5 115 min 14+ Medium complexity
    + 6 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    67 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
    Video reviews 1
  12. T.I.M.E Stories

    T.I.M.E Stories

    T.I.M.E Stories is a unique narrative-driven board game that blends elements of role-playing, exploration, and puzzle-solving. It offers an immersive experience as players take on the role of temporal agents sent on missions to prevent disruptions in the space-time continuum.

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    2โ€“4 90 min 12+ Medium complexity
    Video reviews 1
  13. Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game

    Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game

    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.

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    1โ€“5 120โ€“180 min 16+ Medium complexity
    + 10 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    25 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
    Video reviews 1
  14. Gloomhaven

    Gloomhaven

    Gloomhaven is a Euro-inspired tactical combat game set in a persistent and evolving world. Players assume the roles of adventurers, each with unique skills and motives, as they explore dungeons, ruins, and engage in cooperative battles against automated monsters.

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    1โ€“4 60โ€“120 min 14+ For connoisseurs
    + 37 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    180 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  15. Arkham Horror: The Card Game

    Arkham Horror: The Card Game

    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.

    All details & rating
    1โ€“2 60โ€“120 min 14+ For connoisseurs
    Video reviews 1
  16. Daybreak

    Daybreak

    Players control a world power in a cooperative game focused on climate change. They implement political measures and technologies to mitigate global warming and build resilient societies. If the global temperature rises too high or too many citizens face crises, everyone loses; however, by working together to reduce global emissions to zero, all players can triumph.

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    1โ€“4 60โ€“120 min 10+ Medium complexity
    + 4 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    31 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  17. Great Western Trail

    Great Western Trail

    Great Western Trail is a strategic board game set in 19th-century America, where players take on the roles of ranchers herding cattle from Texas to Kansas City.

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    2โ€“4 75โ€“150 min 12+ For connoisseurs
  18. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

    Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

    Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a deeply immersive and richly themed cooperative board game that combines elements of adventure, exploration, and strategic character development. It is set in a unique world blending Arthurian legends and Celtic mythology.

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    1โ€“4 60โ€“120 min 14+ Medium complexity
  19. KeyForge: Call of the Archons

    KeyForge: Call of the Archons

    KeyForge: Call of the Archons is a groundbreaking card game from the mind of Richard Garfield, offering a unique experience where each deck is one-of-a-kind. In this game, traditional deckbuilding and boosters are replaced by a world of endless discovery and strategic depth.

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    2 15โ€“45 min 14+ Easy to learn
    Video reviews 1
  20. Spirit Island

    Spirit Island

    Welcome to the captivating world of Spirit Island, where the distant echoes of magic still hold sway. In this immersive cooperative board game, players are entrusted with the crucial task of defending their island paradise from the relentless onslaught of colonizing Invaders. The spirits of the land, each possessing unique elemental powers, unite to thwart the advance of those who seek to conquer and despoil. As the colonial empires expand, the islanders and the very earth itself rise in defense. Harness the power of the spirits, strategize with your fellow players, and fight back against the encroaching Invaders to protect the island's mystical heart.

    All details & rating
    1โ€“4 90โ€“120 min 13+ For connoisseurs
    + 5 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    54 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  21. IKI - A Game of Edo Artisans

    IKI - A Game of Edo Artisans

    In IKI: A Game of EDO Artisans, players are transported to the bustling streets of historical Edo (now Tokyo), specifically the renowned Nihonbashi district. This game offers a vivid portrayal of life in Edo, where an estimated one million people, including townspeople and samurai, thrived. The vibrant shopping culture of Nihonbashi, with its array of shops selling kimonos, rice, and other goods, forms the backdrop for this immersive game.

    All details & rating
    2โ€“4 60โ€“90 min 14+ Medium complexity
  22. Kutnรก Hora: The City of Silver

    Kutnรก Hora: The City of Silver

    Join other ambitious guild leaders in promoting and expanding the famous silver city during its rapid growth in the 14th century. This historical city-building Eurogame accommodates 2 to 4 players, where every action influences the dynamic economic systems.

    All details & rating
    2โ€“4 60โ€“120 min 13+ Medium complexity
    + 11 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    45 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  23. Carnegie

    Carnegie

    Carnegie is a board game that delves into the historical and industrial era of the United States, focusing on the life and career of Andrew Carnegie, a prominent figure in the steel industry and a renowned philanthropist. Players engage in strategic management of resources and development to build prestigious companies.

    All details & rating
    1โ€“4 90โ€“120 min 12+ For connoisseurs
    + 4 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    27 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  24. Federation

    Federation

    The universe is divided into many federations that engage in trade, intrigue, and development. One of these federations, still in its early stages with five member planets, seeks to add a new delegation. Players must prove themselves over five years by developing strategies, seizing opportunities, and forming the right alliances, as only one delegation will ultimately be selected based on prestige.

    All details & rating
    2โ€“4 60โ€“120 min 14+ For connoisseurs
    + 9 โ‚ฌ above the best price
    60 โ‚ฌ at Amazon*
  25. La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War

    La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War

    In the 1980s, a ruthless battle for dominance in Sicily took place, later known as the "Great Mafia War." Teams of two players compete to take control of Sicily using six different Mafia families, each with special abilities. The game consists of a planning phase to develop strategies and place fighters and secret missions, followed by a combat phase where players reveal and execute their missions. Success depends on the team's ability to combine and coordinate their skills effectively.

    All details & rating
    4 120โ€“180 min 16+ For connoisseurs
  26. Sankorรฉ: The Pride of Mansa Musa
    1โ€“4 150โ€“180 min 14+ For connoisseurs

Frequently asked questions

Which game ranks first on this list?

7 Wonders Duel (ร€ la carte 2016 card game award Winner) currently tops our list. The ranking is derived from player community ratings and is recalculated continuously.

How many players do the games on this list support?

Most games on this list support 1 to 4 players. The exact player count is listed with each game.

What age are these games suitable for?

Publisher age recommendations on this list start at 10 years. Each game carries its own age rating.

How long does a game take?

A typical game takes about 60 to 120 minutes. Each game's playing time is listed individually.

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