The Best Board Game Advent Calendars 🎄 2026
Looking for an advent calendar 🎄 from the board game world? We've compared several board-game advent calendars and listed the best 34. Here you'll find the puzzle advent calendars of the 2026 season alongside the earlier editions that are still available – each with its current price.
Board-game advent calendars mainly come from the exit / escape-room genre — which makes sense, since playing one is by nature a "one-shot" experience, much like eating a chocolate advent calendar is a "one-time" treat 🍫🍴.
These calendars are seasonal goods: most series get a new edition every year, but older editions stay fully playable – the puzzles don't age. Order in November for the widest choice; shortly before December 1st the popular calendars tend to sell out.
New for Advent 2026
Three new releases are so fresh that they don't have an entry in our database yet – so they are listed here instead of in the list below:
- EXIT – The Game: Advent Calendar 2026 – The Hidden Level (Kosmos, ages 10+): the new EXIT edition, this time with a video-game theme – 24 puzzles, one continuous story, no smartphone needed. German edition.
- Ravensburger Mystery Advent Calendar 2026 – The Little Tea Shop (ages 10+): Ravensburger's escape series, which replaced the publisher's earlier EXIT advent calendars, enters its third year. German edition.
- Escape Experience Advent Calendar – The Magic Puzzle Cube: Sherlock Holmes and the Mysterious Gift (frechverlag): instead of doors there is a cube to turn and recombine – the puzzles are in its faces. German edition.
Which puzzle advent calendar is right for you?
- For EXIT fans: the calendars of the EXIT series by Kosmos, such as The Magic of Christmas or The Intergalactic Race, tell one continuous story with one puzzle per day.
- For crime fans: Hidden Games delivers a complete crime-scene case in 24 episodes; Crime Files relies on case files with realistic evidence, and the Clue advent calendar turns the classic whodunit into a 24-day puzzle story.
- For puzzle beginners and families: the Ravensburger Mystery calendars are a little more accessible than EXIT and work well for families from age 10.
- With a 3D set: the Sherlock Holmes calendars by 24 Days Escape gradually build up into a walk-in cardboard scene – the last edition came out in 2024, but the older ones are still available.
- For families with kids: the EXIT Kids calendar brings the puzzle principle into the living room for primary-school age.
List of the best board-game advent calendars 2026
Does this fit your game night? Who is there, how much time, what mood – Game-Night sorts this list for you.
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EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Intergalactic Race
All details & ratingTeam Santa needs help! An exciting race through the depths of space is about to begin, filled with tricky puzzles. Work hard to find the solutions and win the race. Players aged 10 and up will experience an action-packed story with 24 puzzles, where each day's continuation depends on the solution to the previous riddle.
1–99 20–45 min 10+ Immediately playable+ 1 € above the best price27 € at Amazon* -
EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar 2025: The Magic of Christmas
All details & ratingThe 2025 EXIT advent calendar from Kosmos tells one continuous puzzle story behind 24 doors: a quiet winter hike through the forest ends with a loud bang – and when you wake up, the forest is enchanted, covered in snow and red baubles, and your hands have turned green and furry. Solving the daily puzzles reveals what happened and how to break the spell.
1–5 10+ Immediately playable -
Exit: The Game – Advent Calendar 2020: The Mystery of the Ice Cave
All details & ratingPlayers experience an adventure while solving 24 original puzzles in a format resembling an advent calendar. The puzzles are set at a beginner difficulty level, leading them through the entire story and uncovering the mystery of the ice cave.
1–99 45–90 min 10+ Easy to learn+ 12 € above the best price33 € at Amazon* -
EXIT: The Game - Advent Calendar 2021: The Hunt for the Golden Book
All details & ratingSanta needs urgent help! His golden book containing all his wishes and addresses has been stolen, jeopardizing his ability to deliver gifts on time. This Advent calendar offers a 24-part adventure story as players pursue the cunning thief to a remote mountain village, where strange occurrences unfold and items mysteriously vanish and reappear. There are only a few days left to solve the puzzles hidden behind each door.
1–99 45–90 min 10+ Easy to learn -
Exit: The Game – Advent Calendar 2022: The Silent Storm
All details & ratingPlayers embark on a 24-part adventure to unravel the mystery of the Silent Storm. Each day, they open a door to discover a new puzzle that helps them progress. By following the clues and solving all 24 challenges, they will uncover the thief and the book, ultimately saving Christmas.
1–4 45–800 min 10+ Easy to learn -
EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Missing Hollywood Star
All details & ratingHollywood is calling! By chance, you find yourself in one of the largest film studios of the dream factory, where the set for a new Christmas blockbuster should be buzzing with activity. Instead, it’s dark and deserted, raising questions about the missing film crew and star.
1–99 45–800 min 10+ Easy to learn -
Clue: Advent Calendar – Secrets Under Snowfall
All details & ratingThe Clue advent calendar turns the classic whodunit into a 24-day puzzle story: six guests arrive at Tudor Mansion in the dead of winter, host Boddy Black threatens to expose their secrets – and by the end of the night he is dead. Each day a fresh puzzle reveals another piece of the story, and the collected clues finally tell you who killed Black, where, and with what.
1–6 120–240 min 10+ Immediately playable -
Escape Advent Calendar: The Sunken Submarine
All details & ratingThe mission begins with the diary of Captain Pitt Schmitt, detailing the tragic sinking of his research submarine VEGA in a storm. Players can dive only once a day to explore a new underwater area, working to recover valuable notes from marine biologists within 24 days. Daily puzzles must be solved using clever thinking, imagination, and creativity, with hints provided if needed. Each of the 24 virtual rooms, one for each day of Advent, presents a thrilling riddle that brings players closer to uncovering the mystery of the sunken submarine.
1 10+ Immediately playable -
Exit Adventskalender pro: Das verrückte Zeitreise-Museum 2021
All details & ratingA valuable time machine has been stolen from a historical museum, leading to exhibits mysteriously disappearing and reappearing in different rooms. Players must solve a challenging puzzle each day to uncover the mystery, as the countdown to the grand Christmas gala in 24 days begins. Assistance is available through clues provided on the packaging for those who get stuck.
1–99 14+ Easy to learn -
BarRoom Brawl: The Festive Advent Calendar 2023 Game!
All details & ratingBehind each of the 24 doors is a daily surprise with everything needed for the festive game "Bar Room Brawl." Bring food and drinks to your friends without spilling anything, while avoiding the bouncer and not pushing other guests! The first "party" to fill their table wins the game and becomes the Pub Champion!
2–4 30–45 min 12+ -
EXIT Adventskalender: Der verborgene Mayatempel
All details & ratingEach of the 24 compartments in the EXIT Advent Calendar challenges players with tricky puzzles. To find the correct door for the next day, players must solve the riddle in the room using clues that lead to a total of 47 varied puzzle cards. Only one room can be entered each day, and the goal is to uncover the hidden Maya temple's heart within 24 days, while creativity and teamwork are essential for success.
1–99 10+ Easy to learn -
EXIT Adventskalender: Das geheimnisvolle Schloss
All details & ratingThe clever elf Remigius has taken control of the family castle, once home to Great-Aunt Mathilda. To reclaim it, you must catch Remigius by Christmas, solving a puzzle in a different room each day. Each successful solution reveals where to search for the elf the next day. Use your cleverness, imagination, and creativity to solve the challenges and restore the castle within 24 days. The experience combines the thrill of an escape room with a unique advent calendar twist.
1 10+At its lowest price in a month49 € at Amazon* -
Crime Files Adventskalender – Fallakte: Selbstfindung mit Todesfolge
All details & ratingAn internationally recognized author disappears while traveling in Europe. Players must uncover the mystery behind his disappearance within 24 days, with new clues revealed each day. The box includes 24 envelopes containing mysterious items and new evidence, bringing players closer to solving the case.
1–4 14+ Easy to learn -
Escape Experience Adventskalender 2023: Atlantis
All details & ratingExplore the records of a famous researcher who disappeared 30 years ago while searching for Atlantis. Embark on a perilous journey to follow her footsteps and discover the legendary city. Open a door and solve a puzzle each day, and the solution will guide you to the next door. Complete all 24 puzzles to save Atlantis from impending doom, with digital hints available if you get stuck.
1–4 10+36 % cheaper than at other retailers14 € at Amazon* -
EXIT Adventskalender: Die verlassene Fabrik
All details & ratingThis Advent season is as exciting as an escape room. In each of the 24 compartments of the Exit Advent Calendar, players face a tricky puzzle that must be solved to find the correct door for the next day. As they explore an abandoned toy factory, they uncover clues hidden in beautifully illustrated compartments and on a total of 55 puzzle cards, leading them to the next symbol and room in their quest for a mysterious safe.
1–99 60 min 10+ Medium complexity+ 7 € above the best price27 € at Amazon* -
Crime Files Adventskalender 2025 – Fallakte: Winter-Einbruch
All details & ratingThe 2025 Crime Files advent calendar is a detective game served in 24 daily portions: a small town is hit by a series of strange burglaries in which only worthless items go missing. Over 24 days the investigators follow the burglar's trail, listen to witness statements and analyse documents to uncover what is really behind the mysterious crimes.
1–4 180–240 min 14+ -
Escape Adventures Adventskalender 2020: Der mystische Express
All details & ratingExperience an Advent calendar filled with puzzles that need solving to save Christmas. Every day leading up to Christmas offers a new challenge, with intriguing items and digital extras included. Online resources provide additional information and a Time Tracker to see how your progress stacks up against other players.
1–4 10++ 7 € above the best price19 € at Amazon* -
Escape Adventures Adventskalender 2021: Die verwunschenen Eisruinen
All details & ratingExperience the most exciting Advent season ever! Join adventurer Edda on the greatest journey of his life as he and his loyal companions, Spike and Luna, try to find their way out of an underground ice ruin within 24 days. Manage your supplies wisely, open doors, and deactivate icy traps while encountering mystical creatures and solving daily puzzles from a long-forgotten culture.
1–4 10++ 5 € above the best price15 € at Amazon* -
Escape Experience Adventskalender: Kleopatra
All details & ratingDiscover records of a treasure left by Cleopatra, the legendary queen of Egypt, in a museum. Embark on a perilous journey to find her final resting place and unimaginable riches. Open a door and solve a puzzle each day, with solutions guiding you to the next challenge. Complete all 24 puzzles to save Atlantis from impending doom, and find digital hints on the publisher's website if needed.
1–4 10+ -
Escape Adventures Adventskalender 2019: Die geheimnisvolle Burg
All details & ratingIt’s cold, and the winter has arrived. You find yourself in a frosty world filled with knights, alchemists, and long-forgotten creatures. Begin your adventure on December 1st by discovering which door to open next. Solve puzzles and combine enigmatic items like Rubik's cubes or jigsaw pieces to reach the end. Will you find the exit and escape the room by Christmas?
1–4 10++ 8 € above the best price19 € at Amazon* -
Ravensburger Mystery Adventskalender 2025: Der indische Palast
All details & ratingThe 2025 Ravensburger Mystery advent calendar leads you through an Indian palace for 24 days: behind every door waits a tricky puzzle, and only its solution reveals which door is next. Cards, objects and clues from the compartments have to be combined to work your way room by room deeper into the palace's secret.
1–4 10–15 min 8+ -
Ravensburger Mystery Adventskalender 2024: Der magische Wald
All details & ratingThe 2024 Ravensburger Mystery advent calendar sends puzzle fans into the magical forest of Kpheon: a glowing portal pulls you into a strange world, and a talking tree fennec helps you search for the way back. 24 puzzles, one per day, lead step by step through the enchanted forest – each solution reveals which door to open next.
1–4 10–15 min 8+ -
Crime Files Adventskalender 2024 – Fallakte: Das dunkle Geheimnis der Influencerin
All details & ratingThe 2024 Crime Files advent calendar combines a case file with social media: shortly before Advent an influencer with a large following disappears – and her posts may hold the key to the case. Every day the investigators open an envelope of evidence and at the same time see a new post from the missing woman online; in the end all the clues have to fit together before time runs out.
1–4 180–240 min 14+ -
Escape Experience Adventskalender 2022: Die einsame Berghütte
All details & ratingSolve a new riddle each day to uncover the mystery of the hidden gift factory. Discover the secrets of the lonely mountain cabin and the eerie creature within, while assisting your new friends. Combine 24 exciting puzzles with mystical objects like a Rubik's Cube and glowing hints, using digital extras for clues and solutions. Successfully completing all the puzzles ensures that the gifts are ready in time for the holidays.
1–4 120 min 10+ -
EXIT Adventskalender Kids 2021: Dschungel-Abenteuer
All details & ratingTo find the right door for the next day, players must solve the day's puzzle depicted on each of the illustrated cards. Children aged 6 and older can dive into a world full of riddles and secrets through this exciting Advent calendar, featuring 24 entertaining tasks that lead to unforgettable jungle adventures. The mission involves accompanying the famous naturalist Professor Humbelhopf, who is searching for a special monkey species while facing various animal encounters and challenges.
1–99 6+
Frequently asked questions
Which game ranks first on this list?
EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Intergalactic Race 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 6 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.
Didn't find the game you were looking for?
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