The Best "Boardgames Australia Awards🇦🇺" Winners and Nominees 2026

Codenames is a captivating and popular party game that involves clever wordplay and deduction. Two teams compete, each led by a spymaster who knows the secret identities of 25 agents, represented by cards bearing single-word codenames like "disease," "Germany," or even "carrot." The objective is for each team to be the first to correctly identify all their agents based on clues given by their spymaster, while avoiding the dangerous assassin.

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.

Azul is a tile-laying game inspired by Portuguese azulejos: as artisans, players draft colored tiles from suppliers and place them in patterns to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora, scoring points for clever arrangements.

Rhino Hero: Super Battle is a captivating 3D stacking game that sees the return of Rhino Hero, this time joined by fellow super-heroes Giraffe Boy, Big E., and Batguin. Players engage in an exciting challenge of building a wobbly skyscraper while navigating fierce battles among these charismatic characters. The game adds an extra layer of fun with the presence of mischievous spider monkeys that players must contend with during their skyscraper construction and superhero battles.

Sushi Go! is a dynamic, fast-paced card game set in a sushi restaurant. Players aim to grab the best sushi combinations as they come around. It's all about strategy, from picking the perfect sushi rolls to collecting sashimi sets. Boost your scores with wasabi-flavored nigiri, and don't forget to load up on pudding by the end!

Rhino Hero is a dexterity-based card game that combines elements of building and strategy. Players take turns constructing a skyscraper with walls and roof cards, while moving a heroic rhino figurine up the building.

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.

ICECOOL is an energetic and playful flicking game set in a penguin school, where players assume the roles of rascally penguins trying to snatch fish and the vigilant Hall Monitor trying to maintain order.

Bärenpark is a charming and strategic board game that invites players to delve into the world of bear parks. Your task is to construct a visually appealing and efficiently designed bear park.

BANG! The Dice Game transports players to the U.S. wild west, where the classic confrontation between the law and outlaws unfolds with an added threat of Indian attacks. This dice game adaptation retains the essence of the original Bang! card game while introducing new dynamics and challenges.

Century: Spice Road is the first game in a series that delves into the rich and vibrant history of spice trading. Set against the backdrop of the legendary Silk Road, players take on the roles of caravan leaders, journeying across continents to trade spices and achieve fame and glory. This game combines elements of strategy and resource management, making it an engaging experience for players who enjoy economic and trading games.

Downforce is a fast-paced and exhilarating board game that captures the intense world of motor racing. Combining elements of card-driven gameplay, bidding, and betting, it offers a thrilling race experience for 2-6 players.

In 7 Wonders, you step into the role of a leader of one of the seven great cities of the Ancient World. Your objective is to gather resources, establish commercial routes, and assert your military might. The game is not just about managing resources but also about building an architectural wonder that will stand the test of time.

The Magic Labyrinth is an enchanting board game that tests players’ memory and skill as they navigate through a tricky maze. Designed for younger players, this game casts participants as little magician apprentices who must recover lost magical objects from within their master’s labyrinth. The catch? The walls of the maze are invisible, and players must rely on their memory and careful maneuvering to avoid them.

Sheriff of Nottingham is an engaging board game of bluffing, bribery, and negotiation set in the medieval town of Nottingham.

Players cooperate in a version of the game designed for children who cannot yet read. They take turns trying to have others guess an animal by using symbols on the game board to indicate characteristics of that animal. With 110 animals to guess, divided into two difficulty levels, this beautifully illustrated communication game helps children discover the world of animals in a fun and innovative way.

Players need the power of memory and a bit of pirate luck to escape Captain Goldfish's island before the lava engulfs them in the game. They reveal locations connected to the last shown spot, but making a wrong connection eliminates them from the round. The last remaining pirate claims a valuable treasure, with each round building on previously gathered information for a chance at victory. Advanced players can utilize special actions triggered by connected locations for an even more exciting experience.

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.

Players guide their mice from the starting point to various goals, with farther goals offering more cheese as points. A cat chases the mice, removing them from the game if caught. Movement is determined by a die, with the added twist that rolls of "1" also move the cat, creating a risk-reward balance as players try to outpace the feline and gather cheese.

My First Carcassonne, also known as Carcassonne Junior, introduces the iconic tile-laying gameplay of the classic Carcassonne to a younger audience. This game captures the essence of the original while simplifying the mechanics to make it accessible for children, making it a wonderful entry point into the world of board games.

Gizmos is a dynamic and inventive board game that challenges players to build the most efficient and powerful machines at a competitive Science Fair. The game is a blend of strategy and resource management, where players vie to earn the most victory points through clever machine construction.

Players take a standing stick and place it on the nest. If both ends of the stick are the same color, they can choose to place an egg on it. If not, they continue picking sticks whose top color matches the lid color of the previous stick, up to three sticks. There are penalties for sticks touching the ground or eggs falling from the nest. The first player to place all their eggs can place the cuckoo on the nest and win the game.

Takenoko is a charming board game set in the Japanese Imperial court, revolving around the care of a giant panda gifted by the Chinese Emperor. Players, as court members, are tasked with managing a bamboo garden for the panda.

During an expedition, the dragon children Mira, Feo, Luna, and Diego discover a sparkling treasure: a pillar of ice filled with glittering stones. Unable to carry it back to their cave, they decide to melt it with the help of their father, who breathes fire to melt the ice, allowing them to collect the precious stones. Players aim to gather the most sparkling stones for their cave by selecting tiles, lifting ice rings, and collecting the fallen gems.

Pandemic is a highly acclaimed cooperative board game where players take on the roles of disease-fighting specialists. Their mission is to contain and cure four deadly diseases that have broken out across the globe. The game is set on a board depicting major world population centers and requires players to strategize and work together to manage the outbreaks and develop cures before the diseases spiral out of control.

Cacao is a tile-placement game set in the vibrant and lush world of cacao cultivation. Players take on the roles of tribe chiefs, leading their people to prosperity by strategically harvesting and trading cacao.

Stockpile is an engaging economic board game that simulates the thrills and strategies of the stock market. Combining classic principles of buying low and selling high with unique game mechanics, it offers a fast-paced and interactive experience where players aim to outsmart the market and each other to amass wealth.

The abstract game of Qwirkle unfolds with 108 wooden blocks, each featuring six different shapes in six distinct colors. Unlike traditional board games, there is no designated board; players utilize any available flat surface.

Dive into the deep blue sea, where players find fish to eat, treasures to discover, and divers to rescue! In the line-drawing game, players study challenging quest cards and then attempt to replicate the depicted paths on their separate transparent doodle sheets. After completing their drawings, they overlay them on the quest card to check for matches, with bonus points available for visiting starfish.

Players collect train cards and claim routes on a map, aiming to connect the cities shown on their tickets. The game board features a map of the United States with cities connected by colorful paths. Players start with four colored train cards and two tickets, and they must connect the specified cities using their trains to complete the tickets and score points. The first player to complete six tickets wins, or the game ends when all train pieces are used, with the highest score determining the winner.