The best games from Mac Gerdts 🇩🇪👨 2026
Looking for a really good game from game designer Mac Gerdts 👨? Then we have just the thing: the list with the best Mac Gerdts games 2026.
Who is Mac Gerdts anyway?
Mac Gerdts has been designing dice, card & board games since 2005. The game designer is from Hamburg, Germany🇩🇪, was born in 1962 and currently lives in Hamburg, Germany 🇩🇪. His real name is Walther M. Gerdts - "Walther Gerdts" for short.
Mac is married and has one son. He works in the city administration of Hamburg as a consultant for trade fairs and congresses.
Gerdts' first game "Antike" he developed in 2005 at the age of 43 - so he has been designing games for over 21 years of games. Famous Gerdts games include Concordia, Imperial & Navegador.
Inventor of Gerdts' action rondel.
Some of his games introduced the concept of a rondel instead of dice as a mechanism. This is to prevent players from repeatedly performing the same action in rapid succession without paying a "price" for it.
We have created a separate list for you: The best games with the Gerdts action rondel.
How good are "Mac Gerdts" games?
There are 7 games by Mac Gerdts in our Top1000 games list, making Gerdts the #25 best game designer out of a total of 708 designers in our database.
More information about Gerdts
More information about Gerdts can be found on:
- Gerdts's BGG profile
- Mac Gerdts's Facebook page
- english Wikipedia entry for Mac Gerdts
- german Wikipedia entry for Gerdts
List of best games by Mac Gerdts 2026
In this list we have listed the best board games that Mac Gerdts either designed himself - or was involved in designing.
Unfortunately, not all of Mac Gerdts's games are currently available. In the following list you can find all dice, board & card games by Mac Gerdts that you can buy 2026:
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Concordia
+1BGG Top 100
Deck-Building
Route Building
Economy & Trade
Ancient World
Strategy Game
+28 more
- Deutscher Spielepreis 2014🇩🇪
- Spiel des Jahres 2014🇩🇪
- SPIEL'12🎡
- SPIEL'13🎡
- Route Building
- Movement Points
- Rome
- last long⏰
- Deck Builder
- Economics📈
- Cranio Creations🇮🇹
- Mac Gerdts🇩🇪👨
- PD-Verlag🇩🇪🏢
- 2013📆
- Ancient🏛
- Advantage Token
- Route Building
- Investment
- Recovering Actions
- Movement Points
- Point to Point Movement
- Jocul Anului în România🇷🇴
- Jogo do Ano🇵🇹
- Jogoeu User's Game (J.U.G.)🇵🇹
- Kennerspiel des Jahres Award🇩🇪
- MinD-Spielepreis🇩🇪
- Nautical🚢
- BGG Top100🥇
Concordia is a peaceful yet strategic board game set in Roman times, focusing on economic development and expansion. It is designed for 2-5 players aged 13 and up.
Nominated for 7 awards and won 2.
⭐️ Nominated for Kennerspiel des Jahres 2014
More details for Concordia- 👥 2 - 5 Players
- ⏱️ 100 Minutes
- 🧒 13+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
Video reviews for Concordia
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Antike II
Civilization
Area Control
Ancient World
Combat
Strategy Game
Large Groups
More details for Antike IIA challenging strategy game revolves around evolution and competition between ancient civilizations. Cultures establish cities, build temples, navigate the seas, and discover new scientific and technological principles. Players vie to acquire influential figures to lead their nation to victory while defending against enemies who seek to conquer their cities and destroy their temples. This game emphasizes strategy and diplomacy rather than luck, offering a variety of scenarios and gameplay options.
- 👥 3 - 6 Players
- ⏱️ 90 - 120 Minutes
- 🧒 13+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
Imperial
Game of the Year (nominated)
Area Control
Economy & Trade
Heavyweight
Nautical
Negotiation
Imperial is a strategy board game that plunges players into the heart of European imperialism. Unlike traditional war or area control games, players in Imperial take on the roles of international investors vying for influence over six major imperial nations. The game stands out for its unique approach to strategy, eschewing the randomness of dice and cards, and instead focusing on the players' abilities to manipulate and control the political landscape of Europe.
Nominated for 7 awards.
🔥 Deal: 21% cheaper on Amazon than at other retailers — at a recent low!
More details for Imperial- 👥 2 - 6 Players
- ⏱️ 120 - 180 Minutes
- 🧒 13+ years old
- 🧩 Hard to learn
-
Crossing Oceans
Economy & Trade
Nautical
More details for Crossing OceansCrossing Oceans brings the golden age of ocean liners to life with fifty historical ships. Players build a thriving trading fleet, acquire modern steamships, and take control of valuable ports. The game features a unique rondel system for actions, offering strategic opportunities to expand trade networks and compete for dominance on major shipping routes.
- 👥 2 - 4 Players
- ⏱️ 60 - 90 Minutes
- 🧒 14+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
Antike
Golden Geek (nominated)
Civilization
Area Control
Ancient World
Combat
Strategy Game
Antike is a compelling strategy game set in the ancient world, where players lead civilizations to glory through expansion, development, and competition. The game offers a rich historical backdrop, featuring ancient nations like the Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and others. Players focus on building cities, temples, and fleets, while also advancing in science and technology. Military might is crucial, as legions and galleys are needed to defend against enemies and establish new settlements. The board is two-sided, offering different scenarios for gameplay. Victory is achieved not through chance but by acquiring a set number of ancient personalities like kings, scholars, and generals, emphasizing strategic planning and diplomacy.
Nominated for 4 awards.
More details for Antike- 👥 2 - 6 Players
- ⏱️ 120 Minutes
- 🧒 12+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
Antike Duellum
Golden Geek (nominated)
2-Player
Civilization
Area Control
Ancient World
Strategy Game
Antike Duellum is a two-player strategy game that features modified rules from Mac Gerdts' Antike. It includes two scenarios: the Punic Wars (Rome vs. Carthage) and the Persian Wars (Greeks vs. Persians). Players aim to be the first to acquire nine ancient personalities such as kings and generals.
Nominated for 2 awards.
More details for Antike Duellum- 👥 2 Players
- ⏱️ 75 Minutes
- 🧒 13+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
7 Empires
Military
Area Control
Economy & Trade
Negotiation
Strategy Game
Large Groups
- 👥 2 - 6 Players
- ⏱️ 90 - 150 Minutes
- 🧒 13+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
Hamburgum
Golden Geek (nominated)
Economy & Trade
Strategy Game
City Building
Set Collection
Hamburgum transports players back to 17th century Hamburg, immersing them in the strategic depths of trade and city development during a prosperous yet tumultuous period. As heads of Hamburg families, players navigate a richly thematic and strategic environment, aiming to amass wealth and, more importantly, prestige through diligent production, trade, and church donations.
Nominated for 4 awards.
More details for Hamburgum- 👥 2 - 5 Players
- ⏱️ 75 Minutes
- 🧒 12+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
Transatlantic
Deck-Building
Economy & Trade
Nautical
Strategy Game
Modular Board
+2 more
From the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 to the start of World War I in 1914, steamships underwent remarkable advancements in size, speed, and modernity. Players manage their own shipping companies, transporting cargo, mail, and passengers worldwide, while competing for dominance in the transatlantic trade with various historical steamships. The game relies on card mechanics, where players execute actions to efficiently manage their fleets, and features interactive choices and strategic decisions with minimal luck.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Transatlantic- 👥 2 - 4 Players
- ⏱️ 60 - 120 Minutes
- 🧒 12+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
-
The Princes of Machu Picchu
Civilization
Area Control
Worker Placement
Economy & Trade
Strategy Game
Set Collection
+2 more
When the Spaniards conquered the Inca Empire, only a few princes managed to escape into the mountains. Hidden high above the Urabamba River lies a place that the Spaniards would never discover: the lost city of Machu Picchu. However, caution is needed, as there may be a traitor among the princes ready to reveal the city's location.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for The Princes of Machu Picchu- 👥 2 - 5 Players
- ⏱️ 90 Minutes
- 🧒 12+ years old
- 🧩 Medium difficulty
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