The best games from Markus Brand 🇩🇪👨 2026

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.

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.

Team 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.

La Boca, the famous neighborhood of Buenos Aires, is known for its quirky skyline made from recycled fishing boats and colorful metal. Players form teams to creatively build skylines based on challenge cards while coordinating closely, as each team can only see their own view of the structure. The goal is to complete the colored blocks before time runs out, earning points, and the team with the most points after several rounds will shine as champions.

Word Slam Midnight offers the same gameplay as the original but in a compact format. It includes 210 story word cards and 100 answer cards, featuring a total of 600 answers across four difficulty levels.

Players 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.

The princess has once again been captured by an evil wizard, and it's time to rescue her from the enchanted tower. One player takes on the role of the wizard, who hides a key under one of 16 spaces on the board. The other players, as Robin, must find the key before the wizard does. Once found, they can attempt to unlock one of the towers; if they choose correctly, they win the game.

The game combines two unique elements: dice and sausages, using animals as the connecting theme. Players roll four white dice featuring animals and four black dice showing numbers and sausages. The goal is to collect as many animals of one type as possible while ensuring high numbers on the black dice, as points are calculated based on the lowest number rolled.

Santa 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.

Players 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.

Word Slam Family features the same gameplay as the original version in a compact format. It includes 100 word cards and 100 answer cards divided into seven categories, providing a total of 600 response terms. Two teams compete simultaneously, with players using only the explanation cards to help their teammates guess a hidden word or phrase without speaking or acting. An app replaces the dice and timer, and the game's two halves act as screens for answering cards. Word Slam Family can be played as an expansion or as a standalone game.

Hollywood 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.

The children's version of the dice game "Encore" brings excitement to the zoo. Players mark off animal enclosures based on the colors of the dice. By quickly filling columns, they collect valuable points, and everyone plays simultaneously, ensuring no one has to wait long. Those who use the dice wisely and with a bit of luck are sure to win.

Exit: The Game – The Sunken Treasure immerses players in the captivating world of puzzle-solving and adventure, akin to the thrilling experience of an escape room. This installment, part of the acclaimed Exit series, introduces players to the mysteries of a sunken treasure, offering a gateway to the series with a beginner-level difficulty.

Players take on the role of a warrior, magician, dwarf, or ranger to journey through the land and rescue lost wolf cubs. Winning requires teamwork and wise decision-making. Each game presents new challenges to overcome together before the dragon reaches Rietburg.

Noch mal so gut! is a dice game that adds new rules and options to its popular predecessor. Players can choose a seventh die, which offers unique elements like a bomb that crosses four spaces, a heart that provides bonuses for completed columns, and two stars that allow for crossing two spaces. Additionally, both rows and columns are scored, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Players engage in a puzzle game inspired by escape rooms. Starting from the third season, the EXIT series is divided into difficulty levels, with "The House of Riddles" categorized as beginner level.

Players can work alone or in teams during each round. The game presents a variety of puzzles on 36 oversized image cards, which are combined in new ways. Solve the riddles to unlock treasure chests.

Players use dice with eight symbols to develop their province, collect goods, and sell them in the market. They can also win influential personalities in the palace and sail up and down the Ganges. The game concludes when a player’s fame and money markers cross on the two opposing tracks, winning the race for wealth and glory.

Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin plunges players into an immersive escape room experience in the form of a board game. Trapped in a cabin with barred windows and a locked door, players must rely on their collective wits to find a way out.

Rajas of the Ganges is a strategy board game set in 16th century India, during the rise of the Great Mogul Empire. Players take on the roles of influential nobles, striving to transform their estates into prosperous provinces.

Cookie monsters are everywhere, and they are very hungry! They have stolen ten cookie jars from your neighborhood and taken them to their monster land. Brave the chase to retrieve the jars, solving tricky puzzles along the way. This game can be played multiple times.

Feel like taking a ride on the haunted roller coaster at the fair? What if that ride suddenly stops and you find yourself trapped? Work together with your fellow passengers to escape this eerie place as quickly as possible. This version of Exit is particularly suitable for newcomers to escape room puzzles. Like other titles in the series, it includes components that can be folded, written on, or torn, making it a one-time play experience.

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a captivating addition to the popular "Exit: The Game" series, which simulates the escape room experience in a board game format. This particular edition draws inspiration from the classic mystery setting of the Orient Express, offering players a challenging and immersive puzzle-solving adventure.

EXIT: The Game – The Mysterious Museum is a puzzle game inspired by escape rooms. Starting with the third season, the Exit series is divided into difficulty levels, and The Mysterious Museum is categorized as beginner level.

Monsters have escaped again, but that's not entirely bad; they bring fun to the villa! Meanwhile, Grandma Frieda is outside, terrified of the monsters. Players must catch them and hide them from her before she sees them.

Players embark on a relaxing walk through a forest that turns chaotic upon encountering strange fairy tale creatures and even stranger puzzles. The game features components that can be folded, written on, or torn, making it a unique one-time experience. Will you ever find your way out?