The best games presented at the Spiel 1997 game fair in Essen, Germany 2023

Are you looking for a good new game? We have compared all the games presented at the game fair "Spiel 1997" in Essen and listed the top100.

Game fair in the German city of Essen

The International Game Days "SPIEL", often called the Essen Game Fair or Essen 1997 after the city where it is held, is an annual four-day board game fair that is also open to the public. Many new games are released at the fair each year, especially (but not exclusively) European-style board games.

More info about game fair "Spiel" is available on official game website.

Did we forget a game that was presented at Spiel'97?

If we have forgotten a game that was presented at Spiel 1997.... please write us at tibi+brettspiele@cephea.de. Then we will add it to the list.

Spiel-Messe Essen from other years

The Essen Game Fair has been held since 1983, we have listed for you both across all game years and listed separately by year at the bottom of the page.

List with the top100 new releases of Spiel'97:

This list was last updated on November 27, 2023. We compared 25 board games for this list and selected the top 19. There's also a print version for this list.
  1. Bohnanza Erweiterungs-Set

    All details for the board game Bohnanza Erweiterungs-Set and similar games

    πŸ”₯ Deal: 15% cheaper than the best Geizhals deal, likely for a short time only!

    More details for Bohnanza Erweiterungs-Set
    • 3 - 7 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    πŸ”₯ Great price!7€ atAmazon.de
  2. The Rose King

    All details for the board game The Rose King and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  3. Slapshot

    All details for the board game Slapshot and similar games
    • 2 - 10 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  4. Metro

    All details for the board game Metro and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards and won 1.

    More details for Metro
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
    πŸ‘ Good price!45€ atAmazon.de
  5. Tigris & Euphrates

    All details for the board game Tigris & Euphrates and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Tigris & Euphrates
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Tigris & Euphrates

    • YouTube Review for the game "Tigris & Euphrates" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  6. Caesar & Cleopatra

    All details for the board game Caesar & Cleopatra and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Caesar & Cleopatra
    • 2 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  7. Canyon

    All details for the board game Canyon and similar games
    • 3 - 6 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  8. GIPF

    All details for the board game GIPF and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for GIPF
    • 2 Players
    • 30 - 60 Minutes
    • 9+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
    πŸ‘ Good price!28€ atAmazon.de
  9. Primordial Soup

    All details for the board game Primordial Soup and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Primordial Soup
    • 3 - 4 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  10. Sauerbaum

    All details for the board game Sauerbaum and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1988

    More details for Sauerbaum
    • 3 - 7 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  11. Kismet

    All details for the board game Kismet and similar games
    • 3 - 8 Players
    • 15 Minutes
    • 8+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  12. MARK

    All details for the board game MARK and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  13. Halunken & Spelunken

    All details for the board game Halunken & Spelunken and similar games
    • 3 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  14. Make 5

    All details for the board game Make 5 and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 10 Minutes
    • 6+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  15. El Grande: Grossinquisitor und Kolonien

    All details for the board game El Grande: Grossinquisitor und Kolonien and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  16. Hyle

    All details for the board game Hyle and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 45 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  17. Die Macher

    All details for the board game Die Macher and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 2.

    More details for Die Macher
    • 3 - 5 Players
    • 240 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  18. Dream Team

    All details for the board game Dream Team and similar games
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Easy to learn

    Video reviews for Dream Team

    • YouTube Review for the game "Dream Team" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  19. Sea-Life

    All details for the board game Sea-Life and similar games
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable

Didn't find the game you were looking for?

We're positive that you'll find it in one of our other lists! To make the search easier for you, we split our website into different categories. The following board game categories will help you find the right list: