The best games presented at the Spiel 1998 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 1998" 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 1998 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'98?

If we have forgotten a game that was presented at Spiel 1998.... 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'98:

This list was last updated on February 21, 2023. We compared 19 board games for this list and selected the top 18. There's also a print version for this list.
  1. Catan: Seafarers

    All details for the board game Catan: Seafarers and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Catan: Seafarers
    • 3 - 4 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn

    Video reviews for Catan: Seafarers

    • YouTube Review for the game "Catan: Seafarers" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  2. Take 5!

    All details for the board game Take 5! and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Take 5!
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
    👍 Good price!7€ atAmazon.de
  3. Catan: Cities & Knights

    All details for the board game Catan: Cities & Knights and similar games
    • 3 - 4 Players
    • 90 - 150 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  4. Kahuna

    All details for the board game Kahuna and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 30 - 40 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  5. Café International

    All details for the board game Café International and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    ⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1989

    More details for Café International
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 45 - 60 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  6. Titanic: Der Mythos

    All details for the board game Titanic: Der Mythos and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  7. Samarkand

    All details for the board game Samarkand and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 40 Minutes
    • 9+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  8. Dots

    All details for the board game Dots and similar games
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 20 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  9. Primordial Soup: Freshly Spiced

    All details for the board game Primordial Soup: Freshly Spiced and similar games
    • 3 - 6 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
    👍 Good price!18€ atAmazon.de
  10. Twixt

    All details for the board game Twixt and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  11. Verräter

    All details for the board game Verräter and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Verräter
    • 3 - 4 Players
    • 60 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  12. Löwendynastie

    All details for the board game Löwendynastie and similar games
    • 3 - 6 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  13. Die Siedler von Catan: Historische Szenarien

    All details for the board game Die Siedler von Catan: Historische Szenarien and similar games
    • 3 - 4 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  14. La Isla Bohnitâ

    All details for the board game La Isla Bohnitâ and similar games
    • 2 - 7 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Easy to learn
  15. Secret Labyrinth

    All details for the board game Secret Labyrinth and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 30 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Immediately playable
  16. Medieval Merchant

    All details for the board game Medieval Merchant and similar games
    • 2 - 6 Players
    • 60 - 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  17. Europa 1945-2030

    All details for the board game Europa 1945-2030 and similar games
    • 3 - 6 Players
    • 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  18. El Caballero

    All details for the board game El Caballero and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 13+ years old
    • Medium difficulty

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: