The best games presented at the Spiel 2009 game fair in Essen, Germany 2025

In the bustling city of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, you find yourself in a fierce competition as one of the two most powerful traders. However, being a prominent trader isn't enough; the ultimate goal is to earn two coveted "seals of excellence" to secure an invitation to the Maharaja's prestigious court. To outshine your direct competitor, you'll need to demonstrate superior trading skills by buying, exchanging, and selling goods at advantageous prices, all while carefully managing your valuable camel herds.

Dominion: Seaside is an expansion to the popular deck-building games Dominion and Dominion: Intrigue. It is important to note that this expansion does not constitute a standalone game but rather adds new dimensions and strategic possibilities to the existing base games.

Carcassonne is a renowned tile-placement game set in the picturesque landscape of Southern France. This game is beloved for its simplicity, depth, and the beautiful mosaic players create on the table.

Ticket to Ride: Europa 1912 is an expansion for the popular Ticket to Ride series, specifically enhancing the Ticket to Ride Europe game. This expansion introduces new elements and variants to the gameplay, offering fresh challenges and strategic options for players.

In Taj Mahal, players are immersed in the setting of northwest India at the beginning of the 18th century. This period marks the decline of the Grand Moguls' rule, presenting an opportunity for Maharishis and princes to assert control over the region. The game revolves around gaining influence through various strategic moves.

The box contains many cards, each featuring an image and a caption. During each turn, a card is revealed, and players write down eight words associated with the word on the card. Points are awarded for each word that matches another player's, with bonus points for the number of players sharing those words.

Kingsburg: To Forge a Realm is an expansion for the Kingsburg board game that adds new layers of customization and variety. This expansion is composed of five distinct "modules," each offering different ways to enhance the base game. Players can choose to add one or more modules to their game for a unique experience or a different challenge each time.

Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a delightful and engaging memory game that combines the whimsy of chickens learning to dance with the challenge of strategic movement and memory. Players become chickens vying to out-memorize and outmaneuver their opponents around a circuitous path, aiming to collect the tail feathers of their rivals by accurately recalling the images hidden on octagonal tiles.

Tobago is an intriguing adventure board game where players embark on a treasure hunt, using clues to narrow down the locations of hidden treasures on a mysterious island. The game stands out with its modular board and strategic gameplay, appealing to players who enjoy deduction and exploration themes.

Bananagrams is a lively, quick-paced word game that stands out for its simplicity and portability. It comes in a unique, banana-shaped fabric pouch, making it an excellent choice for on-the-go fun without the need for pencils, paper, or a board.

More than 2.5 million additional games could be played each year with a quicker method for selecting a starting player. The solution is simple: just flip a card to identify the starting player. The system is designed to be straightforward, whether by recognizing the tallest player or the one with the most unbuttoned buttons.

Teams of two players compete for a seat on a train based on drawn cards. One member gestures and calls out the passenger's name to guide the other, who adjusts the passenger positions on a board. The first team to seat all passengers and shout "Tokyo Train" wins the card, and the first to collect seven cards wins the game.

Hansa Teutonica is a strategic board game that transports players back to the time of the Hanseatic League, a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds in Northwestern and Central Europe. In this game, players take on the roles of traders competing to expand their trading network, improve their skills, and gain the most victory points.

In this latest collaboration between Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc, players must buy the favor of the gods in their race to be the first player to build two cities in the Ancient Greek island group known as the Cyclades.

In Ugg-Tect, players collaborate in teams to construct impressive, albeit "functional," structures using nearby materials. As cavemen, communication relies on primitive gestures and sounds, with each team having an architect who guides them using simple commands. The fastest and most precise building team will win the game.

The latest addition to the Ubongo series features players placing wooden tiles over two layers of double-sided puzzle cards, one side for beginners and the other for advanced players. Participants collect gemstones based on their performance, and the player with the most valuable collection at the end wins the game.

The Adventurers: The Temple of Chac is an action-packed board game that takes players on a thrilling and perilous journey through the ruins of a Mayan temple. The game is designed to simulate an Indiana-Jones-style adventure, filled with danger, excitement, and the quest for ancient treasures.

One player controls a gang of thieves attempting to break into lockers. The other player is the police, trying to catch them before they escape. The thieves roll special dice to crack the locker combinations while the police navigate a city map with a tilted board to uncover the gang's hiding place. If the police find the hiding spot before the thieves succeed, the thieves leave empty-handed.

A simple "push your luck" card game with mechanics similar to "Can't Stop." Players reveal cards from the draw pile and can stop at any time to collect cards for their score. However, if two fish of the same type are revealed, the player loses those cards and their turn. Revealing an octopus card also ends the turn and causes the player to lose other cards revealed during that turn, but allows an attempt to steal cards from another player's score pile. Only the largest fish of each type counts for scoring, and the game continues until a player reaches 77 points.

Beware! The cheeky raven wants to snatch up many treats. Players must save all the fruits by flipping over fruit tiles that match the color shown on the dice. The goal is to collect the fruits before the raven gobbles them all up in this cooperative memory game designed for 2-4 players aged 3 to 99, complete with a competitive variant.

The night vampires are in trouble. They need help against a sinister vampire hunter who has emptied a sack of garlic in an old, abandoned castle. With the assistance of a little bat, players can magically move the vampires and get rid of the stinky garlic, but caution is required, as garlic falling into the dungeon can spread its unpleasant smell to the remaining vampires. Bright figures make this exciting game perfect for play all day or from dusk until dawn.

After the tragedy of the "New Moon," the village lay in ruins. Years later, brave outsiders rebuilt it, inviting homeless adventurers to join them in a new ideal community. As children’s laughter fills the school and lively conversations echo in the tavern, a rumor lingers about the presence of werewolves among them. Players assume roles within this charming village, with some secretly playing as werewolves who hunt during the night, while also adopting various professions.

Players throw coasters onto a table to earn money, repeating this process throughout the game. The player with the most money at the end wins, while the winner praises the game and the losers criticize it. Each coaster features either pretzels or beer, with different values assigned, and points are only given for visible items, leading to a lively atmosphere filled with banter and occasional disputes.

The uprising in Rome is far from over! Players strategically play their cards to discover who the most powerful ruler is. Strengthen your position with powerful cards or accumulate victory points by skillfully deploying your characters and buildings. Arena can be played as a standalone game or combined with Roma for even more options, including mixing all cards from both games or allowing each player to create their own decks from the combined set.

It's a fast-paced card game where players aim to get rid of their cards quickly, but they can only play specific cards. Each card has a large number (1-10) and a smaller corner number indicating how much higher or lower the next card can be. Players take turns placing a card on the central pile based on these rules, and the first to play all their cards wins.

Agricola is a strategic board game where players become farmers aiming to build thriving homesteads. Manage resources, expand your home, and feed your family to win.

The second expansion introduces three separate modules that can be combined with the base game and the first expansion in various ways. Players can mix cards from this expansion with those from the base game and the first expansion to create a balanced deck.

Growl! Dragon Diego Dart has missed his target again and has even set Uncle Drooge's hut on fire! Players choose a target lane to hit and roll three balls into the correct slot while others try to guess the target. Points are awarded for correct guesses and for hitting the target, with the player scoring the most points winning the game.

The second Mystery Rummy game involves players investigating a murder from an Edgar Allan Poe story. It features a similar mechanic of merging evidence cards and hammer cards, but introduces a hidden "kitten" element where players secretly place cards in their hands. The first player to achieve this win, in addition to their regular mergers, can also win the kitten. It can also be played as a partnership game with four players.

Players take on the role of the boss of cunning thieves, seeking prestige rather than money. They must strategically choose which type of items to pursue and predict their rivals' moves. With elements of information theft and competition, it's essential to outsmart opponents while sending a team to unexpected locations for the ultimate recognition in the criminal world.