The best games with camels 2026

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.

Meeple Circus is a vibrant and engaging dexterity board game where players become circus directors, aiming to create the most spectacular show and wow the audience. It's a game where physical skill meets strategic planning, and each action is a performance in itself.

In the fast-paced card game, players must think quickly! The active player places a card from their hand on one of three discard piles and calls out the most frequently occurring attribute in the center: animal type, color, zero, or Dodelido. It sounds easier than it is, especially with the slow turtle and the fast crocodile adding challenges. Play flawlessly to win, as any mistake can cost you!

Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala is a strategy board game set in the mystical land of Naqala. Designed by Bruno Cathala, it puts a unique spin on the traditional German-style worker placement games.

Through the Desert is a strategic board game where players guide caravans through the desert to claim oases and territory. Often compared to the classic game Go, it combines strategic planning with a visually appealing setup featuring colorful plastic camels.

Karawane is a light card-driven race from HABA in which you guide your camels through the desert to the oasis before everyone else.

Zooloretto is a charming and strategic board game where players become zoo managers, tasked with building and managing their own zoos. The goal is to attract the most visitors by creating a diverse and well-organized collection of animals.

Animals embark on a rafting tour each year on a wild river, and everyone wants to join the fun. Players lay out ten animal tiles around a raft and draw animal cards to see which creatures board. They secretly vote on whether there’s enough space for all the revealed animals, with points awarded based on correct predictions after six rounds.

Animals on Board is an accessible and clever game featuring a two-tier cardboard tray that holds each player's animal tiles. Players draw three animal tiles at the start, choose one to place face down on their ark, and form a collective of remaining tiles in the center.

Players bet on camels racing along a track, similar to Camel Up. Each player has some insight into which camels might move and how far, but they cannot be certain when each one will actually move. They must guess which camels will finish ahead of the others in hopes of winning some money.

Tuareg takes players on a journey between Timbuktu and Gao, where they load camels with water, gold, salt, and millet for a trek to the next oasis. Throughout the game, players aim to collect the most valuable resources while dealing with rival nomads who might steal or hide their goods. The game involves strategic use of special cards and resource management to earn points, with two phases of play and opportunities to earn bonuses along the way.

Players manage their own caravan of four camels that can transport different types of goods, including carpets, vases, dates, and fruits. They bid to select goods from various markets, utilizing market powers and strategically placing the goods onto their camels, adhering to specific transport limits. Players can sell goods for points, with different items offering varying rewards, and the game concludes when the supply of goods runs out, determining the winner by who has the most money.

Players participate in a camel race for 3-5 players. The goal is to bid limited water chips each round to move their camel to specific oasis spots. At the end of three stages of the desert race, the player with the most goods (silk) wins.

Players take on the role of the leader of a Mongolian family striving to become the most powerful in the land. Utilize resources wisely to gain control of fertile steppe land, breed horses, build sacred temples, develop caravans, and manage beautiful oases. The player with the most points at the end is anointed as the Noble of the Oasis.

The goal of the expedition is to collect as much gold as possible along a fixed route. Players start with 3 gold and a hand of cards representing various valuable goods and caravan leaders. Gold is collected at specific points in the game, with players receiving varying amounts when reaching important locations. Players draw cards to meet requirements and can move their caravan forward by spending gold if they have a poor hand. The player with the most gold at the end of the game wins.

Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road immerses players in the competitive economic landscape of the most prosperous city along the Silk Road. As the city thrives, players engage in a strategic blend of resource management, trade, and influence to accumulate wealth and power. The game encapsulates the tension between personal gain and the collective defense against the looming threat of Mongol invasions. Strategic decisions influence both the city's fate and the players' standing, making every choice critical in the pursuit of victory.

This family of card games is extremely popular in Europe and involves collecting sets similar to Game of Authors and Happy Families. Played by three or more players, each player must check their cards, and when someone has a complete set of four, they place it on the table.