The best "Gioco dell'Anno🇮🇹" winners and nominees 2026

Codenames is a captivating and popular party game that involves clever wordplay and deduction. Two teams compete, each led by a spymaster who knows the secret identities of 25 agents, represented by cards bearing single-word codenames like "disease," "Germany," or even "carrot." The objective is for each team to be the first to correctly identify all their agents based on clues given by their spymaster, while avoiding the dangerous assassin.

MicroMacro: Crime City is a unique detective game that immerses players into a detailed and expansive cityscape to solve intriguing crimes. The game centers around a large, detailed map of a city where various crimes have occurred. Players become detectives tasked with unraveling these mysteries using the clues scattered across the city.

Cascadia is a tile-laying and token-drafting board game that features the rich habitats and diverse wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. It combines strategic tile placement with wildlife conservation themes.

Embark on a noble quest to expand your kingdom in Kingdomino. As a lord, your mission is to explore vast lands filled with wheat fields, serene lakes, and towering mountains. Competing with fellow lords, you must identify the choicest plots to claim as your own.

Azul is a tile-laying game inspired by Portuguese azulejos: as artisans, players draft colored tiles from suppliers and place them in patterns to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora, scoring points for clever arrangements.

7 Wonders Duel takes the essence of the classic 7 Wonders and refines it for an intense two-player experience. It retains the thematic elements of building a civilization through acquiring various types of cards, but it introduces unique mechanics suited for a duel.

Point Salad is a dynamic and engaging card drafting game that is suitable for players of all ages. It stands out for its simplicity and the vast array of scoring strategies it offers.

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is a cooperative trick-taking game that takes players on an adventurous space journey, filled with challenges and strategic gameplay.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a dynamic and strategic racing board game that simulates the thrill and intricacies of car racing. It offers players a chance to experience the excitement of racing while managing crucial elements like speed, car upgrades, and varying track conditions.

The Quest for El Dorado is a strategic and adventurous board game that immerses players in the exciting journey of discovering the legendary city of gold, El Dorado. Set in the lush South American jungles, this game combines deck-building and racing elements, challenging players to be both cunning and quick.

Draftosaurus is a charming and quick drafting game where players aim to build the most attractive dinosaur park. The game stands out for its use of dino meeples and unique placement restrictions, making it an engaging experience for all ages.

Flamme Rouge presents an exhilarating bicycle racing experience where strategy, timing, and tactical decisions are paramount to success. This fast-paced game captures the intensity of a real bike race, offering players a blend of excitement and strategic gameplay.

Splendor beckons you into the vibrant world of Renaissance merchants, where the pursuit of gem mines, modes of transportation, and opulent shops is the path to acquiring prestigious points. In this strategic game of chip-collecting and card development, your goal is to amass wealth and influence that will make you the most renowned merchant of the era. Perhaps, if fortune smiles upon you, nobility may even grace your endeavors, further enhancing your prestige.

Survive: Escape from Atlantis! is a thrilling and competitive board game where players aim to evacuate their pieces from a sinking island. The game is known for its intense gameplay and strategic decisions.

When I Dream is a whimsical and imaginative board game that delves into the world of dreams, blending elements of storytelling, deduction, and teamwork in a playful setting.

My City is a groundbreaking competitive legacy game where players develop their own city across multiple epochs. This game uniquely blends city-building with the evolving challenges and narratives of a legacy format.

Akropolis is a strategic board game set in ancient Greece, where players take on the roles of skilled architects competing to build the most prestigious city. The game focuses on urban planning, resource management, and tactical tile placement.

Celestia is a reimagined version of Cloud 9, where players join an adventurous journey through the mythical cities of Celestia to gather treasures. It's a game of risk, strategy, and decision-making, set in a whimsical and perilous airspace.

The Adventures of Robin Hood offers a refreshing and innovative approach to board gaming, immersing players in the legendary tales of Robin Hood and his merry band in 1193 England. This game distinguishes itself with a dynamic game board that evolves and changes, reflecting the players' actions and choices throughout their quest against the tyranny of Prince John and his minions. With a unique movement mechanism and a story-driven gameplay that forgoes traditional cards for a narrative-driven hardcover book, players will find themselves deeply engaged in the forests and villages of Nottinghamshire.

Board the good ship Tranquility and sail towards paradise, but beware of losing track of time in a realm where day turns to night. Players cooperate to fill the sea with numbered island cards and must return the ship home before anyone runs out of cards. The objective is to complete the grid in numerical order while communicating silently. Players take turns, playing cards or discarding them, and must manage their hands carefully to avoid running out of legal moves.

Mysterium is a cooperative mystery-solving game set in the 1920s, where players take on the roles of mediums trying to solve a murder at a Scottish mansion, guided by a ghost who communicates through visions.

Potion Explosion is a fun and engaging game for 2 to 4 players, created by Horrible Games and designed by Lorenzo Silva, Andrea Crespi, and Stefano Castelli. The game combines strategy and pattern recognition in a magical potion-brewing setting.

Calico is a delightful, tile-laying board game that combines the art of quilt-making with the charm of cats. It's designed to offer a relaxing yet engaging puzzling experience for players.

Nova Luna is an abstract tile-laying strategy game that focuses on careful planning and decision-making. Players are tasked with fulfilling objectives by placing tiles strategically, creating a unique and engaging gameplay experience.

Gizmos is a dynamic and inventive board game that challenges players to build the most efficient and powerful machines at a competitive Science Fair. The game is a blend of strategy and resource management, where players vie to earn the most victory points through clever machine construction.

Colt Express is a fast-paced, action-packed board game set in the Wild West, where players take on the roles of bandits attempting to rob a moving train.

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.

Magic Maze presents an unconventional and exhilarating cooperative gaming experience where players embody a mage, a warrior, an elf, and a dwarf. Stripped of their possessions, this diverse group embarks on a unique adventure: robbing the local Magic Maze shopping mall to gather equipment for their next quest.