The best "Kinderspiel des Jahres" game award winners and nominees 2026

Zombie Kidz Evolution is a pioneering legacy-style board game designed specifically for children. Building upon the foundation of the 2013 game Zombie Kidz, this version introduces a dynamic and evolving gameplay experience. Set in a school under siege by zombies, young players must navigate through rooms and entryways to fend off the undead and prevent them from overrunning the school. The objective is to lock all four entryways of the school, a task complicated by the absence of the custodian. As players progress and improve their skills, they can undertake missions and earn trophies and stickers, similar to achievements in video games. The game also features envelopes that, when opened, add new elements to the game, including challenges, powers, and heroes, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.

Rhino Hero: Super Battle is a captivating 3D stacking game that sees the return of Rhino Hero, this time joined by fellow super-heroes Giraffe Boy, Big E., and Batguin. Players engage in an exciting challenge of building a wobbly skyscraper while navigating fierce battles among these charismatic characters. The game adds an extra layer of fun with the presence of mischievous spider monkeys that players must contend with during their skyscraper construction and superhero battles.

Outfoxed! invites you into a whimsical detective chase after Mrs. Plumpert's missing prized pot pie. It's a cooperative game where players work together to gather clues, eliminate suspects, and catch the cunning fox before it escapes. The game introduces a unique evidence scanner mechanism that adds a fun twist to deducing the thief among a lineup of potential foxes.

Rhino Hero is a dexterity-based card game that combines elements of building and strategy. Players take turns constructing a skyscraper with walls and roof cards, while moving a heroic rhino figurine up the building.

The big moment has arrived. You have been appointed as a "Dragon Trainer" with the chance to encounter dragons on a mysterious island. Compete with other trainers to discover the most baby dragons while searching for dragon eggs.

ICECOOL is an energetic and playful flicking game set in a penguin school, where players assume the roles of rascally penguins trying to snatch fish and the vigilant Hall Monitor trying to maintain order.

Animal Upon Animal (original title: Tier auf Tier) is a delightful and family-friendly stacking game that challenges players to carefully balance wooden animal figures to create an ever-growing pyramid. The game is designed for all ages, showcasing both fun and skill in a simple yet engaging format.

Embark on an incredible adventure as you explore the world to find and adopt a dragon. "Find Your Dragon!" is the first book in the "My First Adventure" series, where you become the little hero. Choose your character and dive into a unique story where every decision you make alters your journey.

It's race day in Quedlinburg, and with the right mix of food and luck, you ride your mount to victory and win the golden cauldron. Players build their own bag of tiles throughout the game, drawing them to advance on the race track. They will collect resources, gain bonuses, and strategize until someone crosses the finish line first.

Embark on an incredible adventure as you explore the sea in search of hidden treasure. Choose your submarine—Behemoth, Manta, or Swordfish—and dive into a unique story where every decision alters your journey. This is the second book in the "My First Adventure" series, where you are the little hero.

Players give hints for their teammates to guess a word or phrase in a lively gameplay format. What sets this version apart is the use of cards featuring only images, with no text. The game consists of two rounds using the same set of cards; players can describe them in the first round and mimic the hints in the second round to accumulate points.

Today, you embark on a long journey through the valley, seeking to uncover the cause of a great drought. Choose carefully whether to be Maïlune, the brave huntress; Issa, the shepherdess; or Sumai, the little hobby collector. This adventure in Ochre Land is part of the "My First Adventure" series, where every choice you make alters your story.

The Magic Labyrinth is an enchanting board game that tests players’ memory and skill as they navigate through a tricky maze. Designed for younger players, this game casts participants as little magician apprentices who must recover lost magical objects from within their master’s labyrinth. The catch? The walls of the maze are invisible, and players must rely on their memory and careful maneuvering to avoid them.

A terrible egg theft has occurred! Players will turn the town upside down to find the culprit. Choose to be Zoé the mouse, Jeppy the bear, or Nouki the raccoon, and embark on a unique adventure where every decision changes the course of the story.

Ribbit (formerly known as Schildkrötenrennen or "Turtle Race" in its original version) offers a delightful, strategic race experience suited for families and players of all ages. This game is built around the concept of racing turtles—or frogs, in the reprint—across a field to reach a tasty salad.

Players cooperate in a version of the game designed for children who cannot yet read. They take turns trying to have others guess an animal by using symbols on the game board to indicate characteristics of that animal. With 110 animals to guess, divided into two difficulty levels, this beautifully illustrated communication game helps children discover the world of animals in a fun and innovative way.

Let's head to the Forest of Keys to regain the King's memories! Players must find the beautiful memories sealed in the treasure chest, where real and false keys are hidden. Adventures await in this enchanting forest!

Players aim to pull the apprentices down the mountain before the witches reach the bottom. They place supports on the board to raise the starting area and set up their pieces. By drawing colored will-o'-the-wisps and moving figures along the path, strategic decisions come into play to either advance their apprentices or delay the witches. Winning requires getting four apprentices down the mountain before three witches do, with options to adjust the game's difficulty for more variation.

Players guide their mice from the starting point to various goals, with farther goals offering more cheese as points. A cat chases the mice, removing them from the game if caught. Movement is determined by a die, with the added twist that rolls of "1" also move the cat, creating a risk-reward balance as players try to outpace the feline and gather cheese.

It's hot, and all the animals gather at the lake. However, Turtle is late, as always. Players flick the turtle into the water and then flip over animal tiles to advance on their personal game boards. The first to find all their animals wins.

Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters, also known as Geister, Geister, Schatzsuchmeister!, is an award-winning cooperative board game where players embark on an eerie adventure to collect treasures from a haunted house.

React, anticipate, and work together as a team to save the four dinosaurs in SOS Dino! Draw a tile, place it on the board, and then move one of the dinosaurs closer to safety in the mountains. Beware of lava flows and meteor showers!

The wizard apprentices are in trouble! After sneaking out of their school to visit the secret midnight market, they find themselves being pursued by Willy, the guardian spirit. They must band together to find magical Lumies that will light their way back before getting caught. Players must cooperate, memorize tree tiles, and use potions and spells at the right moments to win as a team.

In Sleeping Queens, a whimsical and strategic card game, players embark on a mission to awaken sleeping queens using a mix of strategy, quick thinking, and luck. The game features the Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen, and ten other queen cards, all under a magical sleeping spell. The goal is to wake these queens from their slumber and earn points.

Players take turns as "Inspector Nose," aiming to identify the correct card cooperatively. The game consists of five rounds where the current Inspector determines which target card must remain by rolling dice and guiding the other players' choices. If players successfully leave only the target card, they score points based on their removals, striving for a maximum of 20 points.

Join Jonon and Jada, two children from the Stone Age, on a journey to rediscover how the first humans settled the world around them. In this children's version of the classic family game, players collect resources and build their own settlement.

During an expedition, the dragon children Mira, Feo, Luna, and Diego discover a sparkling treasure: a pillar of ice filled with glittering stones. Unable to carry it back to their cave, they decide to melt it with the help of their father, who breathes fire to melt the ice, allowing them to collect the precious stones. Players aim to gather the most sparkling stones for their cave by selecting tiles, lifting ice rings, and collecting the fallen gems.

Collect balloons, gifts, candles, and mountains of sweets at the birthday party. Players roll dice and select their desired items while others take what's left over. Each color coded area on their scoring sheets has different rules for checking off items, and completing sections will earn them rainbow stars. The game ends once a player marks all items in an area, and the player with the most stars wins.

The lion's mane is far too long, risking his respect among the other animals. Players help the lion reach the barber before closing time, creating a path from his bed to the salon. They use cards to move the lion along the path, but must be careful as different colored tiles affect the time. If players manage to get Leo to the barber within five days, they win the game.

Monster-Bande includes 2 sets of 54 identical tokens featuring monster images and two dice that display different monster traits. Teams of two or more players take turns rolling the dice, drawing a token, and describing the monster without using specific traits named on the dice. The team identifies the matching monster from the table, aiming to collect the most tokens by the end of the round.