The Best "The Golden Elephant Award🇺🇸" winners and nominees 2023

Looking for a good game that won or was nominated for "The Golden Elephant Award"? Then we have just the thing for you: A list with the best "The Golden Elephant Award" winners and games that were on the nomination list.

What is "The Golden Elephant Award" game award?

"The Golden Elephant Award" is an award for dice, card & board games. The award originates from 🇺🇸USA, was created in 2013 and is chosen by a jury.

The Golden Elephant is the annual award for the most outstanding board game of the year from the perspective of Heavy Cardboard players. The criteria by which each game is judged are as follows.

  • Depth of analysis and planning (What considerations must be taken into account in order to make the right decisions?)
  • Depth of play (A game does not have to be complex, but it should require solid analysis during play to play well).
  • Length of game (A game does not need to be long, but it does need to include a variety of meaningful decision points).
  • Low luck factor (Victory and defeat should ultimately be decided by whoever made the better decisions during the game).
  • Transparency of decisions & interaction (To what extent do the critical decisions within the game affect other players?)
  • Innovation and uniqueness of mechanisms and theme (What sets the game apart from its contemporaries?)
  • Fun factor (Do we ultimately enjoy the experience the game provides both for ourselves and for other players?)

Reprints are not allowed. The first year the game is physically available is the year it is considered for the award.

Around the beginning of April each year, the finalists are announced. Then, at HeavyCon, this year's Golden Elephant Award winner will be announced.

The Golden Elephant Award Categories

The Golden Elephant Award is presented each year in the following categories:

  • Best Heavy Boardgame
  • People's Choice

More info can be found on the official Golden Elephant Award homepage.

Other game awards from all over the world

There are many more game award from around the world, you can find a list at the bottom of this page.

List of best Golden Elephant Award winners & nominees 2023:

This list was last updated on December 4, 2023. We compared 43 board games for this list and selected the top 30. There's also a print version for this list.
  1. Brass: Birmingham

    All details for the board game Brass: Birmingham and similar games

    Nominated for 13 awards and won 7.

    More details for Brass: Birmingham
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Brass: Birmingham

    • YouTube Review for the game "Brass: Birmingham" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Brass: Birmingham" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  2. Root

    All details for the board game Root and similar games

    Nominated for 24 awards and won 14.

    More details for Root
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 90 Minutes
    • 10+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  3. Rococo

    All details for the board game Rococo and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards.

    ⭐️ Nominated for Kennerspiel des Jahres 2014

    More details for Rococo
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  4. SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD

    All details for the board game SpaceCorp: 2025-2300AD and similar games
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 240 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  5. Triumph & Tragedy: European Balance of Power 1936-1945

    All details for the board game Triumph & Tragedy: European Balance of Power 1936-1945 and similar games
    • 2 - 3 Players
    • 240 - 360 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  6. Gaia Project

    All details for the board game Gaia Project and similar games

    Nominated for 10 awards and won 2.

    More details for Gaia Project
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 150 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
    👍 Good price!56€ atAmazon.de
  7. Barrage

    All details for the board game Barrage and similar games

    Nominated for 14 awards and won 7.

    More details for Barrage
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn
    👍 Good price!64€ atAmazon.de
  8. Teotihuacan: City of Gods

    All details for the board game Teotihuacan: City of Gods and similar games

    Nominated for 15 awards and won 2.

    More details for Teotihuacan: City of Gods
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 90 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Teotihuacan: City of Gods

    • YouTube Review for the game "Teotihuacan: City of Gods" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Teotihuacan: City of Gods" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  9. Time of Crisis: The Roman Empire in Turmoil, 235-284 AD

    All details for the board game Time of Crisis: The Roman Empire in Turmoil, 235-284 AD and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 120 - 180 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  10. Food Chain Magnate

    All details for the board game Food Chain Magnate and similar games

    Nominated for 8 awards and won 3.

    More details for Food Chain Magnate
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 120 - 240 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Food Chain Magnate

    • YouTube Review for the game "Food Chain Magnate" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  11. La Granja

    All details for the board game La Granja and similar games

    Nominated for 5 awards and won 1.

    More details for La Granja
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 90 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  12. Mombasa

    All details for the board game Mombasa and similar games

    Nominated for 12 awards and won 4.

    More details for Mombasa
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 75 - 150 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  13. Millennium Blades

    All details for the board game Millennium Blades and similar games

    Nominated for 7 awards and won 1.

    More details for Millennium Blades
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 80 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  14. Bora Bora

    All details for the board game Bora Bora and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Bora Bora
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  15. Cuba Libre

    All details for the board game Cuba Libre and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    More details for Cuba Libre
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 180 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  16. Lisboa

    All details for the board game Lisboa and similar games

    Nominated for 13 awards and won 7.

    More details for Lisboa
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Very hard to learn
  17. Fire in the Lake

    All details for the board game Fire in the Lake and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Fire in the Lake
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 180 Minutes
    • Hard to learn
  18. Pipeline

    All details for the board game Pipeline and similar games

    Nominated for 5 awards.

    More details for Pipeline
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Pipeline

    • YouTube Review for the game "Pipeline" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  19. The U.S. Civil War

    All details for the board game The U.S. Civil War and similar games
    • 2 Players
    • 150 - 360 Minutes
    • Hard to learn
  20. Kanban: Driver's Edition

    All details for the board game Kanban: Driver's Edition and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 90 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  21. Yunnan

    All details for the board game Yunnan and similar games
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 90 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Medium difficulty
  22. Panamax

    All details for the board game Panamax and similar games

    Nominated for 6 awards.

    More details for Panamax
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 90 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Panamax

    • YouTube Review for the game "Panamax" by Shut Up & Sit Down
      Video is in English
  23. Keyper

    All details for the board game Keyper and similar games

    Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.

    More details for Keyper
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 90 - 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  24. The Colonists

    All details for the board game The Colonists and similar games

    Nominated for 6 awards and won 1.

    More details for The Colonists
    • 1 - 4 Players
    • 30 - 360 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for The Colonists

    • YouTube Review for the game "The Colonists" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  25. Three Kingdoms Redux

    All details for the board game Three Kingdoms Redux and similar games
    • 3 Players
    • 135 - 165 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Three Kingdoms Redux

    • YouTube Review for the game "Three Kingdoms Redux" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
    • YouTube Review for the game "Three Kingdoms Redux" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  26. Pax Renaissance

    All details for the board game Pax Renaissance and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Pax Renaissance
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn

    Video reviews for Pax Renaissance

    • YouTube Review for the game "Pax Renaissance" by BoardGameGeek
      Video is in English
  27. Pax Pamir

    All details for the board game Pax Pamir and similar games

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Pax Pamir
    • 2 - 5 Players
    • 60 - 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  28. Wildcatters

    All details for the board game Wildcatters and similar games
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 120 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  29. Tramways

    All details for the board game Tramways and similar games

    Nominated for 4 awards and won 1.

    More details for Tramways
    • 1 - 5 Players
    • 120 Minutes
    • 14+ years old
    • Hard to learn
  30. Madeira

    All details for the board game Madeira and similar games

    Nominated for 3 awards and won 2.

    More details for Madeira
    • 2 - 4 Players
    • 60 - 150 Minutes
    • 12+ years old
    • Hard to learn

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: