German Games Prize 2026!

Winner of the German Games Prize – Family and Adult Game 2026:

Sanctuary

In Sanctuary, you have to plan and design a modern, scientifically-managed zoo for animals and visitors. Sanctuary is based on its predecessor Ark Nova, but modifies and simplifies many of the mechanisms of that game in an elegant and surprising manner.

2nd place - Boss Fighters QR

Boss Fighters QR combines the classic elements of a card game with the technological benefits of an app to create an exciting and unique gaming experience. In this cooperative game, players team up to battle ten unique bosses, each with individual strengths and skills that react tactically to the players' actions. Thanks to the scan-and-play technology, the app will recognize physical cards via QR code in a matter of seconds and respond to the players' choices immediately. This creates an engaging and seamless combination of strategic deck building and dynamic boss battles.

3rd place - Galactic Cruise

Hello, and welcome to Galactic Cruise. Here, we offer our guests something special: the comfort of a luxury cruise with the innovation of space travel. As the first company to offer extended-stay space vacations, we are excited to have you working for us! As a supervisor of this company, you'll be expected to not only build these ships and satisfy our guests, but also to help the company thrive by enhancing our company network, inventing new technologies, and growing our workforce. We are a united company, and you'll often find that what another supervisor does will make your job easier. Let me be clear, though, this is a competition. Our current CEO will be stepping down in three years, and the supervisor who comes out on top will take his place.

4th place - The Lord Of The Rings: Fate Of The Fellowship

As members of The Fellowship and the allies who rise to aid them, you must embark on a journey that may either save or doom Middle-earth. Navigate a world beset by shadow, where every choice forges a new path. The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is a co-operative game for 1-5 players in which each player controls two characters, lending their unique abilities to protect Frodo, battle enemies in pivotal locations, and evade the menacing Nazgul and Sauron's searching Eye.

5th place - Take Time

Take Time is a cooperative game where players either win or lose together. To succeed, you must strategically play 12 cards facedown around a Clock, following specific rules for each Test. You can work together through a series of games to pass all 40 Tests available in the game.

6th place - Rebirth

Rebirth is a new, tile-laying game from Reiner Knizia. The game revitalizes this classic genre by combining Knizia's elegant mechanics with Mighty Boards' evocative world building. The result is a eurogame with smooth gameplay, set in a lush and hopeful future.

7th place - Cozy Stickerville

Cozy Stickerville invites you to build your own village, welcome new residents, solve mysteries, and leave behind a personalized legacy. Unique from other legacy games, this one has simplified game mechanics, quick story beats, and few 'points of no return'; making it accessible and easy to pick up and play.

8th place - River Of Gold

From the Spine of the World Mountains to the bustling fishing villages of Earthquake Fish Bay flows a river where fortunes can be made and lowly traders can brush shoulders with Rokugan's elite. Will your clan become the dominant force along this River of Gold? In River of Gold, players take on the role of river merchants allied with legendary samurai clans, each vying to exploit the river to earn wealth, glory, and wisdom.

9th place - Star Trek: Captain's Chair

In Star Trek: Captain's Chair, you will go head-to-head with an opponent, each stepping into the shoes of an iconic captain from across Star Trek's galaxy and history. Command ships, crew, and away teams while you manage resources and alliances! Each of the six captains comes with a unique, asymmetric deck of cards themed to that captain's personality strategies, allies, and assets. Each deck creates different strategic directions based on which common cards are available and what strategy your opponent deploys. The captains to choose from are: Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Michael Burnham, Koloth, The Dahar Master, Sela and Thy'lek Shran.

10th place - Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor

As in the earlier original Forest Shuffle, in Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor players compete to build the most valuable environment by placing trees and shrubs, then attracting species to these locations to create an ecologically balanced habitat for flora and fauna. What's new in Dartmoor is the introduction of TERRAIN cards that are played horizontally and serve as a home or feeding ground for different species than trees or shrubs. Due to the nature of the terrain, species can only be placed above and below a terrain card. Deer and other species stay clear from bogs or peat areas in the moorland. They need their drink, but won't feel safe at dwells or next to rivulets. So players have to be watch out, where to place their species.

Winner of the German Games Prize – Children's Game 2026:

Toriki: The Castaway Island

Toriki: The Castaway Island is a cooperative family game of adventure, exploration and survival. Using Scan & Play technology to mix digital elements with a traditional board game, it offers an immersive, interactive experience enriched with beautifully illustrated components. Search the island for resources, craft new tools, discover species unknown to science and name them! But most of all, secure your survival and find a way to return home! The game is played as a single continuous adventure that takes about 6-8 hours to complete, though you can pause and save it at any time.

2nd place - Mooki Island

Set off on an adventure to meet the most adorable creatures: Mookies! Mooki Island is a quick, engaging game in which you'll collect as many Mookies from each family as possible to win Trophies! Can you get the shiny Legendary Mookie cards? And above all: Watch out for that strange-looking Spider who's just waiting to play a trick on you! The game's simple rules (each player takes a card and places it in front of themselves) helps younger players discover how a majority collection game works. As they play and play again, they'll gradually become shrewd little strategists, ready to surprise their parents!

3rd place - Paleolino

Look up! Your friend Lino the mammoth has found wood, stones, berries, and even rare crystals! It rattles and clatters as he rolls them down the mountain. Work together to build a little village before Lino gets tired! With Paleolino, children can now dive into the exciting world of Paleo, the 2021 Kennerspiel des Jahres.It's a cooperative adventure for up to 4 kids age 5 and older. Players cooperate to build ten inventions. To do so, they must gather the required resources. On a player's turn, new resources enter the game by shaking the shaker and drawing a resource chip. The chip is dropped into a 3D mountain, where it tumbles down and ends up in one of four drawers, called caves.

DEUTSCHER SPIELE PREIS (GERMAN GAMES PRIZE) 2026