Everyone knows someone who says they don't like board games, usually because the last one they played was long, slow or confusing. The right game changes their mind in ten minutes.
Every game here won or was shortlisted for a major prize, and all of them can be explained in a few minutes to people who have never played a modern board game.
Designed by Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter
3–720′8+Great for any group
Everyone writes a one-word clue to help one player guess a word, but identical clues are cancelled. Cooperative and quick; it won the Spiel des Jahres.
2019 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Alan R. Moon
2–530–60′8+Great for a first modern board game
Collect train cards and claim railway routes. The gateway game that turned millions into board gamers. It won the Spiel des Jahres.
2004 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Vladimír Chvátil
4–815′12+Great for friends who like words
Give one-word clues to help your team find its secret words. A Spiel des Jahres winner that works at any party.
2016 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Bruno Cathala
2–415′8+Great for a quick first game
Pick domino tiles and build a small kingdom in fifteen minutes. A Spiel des Jahres winner with almost no rules.
2017 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Michael Kiesling
2–430–45′8+Great for people who like puzzles
Pick colourful tiles and lay them into a wall. Beautiful, simple and quietly competitive. It won the Spiel des Jahres.
2018 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Ephraim Hertzano
2–440′7+Great for grandparents and the whole family
Lay numbered tiles in runs and groups, rearranging the table freely. A classic that won the Spiel des Jahres in 1980.
1980 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Susan McKinley Ross
2–445′6+Great for a relaxed evening
Lay wooden tiles in lines of the same colour or shape. As easy as dominoes; it won the Spiel des Jahres.
2011 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Steffen Bogen
2–820–30′8+Great for a lively group
Bet on a camel race where camels stack on top of each other. Loud, silly and no strategy needed. It won the Spiel des Jahres.
2014 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Great for music lovers
Listen to songs and place them in order on a timeline. Everyone knows how to play from the first song.
2023 Deutscher Spiele Preis, 9th place
Designed by Jean-Louis Roubira
3–830′8+Great for a creative crowd
Give a clue for a dreamlike picture card and guess which card is the original. A gentle, creative Spiel des Jahres winner.
2010 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner
Just One, Codenames and Hitster are quick to explain and fun immediately. Ticket to Ride is the classic first modern board game.
A game that introduces new players to modern board games: easy rules, short playing time and real choices. Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Azul are famous examples.
Rummikub, Qwirkle and Azul all have simple rules and work across generations.
