Spiel des Jahres Nominations 2024

The Spiel des Jahres & the Board Game Industry

The Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award is one of the most prestigious accolades in the board game industry. Established in 1978, this German award recognizes excellence in game design, and its influence extends globally and translates into increased sales and often landing a place on gamers shelves the world over! Winning this award puts the game alongside the ranks of past winners including Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Azul, and Dominion, to name but a few of the incredible games that have received global recognition.

The three main categories are:

• Kinderspiel des Jahres for Children's games*
• Kennerspiel des Jahres for more Complex and Strategy-Oriented games, and of course,
• The Spiel des Jahres for the best Family-Friendly game

These awards not only celebrate outstanding game design but also guide consumers in selecting high-quality games suitable for different audiences. With, nominees, recommendations and naturally the winners, being commonly regarded as incredible games.

This year, the Spiel de Jahres nominees are .... 

Spiel des Jahres Nominees

1. In the Footsteps of Darwin
   Players assist Charles Darwin in his research for "On the Origin of Species." A quick mix of tile-drafting, set-collection, and beautiful illustration.

2. Captain Flip
   Players recruit a colorful crew to earn gold coins in a pirate-themed adventure. A push-Your-Luck tile drawing game. Keep what you see, or flip it over, but then you have to keep what's on the other side!

3. Sky Team
   A cooperative game where a pilot and co-pilot work together to land planes. A game of silent planning and collaboration to land your plane in increasingly difficult circumstances and game variations.

Recommended Games for Spiel des Jahres include:

• Phantom Ink
  Can you work out what the "Ghost" is communicating to you before your rivals?
• Harmonies
  Often compared to games like Azul and Cascadia, Harmonies is the latest gorgeous nature-game about building the right habitats for a variety of animals.
• Trekking Through History
  A beautiful game of playing events chronologically to have the best tour through time
• Trio
  A memory card game of trying to collect sets of cards by remembering who has what in their hands

Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominees include:

1. Daybreak
   A cooperative game focused on decarbonizing the planet and building resilient societies from Matteo Menapace and Pandemic designer, Matt Leacock.

2. The Guild of Merchant Explorers
   Players explore new lands, establish trade routes, and search for treasures designed by famed Aussie designer, Mathew Dunstan.

3. Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West
   The Ticket to Ride legacy game where players build train lines across the United States over a twelve-game campaign from three titans of game design, Alan R Moon, Rob Daviau & Matt Leacock.

All winners including the Kinderspiel will be announced on July 21, 2024, in Berlin, and these games are sure to gain even more attention and popularity following the awards ceremony​.

Gumnut wishes the Publishers, Designers, Artists, and the entire Crew behind the all nominated titles, inclusive of Kinderspiel, the best of luck and a big Thank You for making these amazing games!

* Kinderspiel wasn't featured in this post as they're often slowest to market and usually only in German at the time of announcement.

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