SPIEL Essen 2026: ten new releases we looked at ahead of the fair

In two and a half weeks SPIEL opens its doors in Essen, from 22 to 25 October. The publishers' preview lists are long, with more than a thousand titles already announced. This week we added the releases with the most interest to our game database, 100 games in total, each with player count, playing time, designers and its own description. Here are ten that caught our eye.

Familiar names, new editions

The Crew: Journey to the Ends of the Earth (2 to 5 players, about 20 minutes) continues Thomas Sing's cooperative trick-taking series. The first game won both the Kennerspiel des Jahres and the Deutscher Spiele Preis in 2020, so expectations for the new campaign are high. playnexi.com/en/games/the-crew-journey-to-the-ends-of-the-earth

Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains (2 to 5 players, about 60 minutes) takes Kosch's forest to the Appalachians. The base game won the Deutscher Spiele Preis in 2024. playnexi.com/en/games/forest-shuffle-smoky-mountains

The Gang: Deluxe Edition (3 to 10 players, about 20 minutes) is the bigger version of John Cooper and Kory Heath's cooperative poker game, in which everyone plans a heist together without looking at each other's cards. playnexi.com/en/games/the-gang-deluxe-edition

Mountain Goats: Legacy (2 to 5 players, about 45 minutes, ages 7 and up) turns the dice game about mountain goats into a campaign that changes from one play to the next. playnexi.com/en/games/mountain-goats-legacy

Two from Knizia

Reiner Knizia has two new titles. Hanami (2 to 4 players, about 45 minutes) is an abstract tile-laying game about area majorities. Gold Country (2 to 4 players, about 60 minutes) is set in the California gold rush and is all about running an economy. playnexi.com/en/games/hanami and playnexi.com/en/games/gold-country

Short games for in between

Fadenfroh by Alexander Pfister and Jordy Adan (1 to 4 players, about 30 minutes) is a short card game about fabrics and patterns, and it is already high on many wishlists. playnexi.com/en/games/fadenfroh

Space Lab by Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat (1 to 4 players, about 30 minutes) is a science fiction card game in which you build up your own tableau turn by turn. playnexi.com/en/games/space-lab

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Joshua is a pure solo game of about 20 minutes in which you lay tiles into patterns. playnexi.com/en/games/enchanted-ivy

For a long evening for two

Star Trek: Captain's Chair – To Boldly Go (1 to 2 players, about 120 minutes) by Dávid Turczi, Nigel Buckle and Adam Turczi is the longest game on this list. Two captains play against each other, and it also works as a solo game. playnexi.com/en/games/star-trek-captain-s-chair-to-boldly-go

Deutscher Spiele Preis 2026

The Deutscher Spiele Preis 2026 is also awarded during the fair. Unlike the Spiel des Jahres, there is no jury: the result comes from votes by players, retailers and the press. Recent winners show that games with a bit more depth often come out on top: SETI in 2025, Forest Shuffle in 2024, Planet Unknown in 2023, Ark Nova in 2022. You can find all winners and placings since 1990 on our award page, and we will add the new results right after the ceremony. playnexi.com/en/awards/deutscher-spiele-preis

And afterwards?

If you come home from the fair with new games, you can add them to your collection in Playnexi and let your group vote on what hits the table at your next game night. Which new release is at the top of your list?

This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed editorially.