SPIEL Essen 2026: the new releases on the most wishlists

SPIEL opens in Essen on 22 October, and until 25 October publishers from all over the world will show their new releases. Ahead of the fair we checked which titles from the preview lists appear on BoardGameGeek wishlists most often. We counted on 12 October. Hardly anyone has played most of these games yet, so the number shows anticipation, not quality. All nine are now in our game database, with player count, playing time, designers and our own description. The week before we had already introduced ten other new releases: playnexi.com/en/blog/spiel-essen-2026-neuheiten

Familiar names

Medico by Stefan Feld (2 to 4 players, about 90 minutes) sends you through medieval Europe as travelling barber-surgeons. You gather knowledge and reputation so that one day you may call yourself a Medicus. It is published by Hall Games and Pegasus Spiele. playnexi.com/en/games/medico

Colosseum: The Grand Spectacle (1 to 5 players, about 90 minutes) is the new edition of a classic by Wolfgang Kramer and Markus Lübke from 2007. You stage spectacles in your arena, recruit performers and try to impress the nobles and the emperor. playnexi.com/en/games/colosseum-the-grand-spectacle, and the original is at playnexi.com/en/games/colosseum

Shugendo by Alessandro Cuneo and Simone Luciani (2 to 4 players, about 60 minutes) combines deck building with a bit of risk: you expand your farm into the forest and have to be careful not to upset the yokai. playnexi.com/en/games/shugendo

For long evenings

Thessaloniki by Federico Pierlorenzi and Daniele Tascini (1 to 4 players, about 120 minutes) is set in the port city on the Aegean in the 4th century. It is about trade, influence and contracts, driven by a rondel. playnexi.com/en/games/thessaloniki

Prague Unseen by Jindřich Pavlásek, Michal Peichl and Petr Vojtěch (1 to 4 players, about 120 minutes) is a worker placement game in 19th-century Prague, where golems and other fantastical beings roam the streets. Each group of figures has its own abilities. playnexi.com/en/games/prague-unseen

Wildscape by Sebastian Bleasdale (1 to 4 players, about 120 minutes) has you turn barren land in Africa into habitats for animals, from woodlands and wetlands to savanna. Actions are driven by a mancala mechanism. playnexi.com/en/games/wildscape

Sweet Lands by Totsuca Chuo (1 to 4 players, up to 200 minutes) came out in Japan in 2025 and has already collected more than 2,000 ratings there; at SPIEL the German edition by PD-Verlag arrives. You build a city in the kingdom of sweets, with tiles and workers. It is by far the game on the most wishlists in our selection. playnexi.com/en/games/sweet-lands

A little lighter

Kalypso by Gilles Turbide (1 to 4 players, about 60 minutes) is a tile-laying game in which you build floating settlements on a flooded Earth. Each round you pick tiles and expand your platforms. playnexi.com/en/games/kalypso

Excursions by Ben Rosset (1 to 6 players, about 90 minutes) continues Galactic Cruise: this time you plan trips for your guests from a space station. Galactic Cruise itself is one of the three nominees for this year's Deutscher Spiele Preis. playnexi.com/en/games/excursions and playnexi.com/en/games/galactic-cruise

Deutscher Spiele Preis 2026

The Deutscher Spiele Preis is also awarded during the fair. The nominees are Artengarten, Boss Fighters QR and Galactic Cruise. You can find all winners and rankings since 1990 on our page about the award, and we will add the results 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 everyone vote at the next game night on what hits the table first. Which new release is at the top of your list?

This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed editorially.