The prestigious German Spiel des Jahres award , which annually recognizes the best board games, unveiled on May 20, 2025 the list of nominees for its three main categories: Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year), Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children’s Game) and Kennerspiel des Jahres (Expert Game).
🏆 Game of the Year 2025 – The Nominees
This category highlights accessible, innovative games that are suitable for a wide audience. The three games in the running are:
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Bomb Busters : A cooperative game where players must defuse bombs by sharing limited information.
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Krakel Orakel : An original drawing game where you have to follow imposed lines and curves to guess words.
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Flip 7 : A dynamic card game based on number combinations and strategic flips.
👶 Kinderspiel des Jahres 2025 – The nominees
Aimed at younger audiences, this category recognizes fun and educational games. The finalists are:
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Cascadia Junior : An adaptation of the award-winning 2022 game, where children assemble landscapes and place animals in their habitats.
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The Mouse Clan : A cooperative game where players help the Tooth Fairy find animals’ baby teeth using their memory.
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Topp die Torte : A game of skill and speed where you have to stack layers of cake to create the most beautiful pastry.
🎯 Kennerspiel of the Year 2025 – The Nominees
This category is for experienced players looking for more complex challenges. The selected games are:
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Faraway : A strategic card game where players explore distant territories by optimizing their movements.
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Tower Up : A construction game where participants build towers within specific constraints, encouraging interaction and planning.
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Loof : It’s a tile-placement game for 2 to 4 players, you collect resources and capture buildings to develop your fjord.
📅 Next step
The winners in each category will be announced on July 13, 2025, at a ceremony in Berlin. In the meantime, game fans can check out these promising titles and form their own opinions.
Image de Philibert.
