List of Game of the Year awards (board games)
Game of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many publications award a single "Game of the Year" to a single title that they feel represents the pinnacle of gaming achievement that year.
Organizations
Organizations and publications who award board Game of the Year awards include:- Årets spel
- As d'Or / Golden Ace
- Deutscher Spiele Preis
- Games
- Golden Geek Award
- Mensa
- Origins Award
- Spiel des Jahres
- *Kennerspiel des Jahres
- *Kinderspiel des Jahres
- Spiel Portugal
Awards
American Tabletop Awards
These are winners of the American Tabletop Awards, a US-based board game award selected by a committee of board game media creators for games released in the previous calendar year.Early Gamers
These are winners in the Early Gamers category, a category targeted at people new to board games.
| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Catch the Moon | Fabien Riffaud & Juan Rodriguez | Studio Bombyx |
Casual Games
These are winners in the Casual Games category, a category intended for gamers of all experience levels.
| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | The Quacks of Quedlinburg | Wolfgang Warsch | North Star Games |
Strategy Games
These are winners in the Strategy Games category, a category for games that have additional "complexity, planning requirements, and duration" compared to Casual Games.
| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Chronicles of Crime | David Cicurel | Lucky Duck Games |
Complex Games
These are winners in the Complex Games category, a category intended for longer-form games that typically appeal to more experienced players.
| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Root | Cole Wehrle | Leder Games |
As d'Or / Golden Ace
These are winners of As d'Or Award, for the best board games of the year submitted at the Cannes International Game Festival| Year | Category | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2018 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année | Azul | Michael Kiesling | Plan B Games |
| 2017 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année | Unlock! | Cyril Demaegd et Thomas Cauët et Alice Carroll | Space Cowboys |
| 2016 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année | Mysterium | Oleg Sidorenko et Oleksandr Nevskiy | Libellud |
| 2015 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année | Colt Express | Christophe Raimbault | Ludonaute |
| 2015 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année Grand Prix | Five Tribes | Bruno Cathala | Days of Wonder |
| 2015 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année Enfant | La Chasse aux Gigamons | Karim Aouidad, Johann Roussel | Elemon Games |
| 2015 | As d'Or Jeu de l'année Prix du Jury | Loony Quest | Laurent Escoffier, David Franck | Libellud |
Board Game Quest Awards
These are winners of the Board Game Quest Game of the Year Award. This award is presented to the best board game of the year from the editorial team, a United States based board game media outlet.| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2018 | Root | Cole Wehrle | Leder Games |
| 2017 | Clans of Caledonia | Juma Al-JouJou | Karma Games |
| 2016 | Terraforming Mars | Jacob Fryxelius | Stronghold Games |
| 2015 | Pandemic Legacy | Rob Daviau, Matt Leacock | Z-Man Games |
| 2014 | Five Tribes | Bruno Cathala | Days of Wonder |
| 2013 | Nations | Rustan Håkansson, Nina Håkansson, Einar Rosén, Robert Rosén | Lautapelit.fi |
Deutscher Spiele Preis
The Deutscher Spiele Preis is an important award for boardgames. It was started in 1990 by the German magazine "Die Pöppel-Revue", which collects votes from the industry's stores, magazines, professionals and game clubs. The results are announced every October at the Spiel game fair in Essen, Germany. The Essen Feather is awarded at the same ceremony.| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Wingspan | Elizabeth Hargrave | Stonemaier Games |
| 2018 | Azul | Michael Kiesling | Plan B Games |
| 2017 | Terraforming Mars | Jacob Fryxelius | Stronghold Games |
| 2016 | Mombasa | Alexander Pfister | |
| 2015 | The Voyages of Marco Polo | Simone Luciani, Daniele Tascini | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 2014 | Russian Railroads | Helmut Ohley, Leonhard "Lonny" Orgler | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 2013 | Terra Mystica | Jens Drögemüller, Helge Ostertag | Feuerland Spiele |
| 2012 | Village | Inka Brand, Markus Brand | Pegasus Spiele |
| 2011 | 7 Wonders | Antoine Bauza | Repos Production |
| 2010 | Fresco | Marcel Süßelbeck, Marco Ruskowski, Wolfgang Panning | Queen Games |
| 2009 | Dominion | Donald X. Vaccarino | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 2008 | Agricola | Uwe Rosenberg | Lookout Games |
| 2007 | The Pillars of the Earth | Michael Rieneck, Stefan Stadler | Kosmos |
| 2006 | Caylus | William Attia | Ystari Games |
| 2005 | Louis XIV | Rüdiger Dorn | Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH |
| 2004 | Saint Petersburg | Bernd Brunnhofer | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 2003 | Amun-Re | Reiner Knizia | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 2002 | Puerto Rico | Andreas Seyfarth | Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH |
| 2001 | Carcassonne | Klaus-Jürgen Wrede | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 2000 | Taj Mahal | Reiner Knizia | alea |
| 1999 | Tikal | Michael Kiesling, Wolfgang Kramer | Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH |
| 1998 | Tigris and Euphrates | Reiner Knizia | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 1997 | Löwenherz | Klaus Teuber | Goldsieber Spiele |
| 1996 | El Grande | Richard Ulrich, Wolfgang Kramer | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 1995 | The Settlers of Catan | Klaus Teuber | Franckh |
| 1994 | Take 6! | Wolfgang Kramer | AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH |
| 1993 | Modern Art | Reiner Knizia | Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH |
| 1992 | Flying Dutchman | Klaus Teuber | Parker Brothers |
| 1991 | Master Labyrinth | Max J. Kobbert | Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH |
| 1990 | Hoity Toity | Klaus Teuber | F.X. Schmid |
Diamond Climber Awards
These are winners of The Diamond Climber Awards, for the best board games of the year submitted by Meeple Mountain, a United States based board game media outlet.| Year | Category | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Game of the Year | Wingspan | Elizabeth Hargrave | Stonemaier Games |
| 2019 | Best Gateway Game | Tiny Towns | Peter McPherson | Alderac Entertainment Group |
| 2019 | Best Family Game | Tiny Towns | Peter McPherson | Alderac Entertainment Group |
| 2019 | Best Artwork | Wingspan | Elizabeth Hargrave | Stonemaier Games |
| 2019 | Best Two Player Game | SHŌBU | Jamie Sajdak, Manolis Vranas | Smirk & Laughter Games |
| 2019 | Best Thematic Game | Horrified | Prospero Hall | Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH |
| 2019 | Best RPG | Star Crossed | Alex Roberts | Bully Pulpit Games |
| 2019 | Best Light Game | Point Salad | Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Shawn Stankewich | Alderac Entertainment Group |
| 2019 | Best Euro Game | Paladins of the West Kingdom | Shem Phillips | Renegade Game Studios |
| 2019 | Best Coop Game | Horrified | Prospero Hall | Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH |
| 2018 | Game of the Year | Root | Cole Wehrle | Leder Games |
| 2018 | Best Gateway Game | Reef | Emerson Matsuuchi | Next Move Games |
| 2018 | Best Thematic Game | Who Goes There? | Anthony Coffey, Jesse Labbe | Certifiable Studios |
| 2018 | Best Euro Game | Coimbra | Flaminia Brasini, Virginio Gigli | eggertspiele |
| 2018 | Best RPG | Kids on Bikes | Jonathan Gilmour, Doug Levandowski | Renegade Game Studios |
| 2018 | Best Filler Game | The Mind | Wolfgang Warsch | Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag |
| 2018 | Best Family Game | Drop It | Bernhard Lach, Uwe Rapp | KOSMOS |
| 2018 | Best Coop Game | Chronicles of Crime | David Cicurel | Lucky Duck Games |
| 2018 | Best Artwork | Root | Cole Wehrle | Leder Games |
Dice Tower Annual Awards
ENnie Awards
The annual ENnie Awards are annual, fan-based awards for role-playing game products and publishers hosted at Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana. The name of the award is derived from the EN World web site that hosted the awards from their inception in 2001 until 2018, and retains the name, although is no longer part of EN World. The ENnies were created by Russ Morrissey and Eric Noah and were run and owned by Morrissey until 2018.Jogo do Ano
These are winners of the Jogo do Ano, for the best board games of the year submitted to Spiel Portugal.| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2018 | Lisboa | Vital Lacerda | Eagle-Gryphon Games |
| 2017 | Great Western Trail | Alexander Pfister | Stronghold Games |
| 2016 | Mombasa | Alexander Pfister | eggertspiele & Pegasus Spiele |
| 2015 | La Granja | Michael Keller and Andreas Odendahl | Spielworxx |
| 2014 | Nations | Rustan Håkansson, Nina Håkansson, Einar Rosén and Robert Rosén | Lautapelit.fi |
| 2012 | Keyflower | Sebastian Bleasdale and Richard Breese | R&D Games |
| 2011 | Ora et Labora | Uwe Rosenberg | Lookout Games |
| 2010 | Troyes | Sébastien Dujardin, Xavier Georges and Alain Orban | Z-Man Games |
| 2009 | Maria | Richard Sivél | Histogame |
| 2008 | Agricola | Uwe Rosenberg | Lookout Games |
| 2007 | Brass | Martin Wallace | Eagle-Gryphon Games |
| 2006 | Imperial | Mac Gerdts | eggertspiele |
''Games'' magazine
The winners of the Games Game of the Year are chosen by Games editors:| Year | Game of the Year | Designer | Publisher |
| 2014 | Garden Dice/The Card Expansion | Doug Bass | Meridae Games |
| 2013 | Trajan | Stefan Feld | Ammonit Spiele |
| 2012 | Tikal II: The Lost Temple | Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling | Asmodée Editions |
| 2011 | Jump Gate | Matt Worden | Matt Worden Games |
| 2010 | Small World | Philippe Keyaerts | Days of Wonder |
| 2009 | Tzaar | Kris Burm | Rio Grande Games |
| 2008 | Pillars of the Earth | Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler | Mayfair Games |
| 2007 | Vegas Showdown | Henry Stern | Avalon Hill |
| 2006 | Australia | Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling | Rio Grande Games |
| 2005 | BuyWord | Sid Sackson | Face2Face Games |
| 2004 | New England | Alan Moon and Aaron Weissblum | Überplay |
| 2003 | DVONN | Kris Burm | Rio Grande |
| 2002 | Evo | Philippe Keyaerts | Eurogames-Descartes USA |
| 2001 | Aladdin's Dragons | Richard Breese | Rio Grande |
| 2000 | Torres | Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling | Rio Grande |
| 1999 | Fossil | Klaus Palesch | Rio Grande |
| 1998 | Quoridor | Mirko Marchesi | Great American Trading Co. |
| 1997 | 25 Words or Less | Winning Moves | |
| 1995 | Sharp Shooters | Milton Bradley | |
| 1994 | Myst | Robyn Miller and Rand Miller | Broderbund |
| 1993 | Inklings | Mattel | |
| 1992 | Pipeline | Playco Hawaii | |
| 1991 | Trumpet | International Games |
Golden Geek Award
The BoardGameGeek Golden Geek Award was originally presented at the BGG.CON event in November, but is currently announced annually in March. The winners of the Golden Geek are selected by the nomination and voting of the user community of BoardGameGeek.com website.| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Wingspan | Elizabeth Hargrave | Stonemaier Games |
| 2018 | Root | Cole Wehrle | Leder Games |
| 2017 | Gloomhaven | Isaac Childres | Cephalofair Games |
| 2016 | Scythe | Jamey Stegmaier | Stonemaier Games |
| 2015 | Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 | Matt Leacock, Rob Daviau | Z-Man Games |
| 2014 | Splendor | Marc André | Space Cowboys |
| 2013 | Terra Mystica | Helge Ostertag, Jens Drögemüller | Feuerland Spiele |
| 2012 | Eclipse | Touko Tahkokallio | Lautapelit.fi |
| 2011 | Dominant Species | Chad Jensen | GMT Games |
| 2010 | Hansa Teutonica | Andreas Steding | Argentum Verlag |
| 2009 | Dominion | Donald X. Vaccarino | Rio Grande Games |
| 2008 | Agricola | Uwe Rosenberg | Lookout Games |
| 2007 | Shogun | Dirk Henn | Queen Games |
| 2006 | Caylus | William Attia | Ẏstari Games |
Mensa Select
These are winners of Mensa Select Award, for the five best board games of the year submitted to Mensa Mind Games| 2015 | Trekking the National Parks | Charlie Bink | Bink Inc LLC |
| 2015 | Letter Tycoon | Brad Brooks | Breaking Games |
| 2015 | Lanterns: The Harvest Festival | Christopher Chung | Renegade Game Studio |
| 2015 | Dragonwood :A Game of Dice & Daring | Darren Kisgen | Gamewright Inc. |
| 2015 | Castles of Mad King Ludwig | Ted Alspach | Bezier Games |
| 2014 | Euphoria | Jamie Stegmaier | Stonemaier Games |
| 2014 | Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension | Corey Young | Cryptozoic Entertainment |
| 2014 | Pyramix | Tim Roediger | Gamewright |
| 2014 | Qwixx | Steffen Benndorf | Gamewright |
| 2014 | The Duke | Jeremy Holcomb | Catalyst Game Labs |
| 2013 | Forbidden Desert | Matt Leacock | Gamewright |
| 2013 | Ghooost! | Richard Garfield | Iello |
| 2013 | Kerflip | Damon Tabb | Creative Foundry Games |
| 2013 | Kulami | Andreas Kuhnekath | Foxmind Games |
| 2013 | Suburbia | Ted Alspach | Bezier Games |
| 2012 | Coerceo | Erik Gortzen | Coerceo Company |
| 2012 | Iota | Gene Mackles | Iota |
| 2012 | Mine Shift | John Forte, Jr | Mindware |
| 2012 | Snake Oil | Jeff Ochs | Snake Oil, LLC |
| 2012 | Tetris Link | TechnoSource | |
| 2011 | Instructures | Jane Mathews | Jane's Games |
| 2011 | Pastiche | Sean D MacDonald | Gryphon Games |
| 2011 | Pirate vs Pirate | Max Winter Osterhaus | Out of the Box |
| 2011 | Stomple | Greg Zima | GaZima Games |
| 2011 | Uncle Chestnut's Table Gype | Paul E Nowak and Christopher Nowak | Eternal Revolution |
| 2010 | Anomia | Andrew Innes | Anomia Press |
| 2010 | Dizios | Nicholas Cravotta | MindWare |
| 2010 | Forbidden Island | Matt Leacock | Gamewright |
| 2010 | Word on the Street | Jack Degnan | Out of the Box |
| 2010 | Yikerz! | Wiggles 3D Incorporated | |
| 2009 | Cornerstone | Matt Mette | Good Company Games |
| 2009 | Dominion | Donald X Vaccarino | Rio Grande Games |
| 2009 | Marrakech | Dominique Ehrhard | Fundex |
| 2009 | Stratum | Jose' L Navas | Family Games America, Inc |
| 2009 | Tic-Tac-Ku | Mark Asperheim and Cris Van Oosterum | Mad Cave Bird Games |
| 2008 | AmuseAmaze | Ethan Goffman | HL Games |
| 2008 | Eye Know | Paul Berton and George Sinclair | Wiggles 3D Inc |
| 2008 | Jumbulaya | Julie Archer and Karl Archer | Platypus Games |
| 2008 | Pixel | Ariel Laden | Educational Insights |
| 2008 | Tiki Topple | Keith Meyers | Gamewright |
| 2007 | Gemlok | Donald Meyer | Pywacket Games |
| 2007 | Gheos | Rene' Wiersma | Z-Man Games |
| 2007 | Hit or Miss | Garrett J Donner, Brian S Spence, and Michael S Steer | Gamewright |
| 2007 | Qwirkle | Susan McKinley Ross | MindWare |
| 2007 | Skullduggery | K Allegra Vernon | Outset Media Games |
| 2006 | Deflexion | Luke Hooper, Michael Larson, and Del Segura | Deflexion |
| 2006 | Hive | John Yianni | Smart Zone Games |
| 2006 | Keesdrow | Donald Meyer | Pywacket |
| 2006 | Pentago | Tomas Floden | Mindtwister USA |
| 2006 | Wits & Wagers | Dominic Crapuchettes | North Star Games |
| 2005 | DaVinci's Challenge | Paul Micarelli | Briarpatch |
| 2005 | Ingenious | Reiner Knizia | Fantasy Flight Games |
| 2005 | Loot | Reiner Knizia | Gamewright |
| 2005 | Niagara | Thomas Liesching | Rio Grande Games |
| 2005 | Zendo | Kory Heath | Looney Labs |
| 2004 | 10 Days in Africa/USA | Alan Moon and Aaron Weissblum | Out of the Box |
| 2004 | Basari | Reinhard Staupe | Out of the Box |
| 2004 | The Bridges of Shangri-La | Leo Colovini | Uberplay Entertainment |
| 2004 | Rumis | Stefan Kogl | Educational Insights |
| 2004 | Yinsh | Kris Burm | Rio Grande Games |
| 2003 | Blokus | Bernard Tavitian | Educational Insights |
| 2003 | Cityscape | Sjaak Griffioen | Out of the Box |
| 2003 | Fire & Ice | Jens-Peter Schliemann | Out of the Box |
| 2003 | Octiles | Dale Walton | Out of the Box |
| 2003 | TransAmerica | Franz-Benno Delonge | Rio Grande Games |
| 2002 | Curses! | Brian Tinsman | Play All Day Games |
| 2002 | Dvonn | Kris Burm | Rio Grande Games |
| 2002 | The Legend of Landlock | Edith Schlichting | Gamewright |
| 2002 | Muggins! | Muggins Math | |
| 2002 | Smart Mouth | Theo Coster, Ora Coster, and Theora Design | Binary Arts |
| 2001 | Brainstrain | DJ Calhoun | Chuckle Games Company |
| 2001 | Dao | Jeff Pickering and Ben VanBuskirk | Playdao.com |
| 2001 | Metro | Dirk Henn | Queen Games |
| 2001 | Shapes Up! | Educational Insights | |
| 2001 | The Poll Game | Eric Martin and Jeff Snow | Thepollgame, LLC |
| 2000 | 3 Stones | Andy Daniel | Enginuity Games |
| 2000 | Finish Lines | Joan Moravick | Games For All Reasons |
| 2000 | Imaginiff | Jack Lawson and Andrew Lawson | Buffalo Games |
| 2000 | Time's Up! | Peter Sarrett | R&R Games |
| 2000 | Zertz | Kris Burm | Schmidt International/Rio Grande Games |
| 1999 | Apples to Apples | Matthew Kirby | Out of the Box |
| 1999 | Bollox | Rob Nelson | Cadaco |
| 1999 | Doubles Wild | Andy Daniel | Enginuity Games |
| 1999 | Fluxx | Andrew Looney | Looney Labs |
| 1999 | Quiddler | Marsha Falco | Set Enterprises |
| 1998 | Avalam | Philippe Deweys | Great American Trading Company |
| 1998 | Cube Checkers | Gillespie and Rolling | DCP Limited |
| 1998 | Kram | Mark Blazczyk | Du Botting Originals |
| 1998 | Spy Alley | William Stephenson | Spy Alley Partners |
| 1998 | Wadjet | Dee Pomerleau | Timbuk II |
| 1997 | Hattrick! | Björn Holmér | US Games Systems |
| 1997 | Quoridor | Mirko Marchesi | Great American Trading Company |
| 1997 | Rush Hour | Nob Yoshigahara | Think Fun |
| 1997 | Sagarian | Jason Yearout | Sagarian |
| 1997 | Stops | Don Kimball | Stops |
| 1996 | Pirateer | Scott Peterson | Mendocino Game Company |
| 1996 | Quadwrangle | Maureen Hiron | Great American Trading Company |
| 1996 | Rat-a-Tat Cat | Ann and Monty Stambler | Gamewright |
| 1996 | Take 6! | Wolfgang Kramer | US Games Systems |
| 1996 | Touche' | Wayne Bobette | Wayne Bobette Enterprises |
| 1995 | Continuo | Maureen Hiron | US Games Systems |
| 1995 | Duo | Maureen Hiron | US Games Systems |
| 1995 | Quixo | Thierry Chapeau | Great American Trading Company |
| 1995 | The Great Dalmuti | Richard Garfield | Wizards of the Coast |
| 1995 | Word Spin Scramble | Geospace Products Co, Inc | |
| 1994 | Char | Frank Bechter | Bechter Productions, Inc. |
| 1994 | Chung Toi | W. Reginald Chung | House of Chung Enterprises |
| 1994 | Down Fall | Western Publishing, Inc. | |
| 1994 | Richard Garfield | Wizards of the Coast | |
| 1994 | Pyraos | David G. Royffe | Great American Trading Co. |
| 1993 | Farook | Stewart M. Lamle | Amuse, Inc.. |
| 1993 | Inklings | Mattel | |
| 1993 | Overturn | Ron and Pat Dubren | Pressman |
| 1993 | Quadrature | Mark Steere | Mark Steere Games |
| 1993 | Quarto! | Blaise Muller | Gigamic |
| 1992 | Kinesis | Adam Byer | Cherry Street Games |
| 1992 | Q4 | Abalone Games Corp | |
| 1992 | Terrace | Anton Dresden | Siler/Siler Ventures |
| 1992 | Traverse | Michael Kuby, John Miller | Educational Insights |
| 1992 | Why Not? | Herman Erikson | Our Game Company |
| 1991 | Clue: The Great Museum Caper | John Labelle, Thomas and Dave Rabideau | Parker Brothers |
| 1991 | Lapis | Pango, Inc | |
| 1991 | Master Labyrinth | Max J. Kobbert | International Playthings |
| 1991 | Pyramis | Murray J. Gould, James R. Longacre | Abalone Games Corp |
| 1991 | Set | Marsha J. Falco | Set Enterprises |
| 1990 | Abalone | Michael Lalet, Laurent Levi | Abalone Games Corp |
| 1990 | Scattergories | Milton Bradley | |
| 1990 | Taboo | Brian Hersch | Milton Bradley |
| 1990 | Tribond | Ed Muccini, Tim Walsh, Dave Yearick | Big Fun A Go-Go |
| 1990 | Trivial Pursuit, Genus Edition | Scott Abbot, Chris Haney | Parker Brothers |
Origin Awards
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins. The categories for the Origins award can vary from year to year, and there is not a "Game of the Year" per se.The Origins Award is commonly referred to as a Calliope, as the statuette is in the likeness of the muse of the same name. Academy members frequently shorten this name to "Callie."
Spiel des Jahres
These are winners of Spiel des Jahres, the German board game award.| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Just One | Ludovic Roudy & Bruno Sautter | Repos Production |
| 2018 | Azul | Michael Kiesling | Next Move/Plan B Games |
| 2017 | Kingdomino | Bruno Cathala | Blue Orange Games |
| 2016 | Codenames | Vlaada Chvátil | Czech Games Edition |
| 2015 | Colt Express | Christophe Raimbault | Ludonaute |
| 2014 | Camel Up | Steffen Bogen | Eggertspiele |
| 2013 | Hanabi | Antoine Bauza | Asmodée Éditions |
| 2012 | Kingdom Builder | Donald X. Vaccarino | Queen Games |
| 2011 | Qwirkle | Susan McKinley Ross | Mindware |
| 2010 | Dixit | Jean-Louis Roubira | Libellud |
| 2009 | Dominion | Donald X. Vaccarino | Rio Grande Games |
| 2008 | Keltis | Reiner Knizia | Kosmos |
| 2007 | Zooloretto | Michael Schacht | Abacus Spiele |
| 2006 | Thurn and Taxis | Andreas Seyfarth and Karen Seyfarth | Hans im Glück |
| 2005 | Niagara | Thomas Liesching | Zoch Verlag |
| 2004 | Ticket to Ride | Alan R. Moon | Days of Wonder |
| 2003 | Alhambra | Dirk Henn | Queen Games |
| 2002 | Villa Paletti | Bill Payne | Zoch Verlag |
| 2001 | Carcassonne | Klaus-Jürgen Wrede | Hans im Glück |
| 2000 | Torres | Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling | Ravensburger |
| 1999 | Tikal | Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling | Ravensburger |
| 1998 | Elfenland | Alan R. Moon | Amigo Spiele |
| 1997 | Mississippi Queen | Werner Hodel | Goldsieber |
| 1996 | El Grande | Wolfgang Kramer and Richard Ulrich | Hans im Glück |
| 1995 | The Settlers of Catan | Klaus Teuber | Kosmos |
| 1994 | Manhattan | Andreas Seyfarth | Hans im Glück |
| 1993 | Call My Bluff | Richard Borg | F.X. Schmid |
| 1992 | Um Reifenbreite | Rob Bontenbal | Jumbo |
| 1991 | Drunter und Drüber | Klaus Teuber | Hans im Glück |
| 1990 | Hoity Toity | Klaus Teuber | F.X. Schmid |
| 1989 | Café International | Rudi Hoffmann | Mattel |
| 1988 | Barbarossa | Klaus Teuber | Altenburger und Stralsunder |
| 1987 | Auf Achse | Wolfgang Kramer | F.X. Schmid |
| 1986 | Top Secret Spies | Wolfgang Kramer | Ravensburger |
| 1985 | Raymond Edwards, Suzanne Goldberg and Gary Grady | Kosmos | |
| 1984 | Railway Rivals | David Watts | Schmidt Spiele |
| 1983 | Scotland Yard | Werner Schlegel, Dorothy Garrels, Fritz Ifland, Manfred Burggraf, Werner Scheerer and Wolf Hoermann | Ravensburger |
| 1982 | Enchanted Forest | Alex Randolph and Michel Matschoss | Ravensburger |
| 1981 | Focus | Sid Sackson | Parker |
| 1980 | Rummikub | Ephraim Hertzano | Intelli |
| 1979 | Hare and Tortoise | David Parlett | Ravensburger |
Kennerspiel des Jahres
These are winners of Kennerspiel des Jahres, an expansion of the German Spiel des Jahres board game award starting in 2011. It translates to "connoisseur/expert game of the year" and is meant for more experienced gamers.| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Wingspan | Elizabeth Hargrave | Stonemaier Games |
| 2018 | Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg | Wolfgang Warsch | Schmidt Spiele |
| 2017 | EXIT: The Game | Inka Brand, Markus Brand | KOSMOS |
| 2016 | Isle of Skye | Andreas Pelikan, Alexander Pfister | Mayfair Games |
| 2015 | Broom Service | Andreas Pelikan, Alexander Pfister | alea, Ravensburger |
| 2014 | Istanbul | Rüdiger Dorn | Pegasus Spiele |
| 2013 | Legends of Andor | Michael Menzel | Fantasy Flight Games |
| 2012 | Village | Inka Brand and Markus Brand | Pegasus Spiele |
| 2011 | 7 Wonders | Antoine Bauza | Repos Production |
Kinderspiel des Jahres
The Kinderspiel des Jahres is awarded every year to the best children's game by a jury of German game critics. This award is to children's games what the Spiel des Jahres is to family games.2001 was the first year that the Kinderspiel des Jahres was officially awarded. Prior to that year, it was the Sonderpreis "Kinderspiel". Since the intent behind both awards is the same, it is customary to refer to the 1989–2000 Sonderpreis winners as having won the Kinderspiel des Jahres.
| Year | Winner | Designer | Publisher |
| 2019 | Valley of the Vikings | Marie and Wilfried Fort | Haba |
| 2018 | Funkelschatz | Lena und Günter Burkhardt | Haba |
| 2017 | Ice Cool | Brian Gomez | -- |
| 2016 | My First Stone Age | Marco Teubner | -- |
| 2015 | Spinderella | Roberto Fraga | -- |
| 2014 | Geister, Geister, Schatzsuchmeister! | Brian Yu | -- |
| 2013 | Der verzauberte Turm | Inka Brand & Markus Brand | -- |
| 2012 | Schnappt Hubi! | Steffen Bogen | -- |
| 2011 | Da ist der Wurm drin | Carmen Kleinert | -- |
| 2010 | Diego Drachenzahn | Manfred Ludwig | -- |
| 2009 | Das magische Labyrinth | Dirk Baumann | -- |
| 2008 | Wer war's? | Reiner Knizia | -- |
| 2007 | Beppo der Bock | Klaus Zoch & Peter Schackert | -- |
| 2006 | Der schwarze Pirat | Guido Hoffmann | -- |
| 2005 | Das Kleine Gespenst | Kai Haferkamp | -- |
| 2004 | Spooky Stairs | Michelle Schanen | -- |
| 2003 | Viva Topo! | Manfred Ludwig | -- |
| 2002 | Maskenball der Käfer | Peter-Paul Joopen | -- |
| 2001 | Klondike | Stefanie Rohner and Christian Wolf | -- |
| 2000 | Arbos | Martin Arnold and Armin Müller | -- |
| 1999 | Kayanak | Peter-Paul Joopen | -- |
| 1998 | Chicken Cha Cha Cha | Klaus Zoch | -- |
| 1997 | Leinen los! | Alex Randolph | -- |
| 1996 | Vier zu mir! | Heike Baum | -- |
| 1995 | Karambolage | Heinz Meister | -- |
| 1994 | Loopin' Louie | Carol Wiseley | -- |
| 1993 | Ringel-Rangel | Geni Wyss | -- |
| 1992 | Galloping Pigs | Heinz Meister | -- |
| 1991 | Piraten-Abenteuer | Wolfgang Kramer | -- |
| 1990 | My Haunted Castle | Virginia Charves | -- |
| 1989 | Gute Freunde | Alex Randolph | -- |