The 2025 Spiel des Jahres nominees are officially out, and let’s just say—this year’s lineup is wild. Whether you’re into explosive co-op chaos, high-stakes card flipping, or abstract squiggle sorcery, Germany’s biggest board game award just dropped its shortlist—and the hype train is leaving the station.
Spiel des Jahres
Bomb Busters
First on the battlefield is Bomb Busters, the comic-book styled co-op puzzle game by Hisashi Hayashi, brought to life by Pegasus Spiele. Think: you and your squad are defusing cartoon bombs using math, memory, and sheer panic. It’s giving Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, but in cardboard form—and the jury is loving it. They called it a “team-building thrill ride,” packed with escalating missions and logic-based adrenaline. If your game nights haven’t ended in mild existential dread and explosive laughter, you’re doing it wrong.
Flip 7
Next up, Flip 7 struts in with a poker face. Designed by Eric Olsen, this sleek push-your-luck card game has players flipping numbered cards to score big—until you bust out from flipping a duplicate. It’s fast. It’s flashy. It’s a serotonin slot machine. The jury praised its accessibility and high table energy, but the internet’s got some questions. Reddit’s already side-eyeing it as a “Pairs clone”, and let’s be honest—some board game purists aren’t thrilled with how casual it feels. Still, it’s addictively good.
Krakel Orakel
Then there’s Krakel Orakel, and oh boy, this one’s for the chaotic creatives. Players sketch using only weird squiggle lines, trying to communicate abstract concepts without the ability to actually draw. Imagine Pictionary got drunk, stole your doodle pad, and said, “figure it out.” It’s messy. It’s hilarious. And the jury’s into its originality, even if some fans are comparing it to 2020’s Pictures and questioning the innovation. But hey—sometimes, chaos wins awards.
Kennerspiel des Jahres
Endeavor: Deep Sea
Meanwhile, over in the Kennerspiel des Jahres category—aka the more complex, thinky stuff—we’ve got Endeavor: Deep Sea, a deep-sea exploration game that dials up the replayability and modular strategy like it’s nobody’s business.
Faraway
Faraway is twisting brains with its clever mechanic where the last card you play is the first one scored, completely flipping how you plan moves.
Looot
And Looot brings Viking-era resource battles to your table, complete with tactical maneuvers and mid-game betrayals. It’s like a historical drama but with wooden tokens and silent grudges.
Kinderspiel des Jahres
Cascadia Junior
For the little nerds out there, the Kinderspiel nominees are bringing wholesome chaos. Cascadia Junior shrinks the beloved nature puzzler down to kid-size.
Die Mäusebande
Die Mäusebande is a cooperative memory romp starring mice who are definitely up to something.
Topp die Torte
And Topp die Torte challenges young players to build the best cake tower without it all tumbling down—basically Jenga meets Nailed It.
Winners
Mark your calendars for July 13, 2025—because that’s when the winners get crowned in Berlin. Until then, expect fan debates, hot takes, and maybe a few spicy thinkpieces about whether the Spiel des Jahres is getting too “family friendly” for its own good. You know how it goes.
