This is the best board games each year according to some different awards. The names are mostly in English, but in the original language if such a name is missing.
American "Origins Award" is also an important price but has a very confusing time line and lots of different awards that inflict with each other. The Swedish price "Årets spel" is not a very important price but one of the oldest beginning in 1984.
Interestingly enough "Årets spel" 2018 is Diamant, a game from 2005! All others in this list chose Azul. But this seems to be the way of board games, they are not released everywhere at the same time. Good games might last longer than people think. Another example is the "Spiel des Jahres" winner in 1991: Um Reifenbreite that is actually a Dutch game from 1979!
It also seems that the Swedish jury during the 00s had almost the same taste for board games as "Spiel des Jahres", but later that changed again. Weirdly, Ubongo has won "Årets spel" twice, first 2003 under the name Pyramidens portar, then again in 2009! Somebody did not know their own history very well.
If you see something wrong in this list, please mail us. As you also see there are some questions marks. The "Origins Awards" are so full of questions it is impossible to list it...
| Spiel des Jahres | Årets spel | As d'Or | Deutscher Spiele Preis | |
| Germany | Sweden | France | Germany | |
2019 |
Just One |
Planet |
The Mind |
Wingspan |
| 2018 | Azul | Diamant | Azul | Azul |
| 2017 | Kingdomino | Patchwork | Unlock! | Terraforming Mars |
| 2016 | Codenames | Otrio | Mysterium | Mombasa |
| 2015 | Colt Express | Klask | Colt Express | The Voyages of Marco Polo |
| 2014 | Camel Up | La Boca | Concept | Russian Railroads |
| 2013 | Hanabi | Quizmysteriet | Legends of Andor | Terra Mystica |
| 2012 | Kingdom Builder | Lift it! | Takenoko | Village |
| 2011 | Qwirkle | LEGO Champion | Skull | 7 Wonders |
| 2010 | Dixit | Ponder | Duplik | Fresco |
| 2009 | Dominion | Ubongo | Dixit | Dominion |
| 2008 | Keltis | Niagara | Marrakech | Agricola |
| 2007 | Zooloretto | Portobello Market | Wicked Witches Way | The Pillars of the Earth |
| 2006 | Thurn and Taxis | Bernini | Time's Up! | Caylus |
| 2005 | Niagara | Ticket to Ride | ? | Louis XIV |
| 2004 | Ticket to Ride | Blokus | Ticket to Ride | Saint Petersburg |
| 2003 | Alhambra | Ubongo (Pyramidens P.) | Alhambra | Amun-Re |
| 2002 | Villa Paletti | Carcassonne | Bakari | Puerto Rico |
| 2001 | Carcassonne | Diceman | Blokus | Carcassonne |
| 2000 | Torres | N.Y. Chase | Kahuna | Taj Mahal |
| 1999 | Tikal | Herre på täppan | Spice Navigator | Tikal |
| 1998 | Elfenland | Lotus | Zatre | Tigris & Euphrates |
| 1997 | Mississippi Queen | Svea rike | Gang of Four | Löwenherz |
| 1996 | El Grande | Snapshot | Magic - The Gathering | El Grande |
| 1995 | The Settlers of Catan | Manhattan | Condottiere | The Settlers of Catan |
| 1994 | Manhattan | Foqus | Pusher | Take 6! |
| 1993 | Call my Bluff | Spectrangle | Pipeline | Modern Art |
| 1992 | Um Reifenbreite | Ostindiska kompaniet | Quarto | Flying Dutchman |
| 1991 | Drunter und Drüber | Maestro | ? | Master Labyrinth |
| 1990 | Adel Verpflichtet | Balderdash | Tutankhamen's Rev. | Hoity Toity |
| 1989 | Café International | Ave Caesar | Abalone | |
| 1988 | Barbarossa | The aMAZEing Labyrinth | SuperGang | |
| 1987 | Auf Achse | Orient Express | ||
| 1986 | Top Secret Spies | Phantoms vs Phantoms | ||
| 1985 | Sherlock Holmes | Trivial Pursuit | ||
| 1984 | Railway Rivals | Mandala | ||
| 1983 | Scotland Yard | |||
| 1982 | Enchanted Forest | |||
| 1981 | Focus | |||
| 1980 | Rummikub | |||
| 1979 | Hare and Tortoise |