SPIEL Essen

About SPIEL Essen

SPIEL Essen is the world's largest fair for board games, held every year at Messe Essen in Germany. Organized by Merz Verlag, the event brings together publishers, game designers, illustrators, retailers and players from around the world over four days to discover new board games, card games, role-playing games and tabletop titles. Visitors can try out countless new releases at the game tables, meet authors and artists and buy games directly at the stands, while the industry uses SPIEL as its central meeting point for licensing, distribution and business partnerships.

Event Focus

Board Games | Card Games | Family Games | Strategy Games | Trading Card Games | Role-Playing Games | Tabletop & Miniature Games | Puzzles | Children's Games | Party Games | Game Accessories | Cosplay & Character Play | Licensing & Publishing | Game Design & Illustration

Event Highlights

900+ Exhibitors from 50 Countries, 220,000 Visitors from 80+ Countries and 1,700+ New Releases make SPIEL Essen the biggest board game event in the world. The fair fills the halls of Messe Essen with thousands of game tables, author signings, tournaments and live shows, the presentation of the Deutscher Spielepreis (German Games Prize), the largest community award for board games, a B2B matchmaking service for trade visitors and four days of play, discovery and business.

Why Attend

SPIEL Essen is where the board game world comes together. Try out the newest games before anyone else, meet the designers, publishers and illustrators behind them, and experience the enthusiasm of a global gaming community. For publishers, retailers, distributors and licensing partners, SPIEL is the key business platform of the year to present new titles, test market reactions, find international partners and close deals. SPIEL Essen is essential for anyone who makes, sells or loves games.