ALBI at SPIEL 2026 - Your Ultimate SPIEL Guide

Two booths, brand-new games, their designers – and a few surprises worth stopping for
October 22–25, 2026 · Messe Essen · Hall 4 D400 + Hall 6 E110

Our new releases are now featured in the BoardGameGeek SPIEL Essen 2026 Preview! If any of them catch your eye, please GIVE OUR GAMES A THUMBS-UP ON BGG — a simple click that helps our games stand out among thousands of SPIEL releases. Thank you.

HALL 4 · D400 · The main ALBI booth

This is where you'll find all our new releases, our demo team and game designers, SPIEL offers and pre-order pick-up. And somewhere in the corner, a dragon is guarding some Karak loot. More on that later.

HALL 6 · E110 · Night at the ZOO takes over

A whole booth dedicated to Night at the ZOO and its new Latecomers expansion. Never played before? We'll teach you. Already know the zoo? Come meet four new animals that play by their own rules.

Don't miss your chance to reserve our newest releases, including special bundle deals, and have them waiting for you at SPIEL Essen!

PRE-ORDER YOUR GAMES 

Pick-up is easy: Just tell us your name at Hall 4 · D400 or Hall 6 · E110. Please collect your games by Saturday, October 24 at 12:00.

Exclusive free promo items are available with pre-orders or to ALBI newsletter subscribers, while supplies last.

Looking for a SPIEL Bargain? We'll also have a selection of ALBI games at special discounted prices.

From family-friendly puzzles and fast-paced adventures to strategic euro games and clever card play – find your next favourite at our demo tables.

ABAKU

Designer: Vladimír Tesař
2–4 players · 30+ min · Age 10+
Family Strategy Game · Number & Pattern Building
Build a crossword-style grid of mathematical equations, connect numbers strategically and score points with every clever placement.

KARAK: LABYRINTH

Designer: Petr Vojtěch
1–4 players · 20 min · Age 6+
Family Adventure · Real-Time Drawing
Race through a shifting fantasy labyrinth! Draw your path, defeat monsters and collect treasures in this fast-paced Karak adventure.

NIGHT AT THE ZOO

Designer: Tomáš Holek
1–4 players · 30+ min · Age 10+
Family Puzzle · Tile Drafting & Placement
Help your animals sneak back into the sleeping zoo! Draft and place tiles, trigger clever actions and plan around each animal's unique movement.

POTEMKIN VILLAGES

Designer: Petr Čáslava
2–4 players · 30+ min · Age 12+
Cooperative Card Game · Trick-Taking
Outsmart Catherine the Great together! Win tricks, activate unique character powers and build convincing villages to maintain the illusion.

PRAGUE UNSEEN

Designers: Petr Vojtěch, Michal Peichl & Jindřich Pavlásek
1–4 players · 90+ min · Age 14+
Strategic Eurogame · Worker Placement
Rebuild mystical 19th-century Prague with legendary creatures, creating new action spaces and competing for influence over the city.

DIRT & DUST: HARBORDRIFT

Designer: Petr Čáslava
1–4 players · 90 min · Age 14+
Requires Dirt & Dust.
Strategic Racing · Risk & Speed Management
Take your rally to the harbor! Drift between cargo containers on a new course where speed, damage and risk all matter.

KARAK II: INFERNO

Designer: Petr Mikša
1–5 players · 45+ min · Age: 10+
Requires Karak II.
Fantasy Adventure Expansion · Dungeon Crawling & Tactical Combat
Descend into a fiery new chapter of Karak II! Face dangerous new enemies and challenges as you explore, fight and develop your heroes.

NIGHT AT THE ZOO: LATECOMERS

Designer: Tomáš Holek
1–4 players · 30+ min · Age 10+
Requires Night at the ZOO.
Family Puzzle · New Animal Movement Abilities
Four new animals – Crocodile, Meerkat, Monkey and Turtle – bring unique movement patterns and fresh combinations to your zoo.

Ever wondered how your favourite games came to life? Meet their designers at SPIEL, have a chat, snap a photo or get your game signed. No booking needed. Just come by.

Petr Vojtěch & Michal Peichl · Prague Unseen

Hall 4 · D400
Daily from 14:00 · Meet & Greet with Petr Vojtěch, co-designer of Prague Unseen.
Thursday, October 22: Fellow designer Michal Peichl joins him.
Petr is also the creator of Karak: Labyrinth, a brand-new adventure in the beloved Karak fantasy universe. Come try it and meet the mind behind it.

Tomáš Holek · Night at the ZOO

Hall 6 · E110 · Saturday, October 24
15:00–16:00 · Meet & Greet: Discover the ideas behind Night at the ZOO.
16:00–17:00 · Play with the Designer: Grab a seat and challenge Tomáš at his own game!

This year, we're teaming up with Gerlich-Odry, a Czech maker of handcrafted wooden gaming tables. Four of his beautiful tables will showcase our games at SPIEL – and their creator, Tomáš, will be there in person to talk about his craftsmanship and designs.

Don’t miss our special Roll & Win stand at 4D400. Join the ALBI newsletter (or show you're already subscribed), roll two dice through our majestic Dragon Dice Tower, and defeat a monster to claim your loot. Pins, stickers, coasters, bags and other Karak goodies await — free to play, while supplies last.

We're trying something new at SPIEL this year. Together with QRun.fun, we've prepared an interactive digital quiz that takes you on a little adventure across both ALBI booths.

Download the free app from Google Play or the App Store and get ready to play. Start at the Quick Pitch table at booth 4D400, scan your first QR code and follow the clues to find the next ones. Keep your eyes open – some answers are hidden around our booths.

And there's a prize worth playing for: Every day, the top-scoring quiz player will win a voucher to spend on games at the ALBI booth.