The Road to SPIEL Essen 2026 Begins
With Gen Con just around the corner, we're already looking ahead to another major milestone of this year's board gaming season—SPIEL Essen, taking place 22–25 October 2026 in Messe Essen, Germany. This October, ALBI will make its largest appearance in the company's history.
- Business & meetings
We've grown our exhibition space from 65 m² to 175 m², nearly tripling the size of last year's booth. That means more games, more demo tables, more opportunities to meet our designers, partners and players—and, above all, more space to play together.
SPIEL pre-orders are now open
You can now reserve selected ALBI games in English or German and pick them up directly at our booth during SPIEL. Your reservation also gives you access to exclusive promotional items & special SPIEL bundles
Can't make it to Essen yourself? No problem—your friend can collect the order on your behalf. Simply enter their name in the pre-order form, and we'll have everything ready.
>> Pre-order Games for SPIEL <<
Help Our Games Climb the BGG SPIEL Preview. Every thumbs-up helps more players discover our games.
Discover the ALBI 2026 lineup
From family adventures and strategic euro games to cooperative challenges and real-time excitement, here's what we're bringing to SPIEL Essen 2026.
Night at the ZOO + Latecomers expansion + Unicorn Mini Expansion
Designer: Tomáš Holek • Illustrator: Tereza Kovandová • Players: 1–4 • Play Time: 30+ min • Age: 10+
Night Animal Adventure • Tile Placement
Help the animals return to the zoo under the cover of night before anyone notices.
Latecomers adds even more replayability, while the Unicorn Mini Expansion introduces a playful new animal with a unique twist.
Prague Unseen
Designers: Michal Peichl, Petr Vojtěch & Jindřich Pavlásek • Illustrator: Jindřich Pavlásek • Players: 1–4 • Play Time: 90+ min • Age: 14+
Mythical Prague Rebuilding • Worker Placement
Help rebuild mythical Prague alongside legendary creatures and shape the city's future.
Potemkin Villages
Designer: Petr Čáslava • Illustrator: Ekaterina Bystroň • Players: 1–4 • Play Time: 30+ min • Age: 12+
Historical Deception • Cooperative Trick-Taking
Work together to build the most convincing villages and impress the Empress in this unique cooperative trick-taking game.
Karak: Labyrinth
Designer: Petr Vojtěch • Illustrator: Petr Mikša • Players: 1–4 • Play Time: 20 min • Age: 6+
Fantasy Dungeon Adventure • Real-Time Drawing
Draw your own labyrinth in real time, defeat monsters, discover treasures, and become the greatest hero.
Abaku
Designer: Vladimír Tesař • Players: 2–4 • Play Time: 30+ min • Age: 10+
Mathematical Crossword • Pattern Building
Build a crossword of numbers instead of words. Every row and column must form a correct mathematical equation.
Dirt & Dust: Harbordrift (Expansion)
Designer: Petr Čáslava • Illustrator: Jakub Politzer • Players: 1–4 • Play Time: 90 min • Age: 14+
Container Port Racing • Drift Challenge
Take your trucks into the harbour and drift like crazy between cargo containers.
Karak II: Inferno (Expansion)
Designer: Petr Mikša • Players: 1–5 • Play Time: 45+ min • Age: 10+
Fantasy Adventure • Modular Expansion
Descend into the Inferno with new heroes, new modules, and fresh challenges that expand every game of Karak II.
More is still to come...
In the coming weeks, we'll reveal more about our two booths, special activities, designer meet & greets, and a few surprises we're preparing for SPIEL.
See you in Essen! Hall 4 – D400 • Hall 6 – E110
Text: Albi Team