For those of us not lucky enough to be in Essen during Spiel, there’s always the question of what the hot new games are this year.  One of the favorite ways of judging this are the ratings posted by Fairplay Magazine.  We thought we’d pass on the final lists from the fair.  This year, they separated them into two categories:  Connoisseur and Expert Games, and Children’s and Family Games.  The games are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is best.  In each category, a game needs to receive a minimum number of ratings in order to get ranked, but there is also a second list of “Hidden Gems”, for games that received a smaller number of ratings.  So here are the games that made the lists for 2024.

Connoisseur and Expert Games (minimum 13 ratings)

1. Endeavor: Deep Sea – 4.4
2. Black Forest – 4.2
3. Windmill Valley – 4.2
4. SETI – 4.2
5. LotR: Duel for Middle-Earth – 4.2
6. Civolution – 4.1
7. Apiary – 4.0
8. Beyond the Horizon – 4.0
9. Nova Roma – 4.0
10. Kathmandu – 3.8

Connoisseur and Expert Hidden Gems (5-12 ratings)

1. A Message from the Stars – 4.4
2. AI: 100% Human – 4.4
3. Minos – 4.4
4. Robotrick – 4.4
5. Saltfjord – 4.4
6. Chartered: Building Amsterdam – 4.3
7. Galileo Galilei – 4.3
8. Gibberers – 4.2
9. Spectacular – 4.2

Children’s and Family Games (minimum 22 ratings)

1. Bomb Busters – 4.2
2. Castle Combo – 4.2
3. Harmonies – 4.2
4. Faraway – 4.1
5. Fishing – 4.1
6. Medium – 3.9
7. 3 Chapters – 3.8
8. Duck & Cover – 3.8
9. The Gang – 3.8
10. Middle Ages – 3.7

Children’s and Family Hidden Gems (11-21 ratings)

1. Agent Avenue – 4.2
2. Next Station: Paris – 4.1
3. Krakel-Orakel – 4.0
4. Treetopia – 4.0
5. Rebirth – 3.9
6. AI Space Puzzle – 3.8
7. Leaf – 3.8
8. Spotlight – 3.8
9. Skyrockets – 3.7
10. Slide – 3.7