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The games Germany plays

Hazarding a guess, rolling the dice and making deductions are what Germans enjoy in a good game. 

02.06.2025
Germans love the board game Monopoly.
Germans love the board game Monopoly. © AdobeStock

Germany. What do we find nowadays when we board the bus or train to work? Almost everyone has a smartphone in hand and is immersed in a digital game. But what about those good old board games? The boom in digital gaming has not made them redundant. On the contrary, the toy industry is registering a renaissance in board games. Germans of all ages are meeting for games evenings. Experts intepret this as a desire to slow down and interact with others.

Is Germany a nation of gamers?

According to the latest figures published by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research, around eight percent of Germans count board games among their regularly pursued hobbies – which means there are more than five million active players. In addition, around 33 million Germans play a board or social game with others at least occasionally. 

What do Germans like to play most?

Quiz and knowledge games are most popular, followed by logic and strategy games. Although many new board games appear every year, classics like Mensch ärgere dich nicht and Monopoly remain the best known board games in Germany.  The favourites also include Rummy, chess, Uno and Yahtzee.

Which German games have achieved international success?

Germany’s best known board game designer, Klaus Teuber, produced a bestseller in 1995 with Die Siedler von Catan. As Settlers of Catan, or simply Catan, it has been enthusiastically accepted by games fans all over the world, and so far it has been translated into 35 languages. Global success has also been achieved by Scotland Yard, Carcassonne, Twilight Imperium and Taboo.