Not played yet: this article is based on announcements and the sources listed below. We'll review the games once they've been on our table.
The Deutscher Spielepreis, a players’ award from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, also names a best kids’ game every year. In 2026 it goes to an adventure on a deserted island: Toriki.
The facts
- Best kids’ game 2026: Toriki by Wojciech Grajkowski (Mirakulus in Germany; in English, Toriki: The Castaway Island)
- Also in front, unranked: Mooki Island by Florian Sirieix (Kosmos) and Paleolino by Marco Teubner (Hans im Glück)
- Announced: October 21, 2026, at the SPIEL Essen press conference
- Who votes: players name their five favorite games, plus one kids’ game
What is Toriki?
A cooperative story game: a group of kids and a professor are stranded on an island. First you work together to survive, then you explore. You scan the items you find with a QR code, and an app carries the story forward. Items can be combined into new ones that help you progress.
- 1–4 players, ages 8+
- about 20 minutes per session, at your own pace
Our take
We haven’t played Toriki yet. For our 10-year-old it sounds like a good fit: co-op, a story, and you can stop whenever you like. Our 6-year-old is below the age on the box, but could join as part of a team. With co-op games, that mostly depends on reading at our house. Whether the app helps her there, we’ll find out.
Mooki Island already won the 2026 Kinderspiel des Jahres, more in our news on the awards.
