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The best next strategy game after Catan, Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne keeps what they already enjoy and adds one new idea. For Catan fans, try an engine builder such as Wingspan or Splendor. Ticket to Ride fans like set collection. Carcassonne fans like tile games such as Cascadia or Rebirth. Kennerspiel des Jahres winners are the jury’s step-up picks.
Why “the next game” is the right gift
Someone who owns Catan has already shown they like trading, building and planning. The risk with a strategy game gift is jumping too far: a game with a thick rulebook and a three-hour play time can end up unopened.
A safer rule is one step at a time. Keep the player count they already use, keep the play time within about 30 minutes of what they play now, and look for a game that shares one idea with their favorite.
The Spiel des Jahres jury does some of this work for you. Its Kennerspiel des Jahres award, added in 2011, is meant as a guide for people who have been playing for a while. Catan (1995), Carcassonne (2001) and Ticket to Ride (2004) all won the main Spiel des Jahres award, so a Kennerspiel winner is a natural next rung.
If they love Catan, try…
Catan is about building roads, settlements and cities from resources you roll for and trade. The publisher lists 3 to 4 players, ages 10 and up and 60 to 90 minutes.
Wingspan
Wingspan (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019). Instead of roads and cities, you build a set of bird cards whose powers chain together. Stonemaier Games lists 1 to 5 players and 40 to 70 minutes. The jury credited its “simple game mechanics” and “uncomplicated turn structure.” Unlike Catan, it plays with a fifth player, or solo.
Splendor
Splendor (nominated for Spiel des Jahres 2014). The same growing-engine feeling in a shorter box: collect gem tokens, buy cards that give permanent gems, and race to 15 prestige points. Space Cowboys lists 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up and 30 minutes. There is no trading, which suits families where Catan trades end in arguments.
Rebirth (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2026). Reiner Knizia’s tile game has players placing farms and settlements on maps of Ireland or Scotland to build castles, ports and cathedrals. The jury lists 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up and 30 to 60 minutes.
If they love Ticket to Ride, try…
Ticket to Ride rewards collecting sets of matching cards and cashing them in at the right moment. Days of Wonder lists 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up and 30 to 60 minutes.
Splendor uses the same collect-then-spend rhythm, with gems instead of train cards.
Azul
Azul (Spiel des Jahres 2018). Players draft colored tiles from shared piles and place them on their own board to score patterns. The jury lists 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up and about 45 minutes. Tiles you cannot place cost points, so players can leave each other bad picks, which suits Ticket to Ride fans who enjoy blocking a route.
If they love Carcassonne, try…
Carcassonne is about drawing a tile and deciding where it fits best. Z-Man Games lists 2 to 5 players, ages 7 and up and 30 to 45 minutes.
Cascadia
Cascadia (Spiel des Jahres 2022). Tile laying again, but each player builds their own landscape of habitats and places wildlife to meet changing scoring cards. AEG lists 1 to 4 players, ages 10 and up and 45 minutes. It is a sideways step rather than a big jump in rules.
Rebirth (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2026). The step up. It keeps tile placement on a shared map and adds quests and buildings, and the jury gave it the award for experienced players rather than the main one.
Strategy games for the next step up
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If they love Pandemic or card games, try…
Paleo (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2021). For Pandemic fans. A cooperative Stone Age survival game in which the tribe makes decisions from card pictures before seeing the result. The jury lists 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up and 45 to 60 minutes. Pandemic itself was nominated for Spiel des Jahres in 2009.
The Crew (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020). For anyone who grew up on trick-taking card games. The jury calls it “a co-operative trick-taking game,” played across missions that get harder, for 3 to 5 players, ages 10 and up and about 20 minutes. The English edition is published by Thames and Kosmos as The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, with 50 missions.
Challengers! (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023). A card game in which up to eight players build decks and duel in a tournament. The jury lists 1 to 8 players and about 45 minutes, which makes it a rare step-up game for a big group.
If they are ready for a bigger game
Two recent Kennerspiel winners run longer and suit someone who already owns several modern games.
- Daybreak (2024), by Pandemic designer Matt Leacock with Matteo Menapace. A cooperative game about cutting global CO2 emissions. 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 to 120 minutes.
- Endeavor: Deep Sea (2025). Ocean exploration across ten linked scenarios, with research, diving and publishing. 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, 60 to 120 minutes.
Every Kennerspiel des Jahres winner since 2019
| Year | Winner | Designer | Players, age, time (jury listing unless noted) | Good next step for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rebirth | Reiner Knizia | 2 to 4, 10+, 30 to 60 min | Carcassonne and Catan fans |
| 2025 | Endeavor: Deep Sea | Carl de Visser, Jarratt Gray | 1 to 4, 12+, 60 to 120 min | Experienced players |
| 2024 | Daybreak (e-Mission) | Matt Leacock, Matteo Menapace | 1 to 4, 12+, 60 to 120 min | Pandemic fans |
| 2023 | Challengers! | Johannes Krenner, Markus Slawitscheck | 1 to 8, 10+, about 45 min | Big groups |
| 2022 | Living Forest | Aske Christiansen | 2 to 4, 10+, 30 to 60 min | Nature-theme fans |
| 2021 | Paleo | Peter Rustemeyer | 2 to 4, 10+, 45 to 60 min | Co-op fans |
| 2020 | The Crew | Thomas Sing | 3 to 5, 10+, about 20 min | Card players |
| 2019 | Wingspan | Elizabeth Hargrave | 1 to 5, 40 to 70 min (Stonemaier) | Catan fans |
The jury lists the German editions, so English boxes can show different figures: Wingspan’s German edition is listed at 2 to 5 players and about 75 minutes. Our Spiel des Jahres winners guide explains all three awards and lists the main winners too.
What if they don’t own a gateway game yet?
Start there instead. Catan, Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne are all Spiel des Jahres winners, and one of them makes a better first strategy game than any title above.
Catan, Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne
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Browse current gateway board games on eBay, new condition only.
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For wider picks, see best board games for adults. Co-op step-ups are covered in cooperative board games, and head-to-head options in two-player board games. The full list of gift guides is on the board game gifts hub. If they already own plenty of games, gifts for board game lovers covers accessories they will use.
Buying a strategy game gift safely
Popular strategy titles are also the most copied. Buy new and sealed, check the publisher name on the box against the listing, and read our guide on how to spot a counterfeit board game before paying for a bargain.
Frequently asked questions
What board game should I get after Catan?
Pick one that keeps the building feeling but adds new choices. Wingspan (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019) builds an engine of bird cards, and Splendor builds one from gem cards in about 30 minutes. Rebirth, the 2026 Kennerspiel winner, is a tile game about building settlements.
What is the difference between Spiel des Jahres and Kennerspiel des Jahres?
Spiel des Jahres covers family and adult games. Kennerspiel des Jahres, added in 2011, is meant as a guide for people who have been playing for a while, so its winners usually have more to learn.
Is Wingspan harder than Catan?
The jury placed it in the Kennerspiel category, which is aimed at more experienced players, while Catan won the main award. The jury still praised Wingspan's simple mechanics and uncomplicated turn structure, and Stonemaier lists 40 to 70 minutes, shorter than Catan's 60 to 90.
What is a good strategy game for two players?
Many strategy games list two players: Splendor and Azul each play with 2 to 4. For games designed only for two, see our two-player guide.
Sources
- CATANCATAN GmbH
- Ticket to RideDays of Wonder
- CarcassonneZ-Man Games
- PandemicZ-Man Games
- WingspanStonemaier Games
- SplendorSpace Cowboys
- CascadiaAEG
- Kennerspiel des Jahres winnersSpiel des Jahres e.V.
- Wingspan (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- The Crew (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2020)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Paleo (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2021)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Living Forest (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2022)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Challengers! (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- e-Mission (Daybreak) (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2024)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Endeavor: Deep Sea (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2025)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Rebirth (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2026)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Cascadia (Spiel des Jahres 2022)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Splendor (nominated, Spiel des Jahres 2014)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Azul (Spiel des Jahres 2018)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Catan (Spiel des Jahres 1995)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Ticket to Ride (Spiel des Jahres 2004)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Carcassonne (Spiel des Jahres 2001)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- Pandemic (nominated, Spiel des Jahres 2009)Spiel des Jahres e.V.
- PreiseSpiel des Jahres e.V.
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet NineWikipedia
Part of our guide to Board Game Gifts 2026: The Best Games to Give, by Who's Playing.
Board Game Gifts · Section 02, Adults and groups · Updated September 28, 2026
