1996 in games

This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and tabletop role-playing games published in 1996. For video games, see 1996 in video gaming.

Games released or invented in 1996
• Age of Renaissance

• Air Baron

• Ani-Mayhem

• Arcadia

• Battle Cattle: The Card Game

• BattleTech Collectible Card Game

• Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond

• Bitin' Off Hedz

• Blood Dawn (role-playing game)

• Cashflow 101

• Conspiracy X (role-playing game)

• Deadlands (role-playing game)

• The Doctor Who Collectible Card Game

• Doctor Who: Invasion Earth

• Entdecker

• Equate

• Fading Suns (role-playing game)

• Feng Shui (role-playing game)

• Fischer random chess

• Five Crowns

• Give Me the Brain

• Great War at Sea: The Mediterranean

• Highlander: The Card Game

• Iron Dragon

• Kill Doctor Lucky

• Knightmare Chess

• Loaded Questions

• Lunch Money

• Mastermind for Kids

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail Collectible Card Game

• Mortal Kombat Kard Game

• Mystery of the Abbey

• Mythos (collectible card game)

• Netrunner (collectible card game)

• Star Trek Collectible Card Game

• Stargrunt II

• The Very Clever Pipe Game

• The X-Files Collectible Card Game

• XXXenophile (collectible card game)

• Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

Game awards given in 1996

 * Origins Awards (for 1995):
 * Best Card Game: Middle-earth: The Wizards
 * Best Fantasy or Science-Fiction Board Game: Dragon Dice
 * Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game: RoboRally - Armed and Dangerous
 * Best Miniatures Rules: Warzone - A Fast & Furious Miniatures Battle Game
 * Best Modern-Day Board Game: Empire of the Rising Sun
 * Best Pre-20th Century Board Game (tie): Colonial Diplomacy, Three Days of Gettysburg
 * Best Roleplaying Rules: Mage: The Ascension (2nd edition)
 * Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame
 * Axis & Allies
 * Call of Cthulhu RPG
 * Games: 25 Words or Less

Significant games-related events of 1996

 * Five Rings Publishing Group formed as a spin-out of Alderac Entertainment Group and ISOMEDIA.
 * Looney Labs is founded after the demise of Icehouse Games, Inc.