Stock Market Games 2026: Six Free Contests for All Levels

The 2026 stock market games season is underway, with six free contests that cater to various participants. The games are designed to simulate real-world trading experiences, using virtual money, and offer prizes for winners. Three of the games allow participants to trade cryptocurrencies, making them an attractive option for those interested in crypto.

The most popular game among school and university students is Planspiel Börse, which starts on October 1, 2026, and runs until January 25, 2027. Participants can trade shares, ETFs, and fixed-income securities, as well as cryptocurrencies via the BSDEX exchange. The game also includes a sustainability score.

For adults, Trader 2026 and Trading Masters offer real prizes and clear trading rules. Trader 2026, run by Société Générale, provides two portfolios with €100,000 in virtual money each, while Trading Masters, sponsored by UBS, offers €25,000 per portfolio. Both games allow trading in shares, warrants, and cryptocurrencies.

Another game, VR-Börsenspiel, is designed for school students and apprentice game participants. The school game ran from February 11 to May 11, 2026, while the apprentice game runs by region until October 23, 2026. Tradable instruments include shares, ETPs, and in the speculative variant, leveraged products.

The Crypto stock market game from CryptoTicker is a pure crypto contest, with €10,000 in virtual money and real prices for 50 coins. The game has a pre-season running until the end of 2026, followed by ranked seasons with a prize pool starting in January 2027.