2005 Game of the Year:
BuyWord is a game of words with a twist. You pay good hard cash to buy your letters, then form a word to sell at a profit, if you can. 
GAMES 100 list of games

2004 Game of the Year:
New England, you step of the Mayflower and start your new life growing crops and trading with your neighbors.
GAMES 100 list of games

2003 Game of the Year:  DVONN 

2002 Game of the Year:  EVO

2001 Game of the Year:  Aladdin's Dragons

2000 Game of the Year:  Torres

1999 Game of the Year:  Fossil

1998 Game of the Year:  Quoridor

1996 Game of the Year: 
Sharp Shooters

1995 Game of the Year: 
na

1994 Game of the Year: 
Myst

1993 Game of the Year: Inklings

1992 Game of the Year:
Pipeline

1991 Game of the Year:
Trumpet

1990 Game of the Year:
not in print

1989 - 1980: no Game of the Year Award, just a list of games reviewed.

Judging Criteria

Each year since 1980, GAMES Magazine has published a Buyer's Guide to Games in their year-end holiday issue. The article lists and reviews one hundred games each year, and is therefore known as the "Games 100". The list features the very best games published in the last year. And one coveted Game of the Year Award.