
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,295
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Minerva
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2015

2018
Rules assistance for 5x5 City
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
5x5 City is a board game released in 2018 for 1–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Hisashi Hayashi and its main mechanics are Tile Placement.
You and your fellow players have just been elected mayors of a thriving new city in the midst of expansion. Over the course of the game, you will need to build various buildings and attract residents to this new city. However, you will face multiple challenges in terms of building restrictions throughout the game. Will you be able to build a city more splendid than the others? 5×5 City is a tile placement game that builds various buildings in your city. Each city board is placed in front of every player. The city board has 25 squares of vacant lot, but it can be divided into various types of compartments depending on the compartment card selected at the start of the game. For each round, draw a building tile randomly according to the number of squares in the specified section, keep in touch with other players and place it on your town board. In 5×5 City, it is a point that you can place the building only in a fixed area in each round, not putting it in the place you like on the street board. There are various effects in buildings, making effective use of the effect is the way to victory. In addition, there may be buildings which sometimes do not need. In that case you can turn the building upside down into a park. —description from the designer
5x5 City supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 5x5 City is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists 5x5 City for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
5x5 City has a complexity rating of 1.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
5x5 City belongs to these categories: City Building. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of 5x5 City are: Hisashi Hayashi. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists 5x5 City as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.