
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,636
- BGG rating
- 7.2
City of Iron: Second Edition
- 2–4 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2016

2020
Rules assistance for Carbon City Zero: World Edition
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.
Carbon City Zero: World Edition is a board game released in 2020 for 1–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Sam Illingworth and Paul Wake and its main mechanics are Income, Cooperative Game, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
The planet is in a climate crisis. For decades governments have ignored it. Now it’s up to a group of city mayors to sort it. Carbon City Zero: World Edition is a race against the clock, where players juggle their common goal (of collective survival) with local priorities. And that’s just the start of it. From how people get from A to B, to what powers their cup of tea, every decision is a climate decision. These mayors have their work cut out for them - will they avoid climate chaos? Carbon City Zero: World Edition is a revised second edition of the climate action game Carbon City Zero. This edition is a collaborative deck-building game for 1-4 people in which players develop a sustainable city by greening transport, transforming industries, getting citizens on board, and showing world leaders how it’s done. Each player starts with an identical deck, buying additional cards from a shared marketplace to create a more sustainable city. But you need to negotiate, working together with cities around the world. Balancing the need to generate income with reducing carbon, players can follow numerous paths to victory, but collaboration is key. You’ll need to bring together governments, industries, and the public. And if you can’t bring carbon levels to zero before it’s too late - we all lose. The stakes couldn’t be higher. The game also comes with the original rules for competitive and solo play. In the collaborative and solo modes players win if they can bring the carbon level to zero in eight rounds or less, while in competitive games it's a race to zero - first there wins! -description from designer
Carbon City Zero: World Edition 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 Carbon City Zero: World Edition is 30–60 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 Carbon City Zero: World Edition 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.
Carbon City Zero: World Edition has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Carbon City Zero: World Edition belongs to these categories: Card Game and City Building. Its main mechanics are Income, Cooperative Game, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. 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 Carbon City Zero: World Edition are: Sam Illingworth and Paul Wake. 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 Carbon City Zero: World Edition 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.