- BGG rank
- BGG #7,961
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Favelas
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #20,488
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Darwinauts
2022
Rules assistance for Darwinauts
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30–45 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for Darwinauts
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Darwinauts is a board game released in 2022 for 1–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Chris Bryan and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Tile Placement, and Worker Placement.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,011
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Lanterns Dice: Lights in the Sky
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,576
- BGG rating
- 5.7
Dragon Ball Z: Perfect Cell
- 1–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #290
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Dinosaur Island
- 1–4 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #721
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Weather Machine
- 2–4 players
- 60–150 min
- Complexity 4.6/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,091
- BGG rating
- 7.5
DinoGenics
- 1–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #59
- BGG rating
- 8.2
On Mars
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 4.6/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #137
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Keyflower
- 2–6 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #595
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Quadropolis
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #870
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Saltfjord
- 1–4 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #912
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Coal Baron
- 2–4 players
- 60–75 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #956
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Cities
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2024
About the game
Congratulations! After decades of hard work, scientists have opened a portal to another dimension filled with alien life. You are one of the few brave enough to venture into this exciting but dangerous new land to research and record new species. The world watches to see the discoveries that will be uncovered. The media has dubbed you and your comrades "The Darwinauts" for daring to go beyond to record the new origins of species. You must work quickly to bring back records of the most exotic lifeforms to secure your place in history, but be careful, the portal is unstable and won't remain open for long... The Rift is coming! During the course of Darwinauts, a player takes two actions on their turn, selecting from five possible actions: place an explorer, place a tile, replenish tiles and remove explorers, discover a species, and record a species. When recording a species, a player immediately takes one of five possible bonus actions that allow the player to set themselves up for future turns or alter the landscape. Players continue to take turns until The Rift tile is revealed, making the portal to the new world unstable. Once The Rift begins, players add an additional phase to their turns, taking part in dismantling the landscape they have opened up for exploration. The game comes to a close as they race to complete their tasks and return home. When the game ends, players receive prestige points for their recorded species and bonuses are earned for specializing in specific sets of species. The Darwinaut with the most points wins the game and goes down in history as a pioneer in this new age of discovery. —description from publisher
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Green Couch Games
Questions and answers
Darwinauts 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 Darwinauts is 30–45 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 Darwinauts for ages 13 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.
Darwinauts has a complexity rating of 2.3 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.
Darwinauts belongs to these categories: Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Tile Placement, and Worker 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 Darwinauts are: Chris Bryan. 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 Darwinauts 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.