
- BGG rank
- BGG #338
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Hive
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2001

2024
Rules assistance for High Tide
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
High Tide is a board game released in 2024 for 2 players, 5–15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Marceline Leiman and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid.
Waves come in, sweeping up the ocean floor. High Tide is a strategic stacking game for two players inspired by mutualistic relationships found in the natural world. The game is played without a board on any flat surface with 19 wooden hexagon tiles: 7 tiles for each player and 5 neutral tiles. The tiles are randomized in a grid at the start of each round, leading to over six million different starting positions — and millions more unique and pretty end states! Players take turns moving one tile of their own color or a neutral color. The twist: A tile must stack onto another tile so that it is higher up than it was before. You want to cover your opponent's tiles and have the most uncovered tiles by the end of the round. When a player cannot take a legal move, the round ends. The first player to win three rounds wins the game. —description from the designer
High Tide supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for High Tide is 5–15 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 High Tide 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.
High Tide has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
High Tide belongs to these categories: Animals, Territory Building, and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid. 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 High Tide are: Marceline Leiman. 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 High Tide 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.