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Gateway Island
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Meow Heist
2025
Rules assistance for Meow Heist
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 15 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for Meow Heist
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Meow Heist is a board game released in 2025 for 3–6 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Ibuink and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding and Hidden Victory Points.
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About the game
You are a would‑be master thief cat, striving to become the greatest cat burglar by stealing gems from safes or from your fellow thieves. Each round, a random number of gems will be available in the current safe, and each cat burglar chooses how much they want to steal using a numbered nyanko card. In clockwise order, players reveal how much they plan to steal. Gems are then taken from least to most greedy burglar. But beware: if a player is too greedy and there are not enough gems left when their turn arrives, they will receive useless pebbles instead. If a player reveals the same nyanko number as someone who went before them, they will steal all the gems (and pebbles) that the earlier player acquired that round. Acquired gems are then hidden away, nyanko cards are returned to hand, and a new round begins. Play continues until all safes have been robbed blind, after which the number of gems and pebbles will determine who may crown themselves Cat Master Thief.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Ibuink
- Nekuma
Questions and answers
Meow Heist supports 3–6 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 Meow Heist is 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 Meow Heist for ages 6 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.
Meow Heist has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Meow Heist belongs to these categories: Card Game and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding and Hidden Victory Points. 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 Meow Heist are: Ibuink. 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 Meow Heist 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.