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Biddle
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- 25–35 min
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Pura Vida
2025
Rules assistance for Pura Vida
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Pura Vida
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pura Vida is a board game released in 2025 for 2–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Ralf zur Linde and Carsten Rohlfs and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Pattern Building, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
Pura Vida is not only the life motto in Costa Rica, but also stands for the country's enormous biodiversity and its stated goal of living in harmony with nature and wildlife. The approximately 30 national parks, which make up around 26% of Costa Rica's area, also make an important contribution to the protection of its biodiversity. All kinds of landscapes can be discovered here: from dense rainforests and mangrove forests to rocky volcanoes, dry savannahs and sandy coasts. The wildlife is equally diverse: toucans, sloths, snakes, butterflies and many other species live here – not least the red-eyed tree frogs, which are so iconic for the country. As a ranger, your task is to create a balanced animal population in the numerous nature parks. The particular challenge is to take the animals’ individual and natural movements into account. Besides taking numerous tricky decisions, you will also get to know Costa Rica's cheerful and relaxed attitude to life - Pura Vida! Gameplay: On your turn you must choose between these two actions: a) Move b) Rest Move: Move your ranger along the path and take the tile where you end your movement. Place the tile in your own national park, trying to align animals and/or landscapes the best way to get points. Rest: Move your ranger to the rest area. You are not allowed to make any more moves this round. Scoring: Every time you place a tile in your national park, you check whether you meet one of the biodiversity criteria and receive points for it: For 3/4/5 tiles directly next to each other in a row or column with different animals and the same landscape, you get 2/2/3 points. For 3/4/5 tiles directly next to each other in a row or column with different landscapes and the same animals, you get 2/2/3 points. For 3/4/5 tiles directly next to each other in a row or column with different animals and different landscapes you get 1/1/2 points. The game ends as soon as someone has reached at least 20 points. This person wins.
Designers
Publishers
- Piatnik
Questions and answers
Pura Vida supports 2–4 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 Pura Vida 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 Pura Vida 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.
Pura Vida has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Pura Vida belongs to these categories: Animals, Territory Building, and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Pattern Building, and Open Drafting. 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 Pura Vida are: Ralf zur Linde and Carsten Rohlfs. 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 Pura Vida 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.