- BGG rank
- BGG #239
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Go
- 2 players
- 30–180 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,186
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Quarto
1991
Rules assistance for Quarto
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Quarto
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Quarto is a board game released in 1991 for 2 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Blaise Muller and its main mechanics are Square Grid, Pattern Building, and Pattern Recognition.
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About the game
Quarto has a 4×4 board and 16 pieces. Each piece has four dichotomous attributes — color, height, shape, and consistency — so each piece is either black or white, tall or short, square or round, and hollow or solid. The object is to place the fourth piece in a row in which all four pieces have at least one attribute in common. The twist is that your opponent gets to choose the piece you place on the board each turn. A winner of the 1985 Concours International de Créateurs de Jeux de Société.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Broadway Toys LTD
- Korea Boardgames
- Fundex
- Mitra
- Ghenos Games
- G3
- Pressman Toy Corp.
- Great American Trading Company
- Gigamic
- Oficina do Aprendiz
- Family Games, Inc.
- Identity Games International B.V.
- Marbles: The Brain Store
- AccessiJeux
- Back Alley Games
Questions and answers
Quarto 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 Quarto is 20 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 Quarto 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.
Quarto has a complexity rating of 1.9 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.
Quarto belongs to these categories: Children's Game and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Square Grid, Pattern Building, and Pattern Recognition. 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 Quarto are: Blaise Muller. 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 Quarto 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.