
- BGG rank
- BGG #775
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Living Forest
- 1–4 players
- 40 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2021

2025
Rules assistance for Rising Cultures
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.
Rising Cultures is a board game released in 2025 for 2 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Francesco Testini and Aske Christiansen and its main mechanics are Multi-Use Cards.
In Rising Cultures, you take control of one of four different civilizations — Egypt, Persia, Rome, or the Abbasid Caliphate — each with its own unique deck and abilities. Your goal is to lead your culture to fame and glory through conquered provinces or building cards. Each of the multi-use cards presents you with an important decision: Do you use them for resources, for your military, to build important buildings, or to play unique leaders? The decision is yours!
Rising Cultures 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 Rising Cultures is 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 Rising Cultures for ages 12 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.
Rising Cultures has a complexity rating of 2.8 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.
Rising Cultures belongs to these categories: Card Game, Ancient, and Arabian. Its main mechanics are Multi-Use Cards. 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 Rising Cultures are: Francesco Testini and Aske Christiansen. 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 Rising Cultures 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.