- BGG rank
- BGG #9,376
- BGG rating
- 7.9
LA-1
- 1–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #29,850
- BGG rating
- 5.3
Shark Island
2017
Rules assistance for Shark Island
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
Rules assistant for Shark Island
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Shark Island is a board game released in 2017 for 2–5 players and 30–60 minutes per game. It was designed by Richard Launius and Pete Shirey and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Secret Unit Deployment, and Cooperative Game.
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About the game
Shark Island is a semi-cooperative game for 2–5 players that pits up to four shark hunters against a monstrous great white shark (which is controlled by a player) that is working to terrorize the island. The hunters must work together to maximize their skills to search the surrounding waters and locate the shark before it can bring more terror to the island, or quickly respond after it attacks to do as much damage to the creature as they can. When the shark is found, the hunters engage in a rapid form of combat, intent on killing it or driving it to sea. If the hunters kill the shark, they win! The shark needs to outsmart the hunters and terrorize the island to accumulate enough terror to win the game by achieving the terror goal they chose at the start of play, which includes a minimum of nine terror tokens. The game takes place over several turns, made up of three phases. The shark tries to hide among debris and other sea creatures, and the hunters try to flush out the shark that can ultimately lead to an all versus one card battle. Special abilities of the shark and hunters can influence the outcome of the game.
Designers
Publishers
- Upper Deck Entertainment
Questions and answers
Shark Island supports 2–5 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 Shark Island is 30–60 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.
Shark Island has a complexity rating of 2.6 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.
Shark Island belongs to these categories: Animals, Movies / TV / Radio theme, and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Secret Unit Deployment, and Cooperative Game. 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 Shark Island are: Richard Launius and Pete Shirey. 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 Shark Island 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.