
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,697
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Blood Bound
- 6–12 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2013

2025
Rules assistance for Staying Alive
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Staying Alive is a board game released in 2025 for 3–5 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Kalle Krenzer and its main mechanics are Memory, Cooperative Game, and Communication Limits.
The whole city is swarming with zombies, and your group has little time to reach safety. Each mission in Staying Alive requires equipment, supplies, items, and weapons, with additional cards providing further challenges. The game is played co-operatively and in real time – the hourglass is ticking and must be kept in check! Each player tries to combine and discard their cards, but only the player whose turn it is can speak. What information and reactions are important? Who can you help, and what should you remember?
Staying Alive supports 3–5 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 Staying Alive 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 Staying Alive for ages 10 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.
Staying Alive has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Staying Alive belongs to these categories: Zombies and Real-time. Its main mechanics are Memory, Cooperative Game, and Communication Limits. 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 Staying Alive are: Kalle Krenzer. 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 Staying Alive 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.