
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,576
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Master of Economy
- 2–4 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2010

1979
Rules assistance for The American Dream Game
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.
The American Dream Game is a board game released in 1979 for 2–4 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. Its main mechanics are Trading, Auction / Bidding, and Stock Holding.
The object of this game is to be the first player to collect $1,000,000. Players move around a board with opportunities to buy/sell stocks, patent inventions and copyright items, purchase insurance, and avoid traps. Each player starts with $50,000 and tries to collect shares of Goodyear, Levi's, Delta Airlines, Hershey's, Coca-Cola, etc. By landing on specific spaces, they can get Experience Cards that allow player to buy/sell stocks and make other business deals, purchase Prudential Insurance for use when player hits a Trap, get American Dream cards which allow player to earn royalties for things like patenting the light bulb or copyrighting Donald Duck, or get caught in a Trap where the player loses patents or stocks or even cash. The game is filled with major brand names like US Steel, KFC, NFL, RCA, and Disney.
The American Dream Game 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 The American Dream Game is 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.
The catalogue lists The American Dream Game 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.
The American Dream Game has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
The American Dream Game belongs to these categories: Economic and Negotiation. Its main mechanics are Trading, Auction / Bidding, and Stock Holding. 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 catalogue lists The American Dream Game 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.