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Viral: The Hive
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2021
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- BGG #1,853
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Viral
2017
Rules assistance for Viral
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 60–90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.6/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Viral
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Viral is a board game released in 2017 for 1–5 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Gil d'Orey and Antonio Sousa Lara and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
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About the game
You are a VIRUS that has just infected a human body. Now you have to spread out and mutate your virus in order to infect other organs to gain VIRAL POINTS. But watch out for the other VIRUS controlled by other players and the powerful IMMUNE SYSTEM! VIRAL is a 2-5 players competitive boardgame in which each player controls a virus that is growing inside a human body. Players will simultaneously play cards to place tokens on the board and move them around to gain control of zones to score Viral Points. Players also score points when they cause a crisis in an organ, thus activating the anti-virus (the immune system). Players also can play cards that allows them to attack other players. The player with the most Viral Points when the event deck runs out is the winner of the game VIRAL!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Edge Entertainment
- Ediciones MasQueOca
- Lavka Games
- PaperGames (III)
- Corax Games
- Arcane Wonders
- MEBO Games
- Dice Tower Essentials
- MESAboardgames
- MoveTheGame Edizioni
Questions and answers
Viral supports 1–5 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 Viral is 60–90 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 Viral 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.
Viral 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.
Viral belongs to these categories: Humor and Medical. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Viral are: Gil d'Orey and Antonio Sousa Lara. 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 Viral 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.