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How to Play

Wingspan

1-5 players 40-70 min 8.0 Board Game Geek Rating

Players compete as bird enthusiasts building networks of wildlife preserves by collecting and playing unique bird cards. Each bird creates powerful action combinations across three habitats: gathering food through dice rolling, laying colorful eggs, and drawing more cards. This engine-building mechanic grows stronger throughout four rounds, with victory going to whoever scores the most points.

Published 2019

Wingspan

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Prepare player components
Each player receives bird cards for their hand and food tokens (ingredients) for their stock
2
Distribute starting resources
Players begin with a selection of food types shown as colored icons (wheat, berries, fish, worms, rodents)
3
Set up player mat
Each player has a mat with three habitat rows (Forest, Grassland, Wetland) where birds will be placed
4
Prepare card supplies
Place bird cards in a draw area accessible to all players
5
Set up bonus cards
Place bonus cards near the play area for scoring opportunities

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Choose one action
Select from four possible actions: Play a Bird, Gain Food, Lay Eggs, or Draw Bird Cards
2
Play a Bird from your hand
Place a bird card onto your mat by meeting three requirements:
3
Gain Food action
Take food tokens and activate Forest bird powers from right to left
4
Lay Eggs action
Place eggs on your birds and activate Grassland bird powers from right to left
5
Draw Bird Cards action
Draw new bird cards into your hand and activate Wetland bird powers from right to left
6
Activate bird powers
When taking habitat actions, trigger the powers of all birds in that row

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Score bird cards
Count victory points printed on each bird card played to your mat
2
Score bonus cards
Earn points from completed bonus card objectives
3
Score end-of-round goals
Gain points based on performance in each round's specific goal
4
Score eggs and food
Earn 1 point for each egg and food token remaining on your birds
5
Score tucked cards
Earn 1 point for each card tucked behind your birds
6
Calculate final score
Add all point sources together; highest total wins

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

How to Play Wingspan | Concise Board Game Rules & Instructions

How to Play Wingspan | Concise Board Game Rules & Instructions

Instructional

Do You Know These Birds?! | Wingspan Bird Quiz

Do You Know These Birds?! | Wingspan Bird Quiz

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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