Wavelength

WAVELENGTH is a PARTY GAME (2019) designed by WOLFGANG WARSCH (also The Mind, The Quacks of Quedlinburg), DOMINIK MAYER, ALEX HAGUE, JUSTIN VICKERS. Published by CMYK GAMES (USA) + BEZIER GAMES (US distribution). 2-12 PLAYERS in 2 teams try to READ EACH OTHER'S MINDS on a SPECTRUM SCALE between two OPPOSITES (Hot ↔ Cold, Good ↔ Evil, Sport ↔ Art, Fancy ↔ Casual, Weird ↔ Normal, Overrated ↔ Underrated, etc.). One player draws a card with 2 OPPOSITES + secretly sees a HIDDEN TARGET ZONE on the semicircular dial + gives ONE CLUE that lies at THAT SPECTRUM POINT. Team then guesses WHERE ON THE SPECTRUM to move the pointer. Considered ONE OF THE BEST PARTY GAMES OF THE 2010s + a GENRE-DEFINING PSYCHIC-CONNECTION GAME. HELD BGG TOP-30 PARTY since release; considered instant classic. GAMEPLAY: 4-6 rounds typical. Each round: (1) Team A PSYCHIC draws card + reveals its 2 opposites (e.g. Hot ↔ Cold); (2) Psychic secretly sees a TARGET ZONE (small arc on semicircular dial); (3) Psychic gives ONE CLUE that represents that point on the spectrum (e.g. for medium-hot: 'coffee'; for medium-cold: 'refrigerator'); (4) Team A discusses + moves pointer to their guess; (5) TEAM B gets left/right guess (predict if actual target is left or right of Team A's pointer); (6) Score both teams. TARGET ZONE has 4 SCORING BANDS: bullseye (4 points), inner ring (3), outer ring (2), miss (0). Team B either steals (correct left/right) or misses (0). First team to 10 points wins. UNIVERSALLY LOVED for its POSITIVE SOCIAL VIBE — feels like connecting with friends' minds. Also works as SOCIAL for large groups + is one of the FEW party games that scales up to 12 players well. RECEPTION: Golden Geek Best Party Game 2019 nominee; Deutscher Spiele Preis 2020 (top-10); BGG top-30 party consistently; considered a MASTERPIECE + top-tier gift/gateway party game.

First team to 10 points wins via target zone proximity scoring + opposing team left/right steals.

Win condition · First team to 10 points wins.

Physical semicircular dial with rotating pointer + hidden target zone slider (behind dial). Card holder + score track.

• Wavelength base box

  $35 USD; supports 2-12 players

• Wavelength: Refresh expansion (2022)

  $20; more spectrum cards

• Physical semicircular dial with pointer + target slider

  Central component

• 200+ spectrum cards (2 opposites per card)

  Diverse categories

• Team pawns + score track

  Track first-to-10-points

• Middle-of-spectrum clues

  Extreme opposites obvious; middle requires cleverness.

• Read your team's cultural background

  Match references to what THIS group knows.

• Left/right steal is free info

  Even wrong pointer moves teach next round.

• Avoid extreme clues for near-miss zones

  Extreme clues push pointer too far.

Psychic

Rotating clue-giver each round.

Spectrum card

Card with 2 opposites (e.g. Hot ↔ Cold).

Target zone

Hidden arc on dial the Psychic must clue toward.

Dial + Pointer

Physical device; team moves pointer to guess.

Left/Right steal

Opposing team guesses if actual target is left/right of first team's pointer.

• Golden Geek Best Party Game 2019 nominee

  annual · worldwide · since 2019

• Deutscher Spiele Preis 2020 (top-10)

  annual · Germany · since 2020

• BGG top-30 party consistently 2019-2026

  ongoing · worldwide · since 2019

• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇪🇸Spain
• 🇵🇱Poland
• 🇦🇺Australia
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇸🇪Sweden
• 🇳🇱Netherlands
• 🇯🇵Japan

• CMYK Games (publisher)

  Founded 2019 · USA

• Bezier Games (US distribution)

  Founded 2009 · USA

• Alex Hague + Justin Vickers + Wolfgang Warsch + Dominik Mayer (designers)

  Founded 2019 · USA / Austria / Germany

• CMYK Games — Wavelength— CMYK
• BoardGameGeek — Wavelength— BGG
• Wikipedia — Wavelength— Wikipedia