Board Games 🇺🇸United States21st century

Wingspan

Modern engine-building board game about birds. Designed 2019 Elizabeth Hargrave (first prominent female Kennerspiel des Jahres winner). Stonemaier Games. 1-5 players, 40-70 min. 170+ North American birds; expansions add Europe (2019), Oceania (2020), Asia (2022). Sold 1M+ copies; Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019 winner.

📐personal habitat mat + shared birdfeeder⏱~60 min🌤indoor

What is Wingspan?

Wingspan is 2019 ENGINE-BUILDING BOARD GAME designed by ELIZABETH HARGRAVE + published by STONEMAIER GAMES (Jamey Stegmaier). 1-5 players attract 170+ REAL NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS to 3 personal habitats (FOREST, GRASSLAND, WETLAND). Won KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2019 — Germany's connoisseur game of the year (Hargrave = first prominent female designer to win). GAMEPLAY: 4 rounds each with declining actions (8→7→6→5 turns). 4 ACTIONS: (1) PLAY A BIRD from hand (cost food + eggs), (2) GAIN FOOD via forest, (3) LAY EGGS via grassland, (4) DRAW BIRDS via wetland. Each played bird triggers BROWN power ('When Activated') during subsequent rounds — driving ENGINE BUILDING. Scoring: bird VP + eggs + food cached + tucked cards + bonus cards + end-of-round goals. BEAUTIFUL COMPONENTS: custom dice tower + colored egg tokens + illustrated bird cards with real facts (wingspan, habitat, food, cached items). EXPANSIONS: EUROPEAN EXPANSION (2019), OCEANIA (2020, adds nectar mechanic + reset action), ASIAN (2022, duet mode + swift solo), + Fitheach mini-expansions. Sold 1M+ COPIES first year (huge in board game world). DIGITAL VERSION on Steam. Considered gateway-to-mid-weight game.

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Score most points via played birds + eggs + tucked cards + cached food + bonus cards + end-of-round goals.

Rules

Basic rules

3 habitats: Forest, Grassland, Wetland
Each row on player mat; birds played in matching habitat.
4 actions per turn choice
Play bird / Gain food / Lay eggs / Draw birds.
Playing bird costs food + eggs + card
Ongoing brown-power trigger for future rounds.
4 rounds with 8-7-6-5 actions
Fewer turns over time; engine matters.
End-of-round goals scored
Most eggs in habitat, most food cached, etc.
Winner = most points after 4 rounds
Sum bird VP + eggs + tucked + cached + bonus + goals.

Scoring

Bird VP + eggs (1 VP each) + cached food (1 VP each) + tucked cards (1 VP each) + bonus card + end-of-round goals.

Action	Points
Bird VP	0-9 per bird (printed on card)
Egg	1 VP each
Cached food / tucked card	1 VP each
Bonus card completed	Varies (2-9 typical)
End-of-round goals	5/2/1 VP by rank

Win condition · Highest total after 4 rounds.

Playing area

Called

personal habitat mat + shared birdfeeder

Dimensions

each player has 3-row habitat mat; central birdfeeder dice tower

Player mats + food dice tower + bird tray of 3 face-up cards + bonus/objective cards.

Equipment

Base game (170 bird cards + player mats)
€60 retail
Custom birdfeeder dice tower + 5 food dice
Fruit, worm, wheat, mouse, fish, wild
Colored egg tokens (75 total)
8 pastel colors
Player boards + action cubes
5 players full
Bonus + objective cards
Personal goals + shared round-end goals
Optional: Nesting Box storage insert
€30 organizer

Strategies

Build habitat-focused engine early
Wetland/water focus = card draw; forest = food; grassland = eggs. Specialize round 1.
Round 1 birds get 4 activations
Round 1 birds most valuable — prioritize powerful brown-power birds.
End-of-round goals matter
Check goals before turn — sometimes better to lay eggs than play bird.
Bonus card synergy
Choose bonus card matching your natural strategy.

Terminology

Habitat: Forest, Grassland, or Wetland row.
Brown power: 'When Activated' bird ability triggered each round.
Pink power: 'Once between turns' ability.
White power: 'When Played' one-time ability.
Cached food: Food stored on bird card; 1 VP each.
Tucked card: Bird card slid under another; 1 VP each.
Automa: Solo mode opponent.
Birdfeeder: Dice tower with 5 food dice; refills each round.

Major competitions

Wingspan Digital Ranked Online (Steam)
ongoing · worldwide · since 2020
Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019
once · Germany · since 2019
Origins Award 2020 Board Game of the Year
once · USA · since 2020

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Stonemaier Games (publisher)
Founded 2012 · USA
Kennerspiel des Jahres (German award)
Founded 2011 · Germany

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Elizabeth Hargrave (USA, b. 1974) — Designer; first prominent female Kennerspiel des Jahres winner
Jamey Stegmaier (USA) — Stonemaier Games publisher/co-designer of many companion titles
Beth Sobel (USA) — Bird card illustrator

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Play digital version ($20 Steam)
Excellent tutorial + AI opponents.
2
Base game 2-3 players first game
45-60 min learning; use Swift Start tutorial cards.
3
Learn 4 actions + when to play birds vs gain resources
Fundamental decision loop.

intermediate

1
Try 4-5 players
Bird card competition tightens.
2
Add European or Oceania expansion
More variety; new mechanics (Oceania = nectar).

advanced

1
Full expansions + online ranked play
Master all bird abilities + optimal openings.
2
Asia expansion Duet mode (2p coop)
Different game feel.

Frequently asked

What is Wingspan?+

ENGINE-BUILDING BOARD GAME (2019) designed by ELIZABETH HARGRAVE — 1-5 players attract 170+ REAL North American birds to 3 habitats (Forest, Grassland, Wetland). 4 rounds with declining actions (8→7→6→5). Score bird VP + eggs + cached food + tucked cards + bonus + goals. Beautiful bird card illustrations with REAL ORNITHOLOGICAL FACTS (wingspan, food, habitat). WON KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2019 — connoisseur game of the year. Sold 1M+ copies. Considered pinnacle GATEWAY-TO-MID-WEIGHT hobby game.

Who is Elizabeth Hargrave?+

AMERICAN GAME DESIGNER (b. 1974 Maryland). Wingspan (2019) her first published game. FORMERLY health-policy analyst; hobby designer discovering board games mid-career. FIRST FEMALE DESIGNER to win KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES prominently. Designed also MARIPOSAS (2020, butterfly migration), UNDIGROVE (2022), + others. Advocate for greater diversity in board game design. Wingspan celebrated her lifelong birdwatching hobby + statistical rigor from actual bird research.

How long does Wingspan take?+

40-70 MINUTES typical. Factors: PLAYER COUNT (2p = 40 min; 5p = 70 min), EXPERIENCE (first game 60 min; experienced 30-40 min), EXPANSIONS (European adds 10 min via more cards; Oceania nectar action adds complexity). Digital version (Steam) 20-40 min due to no card handling. Considered short-medium length for hobby game — much less than Terraforming Mars (2-3h).

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-25.verified