The Great Balloon Race

About this board game

The Great Balloon Race is a light balloon-racing game for 2–8 players with a 30-minute play time. Released in 1991, it combines secret interests, die rolls, and changing movement across a race to the finish.

At the beginning, each player receives a card assigning a secret interest in three different balloons. The brightly colored balloon markers make those hidden goals visible to everyone, even while the interests behind each player’s choices remain concealed.

On your turn, roll the die and choose which of the eight balloons to move. The balloon you select advances according to the roll, while the space it reaches may alter what happens next.

• Some spaces give you a free roll.
• Some spaces allow movement only backwards.
• Players can feign disinterest in their own colors while encouraging others to move them.

As the game unfolds, the balloons gradually float and bump their way toward the finish line. The shifting positions create opportunities for players to promote the balloons they secretly need without making their objectives too obvious.

Victory goes to the player whose three secretly favored balloons all reach the finish. With its colorful plastic gadgets and playful bluffing, The Great Balloon Race offers a breezy contest built around timing, movement, and carefully disguised enthusiasm.