Wave

About this board game

Wave is a cooperative card game for 2–4 players, played in about 25 minutes, in which everyone must surf in sync to win. Released in 2023, it challenges the team to build a shared discard pile without letting the sequence break.

On your turn, play one card onto the common discard pile. Your card must be higher than the current top card in at least one way: it needs either a higher numerical value or a higher suit, represented by its color. After playing, draw a new card.

The central challenge is that you cannot see every card in your own hand. Some cards face toward your teammates instead, so successful play depends on communication and cooperation. Your team must use the information available to help choose a card that can legally continue the pile.

• Cooperative play: Everyone works toward a shared victory.
• Rising discard pile: Each played card must be higher by number or suit.
• Limited information: Teammates help identify suitable cards you cannot fully see.
• Immediate danger: If you cannot play a higher card, everyone loses at once.

Wave ends in defeat as soon as a player cannot make a legal play. To win, the team must play all players’ cards onto the discard pile while also exhausting the draw pile.

For groups ready for a tougher challenge, Wave includes rule variants for experienced players. These alternatives add replayable difficulty while preserving the game’s core test of shared information, timing, and coordinated card play.