Traffic Jam

About this board game

Traffic Jam is a simultaneous card game for 3–8 players that takes about 20 minutes to play. Across three weekends, players choose when to travel, select a vehicle, and try to score points while navigating the unpredictable roads of Zoo Town.

Every round represents a complete weekend, including both the outbound trip and the return trip. Before each journey, decide whether to travel in the morning, noon, or night, then choose the vehicle from your hand that will make the trip.

Most vehicles score points only when they reach their destination in fluid traffic. A traffic jam can leave them stuck and unable to score, so timing and careful card play are essential. However, not every vehicle fears congestion: the ice cream truck welcomes a traffic jam because it creates the perfect opportunity to do business.

• Choose a travel time: morning, noon, or night.
• Select a vehicle from your hand for the journey.
• Use your remaining cards to trump the other players’ trips.
• Balance the comfort of larger vehicles against their greater chance of getting stuck.

Vehicle size creates an important trade-off. Larger vehicles provide more happiness points because they are more comfortable, but they are also more likely to be caught on the road. Smaller or traffic-friendly choices may offer a better chance of reaching a destination when the roads are busy.

After the third weekend, the player with the most points wins. With everyone choosing simultaneously and traffic affecting different vehicles in different ways, Traffic Jam turns a weekend getaway into a quick contest of timing, prediction, and opportunistic card play.