Acquire

About this board game

Acquire is a strategic business investment game for 2–6 players, with sessions lasting about 90 minutes. First released in 1963, it challenges players to build growing hotel chains, secure majority stock positions, and turn mergers into personal fortunes.

On each turn, players place tiles to expand businesses across the board. As chains grow, they may merge with neighboring businesses, creating pivotal moments for everyone invested. Majority stockholders in the acquired chain receive sizable bonuses, while other investors can cash in their shares at current value or trade them two-for-one for stock in the newer, larger business.

The bonuses gained from mergers can be reinvested in other chains, creating a shifting contest of timing, ownership, and opportunity. Players must decide when to invest, when to protect a valuable position, and when to sell before a business is absorbed. The goal is to finish as the wealthiest investor.

• Tile placement: Expand businesses and shape the developing board.
• Stock strategy: Seek majority positions and manage shares across competing chains.
• Mergers: Trigger bonuses, cash out holdings, or trade stock into a larger business.
• Wealth race: Reinvest earnings and compete for the greatest fortune.

This Sid Sackson design has appeared in many editions while retaining its core rules and gameplay. Its publishing history includes the original 3M Bookshelf Series, later Avalon Hill and Hasbro editions, and a 2023 Renegade Game Studio version offering Classic Mode or Tycoon Mode. The 2024 Renegade 60th Anniversary edition adds weighted poker chips and Special Powers Variant cards.

With its combination of accessible tile placement and consequential financial decisions, Acquire remains a focused contest where every new business and merger can reshape the path to victory.