Mexican Train

About this board game

Mexican Train is a domino train game for 1–8 players, with games listed at about 20 minutes and longer 12-round sessions also possible. Players build lines of dominoes from a central station while trying to get rid of their tiles.

The game typically uses a double-twelve domino set containing 91 tiles, although double-six and double-nine sets can be used with fewer players. The highest double tile begins in the middle of the table as the station, and each player starts a personal line known as their train.

Alongside the individual trains, everyone can play on the shared Mexican Train. If a player cannot make a play, even after drawing a new domino, they place a marker on their train. That marker allows other players to use the train temporarily until the marker is removed.

• Build and extend your own domino train from the central station.
• Play on the shared Mexican Train, which is available to everyone.
• Use train markers when a player cannot make a legal play.
• Count the values of remaining dominoes when a player goes out.

Branded editions often add components that make the theme visible and the game easier to play, including a train station, train pieces for marking players’ trains and the Mexican Train, and a “woo woo!” train whistle. The game can also be played with a standard domino set.

When one player has no dominoes left, everyone else adds up the values on their remaining tiles. After the game or a series of rounds, the player with the lowest score wins. First developed in 1994, Mexican Train combines simple rules with interaction that makes it suitable for playing in many settings.