Power Grid

About this board game

Power Grid is a 2004 economic strategy board game for 2–6 players, played in about 120 minutes, in which players compete to supply the most cities with power.

Players mark existing routes between cities to expand their networks, balancing the cost of connecting new locations against the need to grow quickly. The game ends when a player’s network reaches a predetermined size, but victory goes to the player who can supply the most cities with electricity.

Power plants are acquired through competitive auctions. As plants are purchased, newer and more efficient options become available, creating an important dilemma: buying a plant may improve your own network while also making superior equipment accessible to your opponents.

• Network building: Connect cities by purchasing routes and seek the most affordable paths for expansion.
• Power plant auctions: Bid against other players for the equipment needed to supply your cities.
• Commodity management: Acquire coal, oil, garbage, and uranium to operate most power plants.
• Renewable options: Windfarm and solar plants require no fuel.

The fluctuating commodities market keeps fuel purchases in constant tension with network expansion. You must upgrade toward greater efficiency while retaining enough money to claim valuable routes and continue connecting cities.

Based on Friedemann Friese’s earlier crayon game Funkenschlag, Power Grid removes the original game’s crayon-based network building while preserving its shifting resource market. The result is a tightly connected contest of auctions, infrastructure, fuel, and timing, where every purchase can influence the choices available to everyone else.