The Wingspan box: a watercolour of a long-tailed bird in flight against a pale blue sky — The Wingspan box (English edition)Photo: Stonemaier Games

The Hindi edition box with the title विंगस्पैन in Devanagari and the same bird painting — The Hindi edition sold in India by Green Elephant GamesPhoto: Green Elephant Games

The back of the Wingspan box with a photo of the game set up and a list of components — The back of the boxPhoto: Tabletop Universe

Wingspan's contents laid out: player mats, bird cards, egg miniatures, food tokens, dice and the birdhouse dice tower — What's in the boxPhoto: Tabletop Universe

Four player mats around the bird feeder, card tray and goal board, seen from above — Set up for four playersPhoto: Stonemaier Games

A player holding a hand of bird cards above the table — Every bird card has its own powerPhoto: Stonemaier Games (photo: Tim Chuon)

A hand placing a green egg on a bird card on a player mat — Laying eggs on your birdsPhoto: Stonemaier Games (photo: Tim Chuon)

A hand taking a food token next to two wooden dice showing fruit and grain — Taking food from the birdfeeder dicePhoto: Stonemaier Games (photo: Tim Chuon)

Close-up of the birdhouse dice tower, the food tray and player mats — The birdhouse dice towerPhoto: Stonemaier Games (photo: Tim Chuon)

Five wooden food dice showing a mouse, a fish, a worm, cherries and wheat — Food dicePhoto: Stonemaier Games

Video

Strategy game · Indian edition available

Wingspan

Calm card game about birds where every new bird boosts your turns.

Engine building Collecting sets Dice rolling

1–5best with 2-4
40–70 minper game
About 5 minto set up
10+years
Involved
Somereading

The official listing, on Amazon.in

Indian edition

Buy on Amazon.in

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The game in a nutshell

Wingspan is a calm, card-driven strategy game in which 1 to 5 players attract birds to their nature reserves. Each bird you add gives you a small ability that makes later turns stronger. It suits couples, nature lovers and families with older children who want something deeper than Ludo or Monopoly but gentler than a war game. A game takes about an hour.

Is Wingspan right for you?

Great if

Couples and pairs looking for a calm, thoughtful game
Bird and nature lovers, including school students who like biology
Families ready to step up from Ludo, UNO or Monopoly to real strategy
Playing alone, using the solo mode included in the box

Skip it if

You want loud, interactive game nights; players mostly build their own reserve
Reading English card text would slow your group down (look at the Hindi edition instead)
Your budget is tight, since the English base game is imported and is not a cheap buy

THE BOARDGAMES.IN TAKE

Our ratings

How hard to learnInvolved

4 / 5

Luck or skillLuck and skill

LuckSkill

Set-up~5 min

ReadingSome

Behind the ratings

How hard to learnWingspan is one of our reference games for 4, with 7 Wonders. Each turn is simple (pick one of four actions), but you're juggling food, eggs, cards, goals and a lot of different bird powers.

Luck or skillWhich birds you draw, especially in your starting hand, and how the food dice fall add real luck. Planning ahead and adapting still decide most games.

Player interactionYou mostly build your own reserve. You compete for the face-up birds, the food in the birdfeeder and the round goals, and a few birds react to other players' turns.

Set-up timeStonemaier says set-up takes about 5 minutes once you know the game. Then everyone takes a few more minutes to choose which starting birds and food to keep and one bonus card. The first time, press out the tokens and put together the birdhouse dice tower (Stonemaier has a short 'How to Assemble' video, 4XN0TgPs4p4). The Swift-Start guides make the first game simpler.

Reading neededMost birds have a one- or two-line power in English that you read when you play or use them, and bonus cards have short text. The fun facts on the cards are optional. An official Hindi edition is available.

Difficulty uses our 1–5 scale: 1 is UNO or Connect 4, 3 is Catan, 5 is a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Winner · 2019

Kennerspiel des Jahres

The German jury’s award for games with a little more depth.

Meet the jury’s choice ↗

More recognition 1

Deutscher Spiele Preis (German Games Prize, voted by players), 2019 (Winner (1st place))

How Wingspan plays

Each player has a board with three habitats: forest, grassland and wetland. Over four rounds you play bird cards into those habitats. Each of the 170 bird cards is a real species with its own picture, point value and food cost.

Time to teach: about 15 minutes.
Reading and language: Most bird cards have a short power written in English that you need to read and follow. An official Hindi edition exists for families who would rather play in Hindi.

How to Teach Wingspan · Stonemaier Games · Official

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

Your turn, step by step

1
Choose
On your turn, place one of your action cubes and do one thing: play a bird, gain food, lay eggs or draw bird cards.
2
Play
To play a bird, pay the food shown on its card, plus an egg or two if it goes further along the row. Then put it in a habitat where it can live: forest, grassland or wetland.
3
Activate
To use a habitat, put your cube in its row. The forest gives food from the birdfeeder dice, the grassland lays eggs and the wetland draws cards. Then the birds in that row use their powers, right to left, so a full row gives you much more.
4
Win
There are four rounds of 8, 7, 6 and 5 turns, and each round ends with a goal everyone competes for. After round 4, add up points for birds, bonus cards, goals, eggs, stored food and tucked cards. Highest total wins.

Read the official rulesWingspan rules page: rulebook, appendix and solo rules (Stonemaier Games) · English

The full explanation: how a game of Wingspan goes

On your turn you do just one of four things. You can play a bird from your hand by paying the food shown on it. Or you can use one habitat: the forest gains food from the dice in the birdfeeder tower, the grassland lays eggs on your birds, and the wetland draws new bird cards.

The more birds you have in a habitat, the stronger its action becomes. Many birds also have powers that switch on when you use their row. Early turns feel small, but by the last round one action can set off a whole chain of bonuses. This is what people mean when they call Wingspan an 'engine-building' game.

You get fewer turns each round (8, then 7, 6 and 5), so every choice matters more as the game goes on. Each round also has a goal, such as having the most birds in one habitat, that scores extra points.

At the end you add up points from your birds, bonus cards, round goals, eggs, food stored on birds and cards tucked under birds. The highest total wins.

What's in the box

170Bird cards
every one a different real North American bird, with its own art, food cost, points and power
10Swift-Start bird cards
used with the Swift-Start guides for a first game
4Swift-Start player guides
walk new players through their first turns
26Bonus cards
secret scoring goals, such as birds of a certain type
16Automa cards
for the solo mode, which has its own rulebook
103Food tokens
75Egg miniatures
marbled eggs in several colours
5Food dice
custom wooden dice
1Birdfeeder dice tower
cardboard birdhouse that you put together the first time
5Player mats
40 x 28 cm, with forest, grassland and wetland rows
40Action cubes
wooden, 8 in each of 5 player colours
1Goal board
double-sided: a competitive green side and a gentler blue side
8Goal tiles
double-sided
1Bird tray
holds the 3 face-up bird cards
1First-player token
2Food and egg trays
1Scorepad
50 sheets
3Rulebooks
rulebook, appendix explaining every bird power, and Automa (solo) rules

Box: 30 × 30 × 7 cm, 2.4 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

The list is from page 1 of Stonemaier's current English rulebook (WS_Rulebook_r24, the Swift-Start printing), with three additions from Stonemaier's Wingspan page: 16 Automa cards, 2 food/egg trays and 3 rulebooks in all. Older printings, and the text on some Indian listings, have no Swift-Start cards and list a 2-piece GameTrayz tray and 4 plastic resource containers. Green Elephant's page for the Hindi edition lists the same contents as Stonemaier, including the 10 Swift-Start cards.

Where to buy

Amazon.inEdition not confirmed

The official listing, on Amazon.in

We couldn't confirm whether this listing sends the Indian or the imported box. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

Buy on Amazon.in

Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.

Green Elephant Games is the authorised distributor for Wingspan in India, in both English and Hindi. The English edition is made abroad and imported; the official Hindi edition (विंगस्पैन) is made by Green Elephant Games in partnership with Stonemaier Games. On Amazon.in, check that the brand is Stonemaier Games and that the seller is genuine.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyA little care before you click.

The listing and box should say Stonemaier Games. The Hindi edition also credits Green Elephant Games. Amazon.in search results included Wingspan listings branded LEROKAS and Artnery Games, and one titled 'KO Version'. None of these are sold under the publisher's name.
Be wary of a new copy that costs a fraction of the usual price; much cheaper sets sold under the Wingspan name come from other makers, not Stonemaier Games.
Check the components. A genuine box has 170 different bird cards, 75 egg miniatures, 5 custom wooden dice and a cardboard birdfeeder dice tower. Blurry art, flimsy cards, plastic dice or a missing dice tower suggest a copy.
Current genuine copies include the Swift-Start Pack. Check that the box or listing mentions it.
Check the Amazon.in seller name. Clone listings copy the genuine listing's title word for word, including the 'Wuth' typo, so the title alone proves nothing.

We link to one Amazon.in listing that we've checked against the maker's own information. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What reviewers and players say

Wingspan is one of the most praised games of recent years. Critics love the field-guide bird art, the real bird facts and the calm, satisfying way your birds build on each other, and it won Germany's Kennerspiel des Jahres in 2019. Turns are quick, and the last round, when one action sets off a chain of birds, feels great. The catches: card draws and dice bring a fair bit of luck, everyone mostly builds their own reserve, and late in the game laying eggs can become the obvious move. It also costs more than most games, though the official Hindi edition is cheaper.

What people love

Beautiful, accurate bird art with real facts on every card, which bird and nature lovers adore
Each bird makes later turns stronger, so the game builds to a satisfying last round
Lovely pieces, like the birdhouse dice tower and the pastel eggs
A solo mode in the box, and it plays well for couples

Common complaints

Little interaction: at times it feels as if everyone is playing their own game
The luck of the draw, especially your starting hand, can swing a game
Late in the game laying eggs can be the obvious best move, which makes endings feel samey

Based on 7 reviews and discussions

Review Wingspan review: A gorgeous birding board game takes flight (Aaron Zimmerman, March 2019) · Ars Technica
Review Wingspan: Elizabeth Hargrave's board game is changing how we play (Dan Kois, August 2021) · Slate
Players Anyone like Wingspan? (eramseth, June 2023) · Lemmy.world boardgames community
Players Wingspan release announcement thread (September 2022) · Board Game Arena forum
Award Flügelschlag (Wingspan): jury statement, Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019 (in German) · Spiel des Jahres
Award 2019 DSP and IGA Award Winners Announced (October 2019) · The Opinionated Gamers
Reference Wingspan (board game) · Wikipedia

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Wingspan

Our picks if Wingspan isn't quite right

Feature	Wingspan	Splendor	Azul
Players	1–5	2–4	2–4
Best with	2-4	2-3	2-4
Play time	40–70 min	30 min	30–45 min
Age	10+	10+	8+
Rules	Medium	Easy	Easy
Indian edition	Yes	Import	Yes
Why look at it	This page	A lighter, quicker game with the same satisfaction of building up an engine of cards	Another calm, good-looking strategy game that works well for couples

Also made or sold in India by Green Elephant Games

Azul

Draft colourful tiles and build the best-scoring palace wall

2–4 players30–45 min8+

More engine-building games

See all

7 Wonders

Build an ancient city by picking one card and passing the rest.

3–7 players30 min10+

Splendor Duel

Splendor rebuilt for two: gem lines, card powers, three ways to win

2 players30–45 min10+

Splendor

A quick gem-trading race where every card makes the next easier.

2–4 players30 min10+

Brass: Birmingham

Build canals, railways and industries across Industrial Revolution England

2–4 players1–2 hrs14+

Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Wyrmspan – Stonemaier's dragon-themed follow-up with a similar build-your-reserve feel.

Questions people ask about Wingspan

Is Wingspan available in India?

Yes. Green Elephant Games is the authorised distributor for the English and Hindi editions. Our Buy on Amazon.in button goes to the listing we've checked; make sure the brand is Stonemaier Games.

Is there a Hindi version of Wingspan?

Yes. There is an official Hindi edition (विंगस्पैन), made by Green Elephant Games in partnership with Stonemaier Games. Green Elephant's page for it lists the same contents as Stonemaier's English edition, including the 10 Swift-Start cards.

Can 2 people play Wingspan?

Yes. The base game plays 1 to 5, and two players is a common way to play it. There is also a solo mode in the box. Wingspan Asia adds a dedicated 2-player Duet mode and can be played on its own without the base game.

Is Wingspan suitable for children?

Indian stores list it as 10+, though a few listings say 14+. Children need to read and follow the English text on bird cards, or play the Hindi edition. The Swift-Start guides that come with current copies are designed to make the first game easier.

Game facts

Designed by: Elizabeth Hargrave
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
In India: Green Elephant Games (authorised distributor of the English and Hindi editions in India)
First published: 2019
Players: 1–5
Language: Some English – Most bird cards have a short power written in English that you need to read and follow. An official Hindi edition exists for families who would rather play in Hindi.
Box size and weight: 30 × 30 × 7 cm, 2.4 kg
Awards: Kennerspiel des Jahres (Germany's Connoisseur Game of the Year), 2019 (Winner); Deutscher Spiele Preis (German Games Prize, voted by players), 2019 (Winner (1st place))

Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.