Trains are an excellent theme for board games. The reason being is the ability game creators have to mix up some great game mechanics together, including – Network and Route Building, Card Drafting, Pick Up and Deliver and others.
Let’s take a look at some of the best, popular, not so popular and a couple that attract a certain board gamers crowd.
Trains – Japanese Bullet Trains on a Board
Trains is an award-winning railroad building game that takes place in Japan. The time-period and theme of the game depends on the version you play with.
The 2012 OKAZU Brand edition is set during the industrial revolution in 19th century Japan; an era of massive social, economic, and political change in a country that is attempting to compete with western powers on the world stage. The 2013 AEG/Pegasus edition is set in modern Japan with bullet and freight trains.
Trains at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Card Drafting, Network and Route Building | Play Time 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light to Medium |
Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Alderac Entertainment Group and others. | Published 2012 |
Categories Family / Strategy | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $55.99 |
Our Rating 8/10 |
In the far more widely available 2013 AEG/Pegasus edition, players manage Japan’s modern railway system and compete for points by expanding their rail network. This is a deck building game in which players buy cards to strategically build a deck. Players tactically use their decks to build stations and lay railway tracks, which gives you points.
Trains combines the best of deck building, hand management, and network building games, which takes about 45 minutes to play. In terms of difficulty, Trains is not that difficult to learn, it requires strategy and cunning thought, but it is not overly complex. We rate this game at light to medium in difficulty.
Trains is fun for both casual and experienced board game players who want to play a relatively quick strategy game. Trains also has a small variety of expansion packs.
Ticket to Ride – Best for Family and Gateway Game
Ticket to Ride is a massively successful and award-winning game set in North America during the age of rail expansion. This simple yet rewarding game takes players across the U.S. and Canada as they try to connect North America’s major cities and become the next great railroad-baron.
Ticket to Ride at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Card Drafting, Network and Route Building | Play Time 60 mins | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Light to Medium |
Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Days of Wonder | Published 2004 |
Categories Family / Strategy | Players 2 - 5 | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 9/10 | Cost $49.99 |
In this card drafting, hand management, and network building game players draw train cards and use them to build train routes by exchanging their cards for trains that can be placed on the board. When a player builds a route by connecting two cities, they earn points, the player with the most points wins. Players have destination cards that give them bonuses when the game ends if they complete a specific route, there is also a bonus for the player who has the longest continuous route. The game is over when a player has less than two trains left.
According to Ticket to Ride creator Alan R. Moon, “the rules are simple enough to write on a train ticket – each turn you either draw more cards, claim a route, or get additional Destination Tickets………the tension comes from being forced to balance greed – adding more cards to your hand, and fear – losing a critical route to a competitor.”
BGG calls this game the “epitome of a ‘gateway game'” because it is easy to learn and can be taught quickly, but it is stimulating and tense enough to maintain player interest.
Ticket to Ride is fun for the whole family and can be played with 2-5 people, although it’s better with more players when the double routes open up with 4-5 people. This game has excellent replay value and dozens of expansion packs that take you to locations across the globe.
Whistle Stop – Great Replay Value
Head west and help build America’s railway system. In Whistle Stop players control an up and coming railway company that lays rail tracks across the country, picks up materials, and delivers goods to expanding towns, while collecting stock and making a fortune along the way.
Whistle Stop at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Action Points, Pick-up and Deliver, Tile Placement | Play Time 75 mins | Skill/Complexity (3 - 5) Medium |
Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Bézier Games | Published 2017 |
Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 5 (4 is ideal) | Cost $39.99 approx |
Our Rating 9/10 |
Whistle stop is a pick-up/delivery and tile placement game in which players use coal to move their trains across the board and pick up resources. What to do with the resources is entirely up to the player…they can either hold on to their goods for bonuses when they make it to the end of the board, trade their resources at a trading post, or deliver their goods to the towns for stock shares.
Whistle Stop requires a strategic mind; players use tiles to build the board as the game progresses, and they must effectively manage their resources in their quest for railway domination. The randomized tile setup and the play as you go placement of tiles gives Whistle Stop excellent replay value. It is a medium difficulty game that takes about 75 minutes to play.
Steam: Rails to Riches – A Weighty Game
Steam: Rails to Riches is a double-sided board game that lets players choose their map/location. Players can choose to use a map of the American Northeast and Canada (recommended for 3-4 players), and a map of Europe’s Ruhr Valley and Lower Rhine (recommended for 4-5). Both regions are densely populated and historically industrious.
Steam: Rails to Riches at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Pick-Up and Deliver , Tile Placement | Play Time 90 mins | Skill/Complexity (4 - 5) Medium - Heavy |
Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Mayfair Games | Published 2009 |
Categories Strategy | Players 3 - 5 (4 is ideal) | Cost $39.99 approx |
Our Rating 8.4/10 |
Steam: Rails to Riches is an award-winning pick-up/delivery and tile placement game that is comparable to Whistle Stop. However, Steam: Rails to Riches has more depth. Just like in Whistle Stop, players lay down tiled railroad tracks to earn income and make deliveries, but In Steam: Rails to Riches players have more options to consider when managing resources and making decisions.
Players must weigh the benefits of using resources to invest in their trains and expanding towns against scoring quick victory points by cashing in resources for income.
Steam: Rails to Riches is not for the faint of heart, it is a weighty game of medium to heavy complexity that takes at least 90 minutes to play. Steam: Rails to Riches involves strategic decision making and excellent foresight to master.
This is a 3-5 person game that can be increased to 6 players with expansion packs; there are loads of expansions packs that take your rail building skills around the world.
Age of Steam – Perfectly Captures The Essence
In the 19th century, railways were essential in transforming the U.S. into an industrial powerhouse. The new railroad networks that lined the nation were able to connect industrial centers across the country like never before. Creating America’s railway system was an incredibly profitable venture that yielded massive wealth, but it was a ruthless business that demanded a great deal of cunning and guile.
Age of Steam perfectly captures the essence of the railway business in board game form.
Age of Steam at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Pick up Deliver, Tile Placement, Economic, Auction/Bidding, Catch the Leader, Connections, Dice Rolling | Play Time 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (4.2 - 5) Heavy |
Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Warfrog Games and others | Published 2002 |
Categories Strategy | Players 1 - 6 | Cost $79.99 approx |
Our Rating 9/10 |
Age of Steam is for serious and experienced gamers who are prepared to devote at least two hours of their time to a complicated and intense board game. As a pick-up/deliver and tile placement game, Age of Steam is similar to Whistle Stop and Steam: Rail to Riches, but it is far more complex than both games.
Players lay tiled tracks, collect and deliver goods, connect towns and cities, and develop towns into cities. The game is won by the player who possesses the most victory points after the final turn. Players must think critically and weigh a variety of options when making decisions in Age of Steam.
Age of Steam is considered by many to be the best and most comprehensive train themed game on the market, and according to its product description this game is excellent for students of history. We give this game a medium-heavy difficulty rating, but it leans towards the heavy side. The newest edition of the game supports 36 expansion packs.
Russian Railroads – Worker Placement Game
Russian Railroads is set in Czarist Russia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the late 19th century the Czar’s power began to wane and in 1917 he was removed from power during the Russian Revolution. Then between 1880 and 1917 the Russian Empire had added over 35,000 miles of railroad to the country before it was replaced by the Soviet Union.
Russian Railroads at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, End Game Bonuses, Worker Placement, | Play Time 90 - 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (4 - 5) Medium - Heavy |
Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Z-Man Games, Inc. and others | Published 2013 |
Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (4 is ideal) | Cost $39.99 approx |
Our Rating 8.7/10 |
Russian Railroads differs from the previously discussed board games. It is a worker placement game that focuses on proper employee management rather than track placement. Players do not build long networks of tracks, instead they hire workers to create building materials, improve the productivity of their railways, and move closer to victory.
Proper worker management allows players to earn you victory points by adding rails to their cards. You do not build complicated railway networks, you simply lay tracks on a linear path to earn victory points.The player with the most points wins.
Russian Railroads is on the complicated side; it is a game of medium to heavy difficulty that demands at least 90 minutes of a player’s time. There is a lot to manage and keep track of in this award-winning strategy game, but it is well worth the effort to learn its intricacies and ultimately master the Russian railways.
TransAmerica – Light for the Family
TransAmerica is a straightforward rail building game that the whole family can enjoy. Set in the U.S., players race to connect five American cities. This game is simple and may not provide enough complexity or strategic thinking for the more experienced board game players to enjoy, but it is ideal for families, children, and casual players.
TransAmerica at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Connections, Network and Route Building | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.5 - 5) light |
Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Winning Moves and others | Published 2001 |
Categories Family - Ages 8+ | Players 2 - 6 | Cost $30.99 approx |
Our Rating 8/10 |
TransAmerica is a simple network and route building game that does not require resource management. Players attempt to connect 5 randomly chosen cities, one from each color-coded region, by placing one or two rails on the board each turn. The round is over when a player connects all five of their cities, the other players lose points for not completing their network. At the end of each round points are tallied. After one player’s locomotive crosses the barrier on the linear scoring track, the player with the most points wins.
This light game is enjoyable for 2-6 players, but it is best with more players. TransAmerica only takes a half hour or so to play, and it is a perfect game for people who want to enjoy the company of their friends and family rather than the complexities of a complicated board game.
Game of Trains – Easy Going Game
Game of Trains is another uncomplicated train themed game for the whole family, but unlike every other game on this list so far it is a card game rather than a board game. Beautiful illustrations, easy setup, and straightforward gameplay make this light game a pleasure to play for all. The theme is not tied to a specific location or historical era, but the artwork is excellent.
Game of Trains at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Card Game, Puzzle | Play Time 20 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.2 - 5) light |
Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Brain Games and others | Published 2015 |
Categories Family - Ages 8+ | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $19.99 approx |
Our Rating 7.8/10 |
In Game of Trains players randomly chose 7 train-themed cards that each display a number from 1-84 and a special ability. The cards are lined up in descending order from left to right, with the highest number on the left and the lowest number on the right. The object of the game is to get your numbers to line up in ascending order from left to right.
After the opening round, each player has two options to choose from during their turn; they can draw a card from the deck and replace one of their cards with it or they can use the ability of a face-up card in the middle of the table. If a player chooses to draw from the deck and replace one of their seven cards, the card that is replaced moves to the middle of the table to be used for its ability.
The game is over when one player has all their cards in ascending order with the lowest numbered card on the left and the highest number on the right.
We gave Game of Trains a light difficulty rating. It only takes about 20 minutes to play, but the game’s easy setup allows for multiple rounds to be played over the course of an hour or two. This game is designed for 2-4 players and considered best with 4 players. However, we suggest that 2 players play a best out of 3, 5, or 7 set of games for a truly competitive experience.
Colt Express – Slightly Heavier Family Game
During the mid-late 1800s America’s westward expansion moved at rapid pace due in part to the construction of the railways. The railways moved people and goods at speeds that were unthinkable just a century before, but the vastness of the American West and the lack of rail security made trains an easy target for bandits such as Butch Cassidy and Jesse James.
In Colt Express you follow in footsteps of the wild west’s greatest train robbers and try to score as much loot as possible before the game ends.
Colt Express at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Action Queue, Hand Management, Memory, Fighting, 3D | Play Time 30 - 40 mins | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Light - Medium |
Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Asmodee and others | Published 2014 |
Categories Family | Players 2 - 6 | Cost $29.99 approx |
Our Rating 8.9/10 |
Colt Express is a memory-based program movement game played on a 3D train consisting of one locomotive and one train car for each player. The game is played over five rounds made up of two phases, the player who collects the most loot after five rounds wins the game.
Players are given six cards at the beginning of each round. A round card chosen at random determines how many cards players can use, if their cards are face up or down, if they can use their cards individually or in pairs, and what action is taken at the end of round. Players use their cards to carry out a variety of actions that move the game along and earn them loot. Each character has its own unique abilities.
Colt Express is an exciting shoot ‘em up game geared towards families. We love how the 3D train model literally and figuratively adds an extra layer of depth to this game. Colt Express is easy to learn and great for family game night, although it does require a little more strategic thinking and memorization than most family-oriented games. For this reason we give Colt Express a light-medium difficulty rating.
Railways of the World – Superb Age of Steam Alternative
Railway networks connect people from all over the world and are vital to economic prosperity. The individual railway systems of specific regions, nations, continents impacted their localities in unique ways. In Railways of the World explore railroad networks from around the globe with this massively expandable game.
Railways of the World at a Glance
Game Type Train Theme, Auction/Bidding, Card Drafting, Tile Placement, Connections, Network and Route Building | Play Time 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (3.2 - 5) Medium |
Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Eagle-Gryphon Games | Published 2005 |
Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 6 | Cost $79.99 approx |
Our Rating 9/10 |
The game board of the base game features a huge map of the eastern U.S. in the 1830s with a mounted map of Mexico, but there are countless expansion packs that provide endless opportunities to explore railway systems from around the world.
The first edition of this game was originally titled Railway Tycoon, derived from Age of Steam. Railways of the World shares similar mechanics with Age of Steam, in that it’s a tile placement and pick-up/deliver game with auctions, but Railways of the World is easier to learn with simpler rules.
Players collect victory points by completing the objectives listed on an action card or a player’s tycoon card. When a specific number of cities (depending on the number of players) runs out of goods the player with the most victory points wins the game.
Railways of the World boasts well-made pieces, an exquisite design, and a detailed game board. It is a medium difficulty game that takes about two hours to play. Railways of the World is a superb alternative to Age of Steam for more casual players who want a challenging but not excessively complex game.
Power Grid – Sorry, but no trains, similar Mechanics Though
Over the last century the U.S. power grid has vastly expanded and evolved, bringing power into the homes of every American. In Power Grid players must manage the growth of a rapidly developing and constantly changing U.S. power grid.
Power Grid at a Glance
Game Type Economic, Auction/Bidding, Catch the Leader, Network and Route Building | Play Time 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (3.5 - 5) Medium |
Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Rio Grande Games | Published 2004 |
Categories Strategy | Players 3 - 6 (4 - 5 is Ideal) | Rules Manual Official Rules PDF |
Our Rating 9/10 | Cost $44.99 |
Power Grid is an auction-based network/route building and resource management game where players compete to supply the most cities with power. Power Grid utilizes network/route building systems and general mechanics that are similar to most railroad themed games. Balance is the key to Power Grid as players consider the most effective way to manage their resources and connect their network of power plants to their cities.
Power Grid has a gritty artistic design that puts the player into the dingy world of electricity. With a playing time of two hours and a medium difficulty rating, this game is great for both experienced and casual players who are looking for a game that requires strategic planning and foresight. Power Grid also has a wide array of exciting expansion packs.