Designer / Publisher / Year: Elizabeth Hargrave / Stonemaier Games / 2019
Player Count / Playtime: 1-5 Players / 40-70 mins
Genre / Type: Strategy, Engine Building, Card Game, Set Collection, Open Drafting, Hand Management, Animals
Expansions: Wingspan: European Expansion (2019), Wingspan: Oceania Expansion (2020), Wingspan Asia (2022), Wingspan: Fan Art Pack (2020), Wingspan: Nesting Box (2022), Wingspan: Swift-Start Promo Pack (2019), Wingspan: Asia Upgrade Pack (2022), Wingspan: Americas Expansion (2026).
Wingspan from Stonemaier Games is a bird lover’s dream game. You play as a bird enthusiast and attempt to attract birds to your wildlife preserve. The goal is to score the most points over four rounds by collecting food, laying eggs, and playing bird cards. Each bird you play gives you new abilities and can create powerful chains with other birds in your habitats. There are a LOT of bird cards. The base game has 170 cards, the European expansion adds 70, the Oceania expansion adds 95, and the Asia expansion adds 90, for a total of 435 unique birds from around the world. I’m sure they will continue to add more.
At its core, Wingspan is an engine building game. On your turn, you choose one of four actions: play a bird, gain food, lay eggs, or draw cards. Each bird you place goes into one of three habitats, and those habitats grow stronger over time, meaning a single action can trigger a cascade of effects from left to right. What starts as a simple turn can quickly turn into a satisfying chain of bonuses.
The challenge is balancing short-term needs with long-term efficiency. Do you grab food now, or invest in a bird that will pay off later? Do you build out one strong habitat, or spread your strategy across all three? With limited turns each round, every decision feels meaningful.
What really makes Wingspan stand out is how relaxing it feels while still being strategic. It’s easy to learn, visually beautiful, and rewarding to play, regardless of whether you’re carefully optimizing your engine or just enjoying the steady growth of your bird sanctuary.
Verdict: This is a genre-defining engine building game. The sheer amount of bird cards will keep you coming back again and again. A must have for any board game enthusiast. Highly recommend!
Reviewed on 02/05/2026, updated on 04/19/2026
Score Breakdown
| Category | Description | Score (1–10) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aesthetics & Components | Visual design, artwork, tactile quality, and overall presentation. | 9 |
| 2. Rules Clarity & Accessibility | Ease of learning, clarity of rulebook, setup time, and iconography. | 7.5 |
| 3. Strategic Depth | Amount of meaningful decision-making and long-term planning. | 8 |
| 4. Luck vs. Skill Balance | How fairly chance and skill coexist. | 9 |
| 5. Player Interaction | Engagement and social dynamics between players. | 5 |
| 6. Pacing & Downtime | Flow, engagement, and smoothness of play. | 7 |
| 7. Replayability | Longevity, variability, and continued appeal. | 8.5 |
| 8. Theme Integration | How well the mechanics and story fit the theme. | 8.5 |
| 9. Enjoyment & Emotional Impact | Pure fun factor—excitement, tension, satisfaction. | 9 |
| 10. Innovation & Uniqueness | Creativity, originality, and distinctiveness from other games. | 9.5 |
| Overall Mean Score | 8.1 / 10 | |
One response to “Wingspan (Base + Expansions)”
[…] into Mariposas, I had pretty high expectations. Elizabeth designed Wingspan, which is a game I absolutely love, and as someone who also loves butterflies and nature themes, […]