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Award winner
Forbidden Island
Best for: Families, cooperative beginners, kids 8+
Spiel des JahresMensa Select
2–430mLight
Check price →/pic1528722.jpg)
Award winner · 1 organizationSee buying options →
Forbidden Desert
Matt Leacock · Gamewright · 2013
Work together to excavate a buried flying machine from a shifting desert before the sand storm buries you. The desert tiles slide each round, revealing and hiding components. A step up from Forbidden Island with more strategic depth while remaining family-accessible.
Players
2–5
Time
45 min
Ages
10+
Difficulty
Light
Why you'll like it
- Cooperative play brings families together
- The shifting sand mechanic is clever and thematic
- Components are beautiful — the flying machine assembles
- Great introduction to cooperative gaming
- Difficulty scales well with different storm levels
How it plays
Forbidden Desert is a cooperative game in which players are explorers stranded in a desert. You search for the parts of a legendary flying machine while a sandstorm moves tiles around and buries the board.
Each player has a special ability, and you must share water to survive. If anyone runs out of water, the storm gets too strong, or the sand runs out, everyone loses. It's the sequel to Forbidden Island and a bit harder.
May not be for you if…
- Experienced gamers will find it too simple
- The difficulty can spike with bad storm draws
- One player can quarterback the decisions
- Less variety than bigger cooperative games
Best for
Familiescooperative game beginnerskids 8+
Awards
- 2013Mensa SelectMensa Select
Appears in
Where to buy
- AmazonCheck price →
We may earn a commission through retailer links. This doesn't affect our recommendations.
Common questions
How long does Forbidden Desert take?
About 45 minutes once everyone knows the rules.
How many people can play Forbidden Desert?
It plays 2 to 5 players.
What age is Forbidden Desert for?
The publisher recommends ages 10 and up.
If you like Forbidden Desert, try
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