Power Grid

In the board game Power Grid, players connect pre-existing routes between cities. They bid against each other to purchase power plants. They convert raw materials into power for their cities.

As power plants are purchased, more efficient plants become available. Players use raw materials (coal, oil, garbage, uranium) to power the plants they have purchased. Renewable windfarm / solar plants require no fuel.

Throughout the game, your struggle is to upgrade your plants for maximum efficiency while retaining enough wealth (Electro) to quickly expand your city network via the least expensive routes.

Object of the Game

Goal: The player who supplies the most cities with power when the network reaches a pre-determined size.

Gameplay is accomplished in 3 STEPS, using 5 PHASES per Round:

4-player game example

 Step 1: 0 - 6 cities connected by a single player

Step 2: 7+ cities connected by a single player

Step 3: Initiated when the Step 3 card is drawn in the Power Plant draw stack

The 5 PHASES for each Round are:

1. Determine player order

2. Buy power plants

3. Buy raw materials

4. Build cities

5. Power your cities / Collect Electro (Beaurocracy)

Game Features

Basic information for this game is provided here to be used as a guide and may differ from the game box recommendations. These ratings are based on averages from thousands of players in the gaming community.

The Complexity rating is comprised of a combination of attributes related to game-play difficulty and game rule understanding. The scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 = easy and 5 = difficult.

A solitaire option to challenge experienced players is available for Power Grid. See Tactical Tips below for more information.

Power Grid Overview

Click the arrow for a 6:33 overview video

Click here to watch a 12:42 review of Power Grid 

How to Play

Click the arrow for a 13:16 Power Grid Quickstart Guide

Click here to watch a more comprehensive 32:16 instructional video for Power Grid

Strategy

Remember these basic DOs and DON'Ts for Power Grid strategies:

DOs

• Pay attention to resource demand
• Remember that Power Plant capacity is key
• Pay attention to the Power Plant futures market
• Pay attention to turn order
• Track high priority cities

DON'Ts

• Don't buy too many power plants
• Don't overpay for green power plants
• Don't overexpand your city network
• Don't rely on one power plant fuel source
• Don't buy too many resources at the expense of cities

Read a complete explanation of suggested strategy tips regarding Power Grid here.

Solitaire Play

Power Grid, Power Grid: France/Italy, Benelux/Central Europe and the power plant expansion deck have a SoloPlay variant developed with rules and guidelines found here*.

These rules and game-play are designed to challenge experienced Power Grid players with the goal of beating the game design, not necessarily scoring the highest number of points. As a by-product of using the SoloPlay rules, your multi-player game should improve as you hone your strategic thinking skills. Using this SoloPlay option, try different strategies and explore alternate play preferences!

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Expansions & Extras

Power Grid has a number of expansions:

• France / Italy
• China / Korea
• Japan / Russia
• Benelux / Central Europe
• Brazil/Spain & Portugal
• Quebec/Baden-Wurttemberg
• Northern Europe/United Kingdom/Ireland
• The Robots
• Plant Deck 2

A brief summary of most expansions may be found here.

*Downloading files requires registration for your own FREE account on Board Game Geek. To view content, no registration is required.