---
product_id: 232983
title: "- Gamewright Forbidden Island, 1st Edition Board Game, 2-4 Players, Ages 14+ | Family Board Games, Cooperative Board Games for Kids 8-12, Adventure Strategy Game"
brand: "gamewright"
price: "€ 59.56"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
category: "Gamewright"
url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/232983-gamewright-forbidden-island-1st-edition-board-game-2-4-players
store_origin: SK
region: Slovakia
---

# 30 min playtime 2-4 players coop Mensa Winner 2010 - Gamewright Forbidden Island, 1st Edition Board Game, 2-4 Players, Ages 14+ | Family Board Games, Cooperative Board Games for Kids 8-12, Adventure Strategy Game

**Brand:** gamewright
**Price:** € 59.56
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🌊 Outsmart the sinking island—team up or miss out!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** - Gamewright Forbidden Island, 1st Edition Board Game, 2-4 Players, Ages 14+ | Family Board Games, Cooperative Board Games for Kids 8-12, Adventure Strategy Game by gamewright
- **How much does it cost?** € 59.56 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/232983-gamewright-forbidden-island-1st-edition-board-game-2-4-players)

## Best For

- gamewright enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted gamewright brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Compact, Premium Components:** High-quality cards, chunky tiles, and collectible treasure figurines in a sleek tin box.
- • **Inclusive Team Play for 2-4:** Perfect for professional socializing or family game nights—win or lose together.
- • **Brainy Strategy in 30 Minutes:** Fast-paced gameplay that fits your busy schedule without sacrificing depth.
- • **Dynamic Island Flood Mechanics:** Tiles sink as you play, creating pulse-pounding tension and endless replayability.
- • **Award-Winning Cooperative Challenge:** 2010 Mensa Favorite Brainy Game that sharpens strategic thinking and teamwork.

## Overview

Gamewright's Forbidden Island is a 2-4 player cooperative board game where players race against time to retrieve four sacred treasures from a sinking island. Winner of the 2010 Mensa Favorite Brainy Game, it combines strategic problem-solving, teamwork, and dynamic tile flooding mechanics in a compact 30-minute play session. Designed for ages 10+, it offers high replay value with adjustable difficulty and premium components, making it a must-have for millennial professionals seeking engaging social gameplay.

## Description

desertcart.com You and your team can be the first to breach the borders of the Archeans' ancient mystical empire in the collaborative card game Forbidden Island, by Gamewright. In this game, teamwork proves essential to locate the Earth Stone, the Statue of the Wind, the Crystal of Fire, and the Ocean's Chalice as the Island floods beneath your feet. Adventure... if you dare! Mega T-Rex Ages: Ten and upRequires: Two to four players At a Glance: Be the first team to breach the borders of the Archeans' ancient mystical empireLocate the Earth Stone, the Statue of the Wind, the Crystal of Fire, and the Ocean's Chalice before the Island sinksFind the treasures through collaborative play and teamworkStimulates problem-solving and strategic skills Breach the borders of the Archean empire to locate the four sacred elements. View larger. Work collaboratively with two to four players to locate the treasure.View larger. The Legend of the ArcheansThis game is centered on the legend of the Archean empire, a civilization that possessed the ability to control the Earth's core elements--fire, wind, water, and earth--through four sacred treasures. These treasures stayed hidden from enemies for years on the Forbidden Island, which was designed to sink if intruders ever attempted to capture them. Set the appropriate water level for your gaming skill, and let the adventures begin!Capture the Four Sacred Treasures Before the Island Sinks!Your team of adventurers must work together to keep the Forbidden Island from sinking as you seek the four treasures hidden within. The mission is carried out using different combinations of Flood, Treasure, and Adventurer Cards on the 24 tiles that make up the Forbidden Island. Once you've captured each treasure using the appropriate cards, you must make it to Fools' Landing and escape by helicopter in order to win. If the island sinks before you complete your tasks, the mission ends in defeat.Use Collaborative Play to SucceedEach player is dealt an Adventure Card and given a corresponding pawn before the game starts, designating him or her with a certain set of strengths. This game is designed so that instead of competing with other players, you work to find the treasures and find out how to best use each Adventurer's strengths through collaborative play. This stimulates problem-solving and strategy skills.What's in the BoxWater level marker, water meter, 58 playing cards, 24 island tiles, 6 pawns, 4 treasure figurines, rules of play, Gamewright catalog, and comment card. Product Description Dare to discover Forbidden Island! Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step! Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss! From the Manufacturer It’s a great honor to introduce the latest creation by cooperative game master, Matt Leacock. There are so many things we love about this unique game: from the rich illustrations, to the collaborative nature of play, to the innovative set of rules, to the infinite possibilities generated by the tiles and cards. Don’t be surprised if your pulse starts pounding faster soon after you start playing – it’s a game that instantly generates an electrifying atmosphere of tension and excitement. Dare to discover Forbidden Island. Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step. Race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss.

Review: Simply one of the best co-op Euro games out there! - Forbidden Island sounds silly. Heck, it kind of looks silly. But what it lacks in instant appeal, it makes up for in gameplay. The set itself is in a nice metal container. The island tiles are heavy cardboard and the artifacts are nice quality rubber or plastic. The cards are typical, decent quality. The game has a variety of difficulty levels and is suitable for a wide range of ages and skill levels. Since the game is cooperative, younger or newer players can get assistance from other players. The object of the game is to collect all of the artifacts, four total, and escape the island before it sinks. There are up to six players, but even as a two player game it is quite fun. You can limit the amount of interaction if you like, or you can invite everyone to voice opinions as to your next action. You set up the island tiles randomly in a star like grid. Each time playing is unique, which is part of the fun. You then take turns around the board. Each player draws a card to determine what player they are. Each player has a unique ability such as the ability to move to any space on the board, or shore up two island tiles for only one move and so on. You can pick outright, but I find choosing randomly to be more fun. Each player takes three actions: move, shore up, trade, or collect artifact. Then the player draws two treasure cards, keeping up to five in their hand and discarding extra. If you draw a water rise card - uh oh! - the water level goes up and the game gets more challenging. The next turn is to draw flood cards equal to the current water level. You then flip the tiles indicated. If a tile is flipped already, then it's lost forever! So players want to make sure and shore up certain important tiles when they get flooded (flipped over). The game is over when all of the players collect the artifacts (combined for all four, not everyone will have an artifact), return to the helipad (Fool's Landing) and use an airlift card. Other ways the game ends is if a player is stuck on a tile when it is removed and there are no other adjacent tiles to swim to; or if Fool's Landing is removed; or if both island tiles containing an artifact which has yet to be collected is removed. On lower difficulty settings, it's quite easy. It gets more challenging as you start the water level higher. You can also remove a couple of special treasure cards such as the helicopter and sandbags (make sure to leave at least one helicopter or you can't escape!) It's a quick game lasting around 30 minutes on average. The cooperative style is very fun. I find it to be a good in between game - that is a game between longer games such as Dominion, Carcassonne, or Race for the Galaxy. It's great for friends, and it's easy to learn. What's great also is that as long as one person knows how to play, you can instantly dive in with newbies and assist them in the first couple of plays through. Highly recommended!
Review: Awesome adventure game to play as a team! - This game is awesome! Love that it comes in a tin. It’s a fun, collaborative game for families. My 7 and 9 year old boys love it and picked up the concept after playing just once. The strategy is to work together to complete the game, or lose together as a team. They’re both very competitive so this was a nice alternative to having someone lose. We played for maybe 30 minutes total on “novice” to make it easier for beginners, which can be changed as they get used to it, to make it more difficult.

## Features

- 2010 Mensa Favorite Brainy Games Winner
- Join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise
- 2 to 4 players
- Strategic thinking, problem solving and cooperation required
- Ages 10 and up
- Playing time: 30 minutes

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B003D7F4YY |
| Age Range Description | 10 years |
| Best Sellers Rank | #7,325 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #189 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
| Brand Name | Gamewright |
| CPSIA Cautionary Statement | Choking Hazard - Small Parts, No Warning Applicable |
| Color | Multi |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 8,929 Reviews |
| Edition | 1St Edition |
| Educational Objective | To enhance strategic thinking and teamwork skills |
| Estimated Playing Time | 30 minutes |
| Game Mechanics | area control, card play, cooperative |
| Genre | Strategy |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00759751003173 |
| Included Components | Playing card |
| Indoor Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Item Dimensions | 6.5 x 8.75 x 2.75 inches |
| Item Dimensions L x W | 8.75"L x 6.5"W |
| Item Part Number | FI, XGY-030 |
| Item Type Name | Forbidden Island |
| Item Weight | 0.63 g |
| Language | English |
| Manufacturer | Gamewright |
| Manufacturer Maximum Age (MONTHS) | 180 |
| Manufacturer Minimum Age (MONTHS) | 120 |
| Manufacturer Part Number | CSG-FORI |
| Manufacturer Warranty Description | No |
| Material Type | Paper, Plastic |
| Minimum Age Recomendation | 120 |
| Model Number | CSG-FORI |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Packs | 1 |
| Number of Players | 2-4 |
| Operation Mode | manual |
| Rulebook Availability | Printed Included |
| Set Name | Forbidden Island |
| Size | Standard |
| Sub Brand | A-Team |
| Supported Battery Types | No batteries required |
| Theme | Adventure |
| UPC | 793631630813 791385029822 692000176030 759751003173 787799706459 086009011674 059751003174 798257474575 013031012485 057800156840 607052442521 |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |

## Images

![- Gamewright Forbidden Island, 1st Edition Board Game, 2-4 Players, Ages 14+ | Family Board Games, Cooperative Board Games for Kids 8-12, Adventure Strategy Game - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71pGcv2wdkL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Pattern** options.

## Questions & Answers

**Q: Can anyone recomend games similar to this and Forbidden Desert that work well with just 2 players?  Thanks!**
A: Try Castle Panic (with the Wizards Tower expansion is best).  It's a fantastic cooperative game and can be played with up to 6 players, but it still fun with just two.

**Q: How would you regard the replay value of this game?**
A: There is a lot of replay value.  Because of the random game tiles and cards you can get a lot out of it. Plus you can adjust the difficulty of the game for a bigger challenge.

**Q: Is this a good game for adults**
A: Yes and no.  It is a fun and easy game.  The replay value is good because the board and characters change.  Unfortunately, most adults will outgrow this game.  Since the game mechanics are so easy to learn, it's a great game to get into collaborative gaming or for playing with younger children.

**Q: Is this good for children**
A: We play with our 8 yo daughter and 6 yo son, starting when he was 5.  He's very insightful about good moves and understands entirely what is going on, but we play collaboratively so I don't know whether he would do as well on his own (that is, whether a group of kids would enjoy it as much on their own).

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simply one of the best co-op Euro games out there!
*by C***T on August 26, 2013*

Forbidden Island sounds silly. Heck, it kind of looks silly. But what it lacks in instant appeal, it makes up for in gameplay. The set itself is in a nice metal container. The island tiles are heavy cardboard and the artifacts are nice quality rubber or plastic. The cards are typical, decent quality. The game has a variety of difficulty levels and is suitable for a wide range of ages and skill levels. Since the game is cooperative, younger or newer players can get assistance from other players. The object of the game is to collect all of the artifacts, four total, and escape the island before it sinks. There are up to six players, but even as a two player game it is quite fun. You can limit the amount of interaction if you like, or you can invite everyone to voice opinions as to your next action. You set up the island tiles randomly in a star like grid. Each time playing is unique, which is part of the fun. You then take turns around the board. Each player draws a card to determine what player they are. Each player has a unique ability such as the ability to move to any space on the board, or shore up two island tiles for only one move and so on. You can pick outright, but I find choosing randomly to be more fun. Each player takes three actions: move, shore up, trade, or collect artifact. Then the player draws two treasure cards, keeping up to five in their hand and discarding extra. If you draw a water rise card - uh oh! - the water level goes up and the game gets more challenging. The next turn is to draw flood cards equal to the current water level. You then flip the tiles indicated. If a tile is flipped already, then it's lost forever! So players want to make sure and shore up certain important tiles when they get flooded (flipped over). The game is over when all of the players collect the artifacts (combined for all four, not everyone will have an artifact), return to the helipad (Fool's Landing) and use an airlift card. Other ways the game ends is if a player is stuck on a tile when it is removed and there are no other adjacent tiles to swim to; or if Fool's Landing is removed; or if both island tiles containing an artifact which has yet to be collected is removed. On lower difficulty settings, it's quite easy. It gets more challenging as you start the water level higher. You can also remove a couple of special treasure cards such as the helicopter and sandbags (make sure to leave at least one helicopter or you can't escape!) It's a quick game lasting around 30 minutes on average. The cooperative style is very fun. I find it to be a good in between game - that is a game between longer games such as Dominion, Carcassonne, or Race for the Galaxy. It's great for friends, and it's easy to learn. What's great also is that as long as one person knows how to play, you can instantly dive in with newbies and assist them in the first couple of plays through. Highly recommended!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awesome adventure game to play as a team!
*by A***A on June 27, 2026*

This game is awesome! Love that it comes in a tin. It’s a fun, collaborative game for families. My 7 and 9 year old boys love it and picked up the concept after playing just once. The strategy is to work together to complete the game, or lose together as a team. They’re both very competitive so this was a nice alternative to having someone lose. We played for maybe 30 minutes total on “novice” to make it easier for beginners, which can be changed as they get used to it, to make it more difficult.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nail-Biting Cooperative Adventure in an Inexpensive Package
*by M***N on June 30, 2010*

*designer: Matt Leacock *publisher: Gamewright *date: 2010 *BoardGameGeek rank/rating: 2090/8.04 *age: 10+ *# of players: 2-4 *print status: in print Maybe it's because I started writing this review during the final few weeks of the TV series, LOST... but the whole "island full of crumbling ruins & ancient secrets" vibe resonates pretty strongly with me right now. But don't take my (admittedly gamer-oriented) word for it: listen to my (gamer-in-training) 8 year old son... or his non-gamer 8 year old friends... or my long-suffering wife (who games because she loves me!)... or even other actual gamers who've played the game. It's been a hit with everyone who has had the opportunity to play! Forbidden Island is a cooperative game for 2-4 players, though since the game is played with open hands, it works just fine as a solitaire game as well, with the player controlling two (or more) pawns. (Another odd Lost reference: this is definitely a "live together or die alone" kind of game.) Regardless of the number of players, it seems to clock in at right about a half hour of playing time. The color text of the game has the players on a search for elemental treasures (The Crystal of Fire, the Statue of the Wind, The Ocean's Chalice & the Earth Stone) created by an ancient civilization. Of course, it's not a simple archaeological expedition - the island is booby-trapped to begin sinking when anyone attempts to steal the treasures... and that's exactly what you're here to do. I could go into a detailed rules explanation... but that seems pretty pointless when a PDF of the rulebook is available online, thanks to the good folks at Gamewright. Simply put, you're using 3 actions per turn to move your piece across an island made of tiles, attempting to collect the treasures, shore up the sinking parts of the island, and generally survive long enough for all of you to grab the last helicopter off the island (is Frank Lapidus the pilot?). At the end of each turn, you draw cards to increase your hand (and potentially increase the rate of flooding) as well to sink more parts of the island. There are lots of ways to lose: *if the helicopter landing pad sinks, you lose *if one of your team doesn't survive, you lose *if you fail to recover all four treasures, you lose *if the island floods completely, you lose But it wouldn't be much of a cooperative game if you won all the time, right? So far, we're doing very well playing at the Novice setting, while we're about 50/50 at the Normal setting. I have yet to convince my son to try it at the more difficult settings. (BTW, a clever game feature - you only have to change the starting level of the water - indicated on a sliding scale - to change the difficulty of the game. No re-mixing the deck, no convoluted alternative set-up.) The components are high quality - nice cards, great chunky tiles with evocative "forbidden island" artwork that reminds me a bit of the computer game Myst, and nifty plastic "treasures" - all packaged in a cool-looking tin with a well-designed box insert. (For those of you non-gamers, the "well-designed insert" may not sound like a big deal, but I can tell you from experience that it makes it easier to transport & keep the game in top-notch condition... and that not all companies think this part through.) A side note: since the designer, Matt Leacock, is best known for his OTHER cooperative game, Pandemic, it's helpful to note that while the games share some mechanics (most notably the Infection/Waters Rise restacking of the decks & the various player roles that allow each person to "break" the rules in a particular way) but that the board play (due to the sinking tiles) and kid-friendly theme make for a very different game experience. Finally, the recommended age of 10 is correct - but only if the kids are going to be playing without any adults helping run the game. With a friendly adult, the game can easily be played by kids as young as 5. The cheap price point (the MSRP is only $15.99) means that Forbidden Island will be likely be one of the best kid gaming investments you're likely to make this year.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Gamewright - Forbidden Island - Cooperative Strategy Survival Board Game, 2-4 Players
- Gamewright - Forbidden Desert Cooperative Survival Adventure Board Game for 2-5 Players – Family Strategy for Ages 10+
- Gamewright - Forbidden Jungle - Cooperative Board Game

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*Product available on Desertcart Slovakia*
*Store origin: SK*
*Last updated: 2026-09-08*