Forbidden Island Complete Guide: Cooperative Board Game

Forbidden Island is a cooperative board game where 2-4 players work together to capture 4 ancient treasures from a sinking island and escape by helicopter before everything floods. Designed by Matt Leacock (creator of Pandemic), it features variable player powers and modular tile sinking. Over 1 million copies sold.

Game Components

What's in the Box

• 24 island tiles (double-sided: normal and flooded)
• 58 cards (treasure deck, flood deck, adventure cards)
• 6 pawns (in 6 colors)
• 6 role cards (each with unique ability)
• 4 treasure figurines (earth, fire, wind, water)
• 1 water meter + water level marker
• 1 helicopter pad tile (Fools' Landing)
• Designed for 2-4 players (best with 3-4)
• Typical game duration 30-45 minutes

How to Play

Setup

1. Arrange the 24 island tiles in the specific layout shown in the rules (roughly diamond-shaped).
2. Place all tiles name-side up (the colored side).
3. Each player chooses a role card and takes the matching pawn.
4. Place pawns on Fools' Landing (helicopter pad).
5. Shuffle the flood deck and draw the top 6 cards — flip those tiles to their flooded side (blue-tinted).
6. Set the water meter to the starting level (based on difficulty: novice, normal, elite, legendary).

The 6 Roles

Taking a Turn

Each player gets 3 actions per turn from these options:

Movement Actions

• Move: Move to an adjacent tile (up/down/left/right — Explorer can also go diagonal).
• Fly (Pilot only): Move to any tile once per turn.

Utility Actions

• Shore Up: Flip a flooded tile back to its normal side. Must be on or adjacent to the tile (Engineer does 2).
• Give Treasure Card: Give a card to another player on the same tile (Messenger can do this from anywhere).
• Capture Treasure: Discard 4 matching treasure cards on the matching treasure tile to claim that treasure.

After Actions: Draw Treasure Cards

Draw 2 cards from the treasure deck:

• Treasure cards (earth, fire, wind, water): Add to your hand (max 5).
• Helicopter Lift: Move to any tile (or use to escape at game end).
• Sandbags: Shore up any one flooded tile (played immediately or saved).
• Waters Rise!: Increase the water meter, then draw flood cards equal to the new water level.

After Drawing: Flood Phase

Draw flood cards equal to the current water level:

• If the drawn tile is normal: Flip it to flooded.
• If the drawn tile is already flooded: It sinks — remove it permanently from the game.
• If the drawn tile has already sunk: Draw again.

Winning and Losing

Win Condition

1. Collect all 4 treasures.
2. All players must be on Fools' Landing (helicopter pad).
3. One player plays a Helicopter Lift card to escape. All 3 conditions must be met — everyone wins together.

Lose Conditions

• Treasure sunk: Any treasure tile sinks before its treasure is captured.
• Fools' Landing sinks: The helicopter pad goes under.
• Water meter maxed: The water level reaches the skull symbol.
• Player drowned: A player is on a tile that sinks and cannot move to an adjacent tile.

Strategy Tips

1. Shore Up Efficiently

• Focus on treasure tiles — losing one means instant defeat.
• The Engineer should prioritize shoring up critical tiles.
• Use Sandbags cards for emergency shore-ups on treasure tiles.

2. Card Trading Coordination

• The Messenger can trade cards across the map — use them as a hub.
• Coordinate who collects which treasure cards to avoid duplication.
• The player holding 4 matching cards should head to the treasure tile immediately.

3. Water Level Management

• Each Waters Rise! card increases the flood rate.
• At water level 5, you draw 5 flood cards per turn — tiles sink rapidly.
• Play aggressively — the longer the game goes, the harder it gets.

4. Team Composition

• Explorer + Engineer is a strong duo for mobility and shoring.
• Messenger is essential in 4-player games for card efficiency.
• Pilot provides emergency mobility when tiles start sinking.

5. Endgame Escape

• Save at least one Helicopter Lift card for the final escape.
• Position players near Fools' Landing as the game progresses.
• Do not capture the last treasure too far from the helicopter pad.

Game Variations

Forbidden Island: Variant Layouts

• The game supports custom island layouts for varied gameplay.
• Try layouts from the rulebook or create your own.
• More spread-out layouts increase difficulty.

Forbidden Desert (Standalone)

• Same designer (Matt Leacock), different theme
• Players escape a sinking desert by finding a flying machine
• Different mechanics (sand accumulation, sun beating down)
• Compatible complexity level

Forbidden Sky (Standalone)

• Third game in the Forbidden series
• Players build a circuit on a floating platform
• Different mechanics (electrical connections)
• Most complex of the three

Game History

Origins

• Designed by Matt Leacock and published by Gamewright in 2010
• Leacock designed it as a family-friendly follow-up to Pandemic
• The sinking tile mechanic was inspired by adventure movies like Indiana Jones

Awards and Recognition

• Won the Mensa Select award
• Named Family Game of the Year by multiple publications
• Over 1 million copies sold worldwide
• Part of the Forbidden series (Island, Desert, Sky)

Statistics

• Designed for 2-4 players (best with 3-4)
• 24 island tiles (double-sided)
• 6 unique roles with special abilities
• 4 treasures to capture (4 matching cards each)
• 3 actions per turn
• Hand limit: 5 cards
• Water level: starts at 1-4 (by difficulty), max at 5+
• Flood cards drawn: equal to water level
• Over 1 million copies sold
• Typical game duration 30-45 minutes
• Suitable for ages 10 and up
• 100% cooperative — all win or all lose
• Designed by Matt Leacock
• Published by Gamewright

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