Stonemaier Games: Wingspan (Base Game) by Elizabeth Hargrave | A Relaxing, Award-Winning Strategy Board Game About Collecting…
Stonemaier Games
Best for
Best solo-friendly
Amazon rating
Amazon aggregate, one input among many in the Verdict Score
Based on 1 trusted source
Current price
$55.00
Updated May 18, 2026 · 1 min read
Sources behind this verdict
10 reviewers weighted by source trust
The consensus
What reviewers found
Synthesized across the trust-weighted source mix below.
Across the reviewers we read, Wingspan is one of the best-known modern engine-builders, with BoardGameGeek confirming its 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres award. Designer Elizabeth Hargrave's bird-collection theme and the production quality — illustrated cards, custom dice tower, egg components — get consistent praise across community and hobbyist coverage. r/boardgames discussion is more mixed than the awards suggest.
What reviewers liked
- Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019 winner per BoardGameGeek
- Components — illustrated cards, dice tower, egg tokens — universally praised
- Excellent solo mode and strong two-player experience cited in community threads
- 170+ unique bird cards drive replayability
Where it falls short
- Recurring r/boardgames criticism that gameplay is "multiplayer solitaire"
- Some hobbyists feel art carries the game more than mechanics
- Engine-building can feel slow to ramp up in the first 2–3 rounds
- Higher price point than other gateway-weight strategy games
Across the reviewers we read, Wingspan is one of the best-known modern engine-builders, with BoardGameGeek confirming its 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres award. Designer Elizabeth Hargrave's bird-collection theme and the production quality — illustrated cards, custom dice tower, egg components — get consistent praise across community and hobbyist coverage.
r/boardgames discussion is more mixed than the awards suggest. Many threads describe it as a relaxing engine-builder that works exceptionally well at two players and has a strong solo Automa. But a sizable minority calls the gameplay "boring" and "multiplayer solitaire," arguing the art and components carry weight the mechanics don't fully earn. One thread explicitly asks "why is Wingspan hugely popular" and the answers split between mechanical satisfaction and aesthetic appeal.
The consensus picture: Wingspan is genuinely good for engine-building fans who want a relatively low-conflict, ~70-minute game, and it's a strong solo experience. Players who prioritize heavy interaction or thematic depth should read the dissenting reviews before buying.
- Bird Collecting
- You are bird enthusiasts - researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors - seeking to discover and attract a beautiful and diverse network of birds to your wildlife preserve.
- Build Your Engine
- Gain food tokens via custom dice in a birdfeeder dice tower, lay eggs using egg miniatures in a variety of colors, draw from over 170 unique bird cards and play them. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats. Earn points, play new birds, help others, and many other abilities!
- Award Winning
- WIngspan is the 2019 winner of the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award, along with many others!
- High Replayability
- WIth 170 unique bird cards, 26 bonus goal cards, and 8 goal tiles, Wingspan provides endless opportunities for bird combinations and goal achievements, making this a great gift for families, teenagers, students, couples, and anyone who loves birds and nature.
- For families, solo gamers, and game groups alike
- This medium weight, set collection and hand management strategy game for 1-5 players has a 60-90 minute playing time with only a 6 minute setup time. Great game for couples, solo gamers, 2 players, family, and friends. Includes swift-start pack for first time player guidance.
- Wonderful Game Design and Gorgeous Bird Illustrations
- Fantastic design by Elizabeth Hargrave (Undergrove). Every element of the bird used on each card is tied to the theme and mechanisms of the cards: the type of nest and number of eggs that nest holds, the size of the birds and many of their abilities, the type of food that is needed to attract said bird, and where that bird will come to rest on your playmat. Beautifully illustrated by Natalia Rojas (Waddle Waddle), Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo (Finspan), and Beth Sobel (Calico) with a lovely realistic and naturalistic art style.
- Thematically Designed Mechanisms
- Most bird cards have an ability that benefits you during the game. Many of these abilities tie into the nature of the bird represented on the card. For example, the parasitic nature of the cowbirds is used in the game by not allowing eggs to be placed on it but rather giving you the ability to place eggs in other birds’ nests, just like these birds use the nests of other birds in real life. The northern mockingbird imitates another bird in your habitat. Some bird powers allow you to tuck cards underneath them, like a raptor eating another smaller bird.
- Solo Play
- Features an Automa to play against in a 1-player game for a fun solitaire experience. The Automa simulates an opponent for you to compete against, while your game as a player remains the same. On the Automa’s turn, flip a card to see what action it takes.
Just finished my first play of Wingspan. Had seen some mixed reviews and was a little nervous, but ended up loving it!
It's pretty and playful with the nicely illustrated cards and boards, the cute eggs and the bird house dice tower. It's quite possibly the best ...
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“Wingspan Review” · Board Game from Stonemaier games
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