GamesRadar+ Verdict
As a lightly strategic Eurogame, Everdell doesn't try to push for complex plays and deep tactics. Instead it opts for gentle, cozy competition that is sure to amuse resource management fans everywhere, at least until the next expansion hits their table. With gorgeous illustrations backing a short but purposeful rise to victory, frankly, crawling through the undergrowth in search of twigs has never been so delightful.
Pros
- +
Gentle but tight strategy
- +
Super easy to learn and teach
- +
Lovely cozy woodland aesthetic
- +
Well balanced
Cons
- -
Minimal combo action
- -
Lacks a certain depth
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November 7, 2025: This review has been updated with more information about the available expansions and spin-offs (including which ones are best), alongside an alternate opinion in the form of community user-reviews.
Everdell is a forest-themed city builder that offers quick-to-learn, casual competition in the cozy world of the woodland undergrowth. As a light, Euro-style strategy board game, players rummage for resources, pilfer prime positions, and grow a glorious woodland kingdom to earn points for the top spot. So, why is it often compared to the best board games?
Everdell features & design
Price | $76 / £53 |
Ages | 10+ |
Game type | Strategy / worker placement / engine-building |
Players | 1 - 4 |
Lasts | 40 - 80mins |
Complexity | Moderate |
Designers | James A. Wilson |
Publisher | Starling Games |
Play if you enjoy | Agricola, Doggerland, Forest Shuffle |
- Plan & build your city carefully to earn the most points
- Compete for spots to gain resources & complete goals
- Pair critters with constructions to bolster your workforce on the cheap
The aim of Everdell is to build a thriving woodland city in order to earn the most points. Players take turns every round to make a single action: play a card, place a worker, or prepare for a season. Churning through a deck of critters and constructions, you might play a card from your hand, or straight from the open meadow, into your personal play area by paying its cost in resources.
Speaking of those resources, they are suitably quaint; twigs, resin, pebbles, and berries. To gain them, you simply place a worker on a location. Many locations have limited spaces, though there are other ways to produce resources.
Once you're done, you'll "prepare for the next season" and halt your run each round. This allows you to gain more workers and extra boons for the next round, but you'll be opting out while others play on.
Everdell isn't just a one-and-done sorta game; it has plenty of expansions, ranging from solo play to underwater zones that shake up gameplay. (Most are widely available at the likes of Amazon.) Of all these, the season-changing Spirecrest and train-based Newleaf seem to be the most popular amongst fans. Want something a little cozier, on the other hand? There's also a two-player version called Everdell Duo over at Amazon that condenses the formula down for a head-to-head match.
Cards will be either critters or constructions, from humble harvesters and their farms, to kings and their costly castles. Building the right construction allows you to forgo the cost of the corresponding critter, luring them there for free rather than spending precious resources. Each card also has a type that denotes when it activates. Some produce resources immediately, some as the seasons pass, and some only when you place a worker on them. Cards might also reduce construction costs, offer bonus points for achieving goals, or let you repeat basic location actions at a cost.
Building up through the seasons, players work toward their personal card goals, basic events that unlock once you've played a set number of one card type, and special events that require a specific card combo to complete. Once everyone closes up for winter, the player with the most points wins. Ties are broken by counting any events collected, plus remaining resources.
Gameplay
- Anticipate your opponents' next move or have your plans thwarted
- Short games make for tight but plentiful strategies
- Has the potential to get a little samey
As much as the charming woodland aesthetic alludes to it, Everdell isn't a game of harmony. It gets scrappy out here in the wild as players vie for resource spots, particularly in a larger game. Four player games include some powerful extra spaces to alleviate the disappointment that comes with a thwarted strategy, but three player games can be just as cutthroat.
With even completed events needing a deployed worker to claim them, a big part of your strategy is anticipating your opponents' next move and getting in there first. Since their hand is hidden it can be difficult, though the combination of their visible city spread and what's available in the open market can offer clues as to where they're likely to aim. There are also opportunities to exchange resources, swap unwanted cards for resources or points, and even use other player's cities to profit, though these spaces are all limited too.
We're fans of Everdell and think it has a lot of staying power, but don't just take our word for it; more than 80% of its user-reviews on Amazon are a full five stars at the time of writing. Most of these praise the game's replayability, its art-style, and the way it's suitable for a multitude of ages. I don't know if I'd say it's one of the best family board games because it'll be too much for younger children, but a slightly older audience should be charmed by it.
The game attempts to balance this first player advantage by dealing an extra card to each player in subsequent turn order at the start, but I don't feel it does much to turn the fates since later players are still more subject to the luck of the draw. Essentially, players willing to adapt their strategy on the fly are far more likely to profit.
With point totals remaining obscure there's no overarching panic in knowing exactly how far behind you are. It means despite all the scrapping, the pacing doesn't ramp up too hard. There is a minor tension hike as you head into winter, though you're given plenty of meeple to achieve your goals. It means Everdell is an exceptionally chill game, which leans into the theme far better than the knuckle-whitening finish of something like Spirit Island or Doggerland.
As far as replayability goes, Everdell's random elements see players' cities growing differently every game, with a host of potential goals to keep them driven. While there's certainly a humungous deck to discover the ins and outs of, I imagine the game could get samey after a while. But isn't that what addons are for?
Should you buy Everdell?
Everdell is a charming city builder that shines in its cozy simplicity. With step-by-step instructions, it's quick to learn and easy to teach. And while it doesn't have the strategic depth of some Eurogames, it's far less chaotic and time consuming. The short whip through the seasons encourages thoughtful planning, rather than the mental exertion some Eurogames like to inflict.
I'm more likely to reach for Everdell as a shorter and less strategically intense option for board game night as a result, not to mention to show off the gorgeous 3D tree that makes up part of the board.
Ratings
Category | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
Game mechanics | Easy to learn and teach mechanics support the woodland theme for a gently competitive Eurogame, though it's not necessarily revolutionary. | 4/5 |
Accessibility | Small numbers and bright colors make it great for kids (big and small), though the header typeface is hard to read in places. | 4/5 |
Replayability | It could get samey, but there are plenty of addons available to keep things interesting. | 3/5 |
Setup & pack down | It's a little fiddly with the 3D tree but otherwise simple to set up and quick to pack away. | 4/5 |
Component quality | There's a lovely aesthetic here with good quality components. A little board-building novelty never goes amiss either. | 5/5 |
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How we tested Everdell
This review was conducted using a copy of the game purchased by the writer.
The reviewer has owned Everdell for a good stretch of time, so has plenty of experience running it personally. Consequently, they have played it multiple times and with numerous people so can accurately critique its longevity and compare to other products.
To get a better sense of how we test board games, see our guide or visit the full GamesRadar+ reviews policy.
For more tabletop recommendations, why not check out the best family board games or the best 2-player board games?
