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Ticket to Ride board game review: is it worth buying?

Ticket to Ride is a route-building strategy game where players collect train cards to claim railway routes across a map. Card collection, strategic route blocking and destination ticket scoring make it one of the most accessible strategy games for mixed-experience groups.

By Pickspry EditorialUpdated 4 picks


The short answer

Ticket to Ride USA map at $45 is worth buying for groups of 2 to 5 players aged 8 and up who want a strategy game that is easy to explain in 15 minutes, plays in 45 to 75 minutes and works for adults and older children simultaneously at a family game night.

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Quick picks

How we chose

Board games are evaluated by player count, recommended age, average play time, complexity rating, core mechanics, map theme and expansion compatibility. Game details from Days of Wonder product specifications. We did not test these products.

The picks, in detail

4 picks reviewed
01
Best for most households
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride USA Map

Ticket to Ride USA Map

Brand: Days of Wonder

Best for

Households with 2 to 5 players aged 8 and up who want a strategy game with accessible rules, a North American geography theme and route-completion gameplay that provides different strategic decisions each game from the dealt destination tickets.

Skip if

European map geography is preferred, or the group wants ferry route mechanics and station pieces that add more strategic options. Ticket to Ride Europe at $50 is the recommended second purchase after the USA base game.

Ticket to Ride uses colored train car cards collected from a central display to claim routes on the board. Players secretly hold destination tickets (route objectives) that score points if completed and deduct points if not completed at the end of the game.

The North America map covers 46 cities and 101 routes. Routes range from 1 to 6 train cars in length. The longest continuous route earns the Globe Trotter bonus (10 VP). A game ends when any player has 2 or fewer train cars remaining.

At $45, Ticket to Ride USA is the benchmark accessible strategy game for mixed-age game groups.

Specifications

Specifications for Ticket to Ride USA Map
Players2 to 5
Age8 and up
Play time45 to 75 minutes
Price$45

Specs from Ticket to Ride, USA board game Amazon search

02
Best Ticket to Ride for experienced players
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride Europe Edition

Ticket to Ride Europe Edition

Brand: Days of Wonder

Best for

Groups who have played the USA map multiple times and want additional strategic mechanics (tunnels, ferries and stations) that add decision complexity without fundamentally changing the approachable rule structure.

Skip if

New Ticket to Ride players are in the group. Europe's additional mechanics (tunnels that require extra cards, ferry routes, station placement) add learning time. For a first Ticket to Ride experience, the USA map is simpler to teach and learn.

Ticket to Ride Europe adds tunnel routes (where claiming requires additional random cards revealed from the deck), ferry routes (requiring locomotive wild cards), and stations that allow using one opponent's route without blocking. The European geography map covers 44 cities.

Stations add a recovery mechanic absent in the USA map, reducing the frustration when a critical route is blocked. The map is considered by many players to be strategically richer than the USA version.

At $50, Ticket to Ride Europe is the recommended second map for players who have completed the USA version and want more complex routing decisions.

Specifications

Specifications for Ticket to Ride Europe Edition
Players2 to 5
Age8 and up
Unique mechanicsTunnels, ferries, stations
Price$50

Specs from Ticket to Ride Europe, board game Amazon search

03
Best Ticket to Ride for children
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride Kids Edition USA

Ticket to Ride Kids Edition USA

Brand: Days of Wonder

Best for

Families with children aged 6 to 9 who want to introduce Ticket to Ride mechanics with simplified rules, a shorter play time of 15 to 30 minutes and a child-appropriate objective structure that allows mixed-age family play.

Skip if

Adults or older children aged 10 and up will be playing. The Kids Edition is designed for 6 to 9 year olds and will be too simple for experienced Ticket to Ride players. Adults who want to play with young children will find the Kids Edition appropriate; adults playing without young children should buy the standard edition.

Ticket to Ride Kids Edition uses the same basic card collection and route claiming system as the standard game, simplified with fewer city connections, illustrated destination tickets with city photographs, and a win condition based on completing 6 tickets rather than VP calculation.

The simplified scoring removes the end-game point tally that can be abstract for young children. The game ends immediately when a player completes their 6th ticket, providing a clear win condition children can understand.

At $30, Ticket to Ride Kids Edition is the age-appropriate introduction to Ticket to Ride for families with children aged 6 to 9.

Specifications

Specifications for Ticket to Ride Kids Edition USA
Players2 to 4
Age6 and up
Play time15 to 30 minutes
Price$30

Specs from Ticket to Ride Kids Edition, board game Amazon search

04
Best Ticket to Ride collector edition
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride 10th Anniversary Edition

Ticket to Ride 10th Anniversary Edition

Brand: Days of Wonder

Best for

Ticket to Ride fans who want the USA map with premium oversized components, higher-quality train miniatures and a large-format board, where the 10th Anniversary edition provides the same gameplay as the standard USA map in a collector-quality production.

Skip if

Portability or price sensitivity is a concern. The 10th Anniversary box is significantly larger than the standard edition and costs $100, more than double the standard version. For travel or shelf-space-limited homes, the standard edition at $45 provides the same gameplay in a smaller package.

The 10th Anniversary edition uses oversized plastic train miniatures rather than the flat wooden trains in the standard edition, an enlarged board with more detailed artwork, larger cards and premium card stock. The gameplay is identical to the original USA map.

The edition is produced in limited quantities. The larger table space required (approximately 36 x 24 inches) limits it to homes with a full-size dining table available for game nights.

At $100, the 10th Anniversary edition is the gift choice for established Ticket to Ride fans who already own the standard edition.

Specifications

Specifications for Ticket to Ride 10th Anniversary Edition
Players2 to 5
Board sizeLarge format (30 x 19 inches)
ComponentsPremium 3D trains, oversized cards
Price$100

Specs from Ticket to Ride 10th Anniversary, premium edition Amazon search

Ticket to Ride product comparison

Product Players Age Play time Price
USA Map 2 to 5 8+ 45-75 min $45
Europe Edition 2 to 5 8+ 45-75 min $50
Kids Edition 2 to 4 6+ 15-30 min $30
10th Anniversary 2 to 5 8+ 45-75 min $100

Compare the picks

Side by side comparison of every pick
Specification
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride USA Map
Ticket to Ride USA Map
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride Europe Edition
Ticket to Ride Europe Edition
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride Kids Edition USA
Ticket to Ride Kids Edition USA
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride 10th Anniversary Edition
Ticket to Ride 10th Anniversary Edition
Our verdictBest for most householdsBest Ticket to Ride for experienced playersBest Ticket to Ride for childrenBest Ticket to Ride collector edition
Players2 to 52 to 52 to 42 to 5
Age8 and up8 and up6 and upNot listed
Play time45 to 75 minutesNot listed15 to 30 minutesNot listed
Price$45$50$30$100
Unique mechanicsNot listedTunnels, ferries, stationsNot listedNot listed
Board sizeNot listedNot listedNot listedLarge format (30 x 19 inches)
ComponentsNot listedNot listedNot listedPremium 3D trains, oversized cards
BuyCheck priceCheck priceCheck priceCheck price

Questions people ask

Ticket to Ride vs Catan: which is better for beginners?

Ticket to Ride is easier to teach and learn than Catan. The Ticket to Ride rules can be explained in 10 to 15 minutes, while Catan takes 20 to 30 minutes to explain fully. Ticket to Ride has fewer decision points per turn (draw cards or claim a route or draw tickets), while Catan involves resource management, trading negotiations and development cards. For groups with mixed board game experience or with players who are easily overwhelmed by choices, Ticket to Ride is the recommended starting point. Catan is a better fit for groups that want more player interaction and are comfortable learning a more complex ruleset.

How does scoring work in Ticket to Ride?

Routes score points based on their length: 1-car routes score 1 point, 2-car routes score 2 points, 3-car routes score 4 points, 4-car routes score 7 points, 5-car routes score 10 points and 6-car routes score 15 points. Completed destination tickets score their face value (6 to 22 points depending on distance). Incomplete destination tickets deduct their face value. The Globe Trotter bonus (10 points) goes to the player with the longest continuous route. The typical winning score in a 3 to 4 player game is 120 to 150 points.

Can Ticket to Ride be played solo?

Ticket to Ride is not designed for solo play. The base game requires at least 2 players. Days of Wonder has not released an official solo variant for any Ticket to Ride edition. Some community-created solo variants exist, typically using a point target for solo play measured against a random blocking mechanism, but these are unofficial and not included in the box. For a solo train route game experience, a different game specifically designed for solo play is a more appropriate choice.

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