Skyrise Essentials Edition

Skyrise is a spatial auction game where players compete to build the most celebrated city in the sky. Elegant enough to teach in minutes, but with enough strategic depth to reward careful planning across every round.

Players bid using a clever spatial auction system — where you place your bid token matters as much as its value. Win building sites across the floating city's islands, earn favour with factions, court mysterious Patrons, score secret and public objectives, and construct your own unique Wonder. Every decision shapes the cityscape and affects what your rivals can do next.

What's good?

• The spatial auction mechanic is genuinely original — bidding placement is as important as bid value
• Modular board and variable setup keep each game feeling different
• Multiple scoring paths mean no two players need to compete the same way
• Scales well from 2 to 4 players without losing tension

Who is it for?

• ✔ Fans of auction and area majority games looking for something fresh
• ✔ Groups who enjoy strategic games with high interaction
• ✔ Players familiar with Metropolys or Spiel Des Jahres-style designs
• ✖ Not ideal for players who prefer low-conflict or solo games

Skyrise Essentials Edition is the sequel to Sébastien Pauchon's 2008 Spiel Des Jahres recommended spatial auction game, Metropolys.

Pair with: Browse more strategy games in our Strategy Games collection.