%2Fpic4459753.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
About Power Grid
Power Grid is a hard-edged economic game about building a network of cities and the plants to power them. Its two great ideas are an open auction for plants and a commodity market where every purchase drives the price up for everyone, including you next round. Turn order is reversed for the leader, so being ahead is actively punished until the very last turn.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Is Power Grid Right for You?
Best for
Power Grid is for groups who want a genuinely competitive economic game with real player interaction. The auction and the resource market mean every decision is made against what everyone else needs, and the leader-penalty turn order keeps the pack together until a decisive endgame. Four and five players is where it is best.
Maybe skip it if…
The mathematics is relentless and the game rewards careful counting more than clever ideas, which some players find joyless. It is also long at high player counts and the fiddly resource restocking is a genuine chore.
How to Play Power Grid
Setup
Choose a region of the map. Set the plant market and fill the resource market to starting levels.
On Your Turn
- Determine turn order by network size, then auction power plants, with the leader bidding first and buying last.
- Buy resources from the shared market; prices rise as supply is depleted.
- Build connections to new cities, paying escalating connection costs, then power your cities for income.
How to Win
The game ends when someone connects the target number of cities. The winner is whoever can actually power the most cities that turn.
💡 Strategy Tips
Being in the lead is a disadvantage all game. Time your final surge for the last two rounds, not the middle.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rushing to build a big network early. Leading reverses your turn order, meaning worse plant choices and worse fuel prices for the rest of the game.
- Bidding up plants you do not intend to buy without a plan. It works, but it costs you position and it is easy to get stuck holding one.
- Ignoring fuel scarcity. Buying uranium late when three players need it is how comfortable positions collapse.
- Forgetting the endgame trigger. The game ends on a city count and players routinely get surprised into a round they were not funded for.
Advanced Strategy
- Count how many of each fuel type the table needs before you bid. A cheap plant burning a contested resource is expensive.
- Deliberately stay second or third in network size for most of the game. The turn order advantage compounds.
- Buy one round of surplus fuel when prices are low, particularly for plants only you can use.
- Calculate the exact city count that ends the game and work backwards from your final income two rounds before it.
Variants & House Rules
The Recharged edition
A cleaner reprint with improved components and clarified rules. The version to buy new.
The map expansions
Dozens of regional maps exist, each with its own resource availability rules. They change the game far more than the artwork suggests.
Video Guides
Loading videos…
Our Verdict
Power Grid is one of the great economic designs and it has lost none of its bite. The escalating resource market and the leader penalty combine into a game that stays close until the final turn and then rewards whoever counted best. It is dry, it is demanding, and it is very good.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players is best?
Four or five. At two or three the market dynamics are much softer and the auction loses tension.
Which edition should I buy?
The Recharged version. Better components and clearer rules than the older printings.
Is the maths heavy?
Yes. Careful counting of money, fuel and city costs is the core skill. It is not a game for a distracted table.