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About Santorini
Santorini is an abstract with a gorgeous three-dimensional build: you move a worker and then build a block, and you win by stepping onto a third level. The base rules take under two minutes to explain. What makes it endure is the deck of god powers, each of which bends one rule and turns the same simple game into something new.
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Is Santorini Right for You?
Best for
Santorini is the abstract to buy if you want something that looks stunning on the table and can be taught to a child in one sitting. The god powers are what give it legs: with over thirty in the base box, the matchups keep producing situations neither player has seen. Two players is the real game, though it supports three and four.
Maybe skip it if…
The god powers are wildly unbalanced against each other, deliberately so, which frustrates players who want a fair fight. Played without them, it is a much thinner game that a strong player will win every time.
How to Play Santorini
Setup
Place the board and each player's two workers on any unoccupied squares. Optionally deal each player a god power card.
On Your Turn
- Move one of your workers to an adjacent square, going up at most one level but down any number.
- Then build a block on a square adjacent to the worker you just moved.
- Apply your god power if it modifies either step.
How to Win
Move a worker up onto the third level. A player who cannot move and build loses immediately.
💡 Strategy Tips
Domes are not decoration. Capping a square denies it permanently and is often stronger than climbing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Building without considering who benefits. Every block you place is available to your opponent on their next turn.
- Chasing the third level early. Climbing is only useful if you can survive being blocked, and an early climb is easy to dome over.
- Forgetting that you can move down any number of levels. New players treat height as a one-way trip.
- Ignoring the second worker. Games are won by coordinating both, and beginners routinely leave one standing in a corner all game.
Advanced Strategy
- Think in terms of denying squares rather than reaching height. Most wins come from leaving your opponent nowhere legal to go.
- Keep your two workers within supporting distance. A worker alone can be walled off by a single well-placed block.
- Read your opponent's god power before your first move and work out its weakness. Most powers have one obvious counter.
- A player who cannot move loses. Against a cornered opponent, look for the lock rather than the climb.
Variants & House Rules
God powers
The base box includes a large deck of asymmetric powers. Deliberately unbalanced and the main source of replay value; deal them randomly or draft.
Hero and Golden Fleece expansions
Additional power decks and a variant board. For players who have exhausted the base gods.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Santorini is the friendliest serious abstract we know. It takes two minutes to teach, it looks like a piece of decor, and the god powers give it a variety that games ten times its weight struggle to match. If you want one two-player game that anyone in the house will agree to play, this is it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the god powers balanced?
No, and intentionally so. They are meant to create asymmetric, memorable matchups rather than a fair tournament. Play without them if you want balance.
Does Santorini work with three or four players?
It supports both, with four playing in teams. Two is clearly the best experience.
Is it suitable for children?
Very. The base rules are simple enough for around eight and up, and the physical building is a genuine draw.