How to play Race for the Galaxy Rules for rulebook haters
I hate rulebooks! This condensed How to Play Race for the Galaxy rules help players get the essential instructions without having to trawl rulebooks.
The Race for the Galaxy game overview page introduces you to the game through a summary of the gameplay and videos shared by other gamers.
Overview
- Players build galactic civilizations with game cards representing worlds or developments.
- Each round has one or more of five possible phases.
- Players secretly choose one of seven action cards and reveal them simultaneously.
- Only selected phases occur; all players perform the phase’s action; selecting players get a bonus.
- Goal: manage cards, phases, bonuses, and powers to build the greatest space empire.
- Winner: player with the most victory points (VPs).
Contents
- 5 start world cards (numbered “0” to “4”)
- 109 game cards: 59 worlds, 50 developments
- 4 sets of 7 player action cards
- 8 duplicate action cards for 2-player games
- 4 summary sheets
- 28 VP chips: 18 (1 VP), 6 (5 VP), 4 (10 VP)
Setup
- Place 12 VP chips per player.
- Each player gets seven action cards.
- Shuffle and deal one start world to each player.
- Shuffle remaining start worlds and game cards, deal six to each player, discard two.
- First game: use preset hands matching start worlds.
- If Alpha Centauri is in play, place a face-down card on it.

Playing the Game
- Game played over several rounds (7-11).
- Each player secretly chooses an action card each round, then reveals it.
- Perform selected phases in order (I: Explore; II: Develop; III: Settle; IV: Consume; V: Produce), skipping phases not chosen.
Phase Details
- Explore
- Action: Each player draws 2 cards.Selection: Players choose 1 card to keep and discard the other face down.Order: All cards are dealt before any are discarded.Bonuses:
- Explore: +5: Draw 7 cards, keep 1.
- Explore: +1, +1: Draw 3 cards, keep 2.
- Special Powers: Cards in the tableau can modify rules, allowing extra draws or keeps.
- Develop
- Action: Players choose to place a development card or none.Reveal: All players reveal chosen cards simultaneously.Payment: Players pay for developments by discarding cards from their hand.
- Cost: Each development has a cost (1-6), shown in a symbol.
- Discount: Players choosing the Develop action discard one card fewer.
- Special Powers: May alter rules; no bonus if discarding no cards already.
- Restrictions: Cannot build a development if another copy is already in the tableau.Victory Points (VP): Shown next to the development’s cost.
- 6-Cost Developments: Have variable VP values indicated on the cards.
- Special Powers: Can modify these rules if present before the phase.
- Settle
- Action: Players place a world card face down or choose not to place a world.
- Reveal: All players reveal chosen cards simultaneously.
- Payment:
- World Cost: Shown in a black circle (0-6). Discard cards equal to this number.
- Settle Bonus: Players draw one card after placing and paying for/conquering a world.
- Victory Points (VP): Displayed beside the world’s cost circle, contributing to the final score.
- Special Rules:
- Powers: Can alter settle rules if present in the tableau before the phase.
- Windfall Worlds: Colored halo around the cost circle. Place a face-down card on it as a good.
- Goods Types:
- Alien technology
- Genes
- Rare elements
- Novelty goods
- Goods Types:
- Military Conquest:
- Military Worlds: Red circle with a defense number (1-7). Must be conquered, not paid for.
- Military Total: Must equal/exceed the world’s defense to conquer.
- Settle Bonus: Draw one card if Settle action was chosen.
- Military Sources: Start worlds, developments, or worlds grant Military power.
- Negative Military: Some cards can subtract from Military total.
- New Military Tactics: Discard for +3 Military until the end of the phase.
- Contact Specialist: Pay for military worlds at a reduced cost (one less than defense).
- Cost Reductions: Not reduced by Military but can be combined with other discounts (e.g., Replicant Robots, Mining Robots).
- Colony Ship: Allows placing a non-Alien military world at no cost.
- Two Ways to Place Military Worlds:
- Conquer: Using Military power.
- Pay with Contact Specialist: At a reduced cost.
- Consume
- Action: Players place a world card face down or choose not to place a world.
- Reveal: All players reveal chosen cards simultaneously.
- Payment:
- World Cost: Shown in a black circle (0-6). Discard cards equal to this number.
- Settle Bonus: Players draw one card after placing and paying for/conquering a world.
- Victory Points (VP): Displayed beside the world’s cost circle, contributing to the final score.
- Special Rules:
- Powers: Can alter settle rules if present in the tableau before the phase.
- Windfall Worlds: Colored halo around the cost circle. Place a face-down card on it as a good.
- Goods Types:
- Alien technology
- Genes
- Rare elements
- Novelty goods
- Military Conquest:
- Military Worlds: Red circle with a defense number (1-7). Must be conquered, not paid for.
- Military Total: Must equal/exceed the world’s defense to conquer.
- Settle Bonus: Draw one card if Settle action was chosen.
- Military Sources: Start worlds, developments, or worlds grant Military power.
- Negative Military: Some cards can subtract from Military total.
- New Military Tactics: Discard for +3 Military until the end of the phase.
- Contact Specialist: Pay for military worlds at a reduced cost (one less than defense).
- Cost Reductions: Not reduced by Military but can be combined with other discounts (e.g., Replicant Robots, Mining Robots).
- Colony Ship: Allows placing a non-Alien military world at no cost.
- Two Ways to Place Military Worlds:
- Conquer: Using Military power.
- Pay with Contact Specialist: At a reduced cost.
- Produce
- Action:
- Place a good on each production world (colored, solid circles) without a good.
- Take a face-down card from the supply and place it on the world’s lower right portion.
- Good type is indicated by the color of the world’s solid circle.
- Restrictions:
- No world can have more than one good.
- Place the good to avoid hiding the world’s VPs or powers.
- Special Rules:
- Additional Card Draw: Some worlds (e.g., Gem World) provide a card draw when producing a good, unless a good is already present.
- Produce Bonus:
- Players who chose Produce can produce a good on one windfall world without a good.
- Some cards (e.g., Genetics Lab) allow producing goods on windfall worlds without goods.
- Others (e.g., Pan-Galactic League) provide a card draw for each specific kind of world (e.g., Genes worlds) in the player’s tableau.
- Action:
Card Powers
Types of Powers:
- Standard Powers: Depicted by icons only (no text).
- Special Powers: Icons, highlighted phases, and text descriptions starting with the phase number.
Function:
- Modify rules and are cumulative.
- Only modify specified rules; all other rules still apply.
- “Draw” Definition:
- Explore Phase: Add to selection pool.
- Other Phases: Add to hand.
Cost Reduction:
- Costs reduced below 0 become 0.
- No card “refunds” for costs below 0.
Activation:
- Powers do not activate in the phase the card is placed.
- Activation starts from the next phase.
Usage:
- Powers are mandatory unless “may” is specified.
- Optional powers (e.g., Colony Ship) must be used if necessary for development/world placement.
Resolution:
- Powers resolved sequentially.
- Effects are cumulative; no power interruption allowed.
Round End
- Discarding:
- Players must discard down to 10 cards before starting the next round.
- All discards are face down.
- Keep the discard pile messy to distinguish it from the card supply.
- Card Supply:
- If the card supply is exhausted, immediately reshuffle the discards to form a new supply.
- Open Information:
- VP chips and the number of cards in players’ hands are open for examination.
- Make change among VP chips as needed.
Game End
End Conditions:
- The game ends at the end of the round in which:
- A player has 12 or more cards in their tableau.
- A player can exceed 12 cards by placing both a development and a world in the final round.
- The last victory point (VP) chip is given out.
- A player has 12 or more cards in their tableau.
- If VP chips run out, add 10 VP chips and make change to account for all earned VPs in the final consume phase.
Scoring:
- Total each player’s:
- Development and world VPs
- VP chips
- End of game VPs for 6-cost developments
Determining the Winner:
- The player with the highest total VP wins.
- In case of a tie:
- The player with the highest total number of cards in hand (after discarding) and goods on worlds wins.
- If still tied, all tied players win.
Timing
Simultaneous Play: Generally, play is performed simultaneously.
Exceptions:
- Low Card Supply: When few cards are left in the card supply.
- VP Chips Depletion: When VP chips might run out in a Consume phase.
- Endgame Settling: When players are settling near the end of the game.
Specific Situations:
- New Military Tactics or Colony Ships: Players may need to know others’ actions (e.g., discarding these cards or placing the twelfth card) before making their own decisions.
Order of Play:
- In such cases, perform the phase in clockwise order.
- Start with the player who has the lowest numbered (original) start world.
2-Player Game (Experienced)
- Each player uses nine action cards, chooses two each round.
- Special rules for bonuses and phase actions:
- Explore: Draw 8 cards, keep 2.
- Develop/Settle: Two sequential phases if both chosen.
- Consume: Must sell one good before consuming others for double VPs.