Galaxy Trucker returns for an explosively good time!

Imagine frantically assembling a spacecraft out of sewer pipes, then rocketing dangerously across the cosmos in hopes of making it to your destination with at least some of your ship intact. In Galaxy Trucker, victory is measured by whether or not you can crash your steaming wreck of a ship across the finish line with at least one credit still in hand. That’s no simple task in a galactic trek full of meteors, pirates, and other unpredictable hazards poised to send pieces of your craft, crew, and cargo hurling through the depths of space.

Since it originally launched back in 2007, Galaxy Trucker has been translated into 13 different languages and seen numerous expansions. It’s been a wild journey, and we’re thrilled to be embarking on the next stretch of this grand adventure with the beautifully updated re-launch edition later this summer!

New to Galaxy Trucker? No sweat.

In this fast and goofy family game, 2 to 4 players begin by simultaneously rummaging through the common warehouse, frantically trying to grab the most useful component tiles for building their spaceship—all in real-time.

Once the ships are launched, players encounter dangerous situations while vying for financial opportunities—each hoping to gain the most valuable cargo and finish with as much of their ship still intact as possible. Of course, that's easier said than done, since many hazards will destroy pieces of your ship, leave crew members stranded in space, or slow you down.

The goal is to make a profit (or at least to survive the trek). Players earn credits by delivering goods, defeating pirates, having the best-looking ship, and reaching their destination before the others.

It’s an explosive fun time filled with chaos and delight.

For designer and CGE co-founder Vlaada Chvátil, the original concept for Galaxy Trucker came from a desire to minimize downtime and craft a faster-paced gaming experience. “Back then, there were not many real time games, except perhaps a few simple and light reflex-based ones,” he says. “At that time, I was a bit tired of downtime caused by analysis paralysis, so I toyed with an idea for a game where the speed of a decision is as important as the quality of that decision.”

Vlaada wanted to avoid rules evaluation during the real-time phase of the game—to keep decisions light and fast-paced, while eliminating the need to consult the rulebook and the potential for wrongly played rules. “Building clunky spaceships following very simple rules and then flying them through the galaxy as a kind of more adventurous scoring seemed to be a perfect fit,” he adds.

Revisiting a CGE Classic

Galaxy Trucker was the first game CGE ever published. Back then, the team put a ton of effort into making it a fun and engaging experience, but over the years we’ve also really refined and improved the way we make games. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to revisit this fan favorite, make some improvements along the way, and introduce it to audiences who are newer to the board game space and may not have experienced it yet.

“It still sells very well even after all those years,” says Vlaada. “So, it would be a shame to continue to print it unchanged, when we are now able to produce a cheaper, better looking, and better working game.”

One of the most obvious changes found in the new Galaxy Trucker experience is the newly re-worked artwork and upgraded components. “Just yesterday, I received a final copy of the game, and while I really like the new components, what I like most is probably the box itself,” says Vlaada. “I love the little cute astronauts drawn by Tomáš Kučerovský. In the original edition, they were kind of a last-minute addition to the rules, but in the new one, the graphical style revolves around them, including the game cover.”

“Also, the rulebook and the quick reference guide that summarizes the complete rules and all the cards and tiles look very nice. Holding them printed in my hands after spending so many days and nights working on them with our rule writer Jason Holt and other CGE people was very satisfying.”

Another goal with the re-launch is to bring the classic game to a wider audience without sacrificing the depth that more seasoned fans enjoy. The new Galaxy Trucker certainly comes in a smaller box and sports a cheaper price tag ($29.99 MSRP), but we’ve also streamlined elements of the experience to make it faster and more accessible to players of all ages.

The core game mode, for example, has been trimmed down to a single flight, allowing players to enjoy a faster 30-minute game session at different ship difficulty levels—perfect for family game nights. For those who want a longer game, however, the Transgalactic Trek gameplay variant still combines multiple cumulative flights together for a crazier run. And it adds a completely new element—players may now gain unique titles buy building and defending their reputation in certain areas for even bigger profit.

If that’s not intense enough for hardcore players already, buckle up, because we’re also going to be updating the Rough Roads expansion and offering it as a free digital download alongside the new edition at launch.

Ready to build a spaceship and fly across the cosmos? Transport goods? Fight pirates? Dodge meteors? Watch fellow players' ships explode as you fly on to victory? Load up for an intense, humor-filled haul with the newly updated edition of Galaxy Trucker, re-launching later this summer!