Citadels has always shone with five players sniping each other through the character draft, but the two-player game has long been the weak link in Bruno Faidutti's otherwise beloved 2000 design. Z-Man Games is fixing that with Citadels Duel, a from-scratch redesign for head-to-head play landing 23 October 2026, with a public debut at Essen Spiel two days later.
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See how it worksDesigned by Guillaume Montiage and Manuel Rozoy alongside Z-Man's Waleed Ma'arouf, Citadels Duel keeps the bluffing core that made the original a Spiel des Jahres nominee in 2000. The Assassin still murders. The Thief still steals. The Warlord still razes. But the rest of the engine has been rebuilt for two: tighter pacing, no alliances, and what the designers call 'many more ways to upend your opponent's plans.'
The reveal mentions a King's Guard placement layer and a council mechanic for swaying districts, both new. Players draft characters, build their citadels, and use the powers to sabotage their rival across roughly 30 minutes. Faidutti himself first saw the prototype in 2023 (then called Citaduel) and put the designers in touch with Asmodee USA's Minneapolis team, who developed it through several iterations.
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Set up your group for freeThe original Citadels has stayed in print across 25 years and multiple editions, most recently the 2021 revised version, racking up enough goodwill to support a dedicated two-player spin-off. Aldrey de Godoy handles the new artwork in a modern fantasy style, joined by Damien Mammoliti and Graey Erb. US retail is $29.99 (about £24).
If you're a Citadels lifer, this is the version you have been waiting for. If you have never tried the series, a tight 30-minute duel might be the friendliest entry point yet, pulling out the bluffing brain-burn without the seven-player setup grief.
Sources: Z-Man Games | ICv2 | Bruno Faidutti's Blog
