Co-op fans, a cult favourite is back and it has gone all out. Hotshots, Fireside Games' tense wildfire-fighting game, has returned in a deluxe edition complete with light-up LED flame tokens, and its Kickstarter has blown more than 50 times past its goal. The catch is that it closes today, 4 June 2026.
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Find events near youIf you have not played the original, Hotshots is a co-operative, press-your-luck game for 1 to 4 players (around an hour, ages 10 and up) in which your crew of wildfire specialists scramble to contain a fire spreading across a modular board. Each role, the Crew Boss, Sawyer, Lookout and Swamper, brings its own abilities, and you roll dice, push your luck and try not to let the blaze jump the line. It comes from Fireside Games, the studio that kicked off with co-op staple Castle Panic back in 2009, so the pedigree for tense, table-wide teamwork is there.
This deluxe second edition is more than a fresh coat of paint. Alongside the glowing flame tokens it adds new artwork, revised rules, four new playable characters, fresh civilians to rescue and extra terrain tiles. "Hotshots is the game we get the most requests to bring back," said designer Justin De Witt. "Fans love the edge-of-your-seat, high-stakes challenge in the original game, and we're excited to bring it back bigger and better than ever."
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See how it worksSince launching on 21 April, the campaign has raised $257,785 from 1,788 backers against a $5,000 goal, so the deluxe edition is comfortably happening. If you want the LED-flame version you will need to move quickly, because pledging ends today. And once your copy lands, you will want a crew, so rally your group for a co-op night.
Sources: Fireside Games | Toy Book | Kicktraq
