The three names on the front of Railway Boom read like a wishlist. Hisashi Hayashi, the designer behind train-game favourites Yokohama and Trains, has teamed with Simone Luciani, credited here as developer but better known as the designer of Grand Austria Hotel and Barrage, and artist Ian O'Toole (Lisboa, On Mars). The result is an economic route-builder set in Japan's Meiji-era railway boom, and, best of all for anyone who has watched it from afar, Cranio Creations is bringing it out in English.
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Find events near youRailway Boom drops 2 to 4 players into the late 19th century, when Japan's first line between Shimbashi and Yokohama sparked a nationwide rush to lay track. You build engines, race rivals for territory on a shared map, and fund all of it through auctions. Each round includes four auction phases, one apiece for materials, money, technology and a rotating resource, and because players act simultaneously there is very little sitting around waiting for your turn. A game lands somewhere between 60 and 120 minutes depending on the count.
The reviews back up the pedigree. Meeple Mountain scored it "Excellent", praising how clean it plays and how quickly it teaches, though it flagged one catch: the game shines with three or four players and feels loose at two, so this is one to bring to a full table.
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Start organising for freeThe English edition is up for pre-order now for around £43 (€49.99) and should reach UK shelves and retailers like Zatu later in 2026. If it lands on your table, round up a group and make a night of it.
Sources: Cranio Creations | Meeple Mountain | Board Game Quest
