Designer Matt Leacock (the Pandemic series) enjoys high regard in the Western board game community. Early in 2025, his reputation, the crash-priority theme and the attractive art spurred us to take a chance on Daybreak (2023) – a game we hadn’t played, designed by Leacock and Matteo Menapace. Success! This breakthrough was instrumental in our quest to create a space for political and current events board games.
Daybreak is an enjoyable, many sided cooperative. 1-4 players represent the great world powers as they grapple with impending, cascading, multi-sided climate trouble. Players roll out projects and build resilience to prepare for crises and shocks while stabilizing communities. Reduce carbon emissions, phase out fossil fuels, prepare for growth by bringing clean energy online, plan for synergy among projects, strengthen and protect vital life forms and oceans. Also get ready to roll with the punches. Big challenges arrive in the form of Crisis cards (more as the global temp rises.) Disasters, sabotage and burn-it-down money managers threaten to sink the global human project.
Here’s a climate researcher’s in depth take on the game. The model is somewhat abstract; for example, war appears as a policy threat, not military counters marching across terrain. It is also a historic game from the 2023 period, when the US was more inclined to at least give earnest speeches about climate action.
If you want to think about the current world state of play on climate, and put together your own solutions in a stimulating, fun boardgame, Daybreak has got you. But there is more!
Every card – whether simulating local projects, global agreements or a range of challenges – has a QR code link to a web page where you can read an issue summary, learn more or take action. (all the cards – searchable)
This makes Daybreak a strong offering in classroom, workshop or activist settings.
Daybreak won the 2024 Kennerspiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) in Germany, probably the world’s most prestigious table game award. Matteo Menapace was subsequently banned from future Spiel des Jahres events for wearing a Palestine sticker. Draw your own conclusions.
Update: Matteo wrote about the game’s framing and recent changes in global climate situation that (more or less) make Daybreak a historic game from the 2023 era.
Correction: Matteo was in fact banned but was NOT stripped of the award, as we previously reported. He writes: “I’ve just been declared persona non grata at the award events, for an unclear amount of time (maybe a year, maybe less, maybe forever)”
Updated from original post of May 9, 2025
