Which Ticket to Ride should I buy? 9 versions compared

Last checked 9 November 2026

Quick answer: For most families, get the original Ticket to Ride (USA map) or Ticket to Ride: Europe: both are 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, 30 to 60 minutes. Europe adds tunnels, ferries and stations. For children from 6, pick First Journey or Ghost Train. London and New York are 15-minute small boxes for 2 to 4. Legends of the West is a 12-game legacy campaign from age 10.

Ticket to Ride is one of the safest board game presents you can buy, but there are a lot of boxes now and they're not all the same game. The rules underneath barely change: collect coloured cards, spend them to claim routes, and connect the places on your tickets before anyone blocks you. What changes is the map, the size of the box, the age it starts at and one or two twists. These nine are the standalone games (everything you need is in the box), from a kids' version for 6-year-olds to a 12-game campaign. Ages, player counts and times come from Days of Wonder's own pages, and each card says how easy it is to teach.

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Ticket to Ride (2025 edition) cover: travellers waiting beside a steam train at a station

1. Ticket to Ride

Collect matching coloured train cards and claim railway routes to link cities across North America.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 8+
Play time: 30 to 60 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: The original, on Alan R. Moon's map of North America, and still the one to get if nobody in the house has played. It's 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, 30 to 60 minutes. The long routes across the map are worth a lot of points, so there's a lovely bit of tension when someone's eyeing the same line as you. UK shops now sell the refreshed 2025 box.

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Details last checked 26 October 2026.

Ticket to Ride Europe box: travellers in period dress on a station platform beside a steam train

2. Ticket to Ride: Europe

Alan R. Moon's Europe map for Ticket to Ride. The same card collecting and route claiming, plus tunnels, ferries and train stations, and far more short routes than the USA map.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 8+
Play time: 30 to 60 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: Our pick if you're choosing between the two big ones and like a bit more to think about. Same player count, age and time as the original, but the Europe map adds tunnels (routes that can cost extra cards), ferries and train stations that let you borrow someone else's route. There are lots of short routes, so the board gets crowded and you'll block each other more.

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Details last checked 21 October 2026.

Ticket to Ride First Journey box: cartoon children and a train conductor in front of a steam train

3. Ticket to Ride: First Journey

Ticket to Ride cut down for younger players. Collect train cards, claim short routes across a map of Europe and race to finish your tickets.

Players: 2 to 4 players
Age: 6+
Play time: 15 to 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: The cut-down version for younger children. It's 2 to 4 players from age 6, 15 to 30 minutes, with short routes and quick tickets so kids get the satisfying bit (finishing a ticket) without a long wait. The UK box uses a map of Europe. Grown-ups won't be bored for a few games, and it's a good stepping stone to the full one.

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Details last checked 19 October 2026.

Ticket to Ride Ghost Train box: cartoon children in Halloween costumes beside a ghostly steam train

4. Ticket to Ride: Ghost Train

A Halloween version of Ticket to Ride: First Journey for younger players. Collect Parade Float cards, claim routes round a spooky town and race to finish your tickets.

Players: 2 to 4 players
Age: 6+
Play time: 15 to 30 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: First Journey with a Halloween theme. You collect Parade Float cards and send haunted carriages round a spooky little town instead of a map of Europe. It's the same 2 to 4 players, age 6 and up and 15 to 30 minutes. Alan R. Moon's own note says there's nothing scary about this ghost, so it's fine for little ones who like a spooky look.

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Ticket to Ride London box: a red double-decker bus and 1970s Londoners on a street

5. Ticket to Ride: London

Alan R. Moon's small-box Ticket to Ride set in 1970s London. You claim bus routes between districts with just 17 double-decker buses each, so it's over fast.

Players: 2 to 4 players
Age: 8+
Play time: 10 to 15 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: A small box for 2 to 4 players aged 8 and up that plays in 10 to 15 minutes. You've only got 17 double-decker buses each, connecting London districts in the 1970s, so every route matters and a game's done before the kettle's boiled twice. Alan R. Moon calls it slightly bigger and more open than New York. A great stocking filler for someone who already loves the big game.

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Ticket to Ride New York box: a yellow taxi and 1960s New Yorkers in front of skyscrapers

6. Ticket to Ride: New York

The first of the small city Ticket to Ride games: 1960s Manhattan, 15 taxis each and a 15-minute race to link tourist attractions and finish your tickets.

Players: 2 to 4 players
Age: 8+
Play time: 10 to 15 minutes
Our teaching rating: Very easy to teach

Why it suits this: The other small city box: 1960s Manhattan, 15 taxis each, 2 to 4 players aged 8 and up, 10 to 15 minutes. With only 15 pieces each it's the smallest of the lot, so you're blocking and being blocked from the first turn. Pick New York or London on the theme you like better, as they play much the same (London adds a bonus to balance the board).

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Ticket to Ride Germany box: a steam train and travellers in period dress at a German station

7. Ticket to Ride: Germany

A full-size, stand-alone Ticket to Ride on a map of Germany. Alongside the usual tickets you collect passenger meeples from the cities you connect, which adds a race.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 8+
Play time: 30 to 60 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: A full-size game in its own right, and Days of Wonder says it doesn't need the original. It's 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, 30 to 60 minutes. The twist is passengers: little meeples sit in the cities, more of them in big places like Berlin and Munich, and you grab them as you connect. It gives you a reason to build towards places that aren't on your tickets.

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Ticket to Ride Northern Lights box: a steam train and travellers under a night sky with the aurora

8. Ticket to Ride: Northern Lights

The 2025 Nordic map for Ticket to Ride: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, with ferry routes and four shared bonus cards each game that change what scores.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 8+
Play time: 30 to 60 minutes
Our teaching rating: Easy to teach

Why it suits this: The newest big map, out in 2025, across Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. It's 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, 30 to 60 minutes, with rail and ferry routes. Each game four bonus cards are drawn from 11, and everyone can chase them, so the end-of-game scoring is a bit different every time. A nice pick for someone who's worn out their Europe map.

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Ticket to Ride Legacy Legends of the West box: a steam train and pioneers in a frontier town

9. Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West

A 12-game Ticket to Ride campaign across North America by Alan R. Moon, Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau. Boxes open as you go, adding new rules and map, and your copy ends up unique.

Players: 2 to 5 players
Age: 10+
Play time: 20 to 90 minutes
Our teaching rating: Takes a little explaining

Why it suits this: The big one. Alan R. Moon, Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau turned Ticket to Ride into a 12-game campaign across North America, where you open boxes as you go and unlock new rules and pieces of map. It's for 2 to 5 players aged 10 and up, 20 to 90 minutes a game, and you're each running a rival train company. Buy it for a group that'll meet up a dozen times, not a one-off Christmas game.

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Details last checked 9 November 2026.

Which Ticket to Ride is best for…

A first copy for the family: the original Ticket to Ride, or Europe if you like a little more going on.
Children aged 6 and 7: First Journey, or Ghost Train if they like a spooky theme.
A small present or a quick game for two: London or New York.
Someone who already owns the original or Europe: Germany or Northern Lights.
A regular group that wants a story: Legends of the West.

Ticket to Ride questions

What’s the difference between Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride: Europe?

The rules are the same at heart. Europe adds tunnels, ferries and train stations, and its map has lots more short routes, so it’s a bit more crowded and a little more to explain. Both are 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, 30 to 60 minutes.

What age is Ticket to Ride for?

The main games are 8 and up. First Journey and Ghost Train start at 6, and the Legacy campaign at 10.

How many people can play Ticket to Ride?

The original, Europe, Germany, Northern Lights and Legends of the West all take 2 to 5. First Journey, Ghost Train, London and New York take 2 to 4.

Which Ticket to Ride is quickest?

London and New York, at 10 to 15 minutes. First Journey and Ghost Train take 15 to 30.

Not sure it’s a Ticket to Ride house? See games like Ticket to Ride for other route and family games, or board games for 5 players if you need one more seat. More gift ideas are in our Christmas board games guide.

How we choose and check

We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.