It is a railway-themed strategy game where players compete to build train routes across a map of various regions, aiming to connect cities and complete specific destination tickets for points.
The game components include a game board depicting a map of a particular geographic region (such as the United States, Europe, or Asia), colored train car cards representing different types of train routes, destination ticket cards representing specific routes between cities, train pieces representing players' trains, and scoring markers.
To start the game, players receive a set of train car cards and destination ticket cards. On their turn, players can choose from several actions, including drawing train car cards, claiming routes by playing matching sets of train car cards, or drawing additional destination tickets.
Players earn points by completing routes between cities, with longer routes and more challenging connections earning more points. Players also score points for completing destination tickets by connecting the cities listed on the ticket with their train routes. However, incomplete destination tickets result in negative points at the end of the game.
The game continues until one player has only a few or no train pieces left, signaling the end of the game. Players then tally up their points based on completed routes, destination tickets, and other objectives, and the player with the highest score wins.
"Ticket to Ride" is known for its simple rules, strategic depth, and accessible gameplay. It offers a blend of route-building, resource management, and set collection mechanics that appeal to players of all ages and skill levels. With its engaging theme, beautiful artwork, and intuitive gameplay, "Ticket to Ride" has become a modern classic in the world of board games, spawning numerous expansions and spin-offs set in different regions around the world.