tabletoppingboardgames 
Keeping an aquarium is rarely about doing one big thing right. It’s usually a mix of small decisions that slowly add up. Fish need food, plants need space, oxygen levels need attention, and changing one thing often affects everything else. If you’ve ever kept an aquarium, you know it’s less about quick fixes and more about balance and keeping things stable over time.
Aquaria takes that idea and turns it into a board game. Each player builds their own aquarium by adding fish and plants, managing oxygen and filtration, working with microflora, and progressing their knowledge through research. Victory points are gained during the game and again during final scoring, and in the end it comes down to who managed all these connected systems the most effectively.
👥 1-4 players, ages 12+
⌛ Playing time: 80-120 minutes
📝 Designer: Tomáš Holek
🎨 Artwork: Anežka Bělohoubková, Roman Kucharski & Milan Vavroň
🏢 Publisher: Delicious Games (review copy provided)
Gameplay overview
The game is played over four rounds. In each round, players take four actions during the action phase, followed by a series of shared phases that resolve what is happening in all aquariums.
Actions are chosen using a shared action wheel on the main board. Each player has a single die that sits on one of the action circles and shows which action they are taking. On each turn, the die must be moved to a different action circle. If the new circle is adjacent to the previous one, the player gains the bonus currently pointed to by the arrow on that circle. Whether or not a bonus is gained, the arrow then advances along its track. Most actions can be made stronger by spending pearls, allowing players to exchange resources for a more powerful version of the action.
One of the actions allows players to place aquarium cards into their personal aquarium. These cards represent fish, plants, anemones, schools of fish, and lionfish. Most cards cost oxygen points to place, which are paid by moving down the oxygen track, while aquatic plants can be placed for free. Players need to have enough oxygen available to take this action. Some cards become cheaper when placed next to anemones. When a card is placed, it usually gives an immediate effect, such as turning microflora dials, gaining resources, or providing ongoing income. Pearls can be spent to place more than one card during a single action.
Another action moves a player along the encyclopedia track. This track branches, and once a path is chosen it cannot be changed. Certain spaces provide encyclopedia tokens, which give one-time bonuses that can be used at any moment during the game. If these tokens are not used, they are worth victory points at the end of the game. Progress on the encyclopedia track also contributes to final scoring and can unlock access to lionfish cards.
Players can also choose an action to improve their oxygen level. Oxygen is needed to place most aquarium cards and plays a role when filters trigger for scoring. There is also an action focused on gaining aquarium cards and food. Players take food cans of their choice and draw cards either from the shared display or directly from the deck. Stronger versions of this action provide more cards, more food, and immediate victory points.
The final action allows players to move up the pet shop track by discarding two aquarium cards of the same colour from their hand. Each level on this track gives bonuses such as turning microflora dials, gaining victory points, receiving encyclopedia bonuses, triggering filter bonuses, or unlocking lionfish cards. By discarding an extra card of the same colour, players can activate one of the additional bonuses on that level.
Once all players have taken their actions, the microflora phase begins. Each round has one active colour, and players gain bonuses from all microflora dials pointing to that colour. In the final round, players may choose to take victory points instead of the printed bonus for each matching dial.
After that, player order for the next round is determined based on the microflora results, with players who fulfilled fewer active-colour requirements acting earlier. Players then receive income from any cards that provide ongoing bonuses.
During the feeding phase, players must discard food to feed each fish in their aquarium. Fish that are fed score victory points, while unfed fish cause players to lose points. The round finishes with preparation for the next round. The action wheel is reset and the shared card display is refreshed.
Throughout the game, players also manage a personal filter system. When the lower part of the filter is completely filled, it triggers at the end of that player’s turn. Stored bonuses are gained first, after which victory points are awarded or deducted based on the player’s oxygen level.
After the fourth round, the game ends and final scoring takes place, based on track progress, aquarium layout, special cards, and remaining resources.
Gameplay and flow
Aquaria plays like a classic multiplayer solitaire eurogame. Let’s face it, most of the time you’re busy with your own aquarium, your own tracks, and your own timing. The game asks you to look inward rather than around the table, and whether that works for you depends a lot on what you enjoy in a eurogame.
At its heart, Aquaria runs on a simple loop. You choose actions, get bonuses based on how you move around the action wheel, and slowly build something that starts to feel like a small engine. The adjacent bonus system is where this becomes interesting. Movement matters, and planning two actions ahead often feels more important than the action itself. You’re not just asking what you want to do, but when you want to do it.
Most decisions come down to building an aquarium that can actually survive. Putting fish into play is usually not the hard part. Feeding them, keeping oxygen under control, and lining up filter triggers is where the pressure starts to show. If you push too fast, the game pushes back. That tension feels intentional and, honestly, quite fitting.
The microflora dials quietly control the rhythm of the game. Because colours change each round and dials only move forward, you’re constantly choosing between fixing a short-term problem or preparing for what’s coming next. Dial turns are common, but wasting them is easy, and you usually realise that one round too late.
Once everyone understands the round structure, the game flows smoothly. Turns are clear and quick to resolve. The structure itself does not really change over the course of the game though. To be fair, that consistency can feel reassuring, but for some players it may also feel a bit samey by the final round.
Strategy and luck
Strategically, Aquaria is about sequencing and efficiency. You’re trying to turn a small number of actions into something meaningful by lining systems up at the right moment. Scoring comes from several directions, but the game tends to reward balance. Lean too hard into one area and something else usually starts to fall apart. Filters are especially important here. They are where small gains turn into strong turns, and skipping them almost always feels like leaving value on the table. That does mean players often end up prioritising similar things, even if their aquariums look different.
Luck plays a role, but it stays under control. Card draws and the shared display add some uncertainty, and occasionally someone takes a card you wanted. Still, the game gives you enough ways to recover that bad luck rarely sticks. Encyclopedia tokens are a good example of this. Even if they don’t fit perfectly right now, they rarely feel wasted.
The depth in Aquaria doesn’t come from tricky rules or hidden interactions. It comes from understanding timing and making fewer mistakes each time you play. You don’t unlock new strategies so much as you stop tripping over the same problems.
Player interaction
Interaction in Aquaria is limited and mostly indirect. If you’re looking for constant back and forth at the table, this probably isn’t the right fit. Most of the time, everyone is working through their own puzzle.
The action wheel is where players affect each other the most. Because bonuses weaken as the arrow moves, timing becomes shared territory. Taking a bonus early can make life harder for the next player, even if you never block them outright. It’s subtle, but it matters.
There’s also some light competition on the encyclopedia track and in the shared card display. Reaching certain spaces first or grabbing a specific card can make a difference, but these moments are occasional rather than constant. The game usually gives you another way forward.
Beyond that, players stay in their own space. You’re not tearing down what others have built, and no one is directly messing with your aquarium. For some groups, that makes the game feel calm and focused. For others, it may feel a bit distant.
Theme and atmosphere
The aquarium theme is unusual for a eurogame, and it makes sense quickly. Fish need food, oxygen matters, filters need maintenance. Even if you’ve never owned an aquarium, the logic is easy to follow.
In practice, the theme mostly helps you remember rules. Once the game is going, you’re thinking in icons, tracks, and timing rather than in fish and plants. The theme supports the systems, but it doesn’t really pull you into a story.
The atmosphere at the table is quiet and analytical. There’s little direct tension between players, and most of the pressure comes from your own planning. The theme stays present, but it never takes centre stage.
Components and art
On the table, Aquaria looks exactly like a modern eurogame. There’s a lot to look at, with boards, cards, tracks, and dials all competing for space. It’s organised, but the first impression can feel busy.
The artwork leans toward realism, especially on the aquarium cards, which use photographic-style images. Everything is clear and easy to recognise. It’s practical rather than expressive, which fits the game, even if it doesn’t create much atmosphere.
The main board is dominated by the action wheel, making it very clear what the game cares about. Player boards are easier on the eyes, with the aquarium area clearly separated from the surrounding systems. The microflora dials add physical presence and make the game feel larger on the table than it really is.
Component quality is solid. Nothing feels fancy, but nothing feels cheap either. Everything does what it’s supposed to do, and that’s probably the point.
Pacing and replayability
The four-round structure gives the game a clear beginning, middle, and end. Once players know what they’re doing, turns move along without much downtime.
Feeding and filter triggers act as regular checkpoints. They force you to stop and reassess, which keeps the game from turning into a pure engine builder with no friction. These moments slow things down slightly, but they also give the game its rhythm.
The playtime on the box feels honest. Early rounds pass quickly, later rounds slow down as decisions stack on top of each other. With more players, waiting time increases a bit, but it stays manageable.
Replayability comes from playing better, not from seeing new content. The structure stays the same, and repeated plays reward cleaner planning and better timing rather than discovery.
Accessibility and complexity
Aquaria plays exactly like you would expect from a medium euro. The 12+ age rating feels fair. The actions themselves are easy to explain, and most players understand the basics after the first round.
The rulebook does a lot of work here. It’s clearly structured, follows the flow of the game, and uses examples where they actually help. Terminology stays consistent, and important restrictions are stated clearly. Honestly, it leaves very little room for confusion, which helps a lot with a game that has this many moving parts.
Final Thoughts
Aquaria is a game about careful planning and small efficiencies. It asks you to do a lot with very limited actions, and most of the satisfaction comes from lining systems up properly rather than pulling off big moments. If you enjoy that kind of puzzle, it’s easy to see what the game is trying to do.
At the same time, it doesn’t try to please everyone. Interaction stays indirect, and the structure remains very consistent from the first round to the last. There are no sudden twists or dramatic turns. For some groups, that calm and controlled pace will feel relaxing. For others, it may feel a bit too reserved.
What we appreciated most is how clearly the game communicates its priorities. Feeding, oxygen, filters, and timing are always pushing you in quiet but firm ways. When things go wrong, it usually feels fair, and when things go right, it’s because your planning paid off, not because the game handed you something.
Aquaria works best with players who enjoy medium-weight eurogames where improvement comes from playing cleaner rather than playing louder. It’s a game you get better at by making fewer mistakes, not by finding clever shortcuts. If that sounds appealing, Aquaria has a lot to offer.
📝 We received a review copy from Delicious Games.
