What are engine building board games?
Engine building board games are about creating momentum. You begin with limited options, then collect cards, resources, actions, or bonuses that make future turns stronger, more efficient, or more explosive. The best engine builders make the payoff feel earned as your small early decisions snowball into satisfying combos.
Popular engine building games
Splendor is one of the cleanest introductions to engine building, while Terraforming Mars and Wingspan show how the same idea can become richer, more thematic, and more strategic.