Not every board game needs dragons, zombies, or intergalactic warfare.
Sometimes, all it takes is colourful tiles, strange architecture, and one of history’s most recognisable designers.
Devir Games has officially revealed Gaudi, a new tabletop game inspired by the life and work of legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí - and it’s bringing a surprisingly artistic spin to strategy gaming later this year.
Architectural Puzzle
Designed by Dani Garcia, the creator behind games like Barcelona and Windmill Valley, Gaudi focuses on balancing creativity, planning, and careful scoring across multiple categories.
Players travel through key themes that shaped Gaudí’s work - Nature, Catalonia, and Religion - earning victory points in each area as the game progresses.
But there’s a catch.
At the end of the game, only your two lowest scoring categories actually count toward your final score. So rather than completely specialising in one area, players need to stay balanced throughout the entire experience.
It’s a small twist, but one that seems likely to shape every decision players make.
Tile Building
A big part of the game revolves around creating trencadís patterns on personal player boards.
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, trencadís refers to the colourful mosaic style often associated with Gaudí’s architecture, built from fragmented ceramic pieces and irregular patterns.
In the game, players collect and place tiles to create their own designs while using cards and resources to push further along scoring tracks connected to the three main pillars.
The overall look leans heavily into Gaudí’s signature visual style too, with plenty of curved shapes, decorative flourishes, and vibrant layouts woven into the presentation.
It definitely feels more art-inspired than a lot of modern strategy games.
Moving Around
Gameplay itself takes place over three rounds.
During each round, players move around a central chandelier on the main board, deciding where to stop in order to collect tiles, draft cards, and trigger various actions. Those resources are then used to improve their personal boards and gain points across the different scoring categories.
Nature points are mainly earned through cards, Catalonia scores build gradually during rounds, and Religion points are calculated more heavily toward the end of the game.
That shifting scoring structure sounds like it’ll encourage players to constantly rethink priorities instead of sticking to one fixed strategy from start to finish.
Accessible Strategy
While Gaudi clearly has a strategic side, it also sounds fairly approachable compared to some heavier euro-style board games.
The game supports 1–4 players, has a recommended age rating of 10+, and reportedly plays in around 40 minutes, which is relatively compact for this style of tabletop experience.
That shorter runtime could make it appealing for players who enjoy thoughtful strategy games but don’t necessarily want something that dominates an entire evening.
And visually, it certainly seems like the kind of game that’ll attract attention on a shelf.
Release Date
Gaudi is currently scheduled to release into retail on September 26, 2026.
For board gamers who enjoy lighter strategy titles, artistic themes, or games that move away from the usual fantasy and sci-fi settings, this could end up being one of the more distinctive releases arriving later this year.
