How to Play Colt Express (2026): Rules, Actions and Scoring

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How to play Colt Express (2026): in Colt Express, two to six bandits rob a 1899 passenger train while the Marshal guards the payroll. Everyone programs their moves in advance by playing cards into a shared pile, then the whole pile is resolved in order, and plans collide in very funny ways. A game takes about 40 minutes and suits ages 10 and up. Here are the rules from setup to the final count.

What is in the Colt Express box

• A locomotive and six train cars, plus scenery
• Six bandits (Belle, Cheyenne, Django, Doc, Ghost and Tuco), each with a character sheet, 10 Action cards and 6 Bullet cards
• The Marshal figure and 13 Neutral Bullet cards
• Loot: 18 purses worth $250 to $500, 6 jewels worth $500 and 2 strongboxes worth $1,000
• 17 Round cards: seven for two to four players, seven for five or six and three Train Station cards

Setting up Colt Express

1. Build the train with the locomotive plus one car per player. The car farthest from the locomotive is the caboose.
2. Set aside one $250 purse per player, then place loot in each car as printed on its floor. Purses go face down.
3. Put the Marshal and one strongbox in the locomotive, and the Neutral Bullet cards beside it.
4. Shuffle five random Round cards for your player count to form the Round deck.
5. Each player picks a bandit, takes a hidden $250 purse, shuffles their 10 Action cards into a deck and stacks their 6 Bullet cards in order.
6. Choose a random First Player. In turn, place bandits in the caboose and the car next to it.

The goal in Colt Express

Finish five rounds as the richest bandit. Loot counts at full value, and the player who fired the most bullets earns the $1,000 Gunslinger bonus.

Phase 1: Schemin’

At the start of each round, flip a Round card and everyone draws six cards. The card shows how many turns the round has and what kind they are: normal turns are face up, tunnel turns are face down, speeding-up turns let you act twice in a row and switching turns run counterclockwise.

On a turn you either play one Action card on top of the shared pile or draw three cards into your hand. When all turns are done, unplayed cards go back on top of your deck.

Phase 2: Stealin’

Flip the pile over without changing the order and resolve the cards one by one, oldest first. Every action is mandatory if it is possible, which is why carefully laid plans go wrong. Afterward, everyone shuffles their deck, including any Bullet cards they received, and the player to the left becomes First Player.

The six actions

• Move: inside the train, move one car; on the roof, move one to three cars.
• Change Floor: climb to the roof or drop back inside the same car.
• Shoot: inside, hit a bandit in an adjacent car; on the roof, hit the nearest bandit in your line of sight. Give them your top Bullet card.
• Rob: take one loot token from your space without looking at its value.
• Punch: a bandit in your space drops one loot token of your choice and moves to an adjacent car on the same floor.
• Marshal: move the Marshal one car inside the train. He never goes on the roof.

The Marshal and Bullet cards

Whenever a bandit and the Marshal end up inside the same car, the bandit flees to the roof and takes a Neutral Bullet card. Bullet cards do nothing in your hand; they are dead cards that crowd out your real actions, so getting shot slows you down for the rest of the game.

How Colt Express ends and scores

After the fifth round, add up your loot. The player who fired the most bullets, meaning the one with the fewest of their own Bullet cards left, gets the $1,000 Gunslinger bonus. The richest bandit wins. Ties go to the player who received the fewest Bullet cards.

Rules for two players

With two or three players, each player runs two bandits. Use three cars for two players and four for three. Build an 11-card deck from both bandits’ cards, and a special Cover rule lets you play a second card right after a Shoot card.

Tips for your first game

• Draw cards early in a round so you have options for the important later turns.
• Watch tunnel turns closely. Face-down cards are where ambushes happen.
• Lure the Marshal away with a Marshal card before going for the strongbox.
• Shooting is worth it twice over: it slows a rival and builds toward the Gunslinger bonus.
• Character powers and the Train Station event cards are advanced rules. Add them once everyone knows the basics.

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Colt Express rules FAQ

How many players can play Colt Express?

Two to six. With two or three players, each person controls two bandits.

How long is a game of Colt Express?

About 40 minutes: five rounds, each with a planning phase and a resolution phase.

Can you look at your purses in Colt Express?

Yes, you may look at your own purses at any time, but keep them hidden from other players.