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How to play Pandemic (2026): Pandemic is the cooperative board game where two to four players form a team of disease-fighting specialists. Four diseases are spreading across a world map, and you must discover all four cures before outbreaks, cube shortages or the clock beat you. Everyone wins or loses together. This guide follows the current Z-Man Games rulebook and covers setup, the four actions per turn, epidemics, outbreaks, roles, and how to win.
The game you need: Pandemic (base game)
The box contains the world map, 7 role cards, 59 player cards (48 city cards, 6 epidemic cards and 5 event cards), 48 infection cards, 96 disease cubes in four colors and 6 research stations.
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Pandemic setup
- Place a research station in Atlanta and put every player's pawn there.
- Set the infection rate marker on the first space of its track (2) and the outbreak marker on 0.
- Shuffle the infection cards. Flip 3 cities and put 3 cubes on each, flip 3 more and put 2 cubes on each, then flip 3 more for 1 cube each. Those nine cards go to the infection discard pile.
- Deal each player a random role card.
- Shuffle the player cards without the epidemics. Deal 4 cards each in a two-player game, 3 each with three players, or 2 each with four.
- Divide the rest into piles and shuffle an epidemic card into each: 4 piles for an introductory game, 5 for standard, 6 for heroic. Stack the piles to form the player deck.
- The player who most recently fell ill goes first.
A Pandemic turn
Every turn has three steps: take up to 4 actions, draw 2 player cards, then infect cities. Your hand limit is 7 cards, so discard or play event cards if you go over.
The actions you can take
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive / Ferry | Move to a city connected by a line |
| Direct Flight | Discard a city card to move to that city |
| Charter Flight | Discard the card of the city you are in to move anywhere |
| Shuttle Flight | Move from one research station to another |
| Build a Research Station | Discard the card of the city you are in to build one there |
| Treat Disease | Remove 1 cube of a color from your city, or all of that color if it is cured |
| Share Knowledge | Give or take the card of the city you are both in |
| Discover a Cure | At a research station, discard 5 city cards of one color (the Scientist needs 4) |
Epidemics: increase, infect, intensify
When you draw an epidemic card, follow its three steps in order. Increase: move the infection rate marker up one space. Infect: draw the bottom card of the infection deck and put 3 cubes on that city. Intensify: shuffle the infection discard pile and put it back on top of the infection deck. That last step means cities that were already sick are about to be hit again.
Outbreaks and chain reactions
A city can hold at most 3 cubes of one color. If it would receive a fourth, it outbreaks instead: move the outbreak marker up one and add 1 cube of that color to every connected city. If one of those cities also goes over 3, it outbreaks too, which can cause a chain reaction across a region. Each city outbreaks only once per chain.
Roles
Each player has a special ability that bends the rules. The Medic removes all cubes of one color with a single treat action. The Scientist cures with 4 cards instead of 5. The Researcher can give away any city card when sharing knowledge. Others, such as the Operations Expert, Dispatcher, Quarantine Specialist and Contingency Planner, help with stations, movement and blocking cubes. Combining roles well is the heart of the game.
How to win or lose Pandemic
- Win: discover cures for all four diseases. You do not need to remove every cube from the board.
- Lose: the outbreak marker reaches 8.
- Lose: you need to place cubes of a color and none are left in the supply.
- Lose: a player needs to draw player cards and the deck is empty.
Once all cubes of a cured disease are off the board, that disease is eradicated, and its cubes are no longer placed when its cities are infected.
Pandemic tips for a first win
- Start introductory. Four epidemics give a new team room to learn.
- Plan out loud. Talk through the next two turns as a team before anyone moves.
- Treat cities with 3 cubes first. Those are the ones that can outbreak next.
- Build stations early. They make shuttle flights possible and give you places to cure.
- More team games: see our cooperative games for team building.
Pandemic rules questions
How many players can play Pandemic?
The base game plays two to four.
Do you have to eradicate diseases to win Pandemic?
No. You win as soon as all four cures are discovered.
How long does Pandemic take?
Most games last 45 to 60 minutes.
