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Quacks vs Quacks & Co. (2026): Quacks, also known as The Quacks of Quedlinburg, is one of the most popular push-your-luck board games for families and adults. Quacks & Co. is a kid-friendly version from the same world that won Germany's best children's game award in 2022 and was nominated for the Kinderspiel des Jahres. Both are built around drawing ingredients from a bag and deciding when to stop, but they suit very different ages. Here is how to choose.
Best pick for families with older kids and adults: Quacks
The full game plays two to four, ages 10 and up, in about 45 minutes. Simultaneous turns, multiple ingredient books and a bag you improve every round give it years of replay value.
Price band: $30+ (about $40) · Check today’s price on Amazon
Quacks vs Quacks & Co. at a glance
Pick by the youngest player at your table.
- Ages 10+: Quacks — the full push-your-luck brewing game (about $40)
- Ages 5+: Quacks & Co. — the kids' version, about 25 minutes (about $23)
How Quacks plays
Each player has a cauldron board and a cloth bag of ingredient chips. In each round, everyone draws chips one at a time and places them along a spiral in their pot, moving forward by the number on each chip. White cherry bombs are the danger: if the white chips in your pot add up to more than seven, the pot explodes. You can stop at any time. After drawing, players score points, earn coins and buy new ingredients that add special effects. Explode, and you must choose either points or the shopping, not both.
The game lasts nine rounds, and a catch-up rat track helps players who fall behind. Several books of ingredient effects change how colors work, so you can mix things up as your group gets better.
How Quacks & Co. plays
Quacks & Co. keeps the joy of pulling from a bag and deciding whether to risk one more draw, with simpler rules sized for younger kids. Turns are short, there is less to read and track, and the whole game fits in about 25 minutes. The publisher lists it at 10 minutes to learn, which makes it an easy first push-your-luck game for preschool and early grade-school players.
Quacks and Quacks & Co. compared
| Quacks | Quacks & Co. | |
|---|---|---|
| Ages | 10+ | 5+ |
| Players | 2–4 | 2–4 |
| Play time | About 45 minutes | About 25 minutes |
| Teach time | About 15 minutes | About 10 minutes |
| Strategy | Bag building, ingredient combos, catch-up track | Simple push-your-luck draws |
| Awards | Kennerspiel des Jahres winner | German Game Prize best children's game 2022 |
| Price | about $40 | about $23 |
What families say after the first game
The full game gets the biggest reaction from the shared moment when everyone draws at once and someone's pot explodes. Kids around ten quickly learn to count their cherry bombs and decide when to stop. Quacks & Co. gets a similar reaction from younger players because each draw is a little gamble, but it ends before attention runs out. In both games, nobody waits for a turn, which is a big reason families come back to them.
Adults who play the full game regularly tend to swap in the other ingredient books after a handful of plays. That variety is the main thing the kids' version does not try to match, and it is why Quacks has stayed popular with grown-up game groups for years.
Who should buy Quacks
Buy the full game if the youngest regular player is about ten, or if adults will play without kids. It is one of the best gateway games for people who only know classic family games, because the push-your-luck moment is instantly fun and the shopping phase quietly teaches deck building.
Who should buy Quacks & Co.
Buy the kids' version if you have children between five and nine and want a game they can win on their own. It is short enough for a weeknight and gives younger kids the same squeals of excitement when they decide whether to pull one more chip.
Should a family own both?
Families with a wide age range often do. Younger kids play Quacks & Co. while older siblings move up to the full game, and everyone shares the same theme. Once your seven-year-old asks why the grown-ups' cauldron has so many more ingredients, they are nearly ready for the full game.
Quacks questions
Is Quacks good for kids?
The full Quacks is rated for ages 10 and up. Younger kids are better served by Quacks & Co..
How many players can play Quacks?
Both games play two to four players.
What is a similar game to Quacks?
Our family board games list has more picks for kids and adults together.
