''Risk'' is a
strategy
Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " a ...
board game
A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...
of
diplomacy
Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...
,
conflict and conquest for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a
political map of the world, divided into 42
territories, which are grouped into six
continent
A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...
s.
Turns rotate among players who control
armies of playing pieces with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with results determined by
dice rolls. Players may form and dissolve
alliances during the course of the game. The goal of the game is to occupy every territory on the board and, in doing so, eliminate the other players.
The game can be lengthy, requiring several hours to multiple days to finish. European versions are structured so that each player has a limited "secret mission" objective that shortens the game.
''Risk'' was invented in 1957 by
Albert Lamorisse; it became one of the most popular board games in history and inspired other popular games such as ''
Axis & Allies
''Axis & Allies'' is a series of World War II strategy game, strategy board games. The first version was initially published in 1981 and a second edition known colloquially as ''Axis & Allies: Classic'' was published in 1984. Played on a board de ...
'' and ''
Settlers of Catan
''Catan'', previously known as ''The Settlers of Catan'' or simply ''Settlers'', is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) as ''Die Siedler von Catan'' (). ...
''. It is still in production by
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
with numerous editions and variants with popular media themes and different rules, including PC software versions, video games, and mobile apps.
History
''Risk'' was invented by French
film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as ''La Conquête du Monde'' (''The Conquest of the World'') in France. It was bought by
Parker Brothers and released in 1959 with some modifications to the rules as ''Risk: The Continental Game'', then as ''Risk: The Game of Global Domination''.
The first new version of ''Risk'' was released in 1986. Called ''Castle Risk'', it featured a map depicting 18th-century European
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
s instead of a map of the world, and it was a financial disappointment. In 1993, the rules for ''Secret Mission Risk'', which had been the standard in Europe, were added to the United States edition. After a limited special-edition release in 1999, in France, called ''Risk: Édition Napoléon'' in commemoration of 200th anniversary of the
Napoleonic era
The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...
(1799–1815), a new edition called ''Risk: 2210 A.D.'' was published in 2001 by Hasbro's
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the compan ...
division. The game was futuristic-themed, featuring moon territories, ocean territories and commander units and offered a number of expansions. Starting in 2002, ''Risk'' versions themed around media franchises such as ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
'', ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', and ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
'' were released, sometimes with as many as six editions per year. A collector's edition of classic ''Risk'' in a bookshelf-format wooden box was issued in 2005 as part of the Parker Brothers Vintage Game series, distributed through
Target Stores
Target Corporation is an American retail corporation that operates a retail chain, chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States, and a co ...
. In 2008, Winning Moves, a Hasbro licensee, introduced ''1959 Risk'', a reproduction of the original Parker Brothers version with original artwork, wooden playing pieces and rules. Many themed versions are currently being published, and new themes continue to be introduced.
In the first editions, the playing pieces were wooden cubes (one set each of black, blue, green, pink, red and yellow) representing one troop each and a few rounded triangular prisms representing ten troops each, but in later versions of the game these pieces were molded of plastic to reduce costs. In the 1980s, these were changed to pieces shaped into the
Roman numeral
Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...
s I, III, V, and X. The 1993 edition introduced plastic
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
tokens (representing a single unit),
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
(representing five units), and
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
(representing ten units). The 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition contained the same troop pieces but made of metal rather than plastic. In the 2005 "bookcase" edition, playing pieces are once again wooden cubes.
Equipment and design
Equipment includes a large tabletop board depicting a political map of the world, divided into forty-two territories, which are grouped into six continents by color. In addition to shared boundaries between territories which define routes of attack/defense, numerous special trans-oceanic or trans-sea routes are also marked; for example, the route between North Africa and Brazil. The oceans and seas are not part of the playing field.
Each ''Risk'' game comes with a number of sets (either 5 or 6) of different colored tokens denoting troops. A few different or larger tokens represent multiple (usually 5 or 10) troops. These token types are purely a convention for ease of representing a specific army size. If a player runs out of army pieces during the game, pieces of another color or other symbolic tokens (coins, pieces from other games, etc.) may be substituted to help keep track of armies.
Also included is a deck of ''Risk'' cards, comprising forty-two territory cards, two wild cards, and twelve or twenty-eight mission cards. The territory cards correspond to the 42 territories on the playing board. Each of the territory cards also depicts a symbol of an infantry, cavalry, or artillery piece. One of these cards is awarded to a player at the end of each turn if the player has successfully conquered at least one territory during that turn. No more than one card may be awarded per turn. If a player collects either three cards with the same symbol, or one of each, or any two plus a wild card, they may be traded in for reinforcements at the beginning of a player's turn. These cards can also be used for game set-up. The two wild cards depict infantry, cavalry and artillery pieces. Because these cards have all three symbols, they can match with any two other cards to form a set. The mission cards each specifying some secret mission (something less than 'conquer the world') are used in the ''Secret Mission Risk'' rule variant.
Standard equipment also includes five or six
dice
A die (: dice, sometimes also used as ) is a small, throwable object with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. Dice are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, ro ...
in two colors: three red dice for the attacker, and two or three white or blue dice for the defender. There is also a Golden Cavalry piece used to mark the progressive turn-in value of matched sets of territory cards.
In 2022, the iconic Risk logo undertook a rebranding conducted by
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
-based creative and design agency Quake.
Territories
The following is a typical layout of the ''Risk'' game board, with a table of the corresponding continent and territory names. Each territory on the typical ''Risk'' game board represents a real-life geographical or political region. As such, the territory
border
Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
s are drawn to resemble the geography of those regions. This provides an interior space on which to place the army units, adds an element of realism to the game, and also adds complexity. Most of the territories represent a combination of countries or states; some that have names of single countries or states, such as Argentina, do not represent the boundaries of the real-life entity. Antarctica, the Caribbean, New Zealand, and the Philippines are not represented.

The numbers in parentheses represent the number of additional armies granted during the reinforcement stage of a player's turn who controls all of the territories in that continent. Some versions of the board use alternative names for some territories. These names are in parentheses. Not all variations occur concurrently.
;
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
(5)
#
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
#
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
(
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...
)
#
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
#
Eastern United States
#
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
#
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...
#
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
(
Central Canada
Central Canada (, sometimes the ''Central Provinces'') is a Canadian region consisting of Ontario and Quebec, the largest and most populous provinces of the country. Geographically, they are not at the centre of Canada but instead overlap wi ...
)
#
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
(
Eastern Canada)
#
Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau.
As American settlement i ...
;
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
(2)
#
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
#
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
#
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
#
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
;
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
(5)
#
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
(
Great Britain & Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
)
#
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
#
Northern Europe
The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...
#
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
#
Southern Europe
Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...
#
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
(
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
)
#
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
;
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
(3)
#
Congo (
Central Africa
Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...
)
#
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
#
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
#
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
#
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
#
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
;
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
(7)
#
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
#
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
#
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
(
Hindustan)
#
Irkutsk
Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...
#
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
#
Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively.
Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
#
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
#
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
#
Siam (
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
)
#
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
#
Ural
#
Yakutsk
;
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
(2)
#
Eastern Australia
#
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
#
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
#
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
Notes
[The territory of Afghanistan does not include the present-day country of ]Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
.
[In the 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition, the movement route between the territories of ]East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
and Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
was removed; this was later confirmed to be a manufacturing error, an error repeated in '' Risk II''. Subsequent editions restored the missing route.
Gameplay

Setup consists of determining order of play, issuing armies to players, and allocating the territories on the board among players, who place one or more armies on each one they own. At the beginning of a player's turn, they receive reinforcement armies proportional to the number of territories held, bonus armies for holding whole continents, and additional armies for turning in matched sets of territory cards obtained by conquering new territories. The player may then attack, move their armies, or pass.
On a player's turn, after they have placed their reinforcements, they may choose to attack territories adjacent to theirs which are occupied by enemy armies. A territory is adjacent if it is connected visibly by land, or by a "
sea-lane". Attacks are decided by dice rolls, with the attacker or defender losing a specified number of armies per roll. When attacking, a battle may continue until the attacker decides to stop attacking, the attacker has no more armies with which to attack, or the defender has lost their last army at the defending territory, at which point the attacker takes over the territory by moving armies onto it and draws a territory card for that turn.
At the end of a player's turn, they may move armies from one of their territories to another "connected" territory. A player is eliminated from the game when they have lost their last territory. The player that defeated them receive the defeated player's territory cards, if any. The victor is the last player remaining when all other players have been eliminated. There are special rules for two-player games: the territories are divided between the two players and a neutral army during setup. In play, the neutral army only plays defense when attacked, never attacks or moves armies, and does not have a turn like an active player. If the neutral army is eliminated, the game continues under normal rules.
Some editions have rules variants regarding how armies or territories are allocated during setup or how armies may be moved at the end of a turn. There are also variations in the tokens representing armies that do not affect play. European editions assign each player a secret mission, and the game goes until one player completes their mission rather than conquers the world. Different editions have differing numbers of such missions. The Italian edition uses a different number of dice in battle. Themed variants have different map configurations and substantially different rules.
The rules of some editions describe a variant called ''Capital Risk'', where each player has a
capital in one of the initially occupied territories. The player to capture all capitals wins. Any armies and territories that belong to the losing nation are turned over to the victor. Capital Risk often leads to much shorter games. Other rules variants for "''Risk'' experts" are also listed. Gaming clubs may also have "house rules" or competition-adjusted rules.
Strategy
Basic strategy
The official rulebook recommends three basic strategy points for play under the standard rules:
# Players should control entire continents to get the bonus reinforcement armies.
# Players should watch their borders for buildups of armies that could imply an upcoming attack.
# Players should build up armies on their own borders for better defense.
Holding continents is the most common way to increase reinforcements. Players often attempt to gain control of Australia early in the game, since Australia is the only continent that can be successfully defended by heavily fortifying one country (either
Siam or
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
).
Generally, continents with fewer access routes are easier to defend as they possess fewer territories that can be attacked by other players.
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
has 2 access points,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
each have 3,
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
has 4, and
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
has 5.
Generally, it is thought advisable to hold ''Risk'' cards until they can be turned in for maximum reinforcements.
This is especially true earlier on in gameplay, because extra armies make a greater difference in the beginning of the game.
Eliminating a weak player who holds a large number of ''Risk'' cards is also a good strategy,
since players who eliminate their opponents get possession of their opponents' ''Risk'' cards. In this case, trading in ''Risk'' cards earlier may help acquire the necessary troops. If the conquering player has six
or more ''Risk'' cards after taking the cards of another player, the cards must be immediately turned in for reinforcements until the player has fewer than five cards and then may continue attacking.
"Turtling" is a defensive strategy where a player who feels vulnerable tries to become too expensive to be removed while remaining a threat to harass other players. The objective of this strategy is to avoid early defeat. A player using this strategy might remain in the game all the way to later stages and then mount an attack on the weakest player and start a chain elimination to remove one player after another to win the game. The player who uses this strategy is called a "
turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
". The term was popularised in
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...
games where a player creates a defensive perimeter or a ''turtle shell'' around the base of operations. Solutions to counteract this strategy using cooperation have been proposed.
Alliances
The rules of ''Risk'' neither endorse nor prohibit
alliances or
truces. Thus players often form
unofficial treaties for various reasons, such as safeguarding themselves from attacks on one border while they concentrate their forces elsewhere, or eliminating a player who has grown too strong. Because these agreements are not enforceable by the rules, they are often broken. Alliance making/breaking can be one of the most important elements of the game, and it adds human interaction to a decidedly probabilistic game. Some players allow trading of ''Risk'' cards, but only during their turn. This optional rule can make alliances more powerful.
Attack and defense
Capturing a territory depends on the number of attacking and defending armies and the associated probabilities. In a battle to completion, a player who has more armies (even just one more) has a significant advantage, whether on attack or defense (the number of attacking armies does not include the minimum one army that must be left behind in the territory).
Defenders always win ties when dice are rolled. This gives the defending player the advantage in "one-on-one" fights, but the attacker's ability to use more dice offsets this advantage. It is always advantageous to roll the maximum number of dice, unless an attacker wishes to avoid moving men into a 'dead-end' territory, in which case they may choose to roll fewer than three. Thus when rolling three dice against two, three against one, or two against one, the attacker has a slight advantage, otherwise the defender has an advantage.
There are online tools available to compute the outcome of whole campaigns (i.e. the attacking of several territories in a row).
''
RisiKo!'' is a variant of the game released in Italy, in which the defender is allowed to roll up to three dice to defend. This variation dramatically shifts the balance of power towards defense.
Awards and commendations
*''Risk'' was inducted into ''
Games'' magazine's Hall of Fame in 1984.
*''Risk'' was inducted into
Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame in 1995.
*''Risk'' was inducted into the
National Toy Hall of Fame in 2021.
Official licensed ''Risk'' games
In addition to the original version of 1959, and a ''40th Anniversary Edition'' with metal pieces, a number of official variants of ''Risk'' have been released over the years. In recent years, Hasbro has predominantly based its ''Risk'' variants on popular films. In chronological order, the variations of ''Risk'' that have been released are:
* ''
Castle Risk'' (1986) – A version focusing only on Europe in which each player has a castle, and the player's goal is to protect the castle from attack. ''Castle Risk'' was the first version of ''Risk'' released after 27 years of production to depart from standard play.
Although it was unsuccessful, it introduced many concepts integrated into later versions of ''Risk''.
* ''Risk: 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition'' (1999)
* ''
Risk: Édition Napoléon'' (1999) – Adds generals, fortresses, and naval units.
** ''
Risk: Édition Napoléon: Extension Empire Ottoman'' (2000) – Adds a sixth player to ''Risk: Édition Napoléon''.
* ''
Risk: 2210 A.D.'' (2001) – An award-winning futuristic version, produced by
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the compan ...
, another division of Hasbro. The game features moon territories, ocean territories and commander units and offers a number of official and unofficial expansions.
* ''
Risk: The Lord of the Rings'' (2002) – 2–4 player version based on northern
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the Setting (narrative), setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the ''Midgard, Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf'' ...
.
** ''
Risk: The Lord of the Rings: Gondor & Mordor Expansion Set'' (2003) – Extension to ''Risk: The Lord of the Rings'', also includes a 2-player ''Siege of Minas Tirith'' mini-game.
* ''
Risk: The Lord of the Rings: Trilogy Edition'' (2003) – Combines the first two ''The Lord of the Rings'' versions, but does not include the ''Siege of Minas Tirith'' mini-game.
* ''
Risk Godstorm'' (2004) – A version based on the mythological
pantheons of various ancient civilizations; produced by Avalon Hill.
* ''
Risk: Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition'' (2005) – Set in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' universe during the
Clone Wars. The player can fight on the side of the Separatists or the
Republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
, using either the classic Risk rules or the Clone Wars variations where altruism pays off.
* ''Risk Express'' (2006) – Designed by
Reiner Knizia as part of Hasbro's ''Express'' line of games (although not as part of the US-released series). Roll different combinations of infantry, cavalry, artillery & generals to capture the territory cards.
* ''
Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition'' (2006) – Set during the
Galactic Civil War, players play as the
Galactic Empire, the
Rebel Alliance, or the
Hutts. This version is unique in that each of the factions has a different set of goals and victory conditions.
* ''
Risk Junior: Narnia'' (2006) – Based on ''
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', players can play as either the forces of Aslan or as the forces of the White Witch.
* ''
Risk: The Transformers Edition'' (2007) – Based on the ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
'' film, players can either play on the side of the
Autobots or the
Decepticons on a Cybertron stylised map.
* ''Risk: Black OPS'' (2008) – Limited edition released in early 2008. Print run was limited to a 1000 copies. Most of the copies were given to people in the board game industry to test out new rules for up coming editions.
* ''Risk: Balance of Power'' (2008) – Based on a European map.
* ''Risk 1959'' (2008) – Winning Moves Games USA released a reproduction of the original game of Risk from 1959. It includes all the original graphics, wood pieces, and individual plastic storage boxes.
* ''Risk: Reinvention'' (2009) – Also called ''Risk Factor'' or ''Risk Revised Edition''. This is the commercial released version of ''Black Ops''. It features capitals, cities, missions, and very thin pieces shaped like arrows. It is also available with different components (wooden map, wooden cube pieces, etc.) as ''Risk Onyx Edition''.
* ''Risk: Halo Wars Collector's Edition'' (2009) – Includes UNSC, Covenant, and The Flood. It has 42 territories and 6 sectors.
* ''
Risk: Factions'' (2010) – A licensed video game version of the game published by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
, and distributed on
Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Includes a "classic" mode which allows games played using standard original rules, and a "Factions" mode with unique rule variations.
* ''Risk: Metal Gear Solid'' (2011)
* ''Risk: Legacy'' (2011/12) – The game that introduced the
legacy game mechanic, in which permanent changes to the game board and cards occur with each finished game.
* ''Risk: Halo Legendary'' (2012)
* ''Risk: Starcraft'' (2012) – Four play modes with three different races. Each race has two unique hero units.
* ''Risk: Star Wars Saga Edition'' (2013) - UK exclusive
* ''Risk: Mass Effect Galaxy at War Edition'' (2013)
* ''Risk: The Walking Dead Survival Edition'' (2013)
* ''Risk: Battlefield Rogue'' (2013)
* ''Risk: Plants Vs Zombies'' (2013)
* ''Risk: Doctor Who'' (2013)
* ''Risk: Game of Thrones'' (2015)
* ''Risk: Star Wars Edition Game Standard'' (2015) – Recreates the
Battle of Endor from ''
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi''. Battles take place across three environments: inside the Emperor's Throne Room; the space outside the Death Star; and the forest moon of Endor.
* ''Risk: Star Wars Edition Game Black Series'' (2015) – Same as ''Risk: Star Wars Edition Game Standard'' but includes different packaging, embossed playing cards, translucent dice, and miniatures for the
Death Star,
Super Star Destroyer,
Millennium Falcon, and
Imperial stormtroopers.
* ''Risk: Marvel Cinematic Universe'' (2015)
* ''Risk: Transformers Decepticon Invasion of Earth'' (2015) - UK exclusive
* ''Risk: Captain America Civil War'' (2016)
* ''Risk: Star Trek 50th Anniversary Edition'' (2016)
* ''Risk (2016)''
* ''Risk: Rustic Edition'' (2016)
* ''Risk: Europe'' (2016)
* ''Risk: Rick and Morty'' (2018)
* ''Risk: Vikings Edition'' (2018)
* ''Risk: Call Of Duty: Black Ops Zombies Edition'' (2019) - GameStop exclusive
* ''Risk: Assassin's Creed'' (2019)
* ''Risk: The Elder Scrolls'' (2019)
* ''Risk: Office Politics'' (2019)
* ''Risk: Junior'' (2019) - A pirate-themed variation made for children, with the objective being to have the most points by controlling islands and collecting treasures.
* ''Risk: The Battle for Medieval England'' (2019)
* ''Risk: Warhammer 40,000'' (2020)
* ''Risk: Risk Game with Dragon'' (2020) - Amazon exclusive; optimized for play with
Amazon Alexa and includes a special dragon token for a new game variation.
* ''Risk: Asterix – Collector's Edition'' (2020)
* ''Risk: Shadow Forces'' (2022) - Sequel to Risk Legacy.
* ''Risk Strike'' (2023) - Card-and-dice game.
Variant forms of the games
Many of the official versions of Risk listed above have their own rules which may differ slightly or even significantly from the original game of Risk.
Variants set on world maps
* ''Risk Legacy.'' There are five factions, each with different pieces and rules. This game is the actual originator of the term
Legacy game, which means that rules/mechanics are added and changed, previous games permanently affect all future games, and cards are permanently modified and destroyed.
Variants on regional or country maps
* ''Risk Europe'' differs markedly from the original game, in that each territory generates a specific income for the player, and the player can purchase new units based on the amount of revenue received. Also, each unit succeeds in its attack if the player hits a specific number or lower during the attack. Also, a new type of unit known as siege weapons is provided to players. Also, players have different types of units, each with their own types of tactics and attacks. ''All'' of these game mechanics are notably similar to the basic game-play format of
Axis and Allies.
*''Risk: The Battle for Medieval England'' is published in conjunction with
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
. It includes cards for special powers and special missions. The game board is a map of England. The object is to become the King of England. If no player wins by a certain point in the game, then all players must retreat.
Variants from existing works of science fiction or fantasy
* ''
Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition.''When playing by the Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition rules, each of the three factions has its own victory condition. The Empire must eliminate all Rebel forces. The Rebel Alliance must find and destroy
the Emperor, who will be hidden under one of the Imperial Bases. The Hutts must take control of 10 out of the 13 designated resource planets on the board. The moment one of these victory conditions has been met by the respective faction, the game is over and that faction has won.
* ''Risk: Star Trek 50th Anniversary.'' has a number of rules, cards and units that differ from the original game. the game has "Q cards" in which Q may assign missions to the player. Also, there are location cards providing a specific value for each location. Also, there are cards representing specific crew members, which each have a specific command value.
Variants based on concepts from science fiction or fantasy
* ''
Risk 2210 A.D.'' has numerous rules which differ from the original game. The board includes water and moon territories. Game units include commanders (land, naval, space, nuclear, diplomat). Players earn and spend "energy" to obtain commanders, cards, and space stations and to activate some command cards. Players can roll an 8-sided die in some instances. Armies are not acquired through card trading. The game is only 5 years (turns) long; the winner is the player with highest score at the end of the last year. Players bid energy to determine turn order rather than following the same order determined by a dice from the beginning of the game.
[Risk 2210 page](_blank)
Avalon Hill website.[Game manual for Risk 2210 AD](_blank)
. gamingcorner.nl website, accessed April 7, 2021.
''Risk'' clones by other companies and developers
Many variants have been published by other groups or companies, that are based on the original concept of the game of ''Risk'' and that contain much of the functionality of the original, but are not licensed by Hasbro, such as the video games ''
Global Domination'' and ''
Lux''. Known as ''Risk'' clones, such variants have names not containing the term "''Risk''" to avoid legal issues. Some of these clones are available commercially, of which many have been released through the
iTunes App Store, especially for the
iPad. Several other ''Risk'' clones are distributed freely over the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, such as ''Dice Wars''. Games such as ''
Nintendo Wars'' can be seen as a complex evolution which still holds some elements from ''Risk''. ''
NarcoGuerra'' is a
newsgame based on the basic ''Risk'' rules, played out over a map of Mexico with the intent of educating people on the
Mexican Drug War
The Mexican drug war is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing Asymmetric warfare, asymmetric armed conflict between the Federal government of Mexico, Mexican government and various Drug cartel#Mexico, drug trafficking syndicates. When the ...
. An example of a board game inspired by ''Risk'' is the Argentine ''
TEG''.
In addition to ''Risk'' clones, third-party products have been created which slightly modify traditional gameplay. Among the most popular third-party editions are virtual dice-rolling simulators. These can act as virtual replacements to traditional dice or be used to automatically simulate the results of large battles between territories—significantly speeding up gameplay.
Video games
Several
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
versions of ''Risk'' have been released as ''
Risk
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environ ...
'', starting with the
Commodore 64 edition in 1988
and the
Macintosh
Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
edition in 1989. Various other editions have been released for
PC,
Amiga,
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
,
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
,
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
,
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
, and
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. In 1996
Hasbro Interactive released a PC version of ''
Risk
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environ ...
'' that included a new variation on the game called ''Ultimate Risk'', which did not use dice but rather implemented the use of forts, generals, and complex battle strategies. ''
Risk II'' for PC and Mac was released as a 2000 video game which includes classic ''Risk'' as well as board and gameplay variations. In 2010,
Pogo.com added a licensed version of ''Risk'' to its library of online games. An
Xbox Live Arcade version of ''Risk'' called ''
Risk: Factions'' was released on June 23, 2010. It includes classic ''Risk'' as well as a factions mode where players can play as Zombies, Robots, Cats, Soldiers, or Yetis.
As of August 6, 2014, Hasbro and Ubisoft produced a new game for ''Risk'' on PS4 and Xbox One, as well as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game, developed by
Zoë Mode and published by Ubisoft, was released in February 2015. A standalone game, ''Risk: Urban Assault'', was released in August 2016. It was subsequently ported to the
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
, releasing on October 30, 2018.
A licensed
iOS app, ''Risk: The Official Game'', developed for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
, was released on July 16, 2010. Although the iPad version (''Risk'' HD) has to be bought separately from the iPhone version (''Risk''), local link up allows games to take place across versions. A maximum of six players can participate. If only one iOS device is available, the "pass and play" mode allows several players to take part in a multi-player game.
Another licensed
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
version, ''RISK: Global Domination'', was released in 2015 for iOS, Android and Windows. Developed by
SMG Studio, this version includes device sharing,
cross-platform
Within computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several Computing platform, computing platforms. Some ...
online multiplayer, and single player versus computer modes.
Television series adaptation
On January 11, 2021, it was reported that a television series adaptation of the game is in development from ''
House of Cards'' creator,
Beau Willimon.
Reception
''Games'' magazine included ''Risk'' in their "Top 100 Games of 1980", praising it as "a classic" as established by its "attractive playing equipment, seesawing battles, and limitless opportunities for changing rules and making up new variations of the game".
''Games'' magazine included ''Risk'' in their "Top 100 Games of 1981", noting that an advantage of the game is that "it's easy to make up new variations, tailored to your tastes".
''Games'' magazine included ''Risk'' in their "Top 100 Games of 1982", noting that "Even the most peace-loving tend to grow aggressive in this game of global conquest".
Reviews
*''Family Games: The 100 Best''
See also
*''
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...
'', a similarly themed board game
* ''
Global War'', 1979
Apple II
Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...
clone game
* List of board wargames
* Realpolitik (game), ''Realpolitik'', a play-by-mail game compared by two 1990s reviewers to ''Risk''
Notes
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Risk (Game)
Board games introduced in 1957
Board wargames
Children's board games
Multiplayer games
Origins Award winners
French board games
Parker Brothers games
Wargames introduced in the 1950s