Our top 5 Ticket to Ride versions
Ticket to Ride: EuropeThe best place to start, and still the box we'd keep if we could keep only one.Check price
United Kingdom & PennsylvaniaTwo maps, two genuinely new games, and both still play like Ticket to Ride.Check price
The one table every version shares
Almost every Ticket to Ride map uses the same scoring table for routes. It looks innocent. It isn't: the points grow much faster than the trains you spend. A 2-train route pays 2 points, 1.00 per train. A 6-train route pays 15, or 2.50 per train.
Trains are your real budget. You get 45 of them, and the game ends when someone runs low. So the question is not "how many points is this route?" but "how many points per train, and per turn?"
What a route is worth, per train and per turn
Per turn assumes you draw 2 cards a turn and spend 1 more turn claiming. Locomotives and tickets left out.
- Points per train
- Points per turn
Show the numbers
| Route length | Points | Per train | Turns (model) | Per turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 1.5 | 0.67 |
| 2 | 2 | 1.00 | 2 | 1.00 |
| 3 | 4 | 1.33 | 2.5 | 1.60 |
| 4 | 7 | 1.75 | 3 | 2.33 |
| 5 | 10 | 2.00 | 3.5 | 2.86 |
| 6 | 15 | 2.50 | 4 | 3.75 |
| 7 | 18 | 2.57 | 4.5 | 4.00 |
| 8 | 21 | 2.63 | 5 | 4.20 |
| 9 | 27 | 3.00 | 5.5 | 4.91 |
Same 45 trains, two plans
The most route points one player can score, one lane per double route. Tickets and bonuses not counted.
Show the numbers
| Map | Plan | Points | Routes | Route lengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Longest routes | 109 | 8 | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 3 |
| USA | 1- and 2-train routes only | 45 | 25 | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
| Europe | Longest routes | 94 | 10 | 8, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1 |
| Europe | 1- and 2-train routes only | 45 | 23 | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 |
The USA board makes the point by itself. Of its 100 routes, 9 are six trains long. They are 9% of the routes but carry 27% of all the route points on the board. The short 1- and 2-train routes are 45% of the routes and only 16% of the points.
Tickets still matter, of course: the original's 30 tickets average 11.6 points, from 4 to 22. But a ticket only tells you where to go. The scoring table tells you which way to get there: through the long routes.
Where the USA board keeps its points
Short = 1-2 trains, medium = 3-4, long = 5-6. Each lane of a double route counts separately.
- Short (1-2)
- Medium (3-4)
- Long (5-6)
Show the numbers
| Length | Routes | Track spaces | Route points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 2 | 36 | 72 | 72 |
| 3 | 20 | 60 | 80 |
| 4 | 16 | 64 | 112 |
| 5 | 10 | 50 | 100 |
| 6 | 9 | 54 | 135 |
The ranking
We ranked by what each box adds to the fun: new decisions, how much you deal with the other players, which group sizes it serves and what you get for the money. Size and novelty alone don't count. The meters show our ratings; hover them to see what each one means.
1. Ticket to Ride: Europe
Best first boxStandalone, 2005
The best place to start, and still the box we'd keep if we could keep only one.
- Stations (3 each) let you borrow one rival route, so one bad block can't ruin you
- 18 tunnel routes add a little gamble; 13 ferry routes need locomotives
- 46 tickets, 6 of them long ones worth 20 or 21
Europe is the original with three small additions that solve real problems. Stations fix the feel-bad moment of being blocked. Tunnels make you flip cards from the deck and maybe pay extra, which adds a jolt of tension. Ferries force you to collect locomotives. None of it slows the game down much.
| USA | Europe | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2-5 | 2-5 |
| Routes on the board | 100 | 101 |
| Cities | 36 | 47 |
| Double routes | 22 | 11 |
| Longest route | 6 trains, 15 pts | 8 trains, 21 pts |
| Tunnel routes | No | 18 |
| Ferry routes | No | 13 |
| Tickets | 33 | 46 |
- A few more rules to teach than the original
- Tunnels add a little luck that some players dislike
2. United Kingdom & Pennsylvania
Best expansionMap Collection 5, 2015
Two maps, two genuinely new games, and both still play like Ticket to Ride.
- United Kingdom: buy technology cards to unlock routes you can't build at the start
- Pennsylvania: claiming routes earns shares in railway companies
- Plays 2-5
On the UK board you start out limited, and every technology card costs you a turn and cards. So you keep choosing between building now and building better later. Pennsylvania is lighter: routes can earn you shares in railway companies that pay out at the end, which gives every route a second reason to exist.
- Needs the trains and cards from Ticket to Ride or Europe
- The UK side is the heaviest map in the series
3. Ticket to Ride (USA)
The classicStandalone, 2004, refreshed 2025
Still the cleanest version to teach. Choose it over Europe if you want the fewest rules.
- The 2025 refresh has 33 tickets instead of 30, plus larger cards
- 100 routes between 36 cities
- Its trains and cards also run the map packs
The 2025 refresh changed the box, not the game: new art, bigger cards, a longer score track, and 3 extra tickets that USA 1910 owners already have. If your old copy is fine, keep it.
- Getting blocked can sting more than in Europe
- With 2 players the board feels empty (35% of the track used at most)
4. Nordic Countries
Best for twoStandalone, 2007
The best version for 2-3 players, by design.
- Only 40 trains each, on a map built for small groups
- Has a 9-train route worth 27 points
- Locomotives only work on ferries and tunnels, so the deck plays very differently
- Maxes out at 3 players
- No longest-route bonus; a most-tickets bonus instead
How much of the board can ever be filled
All players' trains as a share of the track in play. With 2-3 players only one lane of each double route may be used.
- USA
- Europe
Show the numbers
| Players | Trains in play | USA track in play | USA share | Europe track in play | Europe share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 90 | 256 | 35% | 268 | 34% |
| 3 | 135 | 256 | 53% | 268 | 50% |
| 4 | 180 | 309 | 58% | 300 | 60% |
| 5 | 225 | 309 | 73% | 300 | 75% |
5. France & Old West
Map Collection 6, 2017
Two maps that twist the basics: track beds in France, home cities in the Old West.
- France: someone has to lay the track bed before anyone can claim the route
- Old West: every route must connect to your own home city
- Plays 2-6: the only way to play with six
France splits claiming into two steps, and the player who lays the track bed often isn't the one who builds on it. Old West makes your network grow outward from one home city, so the map turns into territories. If your group is six people, this is the box.
- France can drag with slow players
- Needs a base game for the cards
6. Japan & Italy
Map Collection 7, 2019
Japan has the most interesting idea in any map pack: a train line everyone builds together.
- Japan: the bullet-train line is built together, and everyone may use it
- Italy: ferry cards and bonuses for connecting regions
- Plays 2-5
In Japan everyone may use the shared bullet train to finish their tickets, but your share in building it is scored at the end, so freeloading has a price. It is a small cooperative puzzle inside a competitive game, and it works.
- Italy is a solid map, not a surprising one
- Neither map has the longest-route bonus
7. Legends of the West
Best for a regular groupLegacy, 2023
A campaign of 12 games that changes the map, the rules and the scoring as you go.
- 12 games over 13 jigsaw boards
- Your choices change the map for the next game
- Plays 2-5
The map grows from 5 starting boards into the full frontier of 13, and money replaces points. It is the biggest change the series has made. Only buy it if you can get the same people around the table for the whole campaign.
- You need the same group for all games
- Once played, your copy is yours alone
8. Asia (Team Asia & Legendary Asia)
Best for teamsMap Collection 1, 2011
Team Asia is the series' team game; Legendary Asia adds expensive mountain routes.
- Team Asia: play in teams of two (2-6 players in total)
- Legendary Asia: mountain routes cost extra trains but score bonus points
- Team play needs an even group
- Needs a base game
9. Iberia & South Korea
Newest map packMap Collection 8, 2024
The newest map pack: a ticket draft on both maps, festivals in Iberia, regions in Korea.
- Iberia: 35 trains each, festival cards to collect, no longest-route bonus
- South Korea: routes grouped into colored provinces that score majorities
- Both maps draft tickets at the start
- Too new for its reputation to settle
- Needs a base game
10. Germany
Standalone, English edition 2017
Classic rules plus passengers to pick up on the way. A good second standalone.
- 89 tickets, so few games repeat
- 60 passengers waiting in the cities
- A crowded map that rewards knowing it
- Passengers add bookkeeping
11. Nederland
Map Collection 4, 2013
Bridges cost toll money, which turns a route map into a small economy.
- Tolls are paid in money, and the money matters at the end
- A different kind of tension from any other map
- Money counting slows the end
- Needs a base game
12. Northern Lights
Standalone, 2025
A Nordic map for 2-5 players with bonus goals. Fine, but Nordic Countries is the sharper two-player game.
- 4 of 11 bonus cards in play each game
- Any pair of same-color cards can stand in for a locomotive
- 55 tickets for 2-5 players
- No route longer than 5 trains, so fewer big swings
- Unfamiliar place names for most of us
13. Rails & Sails
Standalone, 2016
Trains and ships on two maps. The longest and most complex version.
- Choose your own mix of trains and ships
- World map and Great Lakes map in one box
- 120 tickets in total
- 90-120 minutes
- Two decks and harbors to teach
14. India & Switzerland
Map Collection 2, 2011
Two tight maps for small groups; India rewards closing a loop.
- India: a bonus for connecting your ticket cities in a loop (a mandala)
- Switzerland: built for 2-3 players
- Switzerland stops at 3 players
- Needs a base game
15. Poland
Map Collection 6½, 2019
A small map with country cards for connecting to Poland's neighbors.
- 35 tickets and 20 country cards
- Plays 2-4
- Fewer twists than the bigger map packs
- Wider release only came in 2022
16. The Heart of Africa
Map Collection 3, 2012
Terrain cards double a route's points if you can match them. Nice, but not essential.
- Terrain cards add a push-your-luck layer
- Plays 2-5
- Harder to find than the newer packs
- Needs a base game
17. USA 1910 & Europa 1912
Card expansions
More tickets and new ways to play on the boards you already own.
- USA 1910: larger cards, new tickets, 3 ways to play
- Europa 1912: 55 new tickets (101 in total), warehouses and depots
If your group is happy with its board but tired of the same tickets, these are cheaper than a map pack. Europa 1912's 5 warehouses and 25 depots add a small card-banking mini-game.
- No new map
- The 2025 USA refresh already has larger cards
18. The city games
New York, London, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Berlin, Paris
Ticket to Ride in 10-15 minutes. Great on a weeknight, thin as a main course.
- 2-4 players, 10-15 minutes
- Each city adds one small scoring twist
| Year | Twist | |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 2018 | Taxis; routes to tourist attractions score extra |
| London | 2019 | Double-decker buses; points for fully connected districts |
| Amsterdam | 2020 | Horse-drawn carts; merchandise cards from the edge of the map |
| San Francisco | 2022 | Cable cars; collect tourist tokens |
| Berlin | 2023 | Trains, trams and underground pieces; some routes need a specific piece |
| Paris | 2024 | Points for routes in blue, white and red together |
Our pick of the six is San Francisco or Amsterdam, which have the most going on. New York is the simplest.
- Not much room for a long plan
- Six boxes that mostly do the same thing
19. First Journey & Ghost Train
Best for kidsFor kids
The way in for ages 6+: tickets, trains, no score sheet.
- Short games, simple goals
- Ghost Train (2022) adds a spooky theme
- Grown-ups will want the real thing after a few games
Which Ticket to Ride should you buy first?
Europe or the original USA game. Map packs reuse the trains and cards from one of them, so you need one anyway. Europe is our pick: stations make it more forgiving for beginners, and tunnels and ferries give experienced players more to think about. The USA game wins if you want the fewest rules possible.
| Players | Trains each | Tickets | Longest route | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket to Ride (USA) | 2-5 | 45 | 33 | 6 trains |
| Europe | 2-5 | 45 | 46 | 8 trains |
| Nordic Countries | 2-3 | 40 | 46 | 9 trains |
| Northern Lights | 2-5 | 40 | 55 | 5 trains |
| Germany | 2-5 | 45 | 89 | |
| Rails & Sails | 2-5 | 33 trains + 50 ships, pick a mix | 120 |
Which Ticket to Ride is best for two players?
Nordic Countries. The big maps are built for bigger groups: with two players on the USA map, all your trains together can cover at most 35% of the track in play, so blocking rarely happens and the game turns into two people doing solitaire. Nordic Countries is built for 2-3 players with 40 trains each, and India & Switzerland and the city games also hold up well with two.
At the table
- Price a route per train, not per route: the long ones are where the points are.
- Short routes are for finishing tickets and blocking, not for scoring.
- With two players, play Nordic Countries or a small map, not the big ones.
How we ranked, and what we computed
Rankings are our editorial call, weighted toward variety, interaction, player range and value, not toward size or newness. The meters show those ratings. Product facts (players, trains, tickets, years) come from Days of Wonder's product pages and are current as of November 2026. Availability changes, so check the price before you buy.
The map numbers are exact. We took the complete route lists of the USA and Europe boards, each transcribed twice by different people and found identical, and counted. The 45-train plans are a small optimization over those routes (one lane per double route, as the rules require for one player). The per-turn figure is a simple model, not a simulation: it assumes two cards per draw turn and ignores locomotives and tickets. More on how we work.
Image credits
- Box art: Days of Wonder (publisher image): Box of Ticket to Ride: Europe, refreshed edition: a white cover with a steam locomotive and travelers in a European city, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 5: United Kingdom & Pennsylvania: a steam train and Victorian travelers, Box of Ticket to Ride, refreshed edition: a white cover with a steam locomotive and travelers on a station platform, Box of Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries: a steam train in the snow and a man with a reindeer, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 6: France & Old West: a steam train and travelers in front of Notre-Dame, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 7: Japan & Italy: a bullet train in front of Mount Fuji, Box of Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West: a steam train in a Western town, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 1: Asia: a red-fronted steam engine and travelers, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 8: Iberia & South Korea: a steam train in the Spanish countryside, travelers and a windmill, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 4: Nederland: a steam train near a windmill and tulip fields, Box of Ticket to Ride: Northern Lights: a steam train under the aurora and travelers in winter coats, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 2: India & Switzerland: a decorated steam train and travelers, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 6½: Poland: a steam train and an old car in a Polish town, Box of Ticket to Ride Map Collection 3: The Heart of Africa: a steam train, an explorer and wildlife, Box of Ticket to Ride: USA 1910, a small upright card expansion box, Box of Ticket to Ride: San Francisco: a cable car and the Golden Gate Bridge
- Box art: Days of Wonder (image: Game Nerdz) (retailer product image): Box of Ticket to Ride: Germany: a black steam locomotive in a German old town, travelers in front
- Box art: Days of Wonder (image: Philibert) (retailer product image): Box of Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails: a steam train and an ocean liner in a harbor, travelers in front
- Box art: Days of Wonder (cropped from the publisher's box-and-contents image) (publisher image): Box of Ticket to Ride: First Journey (USA map): four kids and a cat in front of a steam train
- Photo: JIP / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0, JIP): A finished game of Ticket to Ride on the USA map, trains in five colors across the board
- Photo: JIP / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, JIP): A five-player game of Ticket to Ride: Europe near the end, with train cards on the table
- Photo: Billie Grace Ward / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0, Billie Grace Ward): Close-up of the Ticket to Ride USA board around Santa Fe
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