There are four Wingspan games, and most people should buy the original. Wingspan is the one with four expansions behind it, it sits in the middle on complexity, and it’s the game the other three are built around. Buy Finspan if you want something lighter, Wyrmspan if your table wants more to chew on, and Wingspan Pocket for a half-hour game that fits in a bag.
Some links below are Amazon affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, King Panda Games earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
Bottom line: buy Wingspan first. If the people you play with want a lighter game, buy Finspan instead (check Finspan’s price on Amazon).
Check Wingspan’s price on Amazon →
We’ve played all four, and the order below is ours. The specs come from Stonemaier Games’ own game pages and store, checked in October 2026. They are four separate games, not editions of one box: nothing from one works with another.
| Game | Weight | Players / time | List price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wingspan (birds) | Medium | 1–5 / 40–70 min | $55 Check price |
| Finspan (fish) | Light | 1–5 / 45–60 min | $50 Check price |
| Wyrmspan (dragons) | Heavy | 1–5 / 90 min | $55 Check price |
| Wingspan Pocket (birds, card game) | Light | 1–5 / 25–35 min | $20 Check price |
Weight labels and list prices are Stonemaier’s own. Amazon’s price moves, so check it before you buy.
#1 — Wingspan Is Still the One to Buy First
Wingspan is Elizabeth Hargrave’s 2019 engine-builder about attracting birds to three habitats, and it won the Kennerspiel des Jahres that year. Stonemaier rates it a medium-weight game for one to five players at 40 to 70 minutes.
It is first for one reason the others can’t match: four expansions. Oceania, European, Asia and Americas all mix into the base game and into each other, so the box you buy today keeps growing. Wyrmspan and Finspan each have one expansion so far, and Wingspan Pocket has none.
It’s also the middle option. If you aren’t sure whether your group wants something light or something heavy, Wingspan is the safe pick. Our full Wingspan review goes deeper on whether it suits your table, and Wingspan expansions ranked covers what to add once you own it.
Check Wingspan’s price on Amazon →
#2 — Finspan Is the Lighter, Faster Pick
Finspan is the Wingspan family’s light game. Stonemaier rates it Light, and it plays one to five in 45 to 60 minutes with about five minutes of setup. David Gordon and Michael O’Connell designed it, and it reached retail in early 2025.
You’re a marine researcher diving through the Sunlight, Twilight and Midnight Zones over four weeks. The engine is still the hook: fish you add trigger benefits as you dive deeper. What changes is the life cycle. Eggs hatch into young, young group into schools, and you score fish, eggs, young, schools and achievements at the end.
It’s ranked second because it’s the easiest of the four to bring to a table that hasn’t played Wingspan, and it still feels like a Wingspan game. It has one expansion, Sharks & Reefs, which adds 80 fish cards, 75 coral tokens and five reef overlay mats ($30 list, check Sharks & Reefs’ price on Amazon).
Check Finspan’s price on Amazon →
#3 — Wyrmspan Is for Tables That Want More
Wyrmspan is the heavy one. Connie Vogelmann designed it, it released worldwide on March 29, 2024, and Stonemaier labels it Heavy at 90 minutes, against Wingspan’s Medium.
The skeleton is familiar, but the extra layer is real. Before a dragon can move in, you have to excavate a space in one of three caverns, so you’re building the board as well as the engine. Coins are a resource Wingspan doesn’t have, and you are also working to earn the favor of the Dragon Guild. The box holds 183 dragon cards, including 35 hatchlings, plus 75 cave cards and 45 cardboard coins.
It sits third because it’s a longer commitment, not because it’s a weaker game. If Wingspan felt too gentle at your table, Wyrmspan is the answer. Its one expansion, Dragon Academy, adds dragons, caves, objective tiles, guilds and a new round tracker ($25 list, check Dragon Academy’s price on Amazon).
Check Wyrmspan’s price on Amazon →
#4 — Wingspan Pocket Is the Travel Game
Wingspan Pocket is the newest. Elizabeth Hargrave designed it, Stonemaier’s webstore launched it on July 15, 2026, ahead of its retail release. It plays one to five in 25 to 35 minutes and lists at $20.
It is a card game in a box about 6 by 4 inches. Its 106 cards are double-sided, a bird on one side and a food on the other, and on your turn you activate a single row to play a bird, draw cards or lay eggs. Bird powers are mostly icons, including a new green ongoing power, and the game ends when someone plays their sixth bird.
It’s last only because it does the least. As a second Wingspan game for travel, or for a night with half an hour to spare, it’s the obvious buy. Its birds don’t mix with Wingspan, and none of the expansions fit it.
Check Wingspan Pocket’s price on Amazon →
Which One for Your Table?
- New to the hobby, or buying for a family: Finspan. It’s the only full-size one Stonemaier rates Light.
- One box to grow with for years: Wingspan, for the four expansions.
- A group that finds Wingspan too gentle: Wyrmspan.
- Travel, lunch breaks, or a short night: Wingspan Pocket.
- Mostly solo: any of them. All four ship with an Automa solo mode, and Pocket’s has five difficulty levels.
What About Two Players?
All four seat two. If two is how you usually play, look at Wingspan Asia rather than any of the games above. It’s a Wingspan expansion that is also a standalone game for one or two players, and its Duet mode is built for exactly two ($39 list, check Asia’s price on Amazon). It’s the cheapest way into Wingspan for a couple, and it’s covered in our expansions ranking. For two-player games outside the Wingspan family, see our best 2-player games.
The common assumption: Wyrmspan and Finspan are themed reskins you can shuffle into Wingspan.
What they actually are: separate games with their own cards, boards and rules. Stonemaier calls Wyrmspan “not compatible with Wingspan,” and the same goes for Finspan and Pocket.
Already settled on Wingspan? Our best Wingspan bird cards ranking and Wingspan strategy guide are the next stops, followed by the bonus cards ranking and our bird powers guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Wingspan game is best?
The original Wingspan. It has the deepest expansion line of the four, it sits in the middle on complexity, and it is the game the others are built around. Buy Finspan instead if you want something lighter and shorter.
What is the difference between Wingspan and Wyrmspan?
Wyrmspan swaps birds for dragons and is longer and heavier. Stonemaier lists it at 90 minutes and a Heavy weight, against 40 to 70 minutes and Medium for Wingspan. You excavate caves before dragons can move in, and coins are a resource Wingspan does not have.
Is Finspan easier than Wingspan?
Yes. Stonemaier rates Finspan a light game against Wingspan’s medium, and it plays in 45 to 60 minutes with about five minutes of setup. It still has the engine-building feel, built around fish, eggs, young and schools.
Is Wingspan Pocket compatible with Wingspan?
No. Wingspan Pocket is a standalone game in a small box, and the publisher says its birds are not compatible with Wingspan. None of the Wingspan expansions work with it either.
Can you mix Wyrmspan or Finspan cards with Wingspan?
No. Each game is standalone with its own cards and rules. Wyrmspan has its own expansion, Dragon Academy, and Finspan has Sharks and Reefs. Neither works with Wingspan.
Which Wingspan game is best for two players?
Wingspan with the Asia box. Asia is also a standalone game for one or two players, and its Duet mode is built for exactly two.