---
product_id: 16906235
title: "Dominant Species"
brand: "gmt games"
price: "$196.53"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 3
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/16906235-dominant-species
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# 2-4 hours immersive gameplay 6 unique animal factions 2-6 players, social strategy Dominant Species

**Brand:** gmt games
**Price:** $196.53
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> ❄️ Conquer the Ice Age or be left out in the cold!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Dominant Species by gmt games
- **How much does it cost?** $196.53 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/16906235-dominant-species)

## Best For

- gmt games enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted gmt games brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Multiplayer Mayhem:** Engage 2 to 6 players in a tense battle for dominance and bragging rights.
- • **Epic Ice Age Strategy:** Master survival in a dynamic prehistoric world where every move counts.
- • **Deep Tactical Gameplay:** Leverage Growth, Migration, and Domination actions to outsmart rivals.
- • **Third Edition Excellence:** Refined rules and gameplay improvements make this the definitive version for strategy enthusiasts.
- • **Rich, High-Quality Components:** Includes a massive 22" x 34" board, 330 wooden cubes, and detailed animal displays for an immersive experience.

## Overview

Dominant Species is a highly strategic board game for 2-6 players that simulates the struggle for survival during the Ice Age. With 2-4 hours of deep gameplay, players control one of six animal groups, competing to dominate terrain and earn victory points through clever use of action pawns and resource management. The third edition features upgraded components including a large game board, hundreds of wooden pieces, and a comprehensive rulebook, delivering an immersive and competitive experience for serious strategy gamers.

## Description

From the Manufacturer               90,000 B.C. - A great Ice Age is fast approaching. Another titanic struggle for global supremacy has unwittingly commenced between the varying animal species. Dominant Species is a game for 2 to 6 players that abstractly recreates a tiny portion of ancient history: the ponderous encroachment of an Ice Age and what that entails for the living creatures trying to adapt to the slowly-changing Earth. Each player will assume the role of one of six major Animal groups-Mammal, Reptile, Bird, Amphibian, Arachnid or Insect. Each begins the game in a state of natural balance with regards to one another. But that won't last: It is indeed "survival of the fittest." Through wily Action Pawn placement, players will strive to become Dominant on as many different Terrain tiles as possible in order to draw beneficial Dominance Cards. Players will also want to propagate their individual Species in order to earn Victory Points for his particular Animal. Players will be aided in these endeavors via Growth, Migration and Domination actions, among others. All of this eventually leads to the end game - the final ascent of the Ice Age - where the player with the most Victory Points will have his Animal crowned the Dominant Species. But somebody better become dominant quickly, because it's getting mighty cold. Components - a 20-page full-color rulebook - one 22" x 34" game board - six Animal Displays - 27 cards - 31 large and 12 small hexagonal tiles used to create Earth - 330 wooden cubes in six colors representing the Species belonging to the - six Animal groups - 60 wooden cylinders used for the Animals' Action Pawns - 60 wooden cones used as the Animals' Domination markers - 120 round markers representing the Earth's resources, called Elements - 6 square markers used to show each Animal's Initiative (turn order) - one cloth bag.

## Features

- For 2-6 players
- Takes 2-4 hours to play
- Great strategy game
- 3rd edition of the game

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B0045WCG8I |
| Are Batteries Required | No |
| Best Sellers Rank | #403,203 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #11,206 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
| Brand Name | GMT Games |
| CPSIA Cautionary Statement | Choking Hazard - Small Parts, No Warning Applicable |
| Color | Black |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 124 Reviews |
| Edition | 3rd edition |
| Estimated Playing Time | 120 Minutes, 2 Hours |
| Genre | Strategy |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00817054010134 |
| Is Assembly Required | No |
| Item Height | 3.12 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.23 Kilograms |
| Manufacturer | Flat River Group |
| Manufacturer Maximum Age (MONTHS) | 180.0 |
| Manufacturer Minimum Age (MONTHS) | 156.0 |
| Manufacturer Warranty Description | No Warranty |
| Material Type | Paper |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Players | 6 |
| Theme | Action,Animal |
| UPC | 817054010134 817054010554 |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |

## Images

![Dominant Species - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61t6ItNNN6L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ NOT for casual gamers.
*by O***7 on April 18, 2013*

I want to preface this by saying that I have quite a large collection of board games when compared to the general population, and that I host a board game night every week at my house. That weekly gathering happens to be where I first brought out this game, and personally loved it, but the general consensus was very mixed. (Just for reference, games my game group LOVE and play often are: Cosmic Encounter, King of Tokyo, Eclipse, and Sentinels of the Multiverse. Games that totally flopped were: Mission: Red Planet, and The Resistance. There are many more games that fall somewhere in between. This, unfortunately, was one of them.)Well, I explained it to them in 10-15 minutes, and then the six of us played it. After our 4 hour game, I had one guy very loudly proclaim that it was one of the most boring of games, apparently the theme/mechanics didn't do it for him. However, and much more concerning to me, I had another friend approach me that night after everyone else had left and ask that I inform him privately ahead of time if I ever decided to bring Dominant Species out again. He explained that he felt overwhelmed by all the available choices and couldn't wrap his mind around how to outmaneuver his competitors. So by the end of the game he just placed Action Pawns (APs) semi-randomly hoping for the best (and, honestly, his final score reflected this fact). The other three in our group loved it with almost the same intensity I did and have asked for me to bring it out again many times (several times, I have).I guess I relay this story to warn you to be careful when deciding whether or not to buy this game. It may sound exciting (it is), you may have a seasoned and willing group to try it with you (I did), but this is not a game everyone is going to enjoy. It's fairly quick to teach if your buddies are familiar with this type of game (place an AP in an open action spot, get stuff or stuff happens), but the sheer number of choices and stats to keep track of/manipulate to your advantage can be a real deterrent to some. The rules are easy to medium to learn. The depth is very, very deep.For instance, here are a few things you need to keep track of in an average turn to play this game decently well: land values, land placement, abundance of certain elements, lack of certain elements, available adaptable elements and their significance, other players adaptations, locations of other players, glaciers, what elements and lands are bordering glaciers, number of opponents species on various lands, dominance cones on various lands, where opponents placed their AP, where they want to place an AP, where you want to place an AP, what spaces are still open to be placed in, AP order, the current available dominance cards, which dominance cards are still left to be played, how far until the Ice Age dominance card, where opponents are on the Victory Point (VP) track, how many APs both you and they have left to place each round, how many species you have left, what special abilities each player has, when and where to make a grab for the Bonus VPs, how to set yourself in a good position for the end game (which is worth a LOT of points), etc. etc. etc. Any one of these things could help you, hinder you, or be completely unnecessary for you to know at any given point in time.Lest some of you are wrongly deterred, I want to end this with a rain of praises for this game:This is the deepest and most mentally satisfying game I own. I love the tension, the struggle, the feeling that in any turn you could be wiped out or soar ahead. I love the well laid plans and their (usual) crumbling into dust, but sometimes, sometimes they work and you smile at your cleverness (or give the nod to your opponents cleverness). The theme is (in my opinion) brilliant. The game well designed. I'm in love with it. Yes, there are a lot of balls in the air at any given point in time, but when you can catch them just right (or drop less than everyone else), this game can be magical.If you are a person who loves thick, deep, rewarding board games, look no further.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awesome, deep, strategy game that requires a few hours to play
*by M***E on January 26, 2016*

One word - AWESOMEThis game is not necessarily for a casual gamer who just wants to kill a half-hour on a board game. This is definitely a much more involved game that involves a LOT of worker placement and strategy. My wife and I like to play a board games and this, Terra Mystica, and Tzolk'in, are three of our current favorites. Even in a two player game, you will need at minimum 2 hours to play a full game. For us, it's definitely worth it, but if you're just not into it, I can see how the game might drag out for some people. This is definitely one of those games that you're either going to love or hate, and unfortunately it's not cheap, so if it's not love, that would be a disappointment. My suggestion to anybody on the fence is to watch a demo of it online first, before buying it. We took a chance and bought it sight unseen and frankly lucked out that we love it.There is a lot of strategy to consider and also your competitor(s) strategy as well. The game is competitive in the sense that there will inevitably be times when you or your opponent are forced to take actions that hinder the other players progress. Would I call it cut-throat? Absolutely not, if given a choice to wipe out all of my species on a tile or wipe out my opponents, what choice (really) do I have if you want to win the game? If you're not competitive when playing a game, then stick to cooperative games or competitive games with a lot of luck, you'll probably be happier. But you can definitely work your strategy to try and minimize what your competitors can do to you (like taking the initiative to move up the food chain to grab the first domination card - it it's something you really don't want played against you, etc.)Overall, great theme, great game play, and just a fun way to spend the better part of an afternoon.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great game for 2 to 6! Always a blast to play
*by M***T on January 22, 2017*

Dominant Species is probably one of my favorite board games, if not number one. Its a blast to play with two to six players. When playing with two or three players, each player can play with two animal families, such as mammals, amphibians, birds, insects, arachnids, and reptiles (as if the game was playing with six total) after you get the hang of the game. It seems very complex at first, but is as simple as place an action token on the action you want, then the next person does the same and so on until everyone has placed all their action tokens (or action pawns, action markers, etc.) and then the actions chosen are carried out from top to bottom, left to right. Of course, the strategy is complex, trying to figure out what is the best move to counter your opponents all the while expanding your species gaining points to win the game. There are also dominance cards that can be accessed by using the dominance action and scoring a tile in which you are dominant. The cards can drastically change the game and are usually fun for the person playing them.The game is long usually 2 to 3 hours, occasionally longer with more players. Well worth it though.I would highly recommend to those who like an intense strategy game or war game as Dominat species can be broken down to building armies, in vading, and controlling area, with worker placement.

## Frequently Bought Together

- GMT Games Dominant Species
- AEG & Flatout Games | Cascadia - Award-Winning Board Game Set in the Pacific Northwest | Easy to Learn | Quick to Play | Ages 10+
- Power Grid Recharged

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-02-25*