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The Brilliant Abstract Strategy Game You Need to Try
Hive is one of those games that looks deceptively simple until someone pins your Queen Bee and you suddenly realise you have been outmanoeuvred for the past four turns. It is a two-player abstract strategy game with no board and no luck. Just you, your opponent, and twenty-two chunky hexagonal tiles.
Designed by John Yianni and published by Gen42 Games, it plays in around 20 minutes. I keep a copy in my bag. It has been played on pub tables, kitchen worktops, aeroplane tray tables, and once, memorably, on a footstool. Every game has been worth it.
What Is Hive?
The tiles are insects. Each insect type moves differently. Your Queen Bee can only move one space at a time. Ants can move anywhere around the outside of the hive. Spiders must move exactly three spaces. Beetles climb on top of other tiles and pin them in place. Grasshoppers jump in a straight line over any number of adjacent pieces.
There is no board. The tiles themselves form the playing area as the game progresses. The hive expands, contracts, and shifts with every move. The goal is to completely surround your opponent’s Queen Bee, using either your own tiles or theirs.
It is often compared to chess, and the comparison holds. Hive is a game of pure skill with no luck element at all. New players can grasp the rules in five minutes. Mastering it takes considerably longer.
Key Game Information
| Players | 2 |
| Play time | 20 minutes |
| Designer | John Yianni |
| Publisher | Gen42 Games |
| Categories | Abstract Games, Two-Player Games, Strategy Games, Filler and Quick Games |
| Mechanics | Tile Placement, Direct Interaction, Pattern Building |
| Theme | Abstract and Minimalist |
| Complexity | Medium-light |
| Best for | Players who enjoy chess-like spatial strategy without the setup or the stigma |
How to Play Hive
Each player has a set of insect tiles. On your turn, you either place a new tile adjacent to an existing tile in the hive, or move an already-placed tile following its movement rules.
Two rules govern almost everything. First: your Queen Bee must be placed by your fourth turn. If you have not placed it by then, you must. Second: the hive cannot be split. Any move that would break the hive into two disconnected groups is illegal.
The movement rules per insect are straightforward but produce complex interactions:
- Queen Bee: moves one space along the edge of the hive.
- Spider: moves exactly three spaces along the edge of the hive.
- Ant: can move to any space around the outside of the hive.
- Beetle: moves one space and can climb on top of other tiles, pinning them in place and temporarily taking their colour.
- Grasshopper: jumps in a straight line over adjacent tiles to the first empty space.
The game ends the moment one player’s Queen Bee is completely surrounded on all six sides, by any combination of their own or their opponent’s tiles.
Playing at Different Player Counts
Hive is a two-player game only. There is no multiplayer variant and no solo mode. That is not a limitation, it is by design. The entire game is built around a head-to-head duel.
Playing Solo
There is no official solo mode and the game does not suit solo play. If you want a solo abstract puzzle experience, Patchwork or Sagrada offer that better. Hive is a competitive game built around reading and outmanoeuvring a human opponent.
Components and Production Quality
The standard edition uses Bakelite tiles, which are thick, heavy, satisfying to handle, and completely waterproof. They feel genuinely premium. The tiles click together and pull apart cleanly, and the whole set fits in a small cloth bag.
Hive Pocket, the travel version, uses smaller tiles made from a lighter plastic. The gameplay is identical and the size is genuinely pocketable. If portability matters more than tactile quality, Pocket is the version to get.
| Quick verdict The Bakelite tiles in the standard edition are some of the best physical components in any game at any price. They feel built to last decades, because they will. |
Expansions
- The Mosquito: Copies the movement ability of any adjacent piece. Extremely flexible and considered an essential add-on by most experienced players.
- The Ladybug: Moves two tiles up and one back down. Good at getting around obstacles and attacking from unexpected angles.
- The Pillbug: Can move an adjacent tile (friendly or enemy) to any space around itself. Changes how blocking and positioning work significantly.
All three expansions are included in Hive Carbon (black and white edition) and most recent retail editions. Worth knowing before you buy.
Digital Versions
Hive is available on Board Game Arena, which is the recommended digital option. The implementation is clean, the interface handles movement rules clearly, and async play is available.
There is also an official Hive app on iOS and Android with AI opponents and online multiplayer. The AI is one of the stronger implementations in the hobby and a genuinely useful way to practice.
If You Like Hive, Try These
- Onitama: A five-by-five grid abstract duel with rotating movement cards. Similar chess-like feel in a slightly shorter game.
- Azul: No head-to-head combat, but shares the accessible depth and satisfying spatial puzzle.
- Hey, That’s My Fish!: Spatial strategy on a shrinking hexagonal board. More accessible than Hive but scratches a similar itch.
- Santorini: Three-dimensional grid strategy game. Abstract, quick, and full of tactical depth.
- Blokus: Spatial territory game for up to four players. Easier to learn than Hive but similarly satisfying.
Final Thoughts
Hive is one of the best two-player abstract games available. It teaches quickly, plays fast, and produces a level of tactical depth that rewards repeated play over many years.
Its only weakness is that it is strictly two-player with no flexibility there. If you play games primarily in groups, you will not reach for it often. But if you have a regular opponent, or want a game you can pull out anywhere, it is hard to beat.
The Bakelite tiles and complete portability make the physical version worth owning even if you play digitally as well.
Hive is the best game you can fit in a jacket pocket.
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