Oh My Pigeons! Review

The gloriously daft party game where you steal pigeons, flick dice, and lose all dignity in about twelve minutes. It’s super quick and easy to teach too.

First Impressions

I am not going to pretend this is a game for serious gamers. It is not. Oh My Pigeons! is a brightly illustrated box of chaos from Ravensburger that you pull out when someone says they do not really play games, or when the post-dinner window is closing and you need something on the table fast.

It landed at our table on a weeknight when my partner’s mum was visiting. Wingspan was absolutely not happening. Oh My Pigeons! was absolutely happening. We played it four times in a row, and nobody complained once.

That is the review, really. But let me fill in the details.

What Is Oh My Pigeons!?

Oh My Pigeons! is a take-that card game for two to five players, illustrated by Alena Istif and published by Ravensburger in 2024. Each player has a small park bench that holds a row of plastic pigeon miniatures. The goal is simple: be the first to fill your bench.

On your turn, you play a card from your hand. Cards let you take pigeons from the central supply, steal pigeons from opponents, swap benches with a rival, or trigger the Oh My Pigeons! die. That last option is where things get properly silly.

When the die gets involved, you either take pigeons from the supply, steal from opponents, or (the crowd favourite) physically flick the die across the table at an opponent’s bench. Any pigeons knocked off land back in the supply. Chaos ensues.

At our table: My partner’s mum, who had never played a board game in living memory, knocked three of my pigeons clean off the bench with one flick and looked absolutely delighted with herself. We immediately played again.

Key Game Information

Players	2–5 (best at 4–5)
Play time	10–15 minutes
Categories	Family Games, Party and Social Games, Filler and Quick Games, Card Games
Mechanics	Direct Interaction , Push Your Luck, Set Collection
Theme	Animals and Pets, Everyday Life and Social Themes
Complexity	Light
Best for	Mixed-age groups who want something they can explain in 60 seconds and play twice before anyone asks for a cup of tea

How Do You Play?

Setup takes about two minutes. Each player takes a bench, places three pigeons on it, and draws three cards. The remaining pigeons sit in a pile in the middle of the table, forming the supply.

On your turn, you play one card (or two, if your cards have a heart symbol) and follow its instructions. Then you draw back up to three. That is the whole turn.

The Cards

The deck has a handful of card types. Most give you pigeons directly from the supply, or let you lift pigeons from another player’s bench. Some let you swap your entire bench with an opponent’s, which is a nice move when you are behind. A few cards are instant reactions you can play on someone else’s turn to cancel their action.

The Oh My Pigeons! card is the standout. Playing it means you roll the custom die. Two faces give you pigeons from the supply. Two faces let you steal from opponents. Two faces trigger the flick attack. You choose a target, aim, and let fly. Any pigeon that falls off the bench goes back to the supply.

Winning

The game ends immediately when someone fills their bench. Bench size varies slightly by player count. If the deck runs out before anyone fills theirs, everyone takes one final turn and the player with the most pigeons wins.

How Does It Play at Different Player Counts?

2 Players

It works, but it is the weakest count. The two-player version uses a different side of the bench boards, and a few cards are removed from the deck. The back-and-forth steal mechanic can start to feel a bit repetitive when there are only two of you. Fine for a quick game, but not the ideal setting.

3 Players

Better. You have more variety in targets, the board feels more alive, and the flicking attack creates proper table moments. A good casual count if that is what you have.

4–5 Players

This is where Oh My Pigeons! really clicks. More players means more targets, more chaos, and more of that brilliant herd-mentality targeting of whoever is winning. At five players the game feels genuinely raucous, and the flick attacks land (sometimes literally) much better.

Best player count: 4 or 5. This is a party game at heart, and it plays like one.

Playing Solo

There is no solo mode, and there is no fan-made Automa variant that I am aware of. Oh My Pigeons! is fundamentally a social game built around player interaction. The take-that mechanics and the flick attacks need other people to work.

This is not a criticism. Solo play was never the point here.

Components and Production Quality

For a game at this price point, the components are charming. The 36 pigeon miniatures are small, squat, and characterful. They look like every pigeon you have ever seen waddling around a city square. Each player board is double-sided (with the two-player side marked clearly), which is a neat touch.

The 50 cards have good, clean illustrations with a consistent sense of humour running through them. The iconography is simple enough that most players will not need to read the card text after the first couple of turns. The rulebook is a single double-sided sheet of A5. That is it. You can teach this game in under a minute.

The one caveat: the pigeon miniatures are small enough to be a choking hazard, which the box notes for under-eights. Worth being aware of if younger children are at the table.

Quick note on the die: The custom die has a slightly raised pip design that makes it satisfying to flick. This is clearly intentional. Ravensburger put real thought into making the dexterity element feel good, and it does.

Expansions and Other Versions

As of 2025, there are no expansions for Oh My Pigeons!. It is a standalone product in a self-contained box.

The game was released in 2024 as what appears to be a mass-market Ravensburger product, available widely at supermarkets, toy shops, and on Amazon. There is no Kickstarter edition, big box, or anniversary version. What you see is what you get.

Digital Versions

Oh My Pigeons! is not available on Board Game Arena, Tabletop Simulator, or as a mobile app. Given the dexterity element at its heart, a digital port would lose a lot of what makes it fun. I would not hold your breath for one.

If You Like This, Try These

• Exploding Kittens (Exploding Kittens, 2015) – The most obvious comparison. More card variety and slightly longer, but the same chaotic take-that energy. Good if you want a tiny step up in complexity.
• Dobble (Asmodee, 2009) – A different kind of quick, silly game that works brilliantly across ages. Less confrontational, but just as fast to teach.
• Sushi Go! (Gamewright, 2013) – If you want something quick and accessible with just a little more strategic depth, Sushi Go! is a brilliant next step.
• Uno (Mattel) – If your group enjoys Oh My Pigeons!, they will likely have fun with Uno. More familiar, slightly longer, but the same spirit of friendly chaos.
• Wingspan (Stonemaier Games, 2019) – A very different game, but it shares the bird theme and it is the natural next step if someone at the table catches the bird-game bug and wants something meatier. Full review here.

Final Thoughts

Oh My Pigeons! is not trying to be anything more than it is. It is a ten-minute game about stealing tiny plastic birds, rolling dice, and occasionally launching a die across the table at your opponent’s carefully arranged pigeon collection. It does all of that very well.

The components are lovely, the rules are genuinely learnable in one read-through, and the flick mechanic is the kind of thing that makes people who say they do not like board games change their minds. I have seen it happen.

Its limitations are real. There is not much strategic depth, the two-player game is underwhelming, and once you have played it five or six times you have probably seen most of what it has to offer. It is not a game you will be building a collection around.

But for what it is, a fast, funny, completely accessible crowd-pleaser that works across ages, it is close to perfect.

If you need a game you can teach to anyone in under a minute and play in the gap before dinner, Oh My Pigeons! belongs in your collection.

Quick Verdict Buy it if: you want a filler game that genuinely works with non-gamers, mixed ages, or anyone who enjoys a bit of friendly chaos. Skip it if: you need strategic depth or mainly play two-player. It is not built for either. Price: Around £15 to 20. Absolutely worth it at that price for what it delivers. Buy Oh My Pigeons! here

Don’t Take My Word For It

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