Acquire
The classic corporate strategy board game — now free to play online with friends or strangers.
What is Acquire?
Acquire is a classic board game of corporate strategy and high finance, originally designed by Sid Sackson and first published in 1964. Players compete to build the largest and most profitable hotel chains through strategic tile placement, stock trading, and well-timed mergers. It remains one of the most celebrated strategy board games ever made.
How to Play
Each game is played on a 12×9 grid. On your turn, you follow three simple steps:
Place a Tile
Choose one of your six tiles and place it on the board. Tiles placed next to each other form chains. If your tile connects two separate chains, you trigger a merger — the most exciting part of the game.
Buy Stock
After placing your tile, you may purchase up to three shares of stock in any active hotel chain. Stock prices rise as chains grow larger, so buying early in a growing chain is key to building wealth.
Draw a Tile
Draw a new tile from the pool to replace the one you played. Your hand always has six tiles.
Founding Hotel Chains
When you place a tile adjacent to an existing lone tile (one not part of any chain), you found a new hotel chain. You choose which chain to create from the available options, and receive one free share of founding stock. There are seven possible chains in the game, each with different price tiers — some are cheaper to invest in early, others offer higher payouts as they grow.
Mergers
Mergers are the heart of Acquire. When your tile connects two chains, the larger chain absorbs the smaller one. The majority and minority shareholders of the acquired chain receive bonus payouts. Then each shareholder of the defunct chain can:
- Hold their stock — hoping the chain will be re-founded later
- Sell their stock back at current market price
- Trade two shares of the defunct chain for one share of the surviving chain
How to Win
The game ends when all active chains are safe (11+ tiles and cannot be acquired), or when any single chain reaches 41 tiles. At that point, final bonuses are paid to majority and minority shareholders of every chain, all stock is sold, and the player with the most cash wins. It is a game of timing, investment, and knowing when to cash out.
Why Play Acquire Online?
Real-Time Multiplayer
Play with 2-6 players in real time. Create a private game for friends or join an open match.
Ranked Games
Compete on the leaderboard with a TrueSkill rating system that tracks your performance over time.
No Download
Play instantly in your browser. No app to install, no account required — jump in as a guest.
Free to Play
Completely free with no ads, no pay-to-win, and no premium features locked behind a paywall.
No account required — start playing as a guest in seconds.