---
product_id: 45636297
title: "Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Board Game - Award Winning Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 8 & Up."
brand: "blue orange"
price: "€ 105.54"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
category: "Blue Orange"
url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/45636297-blue-orange-games-photosynthesis-board-game-award-winning-family-adult
store_origin: GR
region: Greece
---

# 45-70 min immersive gameplay Dynamic sun rotation scoring 4 distinct tree species sets Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Board Game - Award Winning Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 8 & Up.

**Brand:** blue orange
**Price:** € 105.54
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🌿 Grow your strategy, outshine the competition!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Board Game - Award Winning Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 8 & Up. by blue orange
- **How much does it cost?** € 105.54 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.gr](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/45636297-blue-orange-games-photosynthesis-board-game-award-winning-family-adult)

## Best For

- blue orange enthusiasts

## Why This Product

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

## Key Features

- • **Adaptive Gameplay:** Supports 2-4 players with optional house rules for deeper 2-player challenges and replayability.
- • **Eco-Intelligent Fun:** Learn biology and environmental science through immersive, hands-on gameplay that sparks curiosity.
- • **Award-Winning Design:** Critically acclaimed with stunning artwork and high-quality components that elevate your game nights.
- • **Family & Adult Friendly:** Perfectly balanced for ages 8+, engaging both kids and seasoned strategists alike.
- • **Evolving Forest Strategy:** Master the life cycle of trees from seedling to full bloom, leveraging sun positions to outsmart opponents.

## Overview

Photosynthesis by Blue Orange Games is an award-winning strategy board game for 2-4 players aged 8 and up. Players cultivate trees through their life cycle, earning light points by positioning them in the sun’s path as it rotates around the board. With beautiful components, easy-to-learn rules, and deep strategic layers, it’s a perfect blend of family fun and cerebral challenge that brings nature’s rhythm to your tabletop.

## Description

In Photosynthesis, take your trees through their life-cycle, from seedling to full bloom to rebirth, and earn light points as their leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’s rays. Carefully pick where you sow and when you grow, as trees in the shadows are blocked from light, and from light points. Players score light points if their trees are in the direct lines of sun rays or taller than the trees blocking them from the sun rays. In a second phase, players use their light points to reserve seeds or trees, then plant or grow them on the board. Points are scored by maturing trees and removing them from the board.

Review: Outstanding Family Game! - I would normally write an extensive review for something like this, but others have so eloquently done so already (like Paul Bulger with whom I agree). I've been a gamer ever since I was in high school (almost 30 years ago). I've definitely played my share of games! I got my family into playing games, and we're always looking for the next fun, challenging game. This fits the bill! All the art work is beautiful. All the components are high quality and very well done. All four sets of trees are different and colored beautifully! You have Oak, Maple, Cedar/Evergreen, and one other deciduous tree with which I am not familiar. All the colors are brilliant and spectacular. My only quibble would be that a lot of the tree pieces do not fit together tightly (so they fall apart), but since this can be fixed with a very small dot of glue, I don't see it as a big concern (clarification: all the trees come in two pieces that you fit together perpendicularly so they will stand up). The theme is very fun and intriguing; growing your trees from seedlings to full grown large trees is enormous fun. Strategically placing your trees to get the most growth and light points provides just the perfect element of strategy and tactics to the game. The game is so intriguing, in fact, that my wife (who normally does not get involved in our gaming sessions) wanted to play the game over and over! For those of you who have not delved into the world of Euro-gaming, do not worry. I would put the rules complexity at around Monopoly. In fact, the rules are so easy to understand that our 7 year old daughter can play. The only thing is the strategy is more complex, so she had a hard time understanding where to place trees and why she would place them in those locations. Our 10 year old daughter had no issues with the strategy portion. The game box says for ages 8+. This is probably true if your 8 year old is especially sharp and observant, otherwise I would say 10+. Game time runs at around 45 - 70 minutes, but it seems to go very fast. Once everyone understands the rules, you could probably complete a game in 30 minutes. The game does allow you to extend the game one full "day" which adds another 15 minutes or so and changes the strategy a bit. You can play this game 2 player, but it does make it a bit too easy (too big of a play area with no interference from other players). My wife and I played several 2 player games. The game says to leave out the highest point (4-leaf) rewards -which only come from the middle of the board. Since you cannot reap the benefit of that space of the board, we decided to add a full grown, large tree (from a non-player color) to the center of the board (this affects light points and tree placement strategy). We also added 3 small trees in three of the outside ring (1-leaf) corners. Using the optional rule for tree growth along with these house rules made a VERY challenging 2-player game. Replayability is very good, but players do seem to settle into a set strategy once they know the game. If you on the fence on whether or not to get this game, don't! It is simply a stunning game with a very fun theme that will bring your family together for some fun moments!
Review: Great strategy game wrapped in a beautiful theme!! - There’s a surprising amount of strategy packed into this beautiful looking game! In Photosynthesis, you plant seeds, harvest light with photosynthesis, and grow trees through their life cycle. Your trees earn light points through photosynthesis depending on how big they are and whether they are shadowed or not. You then spend light points to upgrade trees. There’s an interesting game mechanic that keeps the sun moving to 6 position around the board, meaning that how “well” your trees are positioned for scoring is constantly changing. Luckily, the theme doesn’t overshadow or interfere with the pure strategy of the game design. There seems to be a lot of possible deep strategy in this one that we haven’t started to tap into yet, but game play is simple enough to get started and enjoy playing the first time. I wouldn’t be worried about teaching this to a non-gamer because there aren’t that many actions or choices each time so it’s not overwhelming and feels very accessible. Despite the in-depth strategy possible, I still think it’s one that we’ll be able to teach our 7 year old (who plays lots of light to mid-weight Eurogames) to play from a game play standpoint as the basic game play isn’t complicated. Overall, I would definitely recommend Photosynthesis and think it’ll be getting a lot of game play around our house!

## Features

- Strategy board game: Photosynthesis is one of the best environmental board games referring to the life cycle of trees, for science and biology enthusiasts. This best-selling board game has an amazing table presence with an ever-changing forest
- Family or adult strategy game: This 2 to 4 players nature inspired game can be enjoyed by parents playing with their children as well as adults, also plays very well as a 2 players abstract board game. Best recommended for ages 8 & up
- How to play: Photosynthesis uses an action points allowance system mechanism. Take your trees through their life-cycle, from seedling to full bloom to rebirth, and Earn light points as their leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’S rays
- Photosynthesis was one of the top rated board games when it was released at gen con. It is easy to play for families enjoying other blue orange classic and award winning board games like king domino, planet, New York 1901

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B074K5W5N5 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #58,115 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #1,631 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (3,932) |
| Department | Unisex-Adult |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 4 pounds |
| Item model number | 05400 |
| Language | English |
| Manufacturer | Blue Orange |
| Manufacturer recommended age | 8 years and up |
| Product Dimensions | 3.5 x 11.8 x 11.8 inches |
| Release date | August 15, 2017 |

## Images

![Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Board Game - Award Winning Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 8 & Up. - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91m0aoknERL.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: what's the difference between the basic and premium versions?**
A: There are no premium version sold directly from Blue Orange Games, however some private sellers might be offering expansion packs with the regular version.

**Q: How difficult is this for someone who has NO board game experience?  (I know that’s a mean question.)**
A: It's not mean, it's considerate. If it is too heavy to start out on, they will be scared away. Crawl before you walk! This game is a great entry level game. Concepts are really easy to understand. My wife and I game a lot but she really enjoys the 30-45 min games that don't go super deep. One of her favorites is Carcassonne because she just really likes the games that are quick and you can play a few games back to back. This game is one of those games. Light and fun, and really good. I bought this one for her because she likes these type of games. We play this one a lot. This falls right in with games like Ticket to Ride and Catan, because there is strategy in the game and not just a bunch of random chance. We love this game!

**Q: Can this game be played with 2 people?**
A: Yes it can! I believe you can play with 2-4 players.

**Q: What is the age range for this game?**
A: That depends.  We have an 8-year old niece who could handle the game just fine, but she is pretty exceptional.  On average, my guess would be 12 and up.  The game isn't hard, but it's very spatial.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Outstanding Family Game!
*by J***G on January 4, 2019*

I would normally write an extensive review for something like this, but others have so eloquently done so already (like Paul Bulger with whom I agree). I've been a gamer ever since I was in high school (almost 30 years ago). I've definitely played my share of games! I got my family into playing games, and we're always looking for the next fun, challenging game. This fits the bill! All the art work is beautiful. All the components are high quality and very well done. All four sets of trees are different and colored beautifully! You have Oak, Maple, Cedar/Evergreen, and one other deciduous tree with which I am not familiar. All the colors are brilliant and spectacular. My only quibble would be that a lot of the tree pieces do not fit together tightly (so they fall apart), but since this can be fixed with a very small dot of glue, I don't see it as a big concern (clarification: all the trees come in two pieces that you fit together perpendicularly so they will stand up). The theme is very fun and intriguing; growing your trees from seedlings to full grown large trees is enormous fun. Strategically placing your trees to get the most growth and light points provides just the perfect element of strategy and tactics to the game. The game is so intriguing, in fact, that my wife (who normally does not get involved in our gaming sessions) wanted to play the game over and over! For those of you who have not delved into the world of Euro-gaming, do not worry. I would put the rules complexity at around Monopoly. In fact, the rules are so easy to understand that our 7 year old daughter can play. The only thing is the strategy is more complex, so she had a hard time understanding where to place trees and why she would place them in those locations. Our 10 year old daughter had no issues with the strategy portion. The game box says for ages 8+. This is probably true if your 8 year old is especially sharp and observant, otherwise I would say 10+. Game time runs at around 45 - 70 minutes, but it seems to go very fast. Once everyone understands the rules, you could probably complete a game in 30 minutes. The game does allow you to extend the game one full "day" which adds another 15 minutes or so and changes the strategy a bit. You can play this game 2 player, but it does make it a bit too easy (too big of a play area with no interference from other players). My wife and I played several 2 player games. The game says to leave out the highest point (4-leaf) rewards -which only come from the middle of the board. Since you cannot reap the benefit of that space of the board, we decided to add a full grown, large tree (from a non-player color) to the center of the board (this affects light points and tree placement strategy). We also added 3 small trees in three of the outside ring (1-leaf) corners. Using the optional rule for tree growth along with these house rules made a VERY challenging 2-player game. Replayability is very good, but players do seem to settle into a set strategy once they know the game. If you on the fence on whether or not to get this game, don't! It is simply a stunning game with a very fun theme that will bring your family together for some fun moments!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great strategy game wrapped in a beautiful theme!!
*by K***E on December 28, 2019*

There’s a surprising amount of strategy packed into this beautiful looking game! In Photosynthesis, you plant seeds, harvest light with photosynthesis, and grow trees through their life cycle. Your trees earn light points through photosynthesis depending on how big they are and whether they are shadowed or not. You then spend light points to upgrade trees. There’s an interesting game mechanic that keeps the sun moving to 6 position around the board, meaning that how “well” your trees are positioned for scoring is constantly changing. Luckily, the theme doesn’t overshadow or interfere with the pure strategy of the game design. There seems to be a lot of possible deep strategy in this one that we haven’t started to tap into yet, but game play is simple enough to get started and enjoy playing the first time. I wouldn’t be worried about teaching this to a non-gamer because there aren’t that many actions or choices each time so it’s not overwhelming and feels very accessible. Despite the in-depth strategy possible, I still think it’s one that we’ll be able to teach our 7 year old (who plays lots of light to mid-weight Eurogames) to play from a game play standpoint as the basic game play isn’t complicated. Overall, I would definitely recommend Photosynthesis and think it’ll be getting a lot of game play around our house!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Creative Concept
*by M***T on October 20, 2021*

I love this game. Completely different than most games. Strategic and a joy to play. Great components. I would recommend watching a YouTube video called “Watch it Played.” A fairly easy game to learn, if you are used to plying euro-type games. Similar concepts with some twists. I love how the sun rotates to give different “shadows” on trees. You can plant your seed in a area by your tree, distance determined by the size of your tree. The larger your tree the further the seed can travel. Then you use sun points to buy larger trees and eventually harvest your large tree for victory points. The twist is you have to buy things from you player mat and put it in a staging area beside your board before you place it on the large game board. Once you harvest your tree that space becomes available for others. It’s an awesome game. I’ve only played the 2-person variant. I was way ahead dominating the board until my trees got blocked by my opponent. I wasn’t able to get any sun points which are needed to buy things. He pulled ahead at the last move winning the game. Great value for the money.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Board Game - Award Winning Family or Adult Strategy Board Game for 2 to 4 Players. Recommended for Ages 8 & Up.
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*Product available on Desertcart Greece*
*Store origin: GR*
*Last updated: 2026-01-31*