When enough paintings have changed hands, the round ends. The artists are ranked by how many of their works were sold that round, and only the top few are worth anything. You sell every painting you bought back to the bank at those values, your cash carries over, and a new round begins. After four rounds, the richest collector wins. The whole game is reading the table: an artist is only valuable if the room keeps buying them.
The seller keeps the winning bid, so selling is how you make money, but only when a rival overpays. Putting a painting up cheap and buying it yourself just shuffles money to the bank; the win comes from making someone else pay.
Watch the counts on the table. An artist has to finish near the top that round to pay out at all, so a single well-timed painting can lift a value or a careless one can waste it. Avoid pumping an artist your opponents are hoarding, since that hands them the payout.
Bidding is half bluff. Drive the price up to scare someone off a bargain, or sit quiet and snipe a cheap lot when the table loses interest. In Sealed auctions, the bid you would normally telegraph stays hidden until the reveal, so commit to a number and live with it.
How many players is The Art Game for?
Three to five. Empty seats can be filled with AI opponents at several skill levels.
Is it free?
Yes. It plays free in your browser, with no download.
Can I bid on my own painting?
Yes. If you win your own auction you pay the bank instead of a rival, so you keep the painting but the cash still leaves your pile.
How long is a game?
Four rounds, usually around twenty to thirty minutes.
Is multiplayer available?
Yes. Both are live now: solo vs AI, and live multiplayer where you host a table and invite friends by code.
Conquest of Resources: settle, build, and trade to victory on a hex board. Another multi-player table game.
Chess: pure strategy, no luck, no bluffing. The opposite discipline.
All games: browse the full Cogg catalog.