# Cacao

Cacao is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 45 minutes and is meant for ages 8 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 3. It is rated 6.9 out of 10 by 95 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $33.03 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 3)
- **Playing time:** 45 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 8+
- **Complexity:** 1.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2015
- **Categories:** Economic, Territory Building, Farming
- **Mechanics:** Map Addition, Income, End Game Bonuses, Open Drafting, Tile Placement, Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, Layering
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.9 out of 10, from 95 reviews
- **Owned by:** 149 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 926
- **Unique players:** 537

**Designers:** Phil Walker-Harding

**Artists:** Claus Stephan

**Publishers:** ABACUSSPIELE

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Svet deskovych her | 599 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/3530/cacao-de |
| GryPlanszowe.pl | 119 zł | https://gryplanszowe.pl/product-pol-94-Kakao.html |
| Fantasiapelit | 30 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_160685 |
| Alphaspel | 339 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/58481-cacao-deen |
| Spielezar | 29.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/cacao |

## Expansions

- [Cacao: Chocolatl](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-chocolatl)
- [Cacao: Diamante](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-diamante)
- [Cacao: Volcanoes](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-volcanoes)
- [Cacao: Chocolatl – New Huts](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-chocolatl-new-huts)
- [Cacao: Chocolatl – New Storage Spaces](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-chocolatl-new-storage-spaces)
- [Cacao: Big Market & Golden Temple](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-big-market-and-golden-temple)
- [Cacao: Big Market](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-big-market)
- [Cacao: Golden Temple](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-golden-temple)
- [Cacao: Diamante – New Huts](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-diamante-new-huts)
- [Brettspiel Adventskalender 2015](https://www.ludoya.com/games/brettspiel-adventskalender-2015)
- [Brettspiel Adventskalender 2016](https://www.ludoya.com/games/brettspiel-adventskalender-2016)
- [Cacao: Die Lichtung](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao-die-lichtung)
- [Brettspiel Adventskalender 2017](https://www.ludoya.com/games/brettspiel-adventskalender-2017)

## Similar games

- [Llamaland](https://www.ludoya.com/games/llamaland)
- [Carcassonne: 20th Anniversary Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne-20th-anniversary-edition)
- [Carcassonne Big Box 7](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne-big-box-7)
- [Citrus](https://www.ludoya.com/games/citrus)
- [Taluva Deluxe](https://www.ludoya.com/games/taluva-deluxe)
- [Carcassonne: Gold Rush](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne-gold-rush)
- [Terra Pyramides](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terra-pyramides)
- [Carcassonne: Amazonas](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne-amazonas)
- [Carcassonne Big Box 5](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carcassonne-big-box-5)
- [Railroad Tiles: Collector's Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/railroad-tiles-collectors-edition)
- [Tipperary](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tipperary)
- [Rebirth](https://www.ludoya.com/games/rebirth)

## Rules questions

### Can I place a Worker tile so it shares a border with another Worker tile (or place a Jungle tile next to another Jungle tile)?

No — Worker tiles may never share a border with another Worker tile and Jungle tiles may never share a border with another Jungle tile, which creates the checkerboard pattern of Worker and Jungle spaces (Rulebook, p.3).

### Do I have to place my Worker tile in a particular orientation?

No — you may rotate and orient a Worker tile however you wish when placing it (Rulebook, p.3).

### When are my workers activated — immediately when I place the Worker tile or later if a Jungle tile is added next to them?

Each worker is activated exactly once: workers on the newly placed Worker tile that border Jungle tiles are activated immediately, and any workers are also activated later if a Jungle space is filled next to them (Rulebook, pp.3–4).

### If my placement forces filling multiple Jungle spaces, who chooses which Jungle tiles go where and when is the display refilled?

You choose which faceup Jungle tiles from the Jungle display fill each required Jungle space; the Jungle display is only refilled at the end of the turn (and if more than two spaces must be filled you place the two faceup tiles first and then draw additional tiles from the facedown pile) (Rulebook, p.3).

### Can I refuse or skip a Jungle tile action when my worker is activated?

Yes — players may choose to not perform any individual action, and affected players may perform actions simultaneously and independently (Rulebook, p.4).

### Do leftover cacao fruits score at the end of the game?

No — leftover cacao fruits do not give you any gold; endgame scoring comes from temples, Sun tokens, and the value of the water field your water carrier is on (Rulebook, p.4).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cacao)
- [Cacao in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/cacao)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171499)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._