# Codex Naturalis

Codex Naturalis is a board game for 1–4 players. It plays in 20–30 minutes and is meant for ages 7 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 2. It is rated 7.8 out of 10 by 120 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $23.96 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–4 (best with 2)
- **Playing time:** 20–30 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 7+
- **Complexity:** 1.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2021
- **Categories:** Card Game, Environmental
- **Mechanics:** End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Open Drafting, Layering, Pattern Building
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.8 out of 10, from 120 reviews
- **Owned by:** 278 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 1,178
- **Unique players:** 720

**Designers:** Thomas Dupont

**Artists:** Maxime Morin

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 23.96 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/codis-naturalis/ |
| Rampi Games | 14.5 € | https://www.rampigames.com/juego-de-mesa/codex-naturalis/ |
| Va de jocs | 13.5 € | https://vadejocs.es/producto/codex-naturalis |
| Ludifolie | 13.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/10004-codex-naturalis.html |
| Zacatrus | 14.4 € | https://zacatrus.es/codex-naturalis.html |
| La Gameria | 14.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/codex-naturalis-11833.html |
| Jugar x Jugar | 16 € | https://www.jugarxjugar.com/shop/familiares/6017-codex-naturalis-8436578813933.html |
| Goblin Trader Barcelona | 16 € | https://www.goblintrader.es/es/inicio/42320-codex-naturalis-castellano-8436578813933.html |
| TLAMA games | 399 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/deskove-hry/codex-naturalis-cz--plechova-krabicka/ |
| Zatu Games | 14.99 £ | https://zatu.com/products/codex-naturalis |
| Uplay | 21.99 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-codex-naturalis.html |

## Similar games

- [Cascadia: Alpine Lakes](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cascadia-alpine-lakes)
- [Dragon Castle](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dragon-castle)
- [Tricky Treats](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tricky-treats)
- [Meadow](https://www.ludoya.com/games/meadow)
- [Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor](https://www.ludoya.com/games/forest-shuffle-dartmoor)
- [In the Footsteps of Darwin](https://www.ludoya.com/games/in-the-footsteps-of-darwin)
- [Cascadia](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cascadia)
- [Forest Shuffle](https://www.ludoya.com/games/forest-shuffle)
- [Ingenious 3D](https://www.ludoya.com/games/einfach-genial-3d)
- [Fall](https://www.ludoya.com/games/fall)
- [Naturopolis](https://www.ludoya.com/games/naturopolis)
- [Confusing Lands](https://www.ludoya.com/games/confusing-lands)

## Rules questions

### Do my played cards have to cover corners of my existing cards?

Yes — each played card must cover one or several visible corners of cards already in your play area and cannot cover more than one corner of the same card; only cards already in the play area may provide those corners. (p.4)

### Do I have to have the resources visible before I place a Gold card, or can I place it first and then reveal resources?

You must have the indicated resources visible in your play area before placing a Gold card, though those resources may be covered after you place the Gold card. (p.4)

### When do I score points from a card I just played — immediately or at the end?

If the card you place allows you to score points, you add those points immediately to the Score track; Objective card points are counted and added at the end of the game. (p.4, p.5)

### After I play a card, can I take one of the four faceup cards in the center or do I have to draw from a deck?

After placing a card you choose either one of the four faceup cards in the center (which is then replaced) or the top card from one of the two decks. (p.5)

### What exactly triggers the end of the game, and do players get a final turn when it happens?

The end is triggered when a player reaches 20 points (or more) or when both decks are empty; players finish the round and then each have one final turn before the game ends. (p.3, p.5)

### Can the same card be counted multiple times when scoring identical-pattern or object objectives?

No — each Resource or Gold card may be counted only once when tallying objective points, and objective patterns must respect the required direction and colors. (p.7, p.6)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codex-naturalis)
- [Codex Naturalis in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/codex-naturalis)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/314503)

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