Will you find a Golden Ticket? Chase the chocolately glory in The Golden Ticket Game from Buffalo Games. | Source: Buffalo Games

🎶 I’ve got a golden ticket! I’ve got a golden ticket in my eye! 🎶

If you’re looking for a fun and unique way to spend your next family game night, travel to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in The Golden Ticket Game from Buffalo Games.

Based on the (far superior — sorry, Johnny Depp fans) 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Golden Ticket takes players through the exciting journey of searching for Golden Tickets to gain access to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Although, the game does not take you into the factory’s gates (maybe a sequel game is in the works 👀), players will be excited as they travel the board collecting coins, picking up Wonka bars, and hoping to be a winner.

Source: Buffalo Games

Players start out by setting up the board. It consists of 9 cards with different locations, each numbered 1-9. They place the Willy Wonka pawn on the Chocolate Factory location to start, and keep the purple Wonka dice nearby. Then they’ll add Golden Tickets to a few of the Wonka bars. The amount of Golden Tickets and overall amount of Wonka bars used throughout the game depends on how many players there are (a helpful guide is included).

Then, they choose which of the five kids they’ll play as for that game — Charlie Bucket, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee, and Augustus Gloop. Each player has unique special abilities and a starting “allowance” of coins. Players divvy out those coins and then place their pawns on the board and deal out the card hands.

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On each turn players can either move their pawn to a different location and collect the action on the location’s card, do an action on their cards, or refill their hand. The goal is to move around the board and be able to collect Wonka bars. If players come face-to-face with Willy Wonka, they get to take an extra Wonka bar for free, then roll his purple die to move him to a different location. The number on the die matches the number of the location he’ll move to! He’s giving off those real trickster vibes, as always.

Once all of the Wonka bars are collected by players, the game ends immediately, and players begin to unwrap their bars (slide them out) and see if they are one of the lucky kids that gain access to the Chocolate Factory. If they find a golden ticket, they are a winner!

Collect Wonka bars to find one with the lucky Golden Ticket in The Golden Ticket Game from Buffalo Games. | Source: Buffalo Games

This game is perfect for families because of the nostalgia factor, but also because the gameplay is relatively simple once you get started the first time. Because of the way the game is set up, you can play over and over again, and rarely have the same outcome — just like the movie itself, this game has great replayability. Add it to your next game night, and maybe make a whole Willy Wonka-themed night, with a movie screening and some themed snacks.

While we can’t promise that this game ends in you receiving a deed to an entire chocolate empire, we can guarantee that it’s full of nostalgic fun for the whole family.

About the author

Ali Mierzejewski

Ali Mierzejewski

Ali Mierzejewski is the editor-in-chief at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider. With more than a decade of industry experience, Ali is a trusted source for parents, gift-givers, manufacturers, retailers, and more on the latest trends and hottest products. Whether you’re shopping for the best toys for kids — or looking for the latest in geek culture and entertainment for yourself — Ali’s expertise has you covered. When she’s not building LEGO sets or unwinding with a puzzle, Ali is obsessing over the latest season of The Bachelor, scrolling through Gritty’s Twitter, or rewatching The West Wing (for the 100th time). She is also a self-proclaimed expert on the history and lore of the entire Bachelor franchise. Ali has been featured on TODAY, The Wendy Williams Show, Yahoo Finance, Fox & Friends, HLN, The Weather Channel, ABC World News Now, and more. You can follow her on Instagram @hashtagtrendy.

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