How Long Does It Take to Make a Board Game?

How long does it take to make a board game? Production itself takes about 30 days for a simple card game, 35 for a medium-weight game, 45 for a heavy game and 90 for a heavy game with new plastic moulds. Those days count from approved files and the deposit. Before production come the artwork setup and the samples, and after it the safety tests and shipping, so plan the whole journey, not only the factory part. This guide gives the board game lead time of every stage and shows how to plan around the busy seasons.

Production Lead Times by Game Type

Mass production takes, from approved files:

• Simple card games: about 30 days.
• Medium-weight games: about 35 days.
• Heavy games: about 45 days.
• Heavy games with new plastic moulds, such as miniatures: about 90 days.

Between August and November, the busiest months before Christmas, add about 10 days.

Every Stage From Files to Delivery

The whole path has six stages, and the first three often take longer than production:

1. Artwork setup: 5 to 30 days, depending on how print-ready your files are. Building your files on our component templates saves 5 to 10 days.
2. Prototypes, if you need them for a campaign: 5 to 20 days. See board game prototype printing.
3. Pre-production sample: about 7 days for a card game, 20 for a medium game and 30 for a heavy game, plus 5 to 20 days to ship it to you for approval.
4. Mass production: 30 to 90 days, as above.
5. Safety certificates: about 14 days after production, if your game needs them.
6. Shipping: about 7 to 15 days by air, and about 30 to 40 days by sea to the US West Coast. See our guide to board game shipping cost.

Why Custom Parts Take Longer

Standard parts are fast because the moulds, materials and checks already exist. Custom parts add steps before production can start:

• Plastic pieces and miniatures need a mould first. A mould cut by a CNC machine from your 3D file takes about 40 days. A cast mould, often used for detailed miniatures, takes about 60 days. Moulds are explained in board game miniatures.
• Uncommon sourced parts, such as EVA foam, PU or glass, can add time while the supplier's quality is checked.
• Every new part type adds its own production line and checks, so a game with 25 different small parts takes longer than one with five.

Plan Around Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year factory shutdown is the biggest pause in the factory year. Factories close for about 30 days, usually from the end of January to the end of February, and shipping slows down too. The weeks before the break are the busiest of the year, because every company wants to finish first.

Because samples and production together take about two months or more, start your pre-production sample or prototypes before mid-November if you want your games finished before the break. If you miss that window, production simply continues after the break, but your campaign dates should allow for it. The quietest and best time to manufacture is March to June.

Faster or Cheaper Options

• Skip the sample approval to save about 20 days. For simple card games only, we can make one internal sample, check it with our Production Manager and send you a video instead of the sample. It is faster but riskier, because you do not hold a sample before production.
• Choose the slower, cheaper route. If you are not in a hurry, we can make your game at our own pace in about 60 days (about 70 between August and November) for a lower overhead in your price.
• Rush orders are possible for an extra charge on the artwork setup.

How to Keep Your Timeline Short

Most delays happen before production starts, not on the production line. Four habits keep a project on time:

1. Send print-ready files. Follow our print-ready artwork guide; the common file problems are in board game mistakes.
2. Use standard parts. Reuse one card size, one token thickness and standard meeples, dice and cubes.
3. Answer quickly. Approvals of files and samples are where most days are lost.
4. Collect your changes into one round. Each round of changes resets part of the timeline.

The Bottom Line on How Long It Takes to Make a Board Game

Production takes 30 to 90 days depending on the game, and the whole journey from files to your warehouse usually takes several months once samples, safety tests and shipping are added. Plan backwards from your delivery date, start samples before mid-November if you want to beat Chinese New Year, and keep your parts standard. For a timeline for your own game, contact us.