Barcelona

To set up, place the main game board, which includes the central Barcelona map, the Cerdà track, and the main victory point track. Place the square building bonus tiles around the Barcelona map and the rectangular action tiles on their designated spaces. Prepare the Modernisme tiles by removing those corresponding to the Cerdà scoring tiles and creating a draw deck and market. Stack the Public Service tiles randomly, ensuring the cost 3/10 points tile is on top, followed by the 2/6 points tile, and the 1/3 points tile at the bottom. For 2-player games, remove the cheapest Public Service tile. Place the Building tiles (corners, level 1, 2, and 3) in separate stacks. Arrange the Sagrada Familia tiles by level. Each player takes a player board, all their colored pieces (discs, tram, and passenger cubes), and draws two Citizen tiles from the bag, keeping them secret.

The primary objective in Barcelona is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. Players achieve this by strategically developing the Eixample district. This involves attracting citizens to the city, constructing various elements like cobblestone footpaths, streets, and intersections, and building residential and public service buildings. Players also earn points by advancing on the Cerdà track, which represents impressing the chief urban planner, and by completing personal Modernisme objectives. The player who best balances these aspects of urban development and scores the highest total of victory points will be declared the winner.

A turn consists of four mandatory steps. First, you must place your two Citizen tiles on an empty intersection space on the main board, paying any visible coin cost. The chosen intersection determines which 2 or 3 adjacent action spaces become available for you to optionally take in any order. Second, if you are able to construct a building (by having the required Citizen tiles on adjacent intersections), you must do so. Third, if placing citizens or constructing a building causes any of the three Citizen tracks to fill up or exceed its current section, Cerdà's scoring is triggered for all players. Finally, draw two new Citizen tiles from the bag to replenish your hand, keeping them secret from other players.

Victory points are scored both during the game and at its conclusion. During the game, points are gained by taking certain actions, such as gaining cloth and victory points directly, or by building streets, which award points based on the length of the connected street tiles. Cerdà's scoring occurs three times during the game when a Citizen track section is filled, awarding points based on players' positions on the Cerdà track and the current Cerdà scoring tile. At the end of the game, additional points are awarded for Modernisme tiles based on their objectives and any upgraded multipliers, for positions on the passenger track, and for cleared cobblestone spaces on your player board.

The game concludes immediately when the third Cerdà scoring objective is triggered. After this, all players complete the current round so that everyone has had an equal number of turns. Following the completion of the final round, players proceed to final scoring. During final scoring, players tally all their accumulated victory points from various sources, including Modernisme tiles, passenger tracks, and cleared cobblestone spaces. The player with the highest total victory points wins. In case of a tie, the player highest on the Cerdà track wins. If still tied, the player who placed the most building markers on the board wins. If a tie persists, victory is shared.