Posted in: Board Games, Games, Hachette Boardgames, Tabletop | Tagged: Canal Houses, Gigamic, Zach Hoekstra

Build Your Waterfront Home In The Tabletop Game Canal Houses

Canal Houses is getting published in North America, as you work to make your own unique waterfront property the best you can

Published Sat, 28 Feb 2026 10:42:14 -0600

by Gavin Sheehan

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Article Summary

Canal Houses brings beautiful Amsterdam canal home building to North America, published by Hachette Boardgames.
Design your unique waterfront property by drafting cards and stacking bases, floors, and roofs for points.
Quick to teach and play, Canal Houses features simple rules, charming art, and satisfying replayability.
Score with features like tulips, cats, and bicycles; every game forms a new vibrant neighborhood skyline.

Hachette Boardgames announced this week that they will be the North American publisher of the new tabletop game Canal Houses. Designed by Zach Hoekstra and originally published by Gigamic, the game will have players working to build their own towering home along a canal, gainbing points based on the kind of floors they build onto the property. We have more details below as the game will arrive this April.

Canal Houses

Dream up a new life in Amsterdam with Canal Houses! Canal Houses is a relaxing environment building game where you draft cards in turn that allow you to build your houses from the floor up. Different cards have different scoring methods: keep an eye out for windows that give you elements to construct your dream life with tulips, cats, birds, bicycles, and more! Step into the charming streets of Amsterdam with Canal Houses, a light and elegant drafting game for 2 to 4 players. Assemble beautiful canal houses piece by piece using bases, floors, and roofs to create the perfect skyline.

Each round, players pick a card from their hand and build it simultaneously, then pass the remaining cards to the next player. Refresh your hand by drawing a new card type—base, floor, or roof, and keep crafting your architectural masterpiece. To complete a house, you'll need to build from the ground up: start with a base, stack any number of floors, and top it off with a roof. Simple to learn and quick to play, Canal Houses is the perfect mix of strategy and charm.

Ways to score printed on the cards making it easier for first-time and casual players.
Simple setup with easy-to-teach gameplay– great for travelers and cozy gamers!
Beautiful but simple art draws in the viewer and makes seeing a completed neighborhood feel satisfying!
Build and rebuild, play and replay, with a different neighborhood forming every game!

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