Play a new version of hit board game Pandemic for free right now

Pandemic is one of the best points of entry into modern board gaming, and you can play the latest version completely free. A new print-and-play version of Pandemic: Hot Zone — North America is available to download right now. The announcement was made Tuesday, by series creator Matt Leacock.

The original Pandemic game was published in the United State in 2008 by Z-Man Games. It’s a card-driven, cooperative strategy game that tasks players with stamping out four highly infectious diseases as they flare up all over the world. The Hot Zone series narrows the scope of play, focusing on smaller regions of the world and a limited number of diseases. Gameplay is also much faster, while keeping the same spirit of the original.

The print-and-play version is the complete game, and only requires 17 sheets of paper and some bits you can probably steal from other board games or the junk drawer in your kitchen. You can watch a full walk through of this version of the game, commissioned by Z-Man from the Watch It Played YouTube channel, below.

Pandemic: Hot Zone — North America is expected to start shipping in September. Pre-orders are open now on Amazon and at the Z-Man online store. You can also place a pre-order through your friendly local game store.

Pandemic: Hot Zone — North America

• $25

Prices taken at time of publishing.

• $25 at Amazon

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