Power Grid: Recharged Endgame: Trigger, Powered Cities & Tiebreaks
Power Grid: Recharged separates the end trigger from the winning condition. Reaching the required network size can end the game, but the winner is determined by how many cities each player can actually supply with power.
The trigger is based on connected cities
The rulebook provides a game-end network threshold based on player count. When a player reaches that threshold during the building phase, finish the round according to the endgame rules rather than declaring that player the winner immediately.
The final comparison uses cities you can power
In the final bureaucracy, each player runs their available power plants and spends the required resources. The primary winner is the player who can power the greatest number of cities in their network.
This means a player can deliberately connect more cities than their plants can supply to trigger the finish, yet still lose to a rival with a smaller but fully powered network.
Cash breaks a tie
If players power the same highest number of cities, compare remaining money as the first tiebreak. If a further tie remains, use the additional network-size tiebreak specified by the rules.
Step changes are not the same as the game end
Power Grid advances through Steps that change city occupancy and market behavior. Entering a later Step can accelerate expansion, but a Step transition by itself is not necessarily the end of the game. Keep the player-count end threshold separate from the Step rules.
Final-turn checklist
- How many cities can you afford to connect?
- How many can your current plants actually power?
- Do you have enough fuel for those plants?
- Can an opponent trigger the game before your next build?
- If powered-city totals tie, how much cash will remain?
Continue learning
Source: Rio Grande Games: Power Grid Recharged. Checked September 20, 2026.