Last modified December 31, 2025 by Jarjar
Overview
Limit is a competitive strategy game in which you play as a nation facing global crises. You must manage politics, society, and alliances across seven generations, balancing economic growth and resilience. The game takes place between 1850 and 2060, covering the period from industrialization to the near future.
It draws inspiration from the famous report "The Limits to Growth," based on the World3 computer model. This model is a simulation tool that helps us understand how the planet would evolve if certain current trends continued. It does not produce exact predictions, but rather explores different possible scenarios.
PLANETARY BOUNDARIES
Referenced on the side of the game box, Johan Rockström (with the Stockholm Resilience Centre) proposed the concept of "planetary boundaries", which defines the thresholds not to be exceeded for the Earth to remain in stable conditions favorable to human life.
Here are these 9 planetary boundaries:
01 | Climate change – Greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet.
02 | Erosion of biodiversity (integrity of the biosphere) – Disappearance of species and weakening of ecosystems.
03 | Disruption of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles – Excessive use of fertilizers that pollute soils, rivers and oceans.
04 | Change of land uses – Deforestation, urbanization, intensive agriculture.
05 | Use of fresh water – Overexploitation of rivers, groundwater and lakes.
06 | Ocean acidification – Absorption of CO₂ by the oceans, which harms corals and marine organisms.
07 | Ozone layer depletion – Protection against UV rays (notable improvement thanks to international agreements).
08 | Atmospheric aerosol load – Air pollution affecting climate and health.
09 | Introduction of new entities – Chemical pollutants, plastics, pesticides, artificial substances.
Important observation: several of these limits have already been exceeded, including climate, biodiversity, nitrogen/phosphorus cycles and chemical pollutants.
Limit takes place over seven generations, but the game can end sooner if you and your opponents trigger four global crises (with a slight semi-cooperative element, since we don't all want to explode too quickly). It's a serious game whose theme of Earth's limits is central, offering freedom of choice where you can be capitalist, communist, pacifist, or warrior.
Some compare it to Hegemony, but more brutal.
We open the box here.
My first impressions
Alexandre Poyé deserves praise for faithfully translating, through game mechanics, the simultaneously exciting and frustrating experience of governing a nation. Managing the well-being of a population with limited resources is a complex undertaking, and the game brilliantly captures all this difficulty while remaining remarkably streamlined. The system is elegant: you process resources, gradually build your economic engine, forge relationships with other nations, and develop your civilization. But this rise comes at an invisible cost: in building your power, you inexorably destroy a significant portion of the world.
What particularly impressed me was the clarity of the system's presentation. Every action has meaning, every decision reveals your priorities and compromises. The game doesn't judge; it simply observes the consequences of your choices.
The cards feature lovely illustrations and there's plenty of components, although some markers are too small or difficult to identify on the board (especially the barrels). The rulebook is very well structured: we found the answer to each question quickly.
This game gives players a lot of freedom. While playing, you can judge whether your actions are good or bad. And sometimes, these judgments become more important than trying to get the highest score!
You can play it as many times as you like; each game will likely be unique. There are so many ways to play!
The game brilliantly tackles the complexities of geopolitics and the impact of limited resources on Earth. The mechanics are remarkably fluid, making for a very enjoyable experience. From beginning to end (of the world?), you'll make political, ecological, and strategic decisions that will shape your nation, its impact on the planet, and its impact on other players. The emotional impact is incredible. You can win a game with deep regret, or lose it with immense satisfaction from your management. I can't wait to share it with others!
It's a fascinating experience, but not for everyone. If you like games where you control everything, with multiple ways to succeed, you'll probably be disappointed. Here, you experience more of an experience, a rather brutal realization of what's happening to our poor planet!
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF DECEMBER 18
My son won easily by brilliantly exploiting police repression and his vegetarianism. I, on the other hand, went ahead by rapidly raising the standard of living for my social classes while industrializing extensively, but polluting far too much. Four disasters, two of them financial, caused by my son's excessive restraint in spending, brought the game to an end in 2010 (during the 6th round).
TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 2 (solo and two-player)
Best player configuration: 3-5
Price paid: $98 CAN (French version)
Level: experienced player (BGG complexity: 3.36/5)
My best score: 3
MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> The realism of the game, wow!
>> It's really fun to see the impact of our good or bad political decisions
>> The freedom to do what you want, but with important and crucial timing
>> This twist of having the choice to play between one or two cards on our turn
I liked less :
>> The box design is ruined by the overly dominant yellow.
The boxes for storing the equipment are a good idea, but the bottoms of the boxes need to be glued down, otherwise the pieces will fall out.
>> Lots of small parts, be careful not to lose them
>> The barrels are barely visible on the market platform. 3D printing barrels would be a good solution, but we'd be exceeding limit #9 =)
Limit offers a memorable experience that lingers long after you've finished playing, remarkably blending a strong theme with rich and precise mechanics. It features original management with a satisfying progression and increasing player interaction. It's an experience unlike any other.
FUN FACTOR 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂