Menu

A mystery box filled with miniatures to enhance your RPG campaigns. All official miniatures and for a bargain price!

Buy Miniatures Box »

Not sure what game to buy next? Buy a premium mystery box for two to four great games to add to your collection!

Buy Premium Box »
Subscribe Now »

If you’re only interested in receiving the newest games this is the box for you; guaranteeing only the latest games!

Buy New Releases Box »
Subscribe Now »

Looking for the best bang for your buck? Purchase a mega box to receive at least 4 great games. You won’t find value like this anywhere else!

Buy Mega Box »
Subscribe Now »

Buy 3, get 3% off - use code ZATU3·Buy 5, get 5% off - use code ZATU5

Buy The Game

Awards

Rating

  • Artwork
  • Complexity
  • Replayability
  • Player Interaction
  • Component Quality

You Might Like

  • Easy to teach
  • Cute art
  • Quick to play
  • Great for all ages
  • Language independent

Might Not Like

  •  Losing to the alibi rule can feel brutal
  • Can cause chaos
Find out more about our blog & how to become a member of the blogging team by clicking here

Art Robbery Board Game Review: Greedy Thieves and Tight Alibis

I love art. Fun fact: I started college thinking I’d become an art director. Instead, I pivoted to engineering, but my passion for wandering through museums has stayed strong. Have I ever considered robbing one? No. But after watching Money Heist and buying a bunch of painting-inspired socks, I’ve started wondering how these thieves pull it off. So why not play pretend after the heist?

In Art Robbery your crew has successfully pulled off a museum job. Now, the hardest part: dividing the loot. Do you have the alibis to avoid jail time? This card game is designed by Reiner Knizia (we’re big fans of him in my house) and published by Helvetiq. Though it doesn’t come in the traditional small Helvetiq box—it does come in a compact, portable one.

The Heist

You and your crew just pulled off a daring museum heist. The tricky part? Splitting the loot without getting caught. Art Robbery plays over four rounds—each centered around a different type of stolen art (sketches, sculptures, antiquities, and paintings)—you’ll snatch up tiles, swipe from your rivals, and do whatever it takes to keep enough alibis to stay out of jail!

Setup

It’s quick and simple:

Sort the loot tiles by type (Sketches, Sculptures, Antiquities, Paintings)

Shuffle the deck and deal five cards per player

Place the guard dog in the centre

Get ready to divide the loot!

How It Plays

Each round, players use number cards to claim loot tiles—either from the middle or (when those run out) from another player’s stash. Special cards add chaos:

Guard Dog protects your loot

Greedy Thief lets you steal any tile

Boss Tiles are worth extra points, but only if you also hold a 4 or 5 value tile from the current round. If you don't, the boss tile does nothing!

The real kicker? At the end of the game, the player with the fewest alibis gets arrested—no matter how much loot they have!

How to Win

After four rounds, it’s time to see who gets away clean:

Alibis First – The player with the fewest alibis is eliminated. (Tied for last? You're all caught!)

In a 2-player game, the loser discards 10 points of loot

Count the Loot – The remaining players total their haul. Boss tiles are worth 5 extra points

Tiebreaker? – The player with the most alibis wins.

Art Robbery Key Features

Knizia nails the balance of strategy and chaos. Art Robbery takes a simple ruleset and turns it into a ruthless, fast-paced game of greed, backstabbing, and last-minute survival. The alibi system keeps things tense—you can’t just hoard high-value pieces and expect to win. Additionally, the game plays well at every count though I prefer it at four or five as this makes the outcome less predictable

The Bottom Line

Art Robbery is fast, cutthroat, and wildly entertaining. Whether you’re plotting the perfect steal or scrambling to stay out of jail, every round delivers tension and laughs. If you love clever, interactive games with a bit of bluffing, this one’s a steal—pun artsolutely intended!

Zatu Score

Rating

  • Artwork
  • Complexity
  • Replayability
  • Player Interaction
  • Component Quality

You might like

  • Easy to teach
  • Cute art
  • Quick to play
  • Great for all ages
  • Language independent

Might not like

  • Losing to the alibi rule can feel brutal
  • Can cause chaos

Zatu Blog

Find out more about our blog & how to become a member of the blogging team by clicking here

Join us today to receive exclusive discounts, get your hands on all the new releases and much more!