Bomb Busters is one of the best cooperative games in recent years

Bomb Busters from Pegasus Spiele is a fast-paced cooperative deduction game where players work together as a bomb squad, racing against time to cut the right wires and defuse explosives before disaster strikes. It’s a clever and highly replayable game, with an ever-expanding campaign structure that adds new rules steadily, encourages teamwork and demands smart communication within the boundaries of the ruleset.

At its core, Bomb Busters challenges 2–5 players to deduce the hidden values of wires and decide which ones to cut. Each player has a set of wire tiles that only they can see, while teammates must deduce what those wires represent through limited communication and logical deduction. 

Defusing the bomb is a shared puzzle, and success depends on piecing together partial information across the group. For example, during setup you’ll usually place a single number token in front of your stand of wire cards — this tells everyone what number wire sits behind it, but critically, it also “infers” what other wire values you might have. For example, with wires numbered one to fifteen, if you place a number three token towards the right quarter of your stand, it suggests that you have a lot of low numbered wires.

Bomb Busters thrives on the tension that the limited information and need for educated guesses creates. Cleverly, Bomb Busters doesn’t use a physical timer, but it creates the sense of time running out by using a tickdown wheel that reduces with each wrong guess. Worse still, if you happen to guess the live wire without cutting every other wire, you’ll trigger the bomb and lose immediately. I love how Bomb Busters feels because whilst you know the clock is ticking (metaphorically speaking), you can’t simply blurt out what you see — you have to guide your team with careful hints and trust them to interpret correctly.

The design is by Hisashi Hayashi, known for elegant systems such as that in Come Sail Away!, and here he delivers a cooperative experience that feels both accessible and challenging. The rules are initially straightforward — players draw wires, share clues, and cut — but the deduction grows trickier as bombs become more complex. 

With 60 plus missions included (and many of them introducing new rules or even components), the game steadily escalates in difficulty, introducing new twists and constraints that keep the experience fresh. Each mission feels like a unique puzzle, and the campaign-style progression adds a sense of accomplishment as your team learns new tricks and even gains access to new tools.

Playtime is a brisk 15–30 minutes per mission, making it easy to fit multiple plays into a session. The sweet spot is probably 4 players, where communication is lively and the deduction puzzle feels balanced. At 2 players, the game becomes more intimate and cerebral, while at 5 it leans into chaotic fun — but all counts remain viable. I spent most of my playtime with my eldest two daughters, and at 3 players we generally had a great time.

Production quality is solid. The wire tiles are chunky and tactile, the dashboard is cleverly designed to give the players absolute clarity on which wires have been cut along with a “rough” idea of where the live wire(s) might be, and the iconography is clear enough to keep the pace moving. The artwork is functional rather than flashy, but it suits the theme of tense bomb disposal, whilst simultaneously adding cute bunnies into the mix. The missions are well presented, with a gradual learning curve that makes the game approachable for newcomers while still offering depth for experienced groups.

Replayability is one of Bomb Busters’ strongest features. Because deduction depends on human communication and interpretation, no two plays feel alike. Even revisiting earlier missions can produce different dynamics depending on who’s at the table. The limited communication rules ensure that the game never devolves into simple puzzle-solving — it’s always about how well your team can coordinate under pressure.

Bomb Busters is a standout cooperative deduction game that combines quick playtime, escalating tension, and clever design. Its mission-based structure ensures longevity, and its reliance on teamwork makes it a perfect fit for groups who enjoy communication-driven challenges. Pegasus Spiele has delivered a package that feels both accessible and rewarding, and it’s one of those rare games where the laughter and panic at the table are just as memorable as the victory itself.

Bomb Busters is available now from Zatu Games