Monopoly Empire Rules, Strategies and Ultimate Guide (2022)
Monopoly Empire is one of Hasbro’s popular editions of the original board game, Monopoly.
In this edition, the aim of the game is to finish by owning a full tower of brands which you pick up as you move around the gameboard.
Just in case you have lost the box and the Monopoly Empire Rules – I am going to go through them all for you below!
What is Monopoly Empire?
Monopoly Empire is about buying brands instead of street properties. Each brand is worth an amount of money, which you collect each time you pass Go. The winner is the person who fills their entire tower with brands first!
What are the Monopoly Empire Tokens?
In the Gold version of Monopoly Empire the tokens are:
- Gold ‘Wilson‘ Tennis Racket
- Gold ‘Xbox‘ Controller
- Gold ‘Caterpillar‘ digger
- Gold ‘Puma‘ sneaker
- Gold ‘Transformer‘ robot head
- Gold ‘Ford‘ car
Although six tokens are included only four players can play the game at once because each player needs one of the four Towers for their billboards – so only four tokens are needed at any one time.
Monopoly Empire Rules
How many people can play Monopoly Empire?
Monopoly Empire only allows a maximum of four players to play at the same time.
This is because of the special game parts included (the four towers) – which each player needs.
How long does it take to play Monopoly Empire?
You can complete a game of Monopoly Empire in around 30 minutes.
Monopoly Empire is a much quicker game to play than Classic Monopoly. This is partly because there are only a maximum of four players that can play at once, but also the game dynamics are different because the winner just needs to stack their tower to the top to win.
How many pieces are in Monopoly Empire?
Hopefully, you haven’t lost any pieces in your new set (or bought a used set with some missing!) – below is the list of pieces you will need to successfully play a game of Monopoly Empire:
- 1 x Monopoly Empire Gameboard
- 4 x Towers
- 6 x Brand Tokens (Metal)
- 30 x Billboard Tiles
- 6 x Office Tiles
- 14 x Chance Cards
- 14 x Empire Cards (including 2 Super Empire Cards)
- 1 x Monopoly Empire Money Pack
- 2 x Monopoly Empire Dice (1 x Normal, 1 x Special)
- 1 x Monopoly Empire Instructions Guide
That is all you need to play the game – let’s learn how to set it up!
How to set up Monopoly Empire
Simply layout the board as shown in the photo below and make sure the Towers are correctly attached to each quarter of the board ready to play.
Layout each of the 22 billboard tiles on the brand spaces they match around the board and put the 4 Electric and 4 Water Works billboards on their matching spaces too!
The remaining 6 Office Tiles and two dice sit next to the board.
You will also need to split up the Chance and Empire cards (give them a good shuffle first!) and lay each stack face down on the gameboard in the corresponding holding marker they belong to.
What does each player in Monopoly Empire start with?
Each player starts with:
- 1 x Monopoly Empire Tower (already fixed to the board)
- 1 x Token (they can choose between any of the six that come with the game)
- 2 x Empire Cards (hand them over secretly though!)
- A set amount of money equally distributed to each player
How much money does each player start with in Monopoly Empire?
Each player starts with M1000k of Monopoly Empire Money, this is made up of:
- 1 x M500k Note
- 4 x M100k Notes
- 2 x M50k Notes
In Monopoly Empire, what does the K stand for by the Monopoly Dollar amount)
The K symbol stands for 1,000 as each brand is worth a lot of money! The M1000k you have at the start of the game is actually 1000 x M1000 = 1,000,000M (or 1 Million M).
How to play Monopoly Empire?
Finally, choose someone to be the Banker. They have specific tasks to follow throughout the game, which include:
- Being in charge of The Bank’s money
- Auctions
- Paying players when they pass GO
- Collecting any fines and taxes
After that, you need to decide who goes first. A common method is the youngest player goes first. If two people are the same age, you could go by birth month or flip a coin!
On your turn, roll both the dice (and make sure it is somewhere visible for everyone to see what you got!)
Once you’ve thrown your dice you must move clockwise around the board the corresponding number of spaces and follow any instructions (such as passing GO) or when you land on a space.
If you rolled a double, then well done! You can move and then roll again! Just don’t roll three doubles in a row – that is instant Go To Jail.
After your roll and moves, it is the next player’s turn.
Passing Go in Monopoly Empire
When you pass Go you collect the tower value of all your billboards. If your tower is still empty, then collect M50k each time.
How do I get out of Jail in Monopoly Empire?
There are three options to get out of jail.
- Pay M100k at the start of your next turn, then roll and move on.
- Use a Get Out of Jail Free card (if you have one!), put the card back at the bottom of the pile and then roll the dice to move.
- Be super lucky and roll a double! If you do, you are out for free and use the dice total to move! You only have 3 turns to roll a double, otherwise you have to pay M50k and move the spaces from your last roll
Also read: 5 Monopoly Jail Rules That You Must Know
Monopoly Empire Brand Space Rules
If you land on a brand space and it is empty you have the option of buying the billboard for it and putting it into your tower. If you decide to buy it, pay the price on the space and slot the billboard into your tower. The money goes to the Bank.
If you don’t want it, then ask the Banker to run an auction for it and the bidding will start at M50k. The highest bidder wins the billboard and slots it into their tower. Anyone can bid during the auction, even if they are in jail!
If you land on the brand space and it has already been bought then you must pay the value of the owner’s full tower. So if you land on a brand and that brand is in a tower worth M400k, then you must pay that player M400k.
Monopoly Empire Office Billboard Rules
You can get a Bonus Office if you collect a color set of all the companies, i.e. Dark Red. When you complete the color set, you pick up the bonus office tile and slide it into your tower. You can also buy one office tile during any of your turns for M500k. This money is paid to the Bank.
Monopoly Empire Utility Rules
The Utilities in Monopoly Empire mirror the same ones as in Classic Monopoly. If you land on one of these spaces then:
- You can either buy the utility billboard and pay the Bank M150k, or, the billboard can go up for auction just like a brand billboard we mentioned earlier
- You don’t need need to pay rent to players who own Utilities
- If there happens to be no Utiilty billboards left, then you do nothing
Monopoly Empire Tower Tax Rules
If you land on one of the two Tower Tax spaces on the gameboard, then there are separate rules to follow.
- Rival Tower Tax: If you land on this then you need to return another player’s topmost billboard to the board (you can pick which player you want!)
- Tower Tax: Unfortunately, if you land on this space you must return your topmost billboard to the gameboard
What does the topmost billboard mean?
It means the last billboard that was added to your tower.
Monopoly Empire Free Parking Rules
If you land on the Free Parking space on the gameboard then you have a couple of options available to you.
- Either take a trip (by paying the Bank M100k) and you can move to any space (except of course, the one you are in now) – if you do this and you pass Go, you collect the current value of your tower.
- Do nothing – just wait until your next turn
Monopoly Empire Cards
There are two types of cards with Monopoly Empire. You pick up a card depending on which space you fall on.
There are four Chance card spaces and two Empire card spaces on the gameboard.
Empire Cards (including two Super Empire cards)
When you land on one of the Empire spaces on the gameboard, you simply pick up the top Empire card and do what it says. There are fourteen Empire cards (of which two are Super Empire) and when you have followed the instructions on the card, place it at the bottom of the pile.
Example Empire cards include:
- Tallest tower bonus! Check what the highest tower is currently worth. Collect that amount from the bank
- Private jet trip! Move forward up to 5 spaces.
- Just say no! Play at any time to stop another player’s action against you.
- SUPER EMPIRE CARD: You’re Fired – Choose a color set – all players return matching brands to board
- SUPER EMPIRE CARD: Hands Off – Protect your best brands! Re-order the billboards in your tower
- Deal buster! When another player is about to buy a brand, play this card and buy it yourself.
Can you play two Empire cards?
The rules don’t say you can’t. So why not! Go for it!
Do Empire cards count as your turn?
No, you can play them on your turn, before or after it.
What does the Just Say No card mean in Monopoly Empire?
It means just that – you can say ‘No’ to any player who is taking action against you. If they are taking action against another player (or themselves) then you can’t use it. It can only be used if action is being taken against you by someone else.
Chance Cards
When you land on one of the Chance spaces on the gameboard, you simply pick up the top Chance card and do what it says. If it is a Get Out of Jail Free card you can keep it, otherwise you need to return the card to the bottom of the pile.
Example Chance cards include:
- Insider trading fine! Pay the Bank M200k
- Launch your website! Sales skyrocket! Collect M300k from the Bank!
- It’s your empire’s first birthday! All player pay you M50k
- Casino night! Pick an opponent. Both roll. Highest roller collects M200k from the Bank.
- Get Out of Jail Free! (you get to keep this card until you need it)
- Successful advertising campaign! Collect M100k from the Bank.
What happens if I run out of money in Monopoly Empire?
Running out of money during a board game can be as distressing as running out of money in real life (depending on who you are playing against!) – don’t worry though, it isn’t the end of the game for you in the edition of Monopoly.
You have three options available to you:
- If you are unable to pay the Bank, keep any remaining cash you have and return your topmost billboard tile to the board.
- If you end up owing another player and don’t have enough money, then it might be a bit awkward. However, the rules state you keep whatever cash you have left and instead hand over your topmost billboard to the player instead.
- If you don’t have any billboards to return to the board or hand to a player, then you just do nothing. Sit awkwardly until your turn comes around again and hopefully limp across Go to collect some much needed funds!
There is no mortgage option in Monopoly Empire.
How do you win Monopoly Empire?
Simple! Just fill your tower first to win! As you play the game you buy billboards to fill your tower up and the more you buy, the more cash you collect – which lets you buy even more billboards!
When you land on a brand space you have the option to buy that brand and then slide the corresponding brand tile into your tower. You now own that brand!
As you pass GO! you then collect the tower value of all your billboards that are stacked in it. Your current tower value is located at the top of the billboards with an easy to read figure.
- Try protect your tower. Either by adding a smaller billboard quickly after a large one (i.e an office tile) or by using the Empire card to shuffle your tiles around
- Try keep at least M250-M500K cash on hand incase you need to pay another player or a fine – losing your billboard tiles should be seen as a last resort
- Browns, Greens, Pinks and Reds are the cheapest colors to pick up – go for these first if possible
What brands come with Monopoly Empire?
This depends on the edition you have picked up – there are actually multiple editions of Monopoly Empire.
The Gold (SKU: B5095) Edition is split into eight different color groups:
What are the other Monopoly Empire editions?
There are three main versions of Monopoly Empire. The first and third editions, both labelled Gold actually have some different brands and tokens associated with them. The Silver edition also has different brands and tokens compared to the Gold edition.
- Monopoly Empire (Gold Token Edition) – Released 2013 (SKU: A4770)
- Monopoly Empire (Silver Token Edition) – Released 2014 (SKU: A4770)
- Monopoly Empire (Gold Token Edition) – Released 2015 (SKU: B5095)
All editions have been discontinued since 2020 and there is no sign of a newer edition being released currently.
Monopoly Empire Gold vs Silver
The only difference between these editions is the brands and tokens.
Monopoly Empire Card Game
Briefly, there was a special Monopoly Empire Card Game edition. This also included a unique one-off Cruise Ship token inside (for the cruise line brand, Carnival)
Why is Monopoly Empire so expensive?
All editions of Monopoly Empire are expensive as they have been discontinued. Unfortunately, when an edition of Monopoly becomes discontinued it means the price goes up as it becomes a collector’s-only item.
You can look around for unsold copies on Amazon, eBay and other places. But do shop around as pricing can vary quite considerably. If you want to get it at its cheapest, then look for a used copy, but be aware you may have a piece or two missing!
Final Thoughts
I hope you have found this guide on Monopoly Empire useful. It is one of my favorite editions of Monopoly because the gameplay is different and the cool brands and tokens make for a fun and quick game with family or friends who don’t fancy Classic Monopoly!
