Spice Routes

Sail between historic ports, reading the dispatches to buy cheap and sell dear before the next shock lands.

How to play

You start with a hold and a purse. Buy goods where they are cheap, sail to ports where they sell high, and watch the news for famines, gluts and other price shocks. Perishable cargo can spoil in transit, so time your trades. The voyage is scored on the profit you bank by the final day.

• Buy goods at the current port using the +1, +10 and max buttons
• Set sail to another port — each voyage costs a day
• Read the news to anticipate which prices are about to move
• Sell before perishables spoil and finish with the highest net worth

Controls

• Desktop: click the buy/sell buttons and port buttons; click Wait a Day to hold position
• Phone & tablet: tap the same trade and travel buttons

Tips & strategy

• A dispatch about a coming famine is a signal to stockpile that good before the price spikes
• Don't overload on perishables you can't sell within a day or two
• Calm, Normal and Stormy change how violent the price swings get

What you'll learn

Spice Routes is a buy-low-sell-high trading game on historic maritime routes, teaching trade and the forces of supply and demand.

• Skills: economic history, maritime trade routes, supply and demand, trade
• Best for: roughly grades 6–11 (ages 11–16)
• For parents & teachers: supply and demand on historic trade routes.

About Spice Routes

Spice Routes is an original buy-low-sell-high trading game set on historic maritime routes. It is free to play in your browser with daily and practice voyages.

A free, original browser game on PlayPendium — no download, no install. Browse all games →