Loop 40 puts an awkward choice inside a small card-game box: you want to empty your hand, but winning a round brings more cards back into it. Oink Games is preparing an October launch for the game, with Japanese advance sales on October 17–18 and a European appearance at SPIEL Essen on October 22–25. Its newly published Game Market details give that autumn announcement a practical buying calendar.
The pitch is specific enough to investigate before the convention rush. Loop 40 is a physical game for three to five players, with an advertised 20-minute play time and 8+ age guidance. Designer 6jizo supplies the rules; Jun Sasaki supplies the artwork. This is reported launch coverage, not a GameGuideDog playtest or review.
Winning can make your next turn harder
Oink describes cards numbered 1 to 40, with the sequence looping around. The first number played determines the strength for that round. Players try to shed their hands, but the round winner collects the remaining cards in the play area, except the last card played.
That gives taking control a cost. A strong play can leave you holding more cards, while passing can let someone else collect them. The publisher says connected numbers can become a sequence played together later, so collecting cards may also prepare a more efficient turn. That tradeoff is the useful hook: examine what the extra cards let you do, rather than treating every round win as progress toward an empty hand.
The press kit shows a compact set of colorful cards and penalty chips. Oink lists 40 cards, 66 chips and one board in the box. Those photographs establish what the announced components look like; they cannot tell us whether the decision-making stays interesting after repeated plays.
The launch dates depend on where you are
In Japan, Oink’s October 9 event update announces demos and advance sales at Game Market Autumn, October 17–18. It lists Loop 40 at ¥2,500 for the event, against a ¥2,970 regular price. Those are Japanese prices, not a conversion into a European or American checkout total.
The publisher’s release announcement says general sales begin October 23. It separately lists the European convention appearance at Essen, October 22–25, and the North American appearance at PAX Unplugged, December 4–6. The Toy Book’s independent launch report corroborates that staggered event plan. Do not read October 23 as a verified worldwide street date: the announcement does not settle local stock or delivery timing for every market.
Check the edition and delivered price
The current product page displays $23 and a €20 reference price. Neither establishes the final cost shipped to your address. Oink warns that European stock is restricted to European delivery and that mixing stock locations in one cart can create two shipping charges.
The page lists Japanese, English and German; it does not confirm a Polish edition. Check the specific language and stock region before ordering.
Our board-games coverage, ARCTICA edition comparison and Gothic pledge guide cover other ways to separate an appealing mechanism from the actual purchase. For Loop 40, the next useful checkpoint is the regional demo or stock listing. The hand-shedding dilemma earns a closer look; it has not earned a quality verdict yet.
