Post-Quantum Trails board game

On this World Quantum Day, OpenSSL Foundation and Cybernetica are pleased to announce a unique collaboration to produce a limited edition run of Post-Quantum Trails, a board game about the development of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms. 

Post-Quantum Trails is a race between the players and quantum computing – a revolutionary type of computing that’s currently in development and has the potential to break the trusted cryptographical algorithms that the world has relied on for more than forty years. While no one knows for sure when a sufficiently powerful quantum computer will come to exist, the security risk is critical enough that many governments have already set deadlines for converting to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). In the United States, for example, that deadline is 2030. 

In this 2-4 player competitive game, each player is the head of a company that is developing post-quantum cryptographic algorithms. On each turn, players work to expand their research and marketing teams and ensure that the post-quantum algorithms they’ve developed get published. The goal is to achieve worldwide adoption of a quantum-safe algorithm before quantum computers can break traditional cryptography. If no player beats the quantum computer, everyone loses! But if any player achieves worldwide usage of their algorithm before the rise of the quantum computer, that player receives a generous bonus and the player with the most points wins. 

Post-Quantum Trails was designed and developed by Jelizaveta Vakarjuk and Nikita Snetkov at Cybernetica, and an early prototype was presented at the 2025 OpenSSL Conference, where attendees learned about the game and had the opportunity to play. The game’s initial development was co-funded by the European Union and CHESS, the Cyber-security Excellence Hub in Estonia and South Moravia. 

OpenSSL Foundation and Cybernetica have a shared goal of raising awareness about PQC, and both of our organizations believe that a board game is a unique way to make the topic more accessible and memorable. Despite the global urgency of migrating to PQC, many developers, IT teams, and decision makers do not understand what PQC is or why it matters. Through Post-Quantum Trails, we hope to inspire, engage, and educate more people across the global cybersecurity community. 

Amy Parker, Deputy Executive Director at OpenSSL Foundation, first learned about the game through the paper “Post-quantum trails: an educational game about post-quantum cryptography,” published in the proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Historical Cryptology in May 2024. “I had just joined OpenSSL Foundation and was looking for novel ways to learn about some of the technical concepts that were relevant to my work when I discovered Jelizaveta and Nikita’s paper online,” Amy explains. “Even though I didn’t have the actual game in my hands, I learned a great deal from their paper and immediately saw the game’s educational potential.”

Board game developer Jelizaveta Vakarjuk explains, “This game bridges the gap between complex theoretical concepts and practical application, providing a hands-on approach to learning about the challenges and steps involved in the migration process. It plays a significant role in preparing individuals and organizations for the forthcoming cryptographic revolution, ensuring they are better equipped to face the challenges of the future.”

Over the last few months, the game has gone through additional playtesting and updates, with new graphic design by Rene Jürgenson and illustrations by Karel Kopp. The first printed copies of the updated game should arrive just in time for The Future of Cryptography Conference hosted by Cybernetica in Tallinn, Estonia in May 2026. 

This limited edition game will only be available at in-person events with members of the OpenSSL Foundation and Cybernetica teams. We regret that we are unable to fulfill requests to purchase copies of Post-Quantum Trails at this time. Follow OpenSSL Foundation and Cybernetica on LinkedIn to learn about in-person opportunities to play the game at conferences in 2026 and 2027 and perhaps even get your own copy.