The Danish city of Copenhagen is traversed by canals and harbors, and part of it — "Nyhavn" (New Harbor) — is famous for the colorful gabled houses along the water.

In Copenhagen, players design new façades for these houses so that they fit seamlessly into this beautiful harbor setting. On a turn, a player may choose to take two adjacent cards from the display (they may never hold more than 7 cards), or use cards to buy facade tiles in various shapes and colors. Any tile may be purchased, but you get a discount if you place a tile touching another one of the same color. Building over certain spaces or completing designated rows grants the players new abilities to make their job easier. Finishing a row or column will award the player points (doubled if it is all windows), and the game is a race to 12 points.

Copenhagen comes in several versions. The current in print versions are a Base Game with cardboard tiles, and a Deluxe edition (2022 printing) with: an alternative cover, laser cut acrylic tiles with transparent windows, and the "Nyhavn" and "New Facades" Queenies (expansion modules). These queenies were previously released separately and may be purchased in cardboard as the Copenhagen Queenie Box.

Editions No Longer Available:
The original Kickstarter included a Deluxe edition (same cover as base game with a "Deluxe edition" stamp) with acrylic tiles but no Queenies, and a Collectors Edition that came with the base game and a Queenie set.