Santorini New York puts players in the work boots of builders constructing a grand city at the beginning of the 20th century. During the game, you will move your workers around Manhattan, constructing buildings and skyscrapers. To prove your skill, climb atop the tallest building and take a look down over the city you have built. Only clever tactical moves and cards will give you victory.

In this 2-5 player abstract strategy game, players will control 2 workers while all building New York City. Each turn is made up of a move and a build, but special Role Cards impact how you play your turn. Each player have 5 Role Cards, choosing one to play at the beginning of each turn. Once used, it is discarded, which continues until every player only has 1 Role Card left. 4 more are dealt to each player to give more options.

The first player to move to the third level wins the game, however they must have the Statue of Liberty when they do in order to win the game. Each Role Card has a number printed on it, displaying it's initiative order. Role cards are simultaneously revealed every round, and the player with the lowest number goes first. The player with the highest number gets the Statue of Liberty, and is the only player who can win on that turn, creating an intense and dynamic 'all vs 1' environment every turn.

The game includes 14 Role Card sets, but only 4 are used each game, providing a large amount of replayability. The game also includes 6 custom sculpts of the world-record breaking skyscrapers at the turn of the century.