It is the mid-19th century. The Barcelona is the most densely populated city in all of Europe. Shortly after the old city walls were finally taken down, Ildefons Cerdà, who is now considered the inventor of urbanism, presented the plan for the creation of the "Eixample", the expansion that Barcelona so desperately needed. Its construction began in 1860.

In Barcelona, you take on the role of builders in 19th-century Barcelona who are working on the new expansion to the city. Your main objective is to construct buildings to accommodate the citizens who want to leave the old city, and in the process, you will also build streets, create tram lines, and build public services. You may even choose to explore "Modernisme", a new architectural and arts style that has been gaining popularity among the rich.

Barcelona is played over a variable number of rounds interrupted by three scoring phases before a final scoring phase. Each round, each player takes a single turn consisting of two or more actions, a building phase, and then preparation for their next turn. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins the game..