Game play in Taiga is nearly identical to that of Findevier, with the differences being (1) that the game has only ten animal cards and no elf cards; (2) that a player who reveals an incorrect animal must return a token to the bank; and (3) that each token is worth one point and each animal card is worth two points.

On a turn, a player flips over one of the discs to reveal the animal shown on the other side. If the player reveals the target animal, she earns one token from the circle; if the player reveals the fourth animal of this type, the player takes the final token, along with the animal card. Once all four animals of the desired type are visible, reveal the next card. Once all twelve cards have been used, the game ends and the player with the most points wins. Each token and animal card is worth one point, while the two elf cards are worth two points each.