swap_horiz Ark Nova Alternatives

1

Catan

The quintessential eurogame, *Catan* remains a hugely popular choice. Players gather resources, build settlements and ci...

Strategy Family Gateway Trading

9.3 Excellent

2

7 Wonders Duel

7 Wonders Duel cleverly adapts the popular 7 Wonders into a streamlined two-player experience. Players draft cards to bu...

Strategy Miniature Strategy Game Asymmetric

9.2 Excellent

3

Wingspan

Wingspan is a beautifully designed engine-building game centered around attracting birds to your wildlife preserve. Its...

Nature Strategy Resource Management Family Friendly

9.2 Excellent

4

Pandemic

Pandemic is a board game designed for cooperative play. Players assume the roles of specialists tasked with combating fo...

Strategy Classic Cooperative Pandemic

9.2 Excellent

5

Root

Root is a highly asymmetrical game of woodland warfare where players control unique factions with vastly different objec...

Strategy Fantasy Complex Warfare

9.1 Excellent

6

Azul

Azul is a beautifully designed abstract strategy game where players draft colorful tiles to decorate their palace walls....

Strategy Family Beautiful Abstract

9.1 Excellent

7

Spirit Island

Spirit Island is a deeply strategic cooperative game where players embody powerful spirits defending their island from c...

Nature Strategy Fantasy Complex

9.0 Excellent

8

Jaipur

Jaipur is a quick and engaging two-player card game centered around trading goods in a bustling Indian market. Players c...

Strategy Family Friendly Fast Paced India

8.8 Great

9

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a hugely popular and accessible route-building game where players collect colored train cars and claim...

Strategy Classic Accessible Easy

8.8 Great

10

Scythe

Scythe is a strategic board game set in an alternate history 1920s Eastern Europe. Players manage factions competing for...

Strategy Alt History Area Control Engine Builder

8.6 Great

11

Everdell

Everdell is a beautifully illustrated engine-building game where players construct a thriving woodland city. Through str...

Fantasy Family Friendly Beautiful Tableau

8.6 Great

12

The Castles of Burgundy

The Castles of Burgundy is a complex strategy board game for experienced players. It involves constructing a network acr...

Strategy Heavy Dice German Style

8.5 Great

13

Concordia

Concordia is a strategy board game set in the Roman era. Players take on the roles of European monarchs expanding across...

Strategy Deck Building Economic Roman Era

8.5 Great

14

Lost Ruins of Arnak

Lost Ruins of Arnak is a cooperative exploration game where players, as archaeologists, delve into the crumbling city of...

Strategy Exploration Deck Building Worker Placement

8.3 Great

15

Viticulture Essential Edition

Viticulture Essential Edition is a strategy board game centered around managing a vineyard. Players utilize worker place...

Strategy Economic Stonemaier Worker Placement

8.3 Great

16

7 Wonders

7 Wonders is a fast-paced card drafting game where players develop their civilizations over three ages. The simultaneous...

Strategy Family Civilization Card Drafting

8.3 Great

17

Power Grid

Power Grid is an economic strategy board game centered around building and operating an electricity network. Players bid...

Strategy Auction Economic Network Building

8.2 Great

18

El Grande

El Grande is a strategic, area-control game for 2-4 players set in the Spanish Golden Age, where players command powerfu...

Strategy Heavy Area Control German Style

8.0 Great

19

Kingdomino

Kingdomino is a simple yet strategic tile-laying game where players build their own kingdoms by connecting domino-like t...

Strategy Light

7.6 Good

20

Starlight Dominion

Starlight Dominion is a grand strategy game where players build and expand their interstellar empires, competing for con...

Strategy Resource Management Card Game Space

5.8 Mediocre