Backgammon / Similar games

18 games like Backgammon

The best games like Backgammon are Camel Up (Second Edition), Camel Up and UR Spiel — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Camel Up (Second Edition) shares dice, betting and bluffing, dice rolling with Backgammon.

Every alternative below links to its own Backgammon-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s abstract strategy / dice shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Backgammon’s 2.0 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

As an Amazon Associate, MeeplePick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

  1. 3–8 players · 30–45 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Betting and Bluffing, Dice Rolling, Roll / Spin and Move, Track Movement · 4 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (80%)
    vs Backgammon: no player-count overlap (3–8 vs 2–2) · scales to 8 · about the same length · 0.5 lighter
    View Camel Up (Second Edition) on Amazon →
  2. 2. Camel Up (2014)
    2–8 players · 20–30 min · ★ 7.0 · Light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Betting and Bluffing, Dice Rolling, Roll / Spin and Move, Track Movement · 4 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (80%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 8 · about the same length · 0.5 lighter
    View Camel Up on Amazon →
  3. 3. UR Spiel (-2600)
    2 players · 30 min · ★ 5.9 · Light
    Shares with Backgammon: Abstract Strategy, Dice, Dice Rolling, Roll / Spin and Move · 2 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · about the same length · 0.7 lighter
    View UR Spiel on Amazon →
  4. 4. Treehouse (2006)
    2–4 players · 20 min · ★ 5.8 · Light
    Shares with Backgammon: Abstract Strategy, Dice, Dice Rolling, Roll / Spin and Move · 2 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · ~10 min shorter · 0.7 lighter
  5. 2–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · ~45 min longer · +0.6 heavier
  6. 1–4 players · 30 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · plays solo · scales to 4 · about the same length · same complexity
  7. 7. Sagrada (2017)
    1–4 players · 30–45 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · plays solo · scales to 4 · about the same length · same complexity
  8. 8. Space Base (2018)
    2–5 players · 60 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · same complexity
  9. 9. Roll Player (2016)
    1–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · plays solo · scales to 4 · ~45 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  10. 2–4 players · 60 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · ~30 min longer · +0.7 heavier
  11. 11. Nautilion (2016)
    1–2 players · 15–30 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling, Roll / Spin and Move · 2 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · plays solo · about the same length · same complexity
  12. 1 players · 20–40 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: no player-count overlap (1–1 vs 2–2) · plays solo · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
  13. 13. Qwirkle Cubes (2009)
    2–4 players · 45 min · ★ 6.6 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Abstract Strategy, Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · ~15 min longer · 0.4 lighter
  14. 14. Alien Frontiers (2010)
    2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · ~60 min longer · +0.6 heavier
  15. 1–5 players · 30–45 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · plays solo · scales to 5 · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
  16. 2–6 players · 20–40 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 6 · about the same length · same complexity
  17. 17. Twice as Clever! (2019)
    1–4 players · 30 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Dice Rolling · 1 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · plays solo · scales to 4 · about the same length · +0.4 heavier
  18. 18. Ausbrecher AG (1985)
    2–6 players · 20 min · ★ 6.1 · Light
    Shares with Backgammon: Dice, Betting and Bluffing, Dice Rolling, Roll / Spin and Move · 3 of Backgammon’s 5 mechanics (60%)
    vs Backgammon: both play at 2 · scales to 6 · ~10 min shorter · 0.7 lighter
Check Camel Up (Second Edition) on Amazon →

As an Amazon Associate, MeeplePick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked

What game is most like Backgammon?
Camel Up (Second Edition) (2018) is the closest match to Backgammon, sharing dice, betting and bluffing, dice rolling. It rates 7.7/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Backgammon?
Camel Up (Second Edition), Camel Up, UR Spiel are the top-ranked alternatives to Backgammon in the MeeplePick database, matched on medium-light complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Camel Up (Second Edition) harder than Backgammon?
Compared with Backgammon, Camel Up (Second Edition) is 0.5 lighter and about the same length (1.5 vs 2.0 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 2-player board games · advantage token games · betting and bluffing games · dice rolling games · roll / spin and move games

Looking for the original? See the full Backgammon fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.