Battleship / Similar games

18 games like Battleship

The best games like Battleship are Sub Search, Sonar and Captain Sonar — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Sub Search shares childrens game, deduction, nautical with Battleship.

Every alternative below links to its own Battleship-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s childrens game / deduction shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Battleship’s 1.2 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. Sub Search (1973)
   2 players · 45 min · ★ 5.8 · Light
   Shares with Battleship: Childrens Game, Deduction, Nautical, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · ~15 min longer · +0.3 heavier
   View Sub Search on Amazon →
2. 2. Sonar (2017)
   2–4 players · 30 min · ★ 6.7 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Deduction, Nautical, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · about the same length · +0.7 heavier
   View Sonar on Amazon →
3. 3. Captain Sonar (2016)
   2–8 players · 45–60 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Deduction, Nautical, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · scales to 8 · ~23 min longer · +0.9 heavier
   View Captain Sonar on Amazon →
4. 4. Clue Harry Potter Edition (2008)
   3–5 players · 30 min · ★ 6.3 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Childrens Game, Deduction, Paper-and-Pencil · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: no player-count overlap (3–5 vs 2–2) · scales to 5 · about the same length · +0.4 heavier
5. 5. Sonar Family (2018)
   2–4 players · 30–45 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Deduction, Nautical, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · about the same length · +0.6 heavier
6. 6. Naval War (1979)
   3–9 players · 45 min · ★ 6.2 · Light
   Shares with Battleship: Nautical, Wargame, Paper-and-Pencil · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: no player-count overlap (3–9 vs 2–2) · scales to 9 · ~15 min longer · +0.2 heavier
7. 7. Ghost Chase in Canterville Castle (2001)
   2–5 players · 60 min · ★ 6.3 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Childrens Game, Deduction, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · +0.4 heavier
8. 8. Broadside (1962)
   2 players · 45 min · ★ 6.1 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Nautical, Wargame, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · ~15 min longer · +0.5 heavier
9. 9. Fugitive (2017)
   2 players · 5–20 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light
   Shares with Battleship: Deduction, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs Battleship: both play at 2 · ~17 min shorter · +0.5 heavier
10. 10. Carrier Strike! (1977)
    2–4 players · 45 min · ★ 6.0 · Light
    Shares with Battleship: Nautical, Wargame, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · ~15 min longer · +0.2 heavier
11. 11. Pirates of the Spanish Main Shuffling the Deck (2012)
    2–4 players · 30 min · ★ 6.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Battleship: Deduction, Nautical, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · scales to 4 · about the same length · +0.4 heavier
12. 12. The Hunters German U-Boats at War (2013)
    1–2 players · 120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
    Shares with Battleship: Nautical, Wargame, Paper-and-Pencil · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · plays solo · ~90 min longer · +1.3 heavier
13. 13. Bismarck (1962)
    2 players · 120 min · ★ 6.4 · Medium
    Shares with Battleship: Nautical, Wargame, Paper-and-Pencil, Secret Unit Deployment · 2 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (100%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · ~90 min longer · +1.7 heavier
14. 14. Wits and Wagers Family Deluxe Edition (2010)
    3–10 players · 20 min · ★ 6.9 · Light
    Shares with Battleship: Childrens Game, Paper-and-Pencil · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: no player-count overlap (3–10 vs 2–2) · scales to 10 · ~10 min shorter · same complexity
15. 15. Ace of Aces Handy Rotary Series (1980)
    2 players · 20 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Battleship: Wargame, Paper-and-Pencil · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · ~10 min shorter · +0.5 heavier
16. 16. Conquest of Paradise (2007)
    1–4 players · 90 min · ★ 6.9 · Medium-light
    Shares with Battleship: Nautical, Wargame, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · plays solo · scales to 4 · ~60 min longer · +1.3 heavier
17. 17. Sekigahara The Unification of Japan (2011)
    2 players · 180 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium
    Shares with Battleship: Wargame, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · ~150 min longer · +1.6 heavier
18. 18. King & Assassins Deluxe (2013)
    2 players · 30 min · ★ 6.9 · Medium-light
    Shares with Battleship: Deduction, Secret Unit Deployment · 1 of Battleship’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs Battleship: both play at 2 · about the same length · +0.6 heavier

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