Calico / Similar games
18 games like Calico
The best games like Calico are Azul, Seikatsu A Pet's Life and Hive — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Azul shares abstract strategy, puzzle, pattern building with Calico.
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Every alternative below links to its own Calico-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s abstract strategy / animals shelf.
Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Calico’s 2.2 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.
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1. Azul (2017)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Puzzle, Pattern Building, Set Collection · 4 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · 0.4 lighter
2. Seikatsu A Pet's Life (2017)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Puzzle, Pattern Building, Set Collection · 5 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~15 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
3. Hive (2000)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Enclosure, Hexagon Grid · 4 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: both play at 2 · ~17 min shorter · same complexity
4. Through the Desert (1998)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Enclosure, Hexagon Grid · 4 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · about the same length · same complexity
5. Cascadia (2021)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Puzzle, Hexagon Grid, Pattern Building · 5 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · same complexity
6. Sagrada (2017)Shares with Calico: Puzzle, Pattern Building, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game · 4 shared tags · 3 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (50%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · 0.3 lighter
7. The Isle of Cats (2019)Shares with Calico: Animals, Puzzle, Pattern Building · 3 shared tags · 1 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (17%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~38 min longer · same complexity
8. Crystallo (2018)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Puzzle, Pattern Building, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game · 5 shared tags · 3 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (50%)vs Calico: both play at 1 · ~12 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
9. Indian Summer (2017)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Puzzle, Pattern Building · 4 shared tags · 1 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (17%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · same complexity
10. Spring Meadow (2018)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Puzzle, Pattern Building · 4 shared tags · 1 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (17%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · 0.4 lighter
11. Miyabi (2019)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Puzzle, Pattern Building, Set Collection · 4 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · 0.2 lighter
12. PARKS (2019)Shares with Calico: Animals, Set Collection, Solo / Solitaire Game · 3 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 5 · about the same length · same complexity
13. Tiny Towns (2019)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Pattern Building · 3 shared tags · 1 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (17%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 6 · ~15 min longer · same complexity
14. Castles of Mad King Ludwig (2014)Shares with Calico: Puzzle, Pattern Building, Set Collection · 3 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~53 min longer · +0.5 heavier
15. Haru Ichiban (2014)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Puzzle, Pattern Building · 4 shared tags · 1 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (17%)vs Calico: both play at 2 · ~17 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
16. Samurai (1998)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Hexagon Grid, Set Collection · 3 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · +0.3 heavier
17. Reef (2018)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Animals, Pattern Building · 3 shared tags · 1 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (17%)vs Calico: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · 0.4 lighter
18. Arraial (2018)Shares with Calico: Abstract Strategy, Puzzle, Pattern Building, Solo / Solitaire Game · 4 shared tags · 2 of Calico’s 6 mechanics (33%)vs Calico: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · 0.7 lighter
Frequently asked
- What game is most like Calico?
- Azul (2017) is the closest match to Calico, sharing abstract strategy, puzzle, pattern building. It rates 7.8/10 on BoardGameGeek.
- What should I play if I like Calico?
- Azul, Seikatsu A Pet's Life, Hive are the top-ranked alternatives to Calico 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 Azul harder than Calico?
- Compared with Calico, Azul is 0.4 lighter and about the same length (1.8 vs 2.2 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).
Narrow it down
best 1-player board games · best 2-player board games · best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · enclosure games · hexagon grid games · pattern building games · scenario / mission / campaign game games
Looking for the original? See the full Calico fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.