Cosmic Encounter / Similar games

18 games like Cosmic Encounter

The best games like Cosmic Encounter are Battlestar Galactica The Board Game, Terraforming Mars and Impulse — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Battlestar Galactica The Board Game shares bluffing, science fiction, space exploration with Cosmic Encounter.

Every alternative below links to its own Cosmic Encounter-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s bluffing / negotiation shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Cosmic Encounter’s 2.6 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 

   1. Battlestar Galactica The Board Game (2008)

   3–6 players · 120–180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium · See Battlestar Galactica The Board Game alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 4 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~60 min longer · +0.7 heavier

   Check price for Battlestar Galactica The Board Game →
2. 

   2. Terraforming Mars (2016)

   1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium · See Terraforming Mars alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · plays solo · ~30 min longer · +0.7 heavier

   Check price for Terraforming Mars →
3. 

   3. Impulse (2013)

   2–6 players · 30–60 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 5 shared tags · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~45 min shorter · +0.4 heavier

   Check price for Impulse →
4. 

   4. The Crew The Quest for Planet Nine (2019)

   2–5 players · 20 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-light · See The Crew The Quest for Planet Nine alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~70 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
5. 

   5. Frank Herbert's Dune (1979)

   2–6 players · 60–180 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium · See Frank Herbert's Dune alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Science Fiction, Alliances, Hand Management · 5 shared tags · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · +0.9 heavier
6. 

   6. Race for the Galaxy (2007)

   2–4 players · 30–60 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium · See Race for the Galaxy alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~45 min shorter · +0.4 heavier
7. 

   7. Game of Thrones The Iron Throne (2016)

   3–5 players · 30–60 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Hand Management, Negotiation, Prisoners Dilemma · 5 shared tags · 3 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (50%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~45 min shorter · same complexity
8. 

   8. Space Alert (2008)

   1–5 players · 30 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium · See Space Alert alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · plays solo · ~60 min shorter · +0.4 heavier
9. 

   9. Forbidden Stars (2015)

   2–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-heavy · See Forbidden Stars alternatives →

   Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 4 shared tags · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)

   vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~60 min longer · +1.3 heavier
10. 

    10. Dune (2019)

    2–6 players · 120 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy · See Dune alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Science Fiction, Alliances · 4 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · +1.4 heavier
11. 

    11. Magic: The Gathering (1993)

    2 players · 20 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium · See Magic: The Gathering alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Hand Management, Interrupts · 3 shared tags · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: no player-count overlap (2 vs 3–5) · goes down to 2 · ~70 min shorter · +0.7 heavier
12. 

    12. A Game of Thrones The Board Game (Second Edition) (2011)

    3–6 players · 120–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy · See A Game of Thrones The Board Game (Second Edition) alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 4 shared tags · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~90 min longer · +1.2 heavier
13. 

    13. SpaceCorp 2025-2300AD (2018)

    1–4 players · 60–240 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · ~60 min longer · +0.4 heavier
14. 

    14. Eminent Domain (2011)

    2–4 players · 45 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium · See Eminent Domain alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~45 min shorter · same complexity
15. 

    15. Not Alone (2016)

    2–7 players · 30–45 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium-light · See Not Alone alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 7 · ~52 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
16. 

    16. Core Worlds (2011)

    2–5 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium · See Core Worlds alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · about the same length · +0.3 heavier
17. 

    17. Lord of the Rings The Confrontation (Deluxe Edition) (2005)

    2 players · 30 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light · See Lord of the Rings The Confrontation (Deluxe Edition) alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 3 shared tags · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: no player-count overlap (2 vs 3–5) · goes down to 2 · ~60 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
18. 

    18. The 7th Continent (2017)

    1–4 players · 5–1000 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium · See The 7th Continent alternatives →

    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Hand Management · 2 shared tags · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)

    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · ~413 min longer · +0.3 heavier

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