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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.

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

  1. 1. Battlestar Galactica The Board Game (2008)
    3–6 players · 120–180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 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
    View Battlestar Galactica The Board Game on Amazon →
  2. 2. Terraforming Mars (2016)
    1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–5 players · plays solo · ~30 min longer · +0.7 heavier
    View Terraforming Mars on Amazon →
  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 · 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
    View Impulse on Amazon →
  4. 4. The Crew The Quest for Planet Nine (2019)
    2–5 players · 20 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Science Fiction, Alliances, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 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 · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Science Fiction, Alliances · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Hand Management, Interrupts · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Cosmic Encounter: no player-count overlap (2–2 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Negotiation, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 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 · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Science Fiction, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hand Management · 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Bluffing, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Hand Management · 2 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Cosmic Encounter: no player-count overlap (2–2 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
    Shares with Cosmic Encounter: Science Fiction, Hand Management · 1 of Cosmic Encounter’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Cosmic Encounter: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · ~413 min longer · +0.3 heavier
Check Battlestar Galactica The Board Game on Amazon →

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

Frequently asked

What game is most like Cosmic Encounter?
Battlestar Galactica The Board Game (2008) is the closest match to Cosmic Encounter, sharing bluffing, science fiction, space exploration. It rates 7.7/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Cosmic Encounter?
Battlestar Galactica The Board Game, Terraforming Mars, Impulse are the top-ranked alternatives to Cosmic Encounter in the MeeplePick database, matched on medium complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Battlestar Galactica The Board Game harder than Cosmic Encounter?
Compared with Cosmic Encounter, Battlestar Galactica The Board Game is +0.7 heavier and ~60 min longer (3.3 vs 2.6 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · best 5-player board games · alliances games · card play conflict resolution games · hand management games · interrupts games

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