Gloom / Similar games

18 games like Gloom

The best games like Gloom are Smash Up Awesome Level 9000, Braggart and Beasty Bar — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Smash Up Awesome Level 9000 shares card game, horror, humor with Gloom.

Every alternative below links to its own Gloom-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s card game / horror shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Gloom’s 1.6 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. 2 players · 45 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Horror, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: both play at 2 · ~15 min shorter · +0.5 heavier
    View Smash Up Awesome Level 9000 on Amazon →
  2. 2. Braggart (2010)
    2–6 players · 30 min · ★ 6.3 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Storytelling, Take That · 3 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (60%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
    View Braggart on Amazon →
  3. 3. Beasty Bar (2014)
    2–4 players · 20 min · ★ 6.8 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~40 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
    View Beasty Bar on Amazon →
  4. 4. Guillotine (1998)
    2–5 players · 30 min · ★ 6.5 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
  5. 5. Dixit Odyssey (2011)
    3–12 players · 30 min · ★ 7.5 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Storytelling · 1 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 12 · ~30 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
  6. 2–4 players · 45 min · ★ 6.6 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
  7. 7. Snake Oil (2010)
    3–10 players · 20–30 min · ★ 6.7 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Storytelling · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 10 · ~35 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
  8. 3–6 players · 90 min · ★ 6.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  9. 9. Village Pillage (2019)
    2–5 players · 20 min · ★ 7.5 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~40 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  10. 2–5 players · 30 min · ★ 5.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Horror, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
  11. 3–6 players · 90 min · ★ 6.4 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · +0.2 heavier
  12. 2 players · 20 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: both play at 2 · ~40 min shorter · +0.3 heavier
  13. 2–6 players · 30 min · ★ 5.8 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Lose a Turn, Take That · 3 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (60%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
  14. 14. Hero Realms (2016)
    2–4 players · 20–30 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~35 min shorter · +0.3 heavier
  15. 3–5 players · 60 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management · 1 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · about the same length · same complexity
  16. 16. Trash Pandas (2017)
    2–4 players · 15–20 min · ★ 6.7 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~42 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  17. 2–5 players · 10–20 min · ★ 6.2 · Light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~45 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
  18. 2–8 players · 30–45 min · ★ 6.3 · Medium-light
    Shares with Gloom: Card Game, Humor, Hand Management, Take That · 2 of Gloom’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Gloom: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 8 · ~22 min shorter · same complexity
Check Smash Up Awesome Level 9000 on Amazon →

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

Frequently asked

What game is most like Gloom?
Smash Up Awesome Level 9000 (2013) is the closest match to Gloom, sharing card game, horror, humor. It rates 7.3/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Gloom?
Smash Up Awesome Level 9000, Braggart, Beasty Bar are the top-ranked alternatives to Gloom 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 Smash Up Awesome Level 9000 harder than Gloom?
Compared with Gloom, Smash Up Awesome Level 9000 is +0.5 heavier and ~15 min shorter (2.1 vs 1.6 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 2-player board games · best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · hand management games · layering games · lose a turn games · storytelling games

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