Illusion / Similar games

18 games like Illusion

The best games like Illusion are Ghost Blitz, Jungle Speed and Set! — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Ghost Blitz shares card game, pattern recognition with Illusion.

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

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Illusion’s 1.1 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. Ghost Blitz (2010)
    2–8 players · 20 min · ★ 6.7 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 8 · about the same length · same complexity
    View Ghost Blitz on Amazon →
  2. 2. Jungle Speed (1997)
    2–8 players · 10 min · ★ 6.5 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 8 · about the same length · same complexity
    View Jungle Speed on Amazon →
  3. 3. Set! (1988)
    1–20 players · 30 min · ★ 6.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · plays solo · scales to 20 · ~15 min longer · +0.6 heavier
    View Set! on Amazon →
  4. 2–4 players · 20 min · ★ 6.5 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
  5. 1–2 players · 10–20 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: both play at 2 · plays solo · about the same length · +0.7 heavier
  6. 6. Crystallo (2018)
    1 players · 20–30 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium-light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: no player-count overlap (1–1 vs 2–5) · plays solo · ~10 min longer · +0.7 heavier
  7. 3–5 players · 15–30 min · ★ 6.6 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 3–5 players · about the same length · +0.3 heavier
  8. 8. Kakerlakensalat (2007)
    2–6 players · 10–20 min · ★ 6.2 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · same complexity
  9. 2–6 players · 5–10 min · ★ 6.9 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · same complexity
  10. 10. Cortex Challenge (2016)
    2–6 players · 15 min · ★ 6.3 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · same complexity
  11. 11. One Key (2019)
    2–6 players · 20 min · ★ 6.5 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
  12. 3–5 players · 20–30 min · ★ 6.7 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~10 min longer · +0.2 heavier
  13. 13. Pick-a-Pig (2012)
    1–5 players · 15 min · ★ 6.2 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · plays solo · about the same length · same complexity
  14. 14. Codenames Marvel (2017)
    2–8 players · 15 min · ★ 6.3 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 8 · about the same length · same complexity
  15. 15. Crazy Time (2013)
    4–7 players · 30 min · ★ 6.9 · Medium-light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 4–5 players · scales to 7 · ~15 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  16. 16. Phoenix (2003)
    2 players · 20 min · ★ 6.4 · Medium-light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: both play at 2 · about the same length · +0.6 heavier
  17. 2 players · 15 min · ★ 6.2 · Medium-light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: both play at 2 · about the same length · +0.7 heavier
  18. 18. Gobbit (2012)
    2–8 players · 10–20 min · ★ 6.5 · Light
    Shares with Illusion: Card Game, Pattern Recognition · 1 of Illusion’s 1 mechanics (100%)
    vs Illusion: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 8 · about the same length · +0.3 heavier
Check Ghost Blitz on Amazon →

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

Frequently asked

What game is most like Illusion?
Ghost Blitz (2010) is the closest match to Illusion, sharing card game, pattern recognition. It rates 6.7/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Illusion?
Ghost Blitz, Jungle Speed, Set! are the top-ranked alternatives to Illusion in the MeeplePick database, matched on light complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Ghost Blitz harder than Illusion?
Compared with Illusion, Ghost Blitz is same complexity and about the same length (1.1 vs 1.1 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 · best 5-player board games · pattern recognition games

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