Islebound / Similar games

18 games like Islebound

The best games like Islebound are Merchants & Marauders, Nemo's War (Second Edition) and Dead Man's Doubloons — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Merchants & Marauders shares nautical, pirates, area movement with Islebound.

Every alternative below links to its own Islebound-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s nautical / pirates shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Islebound’s 2.7 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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  1. 2–4 players · 180 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 2 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~90 min longer · +0.5 heavier
    View Merchants & Marauders on Amazon →
  2. 1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 3 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · about the same length · +0.4 heavier
    View Nemo's War (Second Edition) on Amazon →
  3. 2–6 players · 45 min · ★ 6.7 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 3 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~45 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
    View Dead Man's Doubloons on Amazon →
  4. 3–7 players · 120–240 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium-light
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 7 · ~90 min longer · 0.6 lighter
  5. 5. Rum & Bones (2015)
    2–6 players · 60 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Area Majority / Influence, Dice Rolling · 2 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
  6. 6. Francis Drake (2013)
    3–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~15 min longer · +0.2 heavier
  7. 7. Manilla (2005)
    3–5 players · 60 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium-light
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · 0.7 lighter
  8. 2 players · 300 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 3 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Islebound: both play at 2 · ~210 min longer · 0.4 lighter
  9. 2–5 players · 60–75 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~22 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  10. 1–5 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 2 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~15 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
  11. 2 players · 60 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: both play at 2 · ~30 min shorter · +0.4 heavier
  12. 2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 3 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
  13. 13. Antike (2005)
    2–6 players · 120 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement · 2 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · +0.3 heavier
  14. 2–5 players · 60–90 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
  15. 2–4 players · 60–80 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~20 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  16. 16. Aquatica (2019)
    1–4 players · 30–60 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium-light
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Drafting, Increase Value of Unchosen Resources · 2 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~45 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
  17. 17. Viking Fury (2004)
    3–5 players · 30–90 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Area Movement, Dice Rolling · 2 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · same complexity
  18. 18. Dreadfleet (2011)
    2–10 players · 60 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium
    Shares with Islebound: Nautical, Pirates, Dice Rolling · 1 of Islebound’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Islebound: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 10 · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
Check Merchants & Marauders on Amazon →

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Frequently asked

What game is most like Islebound?
Merchants & Marauders (2010) is the closest match to Islebound, sharing nautical, pirates, area movement. It rates 7.4/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Islebound?
Merchants & Marauders, Nemo's War (Second Edition), Dead Man's Doubloons are the top-ranked alternatives to Islebound 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 Merchants & Marauders harder than Islebound?
Compared with Islebound, Merchants & Marauders is +0.5 heavier and ~90 min longer (3.2 vs 2.7 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 · area majority / influence games · area movement games · dice rolling games · drafting games

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