Lord of the Rings / Similar games

18 games like Lord of the Rings

The best games like Lord of the Rings are Keyflower, Cyclades and Clash of Cultures — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Keyflower shares economic, auction/bidding, auction: fixed placement with Lord of the Rings.

Every alternative below links to its own Lord of the Rings-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s ancient / economic shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Lord of the Rings’s 3.0 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. Keyflower (2012)
   2–6 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Auction/Bidding, Auction: Fixed Placement, Constrained Bidding · 3 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (75%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~15 min longer · +0.3 heavier
   View Keyflower on Amazon →
2. 2. Cyclades (2009)
   2–5 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Ancient, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding, Auction: Fixed Placement · 3 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (75%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~15 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
   View Cyclades on Amazon →
3. 3. Clash of Cultures (2012)
   2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Ancient, Economic, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (25%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~120 min longer · +0.6 heavier
   View Clash of Cultures on Amazon →
4. 4. Pan Am (2020)
   2–4 players · 60 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-light
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Auction/Bidding, Auction: Fixed Placement, Constrained Bidding · 3 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (75%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~30 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
5. 5. Civilization (1980)
   2–7 players · 360 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Ancient, Economic, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (25%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 7 · ~270 min longer · +0.6 heavier
6. 6. Homesteaders (2009)
   2–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Auction/Bidding, Auction: Fixed Placement, Constrained Bidding · 3 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (75%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
7. 7. Shogun (2006)
   3–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~15 min longer · +0.3 heavier
8. 8. Scythe (2016)
   1–5 players · 90–115 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (25%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · plays solo · ~13 min longer · +0.4 heavier
9. 9. Polis Fight for the Hegemony (2012)
   2 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Lord of the Rings: Ancient, Economic, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (25%)
   vs Lord of the Rings: no player-count overlap (2–2 vs 3–5) · goes down to 2 · ~15 min longer · +0.6 heavier
10. 10. Bruxelles 1893 (2013)
    2–5 players · 50–125 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
11. 11. The Godfather Corleone's Empire (2017)
    2–5 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~15 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
12. 12. Archipelago (2012)
    2–5 players · 30–240 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~45 min longer · +0.7 heavier
13. 13. Amun-Re The Card Game (2017)
    2–5 players · 45 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium-light
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Ancient, Economic, Auction/Bidding, Constrained Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~45 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
14. 14. The Estates (2018)
    2–5 players · 40–60 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~40 min shorter · 0.7 lighter
15. 15. Vegas Showdown (2005)
    3–5 players · 75 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Auction/Bidding, Auction: Fixed Placement · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~15 min shorter · 0.7 lighter
16. 16. Power Grid (Recharged Version) (2004)
    2–6 players · 120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Auction/Bidding · 1 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (25%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · +0.2 heavier
17. 17. Mare Nostrum (2003)
    3–5 players · 120 min · ★ 6.7 · Medium
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Ancient, Economic, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (25%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~30 min longer · same complexity
18. 18. Princes of the Renaissance (2003)
    3–6 players · 180 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Lord of the Rings: Economic, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 2 of Lord of the Rings’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Lord of the Rings: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~90 min longer · +0.5 heavier

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