Roads & Boats / Similar games

18 games like Roads & Boats

The best games like Roads & Boats are &Cetera, The Great Zimbabwe and Brass Birmingham — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. &Cetera shares city building, civilization, economic with Roads & Boats.

Every alternative below links to its own Roads & Boats-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s city building / civilization shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Roads & Boats’s 4.2 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. &Cetera (2003)
   1–6 players · 240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Civilization, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Grid Movement, Line Drawing, Modular Board, Network and Route Building +1 more · 5 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (100%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · same complexity
   View &Cetera on Amazon →
2. 2. The Great Zimbabwe (2012)
   2–5 players · 90–150 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: Civilization, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~120 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
   View The Great Zimbabwe on Amazon →
3. 3. Brass Birmingham (2018)
   2–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.7 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Network and Route Building · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~150 min shorter · 0.3 lighter
   View Brass Birmingham on Amazon →
4. 4. Ora et Labora (2011)
   1–4 players · 60–180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~120 min shorter · 0.3 lighter
5. 5. Underwater Cities (2018)
   1–4 players · 80–150 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Civilization, Industry / Manufacturing, Network and Route Building · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~125 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
6. 6. Food Chain Magnate (2015)
   2–5 players · 120–240 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~60 min shorter · same complexity
7. 7. Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition (2017)
   3–6 players · 240–480 min · ★ 8.7 · Heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: Civilization, Economic, Grid Movement · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~120 min longer · same complexity
8. 8. High Frontier 4 All (2020)
   1–5 players · 30–240 min · ★ 8.7 · Heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: Civilization, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 5 · ~105 min shorter · +0.6 heavier
9. 9. Wildcatters (2013)
   2–4 players · 120 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
   vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~120 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
10. 10. Indonesia (2005)
    2–5 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Pick-up and Deliver · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
11. 11. Antiquity (2004)
    2–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 7.9 · Heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Civilization, Economic, Modular Board · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~90 min shorter · same complexity
12. 12. Clash of Cultures (2012)
    2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Civilization, Economic, Grid Movement · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
13. 13. Sid Meier's Civilization The Board Game (2010)
    2–4 players · 120–240 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Civilization, Grid Movement, Modular Board · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~60 min shorter · 0.3 lighter
14. 14. Terra Mystica (2012)
    2–5 players · 60–150 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: Civilization, Economic, Network and Route Building · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · ~135 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
15. 15. Gaia Project (2017)
    1–4 players · 60–150 min · ★ 8.5 · Heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~135 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
16. 16. Barrage (2019)
    1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Network and Route Building · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~150 min shorter · same complexity
17. 17. Clinic Deluxe Edition (2020)
    1–4 players · 60–150 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: City Building, Economic, Transportation, Pick-up and Deliver · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~135 min shorter · same complexity
18. 18. Age of Steam Deluxe Edition (2002)
    1–6 players · 120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Roads & Boats: Economic, Transportation, Network and Route Building · 1 of Roads & Boats’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Roads & Boats: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 6 · ~120 min shorter · 0.3 lighter

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