Scythe / Similar games

18 games like Scythe

The best games like Scythe are StarCraft The Board Game, Forbidden Stars and Terraforming Mars — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. StarCraft The Board Game shares fighting, miniatures, science fiction with Scythe.

Every alternative below links to its own Scythe-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s economic / fighting shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Scythe’s 3.4 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. StarCraft The Board Game (2007)
   2–6 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Card Play Conflict Resolution · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · ~108 min longer · +0.4 heavier
   View StarCraft The Board Game on Amazon →
2. 2. Forbidden Stars (2015)
   2–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence, Card Play Conflict Resolution · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~48 min longer · +0.4 heavier
   View Forbidden Stars on Amazon →
3. 3. Terraforming Mars (2016)
   1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium
   Shares with Scythe: Economic, Science Fiction, Territory Building, Hexagon Grid · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 1–5 players · ~18 min longer · 0.2 lighter
   View Terraforming Mars on Amazon →
4. 4. Star Wars Rebellion (2016)
   2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~108 min longer · +0.3 heavier
5. 5. Impulse (2013)
   2–6 players · 30–60 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium
   Shares with Scythe: Economic, Fighting, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Grid Movement · 3 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · ~57 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
6. 6. Clash of Cultures (2012)
   2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Scythe: Economic, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, Hexagon Grid · 3 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~108 min longer · +0.2 heavier
7. 7. War of the Ring Second Edition (2012)
   2–4 players · 150–180 min · ★ 8.5 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Card Play Conflict Resolution · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~63 min longer · +0.7 heavier
8. 8. Gloomhaven (2017)
   1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.8 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Card Play Conflict Resolution · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~12 min shorter · +0.5 heavier
9. 9. City of Remnants (2013)
   2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium
   Shares with Scythe: Economic, Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
   vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~12 min shorter · 0.3 lighter
10. 10. Aristeia! (2017)
    2 players · 60–90 min · ★ 8.3 · Medium
    Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Scythe: both play at 2 · ~27 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
11. 11. The Edge Dawnfall (2018)
    1–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium
    Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~27 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
12. 12. Dune (2019)
    2–6 players · 120 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence, Force Commitment · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · ~18 min longer · +0.5 heavier
13. 13. Lords of Hellas (2018)
    1–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
    Shares with Scythe: Miniatures, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Card Play Conflict Resolution · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~27 min shorter · same complexity
14. 14. Spirit Island (2017)
    1–4 players · 90–120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · +0.6 heavier
15. 15. Space Hulk (Third Edition) (2009)
    2 players · 60 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Grid Movement · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Scythe: both play at 2 · ~42 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
16. 16. Earth Reborn (2010)
    2–4 players · 180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Scythe: Fighting, Miniatures, Science Fiction, Grid Movement · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~78 min longer · +0.5 heavier
17. 17. Terra Mystica (2012)
    2–5 players · 60–150 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Scythe: Economic, Territory Building, Hexagon Grid · 1 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 2–5 players · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
18. 18. Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition (2017)
    3–6 players · 240–480 min · ★ 8.7 · Heavy
    Shares with Scythe: Economic, Science Fiction, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement · 2 of Scythe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Scythe: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~258 min longer · +0.8 heavier

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