Steam / Similar games

18 games like Steam

The best games like Steam are 1889 History of Shikoku Railways, Wabash Cannonball and Brass Birmingham — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. 1889 History of Shikoku Railways shares economic, trains, transportation with Steam.

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

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Steam’s 3.5 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. 1889 History of Shikoku Railways (2004)
   2–6 players · 210 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Ownership, Tile Placement · 4 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~120 min longer · +0.5 heavier
   View 1889 History of Shikoku Railways on Amazon →
2. 2. Wabash Cannonball (2007)
   2–6 players · 60 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Ownership · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~30 min shorter · 0.7 lighter
   View Wabash Cannonball on Amazon →
3. 3. Brass Birmingham (2018)
   2–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.7 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Transportation, Loans, Network and Route Building · 2 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
   View Brass Birmingham on Amazon →
4. 4. 1848 Australia (2007)
   3–6 players · 200–240 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Loans, Network and Route Building, Ownership · 4 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~130 min longer · +0.3 heavier
5. 5. 1860 Railways on the Isle of Wight (2004)
   2–4 players · 240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~150 min longer · +0.6 heavier
6. 6. The Great Zimbabwe (2012)
   2–5 players · 90–150 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~30 min longer · +0.2 heavier
7. 7. 18Chesapeake (2020)
   2–6 players · 180 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Ownership, Tile Placement · 4 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~90 min longer · +0.5 heavier
8. 8. Tramways (2016)
   1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver, Tile Placement · 4 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (67%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · plays solo · ~30 min longer · +0.4 heavier
9. 9. 1846 The Race for the Midwest (2005)
   3–5 players · 240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Network and Route Building, Ownership, Tile Placement · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~150 min longer · +0.5 heavier
10. 10. 1882 Assiniboia (2019)
    2–6 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.3 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~60 min longer · +0.5 heavier
11. 11. 1830 The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons (1986)
    2–7 players · 180–360 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Ownership · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 7 · ~180 min longer · +0.7 heavier
12. 12. 2038 Tycoons of the Asteroid Belt (1995)
    3–6 players · 360 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~270 min longer · +0.6 heavier
13. 13. Container 10th Anniversary Jumbo Edition! (2018)
    3–5 players · 75–90 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Loans, Pick-up and Deliver · 3 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · about the same length · 0.5 lighter
14. 14. American Rails (2009)
    3–5 players · 90 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building · 2 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · about the same length · 0.6 lighter
15. 15. Indonesia (2005)
    2–5 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Pick-up and Deliver · 2 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · ~120 min longer · +0.5 heavier
16. 16. Silverton (1991)
    1–6 players · 180 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Network and Route Building, Pick-up and Deliver · 2 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · plays solo · scales to 6 · ~90 min longer · 0.2 lighter
17. 17. 1824 Austrian-Hungarian Railway (Second Edition) (2019)
    2–6 players · 180–240 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Ownership, Tile Placement · 4 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~120 min longer · +0.4 heavier
18. 18. 18MEX (2005)
    3–5 players · 210 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Steam: Economic, Trains, Transportation, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 2 of Steam’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Steam: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~120 min longer · +0.4 heavier

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