Taboo / Similar games
18 games like Taboo
The best games like Taboo are When I Dream, Decrypto XL and Codenames XXL — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. When I Dream shares party game, real-time, word game with Taboo.
Every alternative below links to its own Taboo-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s party game / real-time shelf.
Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Taboo’s 1.2 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.
As an Amazon Associate, MeeplePick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
- 1. When I Dream (2016)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Real-time, Word Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · ~10 min longer · same complexity
- 2. Decrypto XL (2018)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · goes down to 3 · ~10 min longer · +0.6 heavier
- 3. Codenames XXL (2015)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · goes down to 2 · about the same length · same complexity
- 4. Poetry for Neanderthals (2020)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Real-time, Word Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 12 · about the same length · same complexity
- 5. Just One (2018)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Communication Limits · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–7 players · goes down to 3 · about the same length · 0.2 lighter
- 6. Codenames Deep Undercover (2016)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · about the same length · same complexity
- 7. Medium (2019)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · goes down to 2 · ~18 min longer · 0.2 lighter
- 8. Time's Up! Title Recall! (2008)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · scales to 18 · ~40 min longer · same complexity
- 9. Time's Up! (1999)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · scales to 18 · ~70 min longer · same complexity
- 10. Trapwords (2018)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · ~18 min longer · +0.2 heavier
- 11. Concept (2013)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Communication Limits, Team-Based Game · 2 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (100%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · scales to 12 · ~20 min longer · +0.2 heavier
- 12. The Chameleon (2017)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · goes down to 3 · about the same length · 0.2 lighter
- 13. Word on the Street (2009)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · goes down to 2 · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
- 14. Word Slam (2016)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–10 players · goes down to 3 · scales to 99 · ~25 min longer · same complexity
- 15. Secret Hitler (2016)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 5–10 players · ~25 min longer · +0.4 heavier
- 16. Shadows Amsterdam (2018)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Real-time, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · goes down to 2 · about the same length · same complexity
- 17. Linq (2004)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · ~25 min longer · +0.2 heavier
- 18. CrossTalk (2017)Shares with Taboo: Party Game, Word Game, Team-Based Game · 1 of Taboo’s 2 mechanics (50%)vs Taboo: overlaps at 4–8 players · about the same length · same complexity
As an Amazon Associate, MeeplePick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked
- What game is most like Taboo?
- When I Dream (2016) is the closest match to Taboo, sharing party game, real-time, word game. It rates 7.1/10 on BoardGameGeek.
- What should I play if I like Taboo?
- When I Dream, Decrypto XL, Codenames XXL are the top-ranked alternatives to Taboo in the MeeplePick database, matched on light complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
- Is When I Dream harder than Taboo?
- Compared with Taboo, When I Dream is same complexity and ~10 min longer (1.1 vs 1.2 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).
Narrow it down
best 4-player board games · best 5-player board games · best 6-player board games · best 7-player board games · best 8-player board games · communication limits games · team-based game games
Looking for the original? See the full Taboo fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.