The Starfarers of Catan / Similar games

18 games like The Starfarers of Catan

The best games like The Starfarers of Catan are Terraforming Mars, Star Wars Outer Rim and Twilight Imperium Third Edition — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Terraforming Mars shares science fiction, space exploration, hexagon grid with The Starfarers of Catan.

Every alternative below links to its own The Starfarers of Catan-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s exploration / negotiation shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2.6 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. Terraforming Mars (2016)
   1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · about the same length · +0.7 heavier
   View Terraforming Mars on Amazon →
2. 2. Star Wars Outer Rim (2019)
   1–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-light
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Trading · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · ~30 min longer · same complexity
   View Star Wars Outer Rim on Amazon →
3. 3. Twilight Imperium Third Edition (2005)
   3–6 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.8 · Heavy
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Negotiation, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~90 min longer · +1.7 heavier
   View Twilight Imperium Third Edition on Amazon →
4. 4. Nexus Ops (2005)
   2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Science Fiction, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~30 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
5. 5. Star Trek Fleet Captains (2011)
   2–4 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~15 min shorter · +0.5 heavier
6. 6. Gaia Project (2017)
   1–4 players · 60–150 min · ★ 8.5 · Heavy
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · ~15 min shorter · +1.8 heavier
7. 7. Warhammer Quest Blackstone Fortress (2018)
   1–5 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Science Fiction, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · +0.3 heavier
8. 8. Voyage of the B.S.M. Pandora (1981)
   1 players · 90 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: no player-count overlap (1–1 vs 3–4) · plays solo · ~30 min shorter · same complexity
9. 9. The Phantom League COMBO (2010)
   2–6 players · 90 min · ★ 6.5 · Medium
   Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Negotiation, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Trading · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · scales to 6 · ~30 min shorter · +0.6 heavier
10. 10. Raid & Trade (2015)
    3–5 players · 90 min · ★ 5.9 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Negotiation, Science Fiction, Trading · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
11. 11. Ad Astra (2009)
    3–5 players · 60 min · ★ 6.9 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Trading · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~60 min shorter · same complexity
12. 12. Xia Legends of a Drift System (2014)
    3–5 players · 60–180 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Science Fiction, Space Exploration · 0 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (0%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · about the same length · +0.6 heavier
13. 13. Cosmic Encounter (2008)
    3–5 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Negotiation, Science Fiction, Space Exploration · 0 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (0%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min shorter · same complexity
14. 14. The Settlers of the Stone Age (2002)
    3–4 players · 90–120 min · ★ 6.6 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Negotiation, Trading · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
15. 15. Galactic Emperor (2008)
    3–6 players · 90 min · ★ 6.6 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min shorter · +0.3 heavier
16. 16. Above and Below (2015)
    2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Trading · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~30 min shorter · same complexity
17. 17. Neuroshima Hex! 3.0 (2006)
    1–4 players · 30 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Science Fiction, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · plays solo · ~90 min shorter · same complexity
18. 18. Tikal (1999)
    2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium
    Shares with The Starfarers of Catan: Exploration, Hexagon Grid · 1 of The Starfarers of Catan’s 2 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Starfarers of Catan: overlaps at 3–4 players · goes down to 2 · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier

Looking for the original? See the full The Starfarers of Catan fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.