Tikal / Similar games

18 games like Tikal

The best games like Tikal are Scythe, Clash of Cultures and Keyflower — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Scythe shares territory building, area majority / influence, grid movement with Tikal.

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Every alternative below links to its own Tikal-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s exploration / territory building shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Tikal’s 2.8 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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  1. Scythe board game cover
    1. Scythe (2016)
    1–5 players · 90–115 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium · See Scythe alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, Hexagon Grid · 4 shared tags · 3 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~13 min longer · +0.6 heavier
  2. Clash of Cultures board game cover
    2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy · See Clash of Cultures alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Territory Building, Action Points, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, Hexagon Grid · 6 shared tags · 4 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~120 min longer · +0.8 heavier
  3. Keyflower board game cover
    3. Keyflower (2012)
    2–6 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium · See Keyflower alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Auction/Bidding, Hexagon Grid · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~15 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  4. Mexica board game cover
    4. Mexica (2002)
    2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium · See Mexica alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Action Points, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement · 4 shared tags · 3 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · same complexity
  5. This War of Mine  The Board Game board game cover
    1–6 players · 45–120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium · See This War of Mine The Board Game alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Grid Movement · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 6 · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
  6. Xia  Legends of a Drift System board game cover
    3–5 players · 60–180 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium · See Xia Legends of a Drift System alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Grid Movement · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  7. Descent  Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) board game cover
    1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium · See Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Grid Movement · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  8. Hyperborea board game cover
    8. Hyperborea (2014)
    2–6 players · 50–150 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium · See Hyperborea alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement, Hexagon Grid · 4 shared tags · 3 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 6 · ~10 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  9. Terraforming Mars board game cover
    1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 8.4 · Medium · See Terraforming Mars alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Hexagon Grid · 2 shared tags · 1 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  10. Explorers of the North Sea board game cover
    1–4 players · 45–60 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-light
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement · 4 shared tags · 3 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~37 min shorter · 0.6 lighter
  11. Nemo's War (Second Edition) board game cover
    1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium · See Nemo's War (Second Edition) alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Area Majority / Influence · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · about the same length · +0.4 heavier
  12. Shogun board game cover
    12. Shogun (2006)
    3–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium · See Shogun alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Auction/Bidding · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 5 · ~15 min longer · +0.6 heavier
  13. Kings & Things* board game cover
    13. Kings & Things* (1986)
    2–4 players · 120 min · ★ 6.5 · Medium
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Hexagon Grid · 4 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min longer · same complexity
  14. Burgle Bros. board game cover
    14. Burgle Bros. (2015)
    1–4 players · 45–90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light · See Burgle Bros. alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Grid Movement · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~22 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
  15. The Castles of Burgundy board game cover
    2–4 players · 30–90 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium · See The Castles of Burgundy alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Hexagon Grid · 2 shared tags · 1 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
  16. Runebound (Third Edition) board game cover
    2–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium · See Runebound (Third Edition) alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Action Points, Hexagon Grid · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~60 min longer · same complexity
  17. Ginkgopolis board game cover
    17. Ginkgopolis (2012)
    1–5 players · 45 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium · See Ginkgopolis alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Territory Building, Area Majority / Influence, Layering · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · scales to 5 · ~45 min shorter · same complexity
  18. Twilight Imperium  Fourth Edition board game cover
    3–6 players · 240–480 min · ★ 8.7 · Heavy · See Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition alternatives →
    Shares with Tikal: Exploration, Area Majority / Influence, Grid Movement · 3 shared tags · 2 of Tikal’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Tikal: overlaps at 3–4 players · scales to 6 · ~270 min longer · +1.4 heavier

Frequently asked

What game is most like Tikal?
Scythe (2016) is the closest match to Tikal, sharing territory building, area majority / influence, grid movement. It rates 8.2/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Tikal?
Scythe, Clash of Cultures, Keyflower are the top-ranked alternatives to Tikal in the MeeplePick database, matched on medium complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Scythe harder than Tikal?
Compared with Tikal, Scythe is +0.6 heavier and ~13 min longer (3.4 vs 2.8 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 2-player board games · best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · action points games · area majority / influence games · auction/bidding games · grid movement games

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