Catan fans usually like three things: building toward a goal, making choices with limited resources and games short enough to play twice in one night. Most of the games below drop dice and trading for other kinds of decisions, such as placing tiles, claiming routes, collecting gems or drafting cards.
The six games range from a two-to-five player tile game to a seven player card drafting game. Player counts, play times and ages come from each listing page and are the publishers’ own claims. We have not played these copies ourselves. Where a listing disagrees with itself, we say so.
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What to Look For
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Player count | Some games need three players or more, while others work for two |
| Play time | A 30 minute game fits a weeknight; longer ones need planning |
| Interaction | Drafting and racing games are more social than solo-style puzzles |
| Age | Publisher ages run from 7 to 10 and up |
Specs at a Glance
| Game | Players and age | Play time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carcassonne | 2 to 5; ages 7 and up | 35 minutes in the title; 45 in the table | Tile placement with meeples; includes The Abbot and The River |
| Ticket to Ride | 2 to 5; ages 8 and up | 30 to 60 minutes in the title | 225 plastic trains, 110 train cards, 33 tickets |
| Cascadia | 1 to 4; ages 10 and up | 15 to 30 minutes | 85 habitat tiles; 100 wooden wildlife tokens |
| Splendor | 2 to 4; ages 10 and up | About 30 minutes | 40 tokens, 90 development cards, 10 noble tiles |
| 7 Wonders | 3 to 7; ages 10 and up | 30 minutes | 7 wonder boards; 148 age cards |
| Harmonies | 1 to 4; ages 10 and up | 30 minutes | 120 wooden tokens; solo mode |
The 6 Best Board Games Like Catan
1. Carcassonne Tile Placement Strategy Game
Players draw landscape tiles and place them to build cities, roads, fields and monasteries, then place meeples to claim features and score points. The maker lists ages 7 and up and includes the Abbot and River mini-expansions. The title says 35 minutes and 2 to 5 players, while the details table says 45 minutes and 5 players, so treat the exact figures with care.
Suits: families and new players. Strengths: short rules and a new landscape each game. Weaknesses: conflicting time and player data. Skip it if you want trading.
View Z-Man Carcassonne Tile Placement Strategy Game on Amazon
2. Ticket to Ride 2025 Refresh
A cross-country train game in which players collect train cards, claim routes and complete tickets across a North American map. The listing gives 2 to 5 players and ages 8 and up, and the components include 225 plastic trains in five colors, 110 train cards, 33 tickets and five wooden scoring markers. The title says 30 to 60 minutes and the table says 30.
Suits: a family route-building game. Strengths: a large map and many trains. Weaknesses: the time estimate varies. Skip it if you want a card-only game.
View Asmodee Ticket to Ride 2025 Refresh Board Game on Amazon
3. Cascadia Nature Board Game
A spatial puzzle game for 1 to 4 players in which you build habitat corridors and place wildlife to score. The listing says it plays in 15 to 30 minutes and that it won the 2022 Spiel des Jahres, and the box has 85 habitat tiles, 100 wooden wildlife tokens, 25 nature tokens and a cloth bag. It also has a family variant scoring card.
Suits: a calm puzzle game. Strengths: a family variant and wooden tokens. Weaknesses: little direct interaction. Skip it if you want players to compete head to head.
View AEG Cascadia Nature Board Game on Amazon
4. Splendor Gem Trading Game
An engine building game for 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up, in which players collect gem tokens, buy development cards and attract nobles in a race to 15 prestige points. The publisher gives about 30 minutes and lists 40 tokens, 90 development cards and 10 noble tiles. The age field says all, while the text says 10 and up.
Suits: resource fans. Strengths: three actions per turn and quick rounds. Weaknesses: the age data conflicts. Skip it if you play with five or more.
View Asmodee Splendor Gem Trading Board Game on Amazon
5. 7 Wonders New Edition
A card drafting game for 3 to 7 players, ages 10 and up, in which each player leads one ancient city and builds a wonder over three ages. The publisher gives about 30 minutes and lists seven wonder boards and 148 age cards. The edition field reads Kids Edition and Family Edition, which does not match the 10 and up age, so check the box.
Suits: larger groups. Strengths: up to seven players. Weaknesses: three players minimum. Skip it if you often play as a pair.
View Asmodee 7 Wonders New Edition Board Game on Amazon
6. Harmonies Landscape Game
A game for 1 to 4 players in which you combine landscapes and animals on a personal board to earn victory points. The listing mentions 120 wooden tokens, 79 animal cubes, 32 animal cards and 10 Nature’s Spirit cards, a solo version and artwork by Libellud. The publisher gives ages 10 and up and 30 minutes.
Suits: solo and small groups. Strengths: a solo mode and wooden pieces. Weaknesses: mostly a personal board puzzle. Skip it if you want lots of table talk.
View Asmodee Harmonies Landscape Board Game on Amazon
Care and Setup
- Follow the maker’s rulebook for setup and the player count it lists.
- Check the box contents against the component list on the listing page.
- Look at the publisher’s age and time figures before you plan the night.
- Use the storage the publisher supplies, or an organizer made for the box.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing a game that needs three players when you usually play as a pair.
- Treating a printed time as exact, since some listings conflict.
- Mixing pieces from several boxes.
- Ignoring the publisher’s age guidance for younger players.
Board Games Like Catan FAQ
Which game is closest to Catan?
Ticket to Ride and Splendor are the closest here, since both are about collecting sets and racing toward a goal. None of the six uses a hex board with trading.
Which game works for two players?
Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Cascadia, Splendor and Harmonies all list a count that includes two.
The Short Version
For tile laying, Carcassonne. For routes, Ticket to Ride. For a calm puzzle, Cascadia. For gems and engines, Splendor. For seven players, 7 Wonders. For a solo mode, Harmonies.
