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Best games like Brass: Birmingham (2026): Brass: Birmingham sits at or near the top of many all-time board game rankings, and for good reason. Building industries, linking towns, juggling loans and timing your sales across two eras makes every decision matter. Once you have played it a dozen times, though, you will want something that scratches the same itch. These five economic strategy games are where Brass fans usually go next.
Our top pick for Brass fans: Power Grid Recharged
Power Grid has the same mix of network building and a shared market that punishes bad timing. Auctions for power plants add a sharp competitive edge. It costs about $46.
Price band: $30+ (about $46) · Check today’s price on Amazon
Games like Brass at a glance
Every pick is a strategy game with a real economy.
- Best network game: Power Grid Recharged — auctions and fuel markets for 2 to 6 (about $46)
- Best farming euro: Agricola — feed your family each harvest for 1 to 4 (about $55)
- Best engine epic: Terraforming Mars — production engines for 1 to 5 (about $64)
- Best elegant euro: Concordia — card-driven trade for 2 to 5 (about $46)
- The original: Brass: Birmingham — industry across two eras for 2 to 4 (about $64)
What keeps Brass fans coming back
Brass works because everything is connected. Coal and iron are shared, so building next to someone else’s mine helps them. Beer is needed to sell, and the merchants only want certain goods. Loans give you money now but lower your income, and the board clears at the end of the canal era, so you have to think about the rail era before it arrives. The games below each share at least one of those ideas: a shared economy, network building or long-term money pressure.
1. Power Grid Recharged — players who love shared markets
Players: 2 to 6 · Price band: $30+ (about $46) · Pick for: Players who love shared markets · See Power Grid Recharged on Amazon
Each round players bid on power plants, buy fuel from a market where prices rise as supplies drop, connect cities and get paid for powering them. The player in the lead buys last and pays most, which keeps the game close.
Like Brass, the timing of when you expand matters as much as where. Our Brass vs Power Grid guide compares them directly.
Skip it if: your group dislikes auctions. Bidding is central.
2. Agricola — fans who enjoy the squeeze of limited actions
Players: 1 to 4 · Price band: $30+ (about $55) · Pick for: Fans who enjoy the squeeze of limited actions · See Agricola on Amazon
You run a 17th-century farm with just two family members at the start. Each round you place workers on action spaces to gather wood, plow fields, build fences or grow your family, and at every harvest you must feed everyone or take begging cards.
It has Brass’s feeling that you can never do everything you want, and every action space taken by another player hurts.
Skip it if: you want a network or map. Agricola is about your own farm.
3. Terraforming Mars — people who love building an engine over a long game
Players: 1 to 5 · Price band: $30+ (about $64) · Pick for: People who love building an engine over a long game · See Terraforming Mars on Amazon
Corporations race to make Mars livable by raising temperature, oxygen and oceans. Project cards boost your production of money, steel, titanium, plants, energy and heat, and the engine grows every generation.
Brass fans who enjoy planning many turns ahead tend to love it. Compare it with another big game in our Terraforming Mars vs Ark Nova guide.
Skip it if: you want direct competition over a shared economy. Interaction is lighter.
4. Concordia — groups who want a shorter, cleaner economic game
Players: 2 to 5 · Price band: $30+ (about $46) · Pick for: Groups who want a shorter, cleaner economic game · See Concordia on Amazon
Players expand a Roman trading network by playing personality cards, building houses in cities and producing goods. The cards you buy also set how you score at the end.
It has a fraction of Brass’s rules but a similar focus on network expansion. See how it compares in our Concordia vs Castles of Burgundy guide.
Skip it if: you want loans and debt. Concordia’s economy is simple.
5. Brass: Birmingham — anyone who has not tried it
Players: 2 to 4 · Price band: $30+ (about $64) · Pick for: Anyone who has not tried it · See Brass: Birmingham on Amazon
If you are reading this before playing Brass, it is worth the hype. Expect a full first game of about two to three hours with the teach, and shorter games after that. Many players also enjoy Brass: Lancashire, the original design, for a tighter cotton-focused game.
Skip it if: you want a light game. Brass is heavy.
How the alternatives compare with Brass
| Game | Players | Length | Shared economy? | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brass: Birmingham | 2 to 4 | 60 to 120 min | Yes | Heavy |
| Power Grid Recharged | 2 to 6 | About 2 hours | Yes | Medium-heavy |
| Agricola | 1 to 4 | 30 min a player | Action spaces | Medium-heavy |
| Terraforming Mars | 1 to 5 | 2 to 3 hours | Partly | Medium-heavy |
| Concordia | 2 to 5 | About 90 min | Card market | Medium |
Choosing your next economic game
- Love the shared market? Power Grid Recharged.
- Love the squeeze? Agricola.
- Love long engines? Terraforming Mars.
- Want something shorter? Concordia.
See the best economic board games for more picks.
Games like Brass FAQ
What game is most like Brass: Birmingham?
Power Grid Recharged is the closest, with network building and a shared market for resources.
Is Brass: Birmingham too hard for new players?
It is heavy, but patient new players often enjoy it after one learning game. Concordia is a gentler start.
What is a good Brass alternative for six players?
Power Grid Recharged plays up to six.
