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Best games like Scythe (2026): Scythe sets factions with giant mechs in an alternate 1920s Europa and asks you to grow an economy, expand across the map and pick your battles carefully. The threat of combat matters more than the fights themselves. If your group loves that mix of engine building and territory, these five games deliver the same tension with different flavors.
Our pick for Scythe fans: Blood Rage
Blood Rage shares Scythe’s miniatures and area control, adds card drafting and makes losing a battle a valid strategy. It plays 2 to 4 in about 90 minutes and costs about $87.
Price band: $30+ (about $87) · Check today’s price on Amazon
Games like Scythe at a glance
All five mix strategy with fights over the map.
- Best overall: Blood Rage — Viking clans and card drafting (about $87)
- Best for bidding fans: Cyclades — bid for the gods’ favor, 2 to 5 (about $75)
- Best campaign: Risk Legacy — a 15-game evolving campaign (about $56)
- Best classic: El Grande — pure area-control majorities (about $44)
- Best epic: Twilight Imperium 4th Edition — all-day space empire game (about $176)
What makes Scythe work
In Scythe, each turn you choose one section of your player mat and may take its top action and its bottom action. Moving, trading, producing and bolstering sit on top; upgrading, deploying mechs, building and enlisting sit below and cost resources. Placing your sixth star achievement ends the game, and the richest player wins, with coins earned for popularity, stars, territories and resources. Combat is rare but every move is shaped by the chance of it.
1. Blood Rage — Scythe fans who want more fighting
Players: 2 to 4 · Price band: $30+ (about $87) · Pick for: Scythe fans who want more fighting · See Blood Rage on Amazon
Each player leads a Viking clan through three ages as Ragnarök approaches. Players draft cards at the start of each age, choosing upgrades, quests and battle cards, then invade provinces and pillage for rewards. Dying in battle sends warriors to Valhalla, which can score points too.
It keeps Scythe’s sense of building toward something while making the map far more aggressive.
Skip it if: you prefer Scythe’s quieter, economy-first play.
2. Cyclades — groups who like auctions
Players: 2 to 5 · Price band: $30+ (about $75) · Pick for: Groups who like auctions · See Cyclades on Amazon
Every round, players bid gold for the favor of a Greek god: Ares for armies, Poseidon for fleets, Zeus for priests, Athena for philosophers and Apollo for income. Only one player can have each god, so the auction decides what everyone can do. Build two metropolises to win.
Like Scythe, it is about choosing the right action at the right time, with mythic creatures adding surprises.
Skip it if: your group dislikes bidding. It is the heart of the game.
3. Risk Legacy — a group that can meet regularly
Players: 3 to 5 · Price band: $30+ (about $56) · Pick for: A group that can meet regularly · See Risk Legacy on Amazon
A Risk campaign of 15 games where the board changes permanently. Winners sign the board, cities are founded, factions gain powers and sealed packets open when certain things happen.
It suits Scythe fans who loved the factions and want a world that remembers. Compare it with the original in Risk vs Risk Legacy.
Skip it if: you cannot keep the same group for 15 sessions.
4. El Grande — players who love pure strategy
Players: 2 to 5 · Price band: $30+ (about $44) · Pick for: Players who love pure strategy · See El Grande on Amazon
El Grande is an area-majority classic set in medieval Spain. Players bid with power cards to set turn order and gain knights, called caballeros, then place them in regions or hide them in the castillo tower. Regions score in the third, sixth and ninth rounds.
There is no dice and no luck in combat. It is the purest test of positioning on this list.
Skip it if: you want miniatures and big fights.
5. Twilight Imperium 4th Edition — the all-day epic
Players: 3 to 6 · Price band: $30+ (about $176) · Pick for: The all-day epic · See Twilight Imperium 4th Edition on Amazon
Each player leads a galactic faction through exploration, trade, politics and war. The game lasts six hours or more and includes negotiations, votes on galactic laws and public objectives.
It is what happens when you take Scythe’s faction asymmetry and multiply it. Plan a full Saturday.
Skip it if: you want a game under three hours.
Scythe alternatives compared
| Game | Players | Length | Combat | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scythe | 1 to 5 | 90 to 115 min | Rare but decisive | Medium-heavy |
| Blood Rage | 2 to 4 | 60 to 90 min | Frequent | Medium |
| Cyclades | 2 to 5 | 60 to 90 min | Moderate | Medium |
| Risk Legacy | 3 to 5 | About 60 min per game | Frequent | Medium |
| El Grande | 2 to 5 | About 90 min | None | Medium |
| Twilight Imperium 4 | 3 to 6 | 6 to 8 hours | Moderate | Heavy |
Which game like Scythe should you buy?
- Want more action? Blood Rage.
- Love auctions? Cyclades.
- Have a regular group? Risk Legacy.
- Want no luck at all? El Grande.
- Want the biggest game you can find? Twilight Imperium.
If you are deciding between Scythe and a woodland rival, read Root vs Scythe. For more ideas, see the best games like Risk.
Games like Scythe FAQ
What is the closest game to Scythe?
Blood Rage has the closest feel, with miniatures, area control and a strong engine, though combat is more frequent.
Is there a game like Scythe with less combat?
El Grande has no fighting at all, only majorities. It is a great fit for players who enjoy Scythe’s positioning.
Is Scythe good for beginners?
It is medium-heavy. Most groups need one full game to learn it, but the turn structure is simple once it clicks.
