If you are looking for a new game to play with your family or friends, the Ticket To Ride board game is one of the best options. The game has won several awards and is very popular around the world. You can easily find it in stores, or order it online. But if you want variety, there are plenty of other games that have similar features to this one – here’s our list of five alternatives!
What Is Ticket To Ride Board Game?
The board game is played by two to five people. Its mechanics are based on the railroad transportation system of North America in the 19th century (we don’t know about you, but we love history!) Each player gets a certain number of locomotives and train cars – each one with a different color.
If at any point, you are unable to claim a route with your train cards because the paths have been blocked by another player – you lose.
The Gameplay Of Ticket To Ride
The game starts with all players drawing cards from three decks: passengers (a card depicting them represents one completed route), colored train cars (one of each player’s chosen color), and locomotives (which require a set number of cars to be played). At the beginning of each turn, players draw two cards from one deck; when they run out of train cars or locomotives in their hands, they can choose to either pick up more from an open supply on the table by returning what they don’t need at that moment or draw from the deck.
The game ends either when all players have connected the two cities on their secret Destination Tickets, or when one player has completed a certain number of routes (which depends on how many players are in the game). In this case, every other player gets one more turn before final scores are calculated.
The winner is determined by who can complete the most routes between various places – with each completed route giving one point. If two or more players tie for the most routes, those who completed at least half as many get a bonus – which means that you can’t coast to victory by completing just a few!
Why Do You Need To Play This Game
Ticket to Ride is a great game both for fans of the original and people who have never tried it before. It’s easy to learn, very interactive, and perfect even for kids – but with enough depth that adults will enjoy playing just as much!
Most of all, though – it’s very exciting to play. Since the game has an element of luck involved (you don’t know what cards you’ll get every turn), each round is different and always brings new surprises! Players can also choose which route they want to claim on their ticket, making things even more interesting.
Best Games Like Ticket to Ride
We have compiled a list of 5 games like Ticket to Ride for you. These games are similar, but not the same as Ticket To Ride and offer new opportunities and strategies. Check them out below!
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Best Board Game For Two Players 
| 7 Wonders
| Check Price |
Best Board Game For Kids  | Catan
| Check Price |
Best Board Game For Family 
| Carcassonne
| Check Price |
Best for Developing Creativity 
| Dixit
| Check Price |
Best Game for Small Spaces 
| Alhambra: Revised Edition
| Check Price |
1. 7 Wonders – Best Game For Two Players
A card game for two players, based on the award-winning game “Rome” and designed by Antoine Bauza. It’s played during three ages (rounds). Each age is divided into four phases – first drafting phase, second building phase, third scoring phase, and finally an end of age phase – and each of these phases is played out by both players simultaneously.Once an age concludes, certain elements of this draft pool will score points according to how they’re placed in your wonder (one of the two you built in this age). Additionally, players get one extra turn (Odin’s favor) for each card left at the end of that age.
Gameplay
The game is based on card-drafting. Players take turns picking a card from the hand of one opponent and then giving one they’ve drafted to that player. The main twist here comes in the form of workers, who give their owner an action at any given time until discarded; this can be anything between drawing extra cards, taking coins, or building parts of your wonder.
The game ends when the board is full; then players get one last round of turns (without drafting) and final scoring takes place. The player with the most victory points wins – but you’ll never be able to count them on your own!
Details
- Game Time: 30 Min
- Age: 10+
- Players: 3-7
Final Thoughts
This is a great game to play with your partner since it’s not as cutthroat as other games. It has enough strategy and depth that will give you plenty of opportunities for those “one more rounds” which turn into hours!
The game is easy to learn and plays quickly. There’s enough variety in the cards that replayability is high, even with just two players; you can play it as a warm-up or endgame for an evening of gaming!
2. Catan – Best Board Game For Kids
Settlers of Catan is a game like a Ticket to Ride, where players are settlers establishing colonies on the island of Catan. Players roll dice each turn to determine what resources they get; then use those resources – wood, brick, sheep, and grain – in order to build roads, settlements, and cities which earn them points.They must also keep an eye on various developments which are triggered by the roll of certain numbers – for example, if a two is rolled then all players living adjacent to water now receive extra points.
Gameplay
The game is played on a variable board that is made up of 19 terrain hexes (12 lands, and seven water) where players build roads and settlements. Players start with two settlements; they can build more by spending resources. Each settlement must be adjacent to at least one other settlement or city – but only three sides of the new building need to touch the existing one.
The game ends when a number of victory points are reached or all spaces on the board are filled; whoever has the highest score wins.
Details
- Game Time: 60+ Min
- Age: 10+
- Players: 3-6
Final Thoughts
This is a great game to play with your kids. It’s not as cutthroat as other games and teaches them how to trade, interact with others and strategize! Settlers of Catan is my pick when looking for games like Ticket to Ride. It is easy to learn, engaging and fun for families.
The game is fast-paced with the right amount of strategy needed to keep things interesting. It also scales well from two players up so you can play it with friends or family!
3. Carcassonne – Best Board Game For Family
Carcassonne is a tile-based board game. Players take turns drawing tiles from either the draw pile or one of four pre-arranged stacks, and adding it to an ever-expanding playing area.A player can choose whether to place a tile so that it contributes towards their points total or deny an opponent from doing so; if they take this latter option then they must compensate with their own scoring tiles. When all tiles have been placed, each player scores them according to how they were positioned.
Gameplay
The game is played on a variable board that is made up of tiles, each showing roads, cities, knights, monasteries, or farmers. Each player controls one to five farmers. The players draw and place the tile so as to build an area that will score them points once completed – such as completing city features or controlling fields within those cities.
Once the board is full, scores are tallied. The player with the most points wins.
Details
- Game Time: 45 Min
- Age: 8+
- Players: 2-5
Final Thoughts
This is a great game for people of all ages and skill levels! It’s not as cutthroat as other games and has enough strategy that you’ll want to keep playing.
4. Dixit – Best for Creativity
Dixit is a game that requires players to use their imagination and creativity. Players are given six cards, each decorated with an image of one thing; it might be something tangible like ‘the Eiffel Tower’ or intangible like ‘a dream about clowns’.Dixit is an award-winning board game published in 2010. Each player has six oversized cards with images on them and a hand of similarly sized, chunky wooden ‘voters’. There’s also a three-by-three grid of variously shaped cardholders called the ‘scene of the crime’ which players build while they play.
Gameplay
Each round, the active player secretly selects one of his or her cards and gives it to another player. All other players then select their own card which they think matches that chosen by the first player, but they must avoid selecting the ‘judge’s favorite’ (the picked card). Once everyone has selected a card, all players lay them at the scene of the crime.
The player whose card is chosen by the judge and correctly identified by everyone scores a point, while all other players score nothing. The first to reach six points wins the game; if nobody reaches six in twenty turns, whoever has the most points at that time wins instead.
Details
- Game Time: 30 Min
- Age: 8+
- Players: 3-6
Final Thoughts
This game is great for people of all ages and skill levels. It’s not as cutthroat as other games but still has enough strategy that you’ll want to keep playing. It’s a great game for creativity and imagination!
5. Alhambra: Revised Edition – Best for Small Spaces
Alhambra is a game of skill and strategy. Players assume the role of palace builders who must use their limited resources to build the most impressive structure that they can, scoring victory points as they go by adding courtyards and building up three-dimensional walls; but only if those tiles match with those already laid down before them.Alhambra is a board game for two to six players designed by Dirk Henn. The revised edition was published in 2003 and has since been reprinted numerous times with many expansions being released over the years, most of them developed by third parties rather than the designer himself.
Gameplay
Each player starts with a pool of resources that they use to purchase buildings, walls, and decorations from the central market. Players have two types of resources: silverlings which are used for purchasing non-scoring items and goldstone which can be used for anything.
They then add them to their own wall, scoring points according to how well the tiles match up with those already laid down before them based on color and shape.
Details
- Game Time: 45–60 Min
- Age: 8+
- Players: 2-6
Final Thoughts
Alhambra is the perfect game for people who want to play a board game in small spaces. It’s also great for anyone that enjoys games that involve strategy and skill since you have to plan each move ahead of time so there are no mistakes. Alhambra has been around for many years now, being reprinted with new expansions multiple times over the years, making it a must-have for any board game enthusiast.
People Also Ask
What is a good board game to play with my family?
Honestly, this one is a hard question since there are thousands of different games that you can choose from. One great option though would be Ticket to Ride which has been around for many years and consistently ranks as one of the most popular games in the world. In fact, it was named the best board game of all time by the Good Housekeeping Institute.
Is it fun to play board games?
Some people enjoy playing them and others don't. It's about finding the right game that suits your taste, preferences, and style of play which may take some time but is well worth it in the end since you'll be enjoying a great new hobby for years to come. If nothing else, you'll meet new people and make friends along the way which is always a plus.
How many players can play board games?
There are literally thousands of different types of board games so you're sure to find one that suits your specific needs whether you want to play with just two players or up to ten, there's something for everyone no matter what the case.
What are some tips for playing the game of Alhambra?
When it comes to Alhambra, the only real tip I can give is not to go too crazy at first. It's best just to see what everyone else does and then think about your next move. You don't want to be stuck with a bunch of tiles that don't match up with those already out on the table.
What Are Some Similar Games To Alhambra?
Small World, Carcassonne, and Splendor are all great games for people who enjoy strategy. They're similar to Alhambra in that way since they require you think every move through so there's no room for mistakes. These types of games can be very competitive which is what makes them so fun.
Summary
There are lots of other board games like Ticket to Ride; in fact, it’s one of the most popular modern tabletop strategy games. There really is something for everyone when looking for other good tabletop games like this one! Some examples include: Carcassonne – Players lay down tiles while placing meeples, trying to complete cities and roads while claiming victory points. Settlers of Catan – Players collect resources in order to build settlements, which they then use to acquire other needed or luxury goods. Carcassonne or Settlers is a great option for people who liked the idea of Ticket To Ride but wanted something more complex with a little more strategy involved.