Games like Frosthaven

01

Gloomhaven(2017)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 3.9

ISO Match

84/100

If any game is a near-perfect match for Frosthaven, it's this one: the same campaign/battle card system, multi-use cards, hand management on a hex grid, simultaneous action selection, legacy elements, communication limits, and variable player powers all carry over intact. At 3.92 weight versus 4.41, it's marginally less demanding, though the depth feels close. Player counts line up exactly — 1–4, best at three — so your existing group slots straight in. Where the original adds deck, bag, and pool building, Gloomhaven leans into line of sight, critical hits, and more overt role playing and storytelling.

02

Mage Knight Board Game(2011)

★ 8.11–4 players60 minWeight 4.4

ISO Match

76/100

Weight-wise this is one of the closest in feel you'll find: 4.38 against Frosthaven's 4.41, so expect the same dense, plan-three-turns-ahead thinking. The overlap runs deep too — deck, bag, and pool building, multi-use cards, hand management, hex-grid movement on a modular board, cooperative scenarios, and strong solo support. One caveat on count: it technically handles 1–4 but sings solo, while the original peaks at three. You give up the legacy campaign, narrative paragraphs, and simultaneous turns; in exchange you get open drafting, dice rolling, and card-play conflict resolution.

03

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion(2020)

★ 8.41–4 players30 minWeight 3.6

ISO Match

74/100

Every core system carries over here — the campaign/battle card engine, multi-use cards, simultaneous action selection under communication limits, hex-grid movement, once-per-game abilities, and full solo support. What changes is the load: at 3.64 versus 4.41, this is a meaningfully lighter table, which makes it a fine entry point or a break between heavier sessions. It supports 1–4 like the original but is rated best at two, not three. You lose the legacy elements, modular board, and narrative paragraphs; you gain line of sight rules, critical hits, and the risk of player elimination.

04

Gloomhaven (Second Edition)(2025)

★ 8.41–4 playersWeight 3.7

ISO Match

70/100

Nearly everything transfers: the legacy campaign structure, card-driven combat, deck construction, simultaneous action selection with communication limits, hex-grid movement on a modular board, once-per-game abilities, and solo play. The weight tells the story of the difference — 3.71 to Frosthaven's 4.41 — so the rules load is appreciably lower even if the decisions still bite. It covers the same 1–4 spread as the original's best-at-three range. Missing are the multi-use cards, narrative paragraphs, and deck-bag-and-pool building; in their place come action queues, card-play conflict resolution, critical hits and failures, and a heavier role-playing lean.

05

Middara: Unintentional Malum – Act 1(2019)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 4.1

ISO Match

69/100

Groups who run at full strength should note this one hits its stride at four, where Frosthaven is strongest at three across the same 1–4 range. The shared foundation is solid: cooperative scenario campaigns, grid movement on a modular board, hand management, variable player powers, and solo play, all in the same adventure-fantasy-miniatures mold. At 4.14 it lands just under the 4.41 mark, so the depth is comparable if a little more approachable. The biggest divergence is in resolution: instead of card-driven combat with simultaneous selection and legacy elements, Middara uses action points, dice rolling, and a heavy storytelling emphasis.

06

Spirit Island(2017)

★ 8.31–4 players90 minWeight 4.1

ISO Match

67/100

Swap dungeon delving for territorial defense and you still get the core of what makes Frosthaven tick: simultaneous action selection, campaign/battle-card-driven play, hand management, deck-bag-and-pool building, variable powers, and a modular board, all fully cooperative and solo-friendly. At 4.07 it sits a shade below Frosthaven's 4.41 — heavy, but not quite as sprawling. Both run 1–4, though this one shines at two rather than three. The divergence is real: no hex-grid movement, legacy campaign, or narrative paragraphs here, replaced by area majority and automatic resource growth in a mythic, environmental setting.

07

Terminus Frontier(2026)

★ 8.41–4 players60 minWeight 3.8

ISO Match

63/100

Shares Campaign / Battle Card Driven + 11 more

08

Kingdom Death: Monster(2015)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 4.3

ISO Match

62/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 4 more

09

The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era(2025)

★ 8.91–4 players120 minWeight 4.1

ISO Match

62/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 4 more

10

Arkham Horror: The Card Game (Revised Core Set)(2021)

★ 8.61–4 players45 minWeight 3.7

ISO Match

62/100

The narrative side of Frosthaven — branching paragraph choices inside a scenario-driven campaign — is what this card game chases, backed by deck construction, hand management, communication limits, a modular board, variable player powers, and solo play. It's a lighter lift at 3.74 against 4.41, trading tactical heft for pacing. Best at two of its 1–4 range, it sits opposite the original's sweet spot of three. Combat feels different too: no hex grids, multi-use cards, or simultaneous selection — instead you get area movement, stat-check resolution, and events, wrapped in horror rather than fantasy adventure.

11

Nemesis: Lockdown(2022)

★ 8.31–5 players90 minWeight 3.9

ISO Match

62/100

Shares Campaign / Battle Card Driven + 4 more

12

Voidfall(2023)

★ 8.51–4 players90 minWeight 4.6

ISO Match

62/100

Here's the sci-fi outlier of the list, yet the bones are familiar: cooperative play, hand management, hex-grid movement across a modular board, variable player powers, and genuine solo support. Complexity actually climbs a notch — 4.61 against Frosthaven's 4.41 — so it shares the mechanical skeleton while asking even more of you. Both support 1–4, but Voidfall lists its best count as one, whereas the original favors three. Otherwise expect a very different table: no campaign card system, deck construction, or legacy content, just command cards and events in a civilization-building, economic space setting.