Games like Gloomhaven

01

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion(2020)

★ 8.41–4 players30 minWeight 3.6

ISO Match

85/100

If Gloomhaven's core loop is what hooked you, Jaws of the Lion is a near-perfect match: the same action queue and action retrieval, campaign-driven card play, hand management on a hexagon grid, multi-use cards, simultaneous action selection, and variable player powers all return. At 3.64 weight against the original's 3.92, it's a touch more approachable without losing depth. It supports the same 1–4 players, though it sings at two rather than three. You give up the legacy system, modular board, and paragraph-driven narrative choices; the one thing it adds is the possibility of player elimination.

02

Gloomhaven (Second Edition)(2025)

★ 8.41–4 playersWeight 3.7

ISO Match

82/100

This is essentially the same game revisited. Gloomhaven (Second Edition) keeps the action queue, action retrieval, campaign-driven cards, card-play conflict resolution, hand management, hexagon grid, legacy progression, modular board, and variable player powers — one of the closest matches in feel you'll find. Complexity is nearly identical at 3.71 versus 3.92. It covers the same 1–4 count, so a three-player group loses nothing on paper. The only divergence is by subtraction: the listed mechanics drop line of sight, multi-use cards, and the paragraph narrative and storytelling elements, while adding nothing the first edition didn't already have.

03

Frosthaven(2022)

★ 8.71–4 players90 minWeight 4.4

ISO Match

82/100

Frosthaven picks up where the original leaves off, keeping the campaign-driven cards, communication limits, cooperative hand management, hexagon grid, legacy progression, multi-use cards, simultaneous action selection, and variable player powers — as close as it gets in feel. Be warned, though: at 4.41 weight against Gloomhaven's 3.92, this is a real jump in crunch, not a sidestep. Player count is a mirror image, 1–4 and best at three, exactly like the seed. Mechanically, the notable addition is deck, bag, and pool building, while the action queue, action retrieval, and critical hits from the original's list don't carry over.

04

Mage Knight Board Game(2011)

★ 8.11–4 players60 minWeight 4.4

ISO Match

73/100

At 4.38 weight, Mage Knight sits well above Gloomhaven's 3.92 — expect longer, denser turns. The overlap is still substantial: card-play conflict resolution, hand management, multi-use cards, hexagon-grid movement across a modular board, cooperative and solo play, role playing, and variable player powers. But where the original is best with three, this one is famously best alone; it technically supports 1–4. It also trades the campaign card structure, legacy elements, and simultaneous selection for dice rolling, open drafting, and deck, bag, and pool building — and there are no miniatures here.

05

Terminus Frontier(2026)

★ 8.41–4 players60 minWeight 3.8

ISO Match

69/100

Swap fantasy adventure for science fiction and space exploration and you get Terminus Frontier, which keeps the campaign-driven cards, card-play conflict resolution, cooperative deck construction, grid movement, legacy progression, critical hits, and paragraph-driven storytelling. Weight is practically the same — 3.78 to the seed's 3.92 — so nobody at your table needs retraining. It covers the identical 1–4 range, though it lists no best count where the original peaks at three. What plays differently: a square grid and multiple maps replace the hexes, and action points, tech trees, and deck-bag-pool building stand in for multi-use cards and simultaneous action selection.

06

Middara: Unintentional Malum – Act 1(2019)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 4.1

ISO Match

68/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 8 more

07

Pericle: Gathering Darkness(2023)

★ 8.11–4 playersWeight 3.6

ISO Match

67/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 11 more

08

Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood(2022)

★ 8.81–4 players30 minWeight 3.7

ISO Match

66/100

Around a full table of four is where Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood shines — one more than the seed's ideal of three. It shares cooperative card-play conflict resolution, hand management, a hexagon grid, modular board, role playing, storytelling, and variable player powers with Gloomhaven. Complexity lands slightly lower, 3.69 versus 3.92, though this is still a meaty campaign-style game. The big departure is chance: dice rolling and push-your-luck calls replace the original's action queue and retrieval, deck, bag, and pool building stands in for deck construction, and solo play isn't among its listed modes.

09

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

★ 8.61–4 players45 minWeight 3.7

ISO Match

66/100

Best at two rather than three, Arkham Horror: The Card Game (Revised Core Set) still covers the full 1–4 spread. It matches Gloomhaven on cooperative deck construction, communication limits, hand management, role playing, paragraph-based narrative choices, and a scenario-driven campaign you can also run solo. The weight gap is negligible — 3.74 against 3.92 — so the decision load feels familiar. The differences show up on the table: area movement, events, and stat-check resolution in a horror card game, instead of the original's hexagon-grid tactics, multi-use cards, and simultaneous action selection.

10

Folklore: The Affliction(2017)

★ 7.61–5 players90 minWeight 3.7

ISO Match

64/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 8 more

11

Malhya: Lands of Legends(2025)

★ 8.61–5 playersWeight 3.6

ISO Match

64/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 7 more

12

Enormity(2026)

★ 7.91–4 players60 minWeight 4.0

ISO Match

64/100

Shares Campaign / Battle Card Driven + 12 more