Games like Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

01

Gloomhaven(2017)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 3.9

ISO Match

87/100

The obvious next step, and a near-perfect match. Gloomhaven runs on the same engine as Jaws of the Lion: action queues and retrieval, multi-use cards, hand management on a hex grid with line of sight, and a card-driven cooperative campaign with once-per-game abilities and variable player powers. At 3.92 weight against 3.64 it sits a touch heavier, though the difference in depth is marginal. Both handle 1–4 players; this one is rated best at three where the original peaks at two. The additions — legacy elements, modular boards, narrative paragraph choices, storytelling — make the campaign bigger, while player elimination drops away.

02

Gloomhaven (Second Edition)(2025)

★ 8.41–4 playersWeight 3.7

ISO Match

81/100

At 3.71 weight to Jaws of the Lion's 3.64, Gloomhaven (Second Edition) is about as close in depth as you'll find, and one of the closest in feel. The action queue and retrieval loop returns, along with simultaneous action selection, deck construction, hand management, communication limits, and a card-driven campaign of hex-grid scenarios, cooperative for the same 1–4 players and playable solo. Where it diverges: this edition adds legacy elements, a modular board, and card-play conflict resolution, while dropping the line-of-sight rules and multi-use cards from the original. Same bones, bigger campaign around them.

03

Frosthaven(2022)

★ 8.71–4 players90 minWeight 4.4

ISO Match

74/100

Frosthaven shares the card-driven campaign structure directly: multi-use cards, hand management, simultaneous action selection, once-per-game abilities, and deck construction on hex grids, cooperative or solo, with communication limits intact. Be ready for more, though — at 4.41 weight against 3.64, this is a genuine jump in complexity, not a sidestep. Player counts line up at 1–4, with the community leaning toward three rather than the two the original favors. New here are legacy elements, deck-bag-and-pool building, modular boards, and narrative paragraph choices; the action-retrieval timing, critical hits, and role playing you know don't carry over. It keeps the engine and asks more of it.

04

Middara: Unintentional Malum – Act 1(2019)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 4.1

ISO Match

68/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 6 more

05

Arkham Horror: The Card Game(2016)

★ 8.11–2 players60 minWeight 3.6

ISO Match

68/100

Built for one or two players — and best at two, exactly where Jaws of the Lion lands — Arkham Horror: The Card Game shares the core of what makes it tick: cooperative campaign scenarios, deck construction, hand management, communication limits, role playing, variable player powers, and even the possibility of player elimination. At 3.57 weight versus 3.64, the mental load is nearly identical. The divergence is real, though: hex-grid tactics, action queues, simultaneous selection, and multi-use cards give way to area movement, event cards, push-your-luck stat checks, and horror in place of fantasy fighting. Just remember it caps at two where the original supports four.

06

Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread(2025)

★ 9.01–4 players60 minWeight 3.3

ISO Match

67/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 6 more

07

Bardsung(2022)

★ 7.21–5 playersWeight 3.1

ISO Match

67/100

Shares Action Queue + 10 more

08

Pericle: Gathering Darkness(2023)

★ 8.11–4 playersWeight 3.6

ISO Match

66/100

Pericle: Gathering Darkness keeps the cooperative adventure shape: grid movement with line of sight, scenario-based campaign play, simultaneous action selection, role playing, critical hits and failures, and full solo support across the same 1–4 player range the original covers. At 3.60 weight next to 3.64, the two are effectively equal in depth, so the learning curve should feel comfortable. The engine underneath is different, though: dice rolling, legacy elements, multiple maps, storytelling, and narrative paragraph choices take the place of hand management, multi-use cards, hexes, and deck construction. Familiar fantasy fighting and exploration on the surface — a different set of decisions beneath it.

09

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

★ 8.61–4 players45 minWeight 3.7

ISO Match

66/100

This revised core set lines up with Jaws of the Lion's player profile exactly: 1–4, best at two. The connective tissue is co-op campaign play — deck construction, hand management, communication limits, role playing, variable player powers, and solid solo support — and at 3.74 weight versus 3.64 the depth is practically the same. What changes at the table is the tactical layer: instead of hex grids, action queues, and multi-use cards, you'll work with area movement, event cards, stat-check resolution, and narrative paragraph choices, with horror layered over the fantasy. The campaign structure feels familiar; the moment-to-moment decisions don't.

10

DANTE: Inferno(2025)

★ 7.51–4 playersWeight 3.3

ISO Match

65/100

Shares Action Retrieval + 8 more

11

Euthia: Torment of Resurrection(2021)

★ 8.51–4 players60 minWeight 3.5

ISO Match

65/100

Shares Cooperative Game + 6 more

12

Terminus Frontier(2026)

★ 8.41–4 players60 minWeight 3.8

ISO Match

64/100

Shares Campaign / Battle Card Driven + 8 more