SEED GAME#5174 BGG all-time

The Cost(2020)

★ 7.0 BGG2–4 playersWeight 3.55
Action DraftingMarketNetwork and Route Building

Games like The Cost

Looking for games like The Cost? It rewards players who think several moves deep through tight, interlocking systems — built on picking moves from a shared, ever-shifting pool of options and carving out routes before your rivals box you in. This page rounds up 12 of the closest alternatives, scored on mechanical overlap with the original (45%), complexity match (35%), and player-count fit (20%), then weighted by BoardGameGeek community ratings so every pick is one players genuinely rate. The strongest matches come first; the further down you go, the more a game trades exact overlap for a fresh take on the same core appeal.

How ISO scores this list:Mechanic overlap 45%·Complexity proximity 35%·Player-count fit 20%·BGG quality multiplier applied

12 recommendations · scored by ISO

1824: Austrian-Hungarian Railway(2019)

★ 7.82–6 playersWeight 4.0
ISO Match
68/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Auction / BiddingMarketNetwork and Route Building

1861: Railways of the Russian Empire & 1867: Railways of Canada(2020)

★ 7.63–6 playersWeight 3.6
ISO Match
68/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Auction / BiddingMarketNetwork and Route Building

1846: The Race for the Midwest(2005)

★ 7.93–5 players120 minWeight 4.0
ISO Match
67/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Hexagon GridInvestmentMarket

Shikoku 1889(2004)

★ 8.02–6 players180 minWeight 3.8
ISO Match
66/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Auction / BiddingHexagon GridMarket

1888-N(2022)

★ 7.52–6 playersWeight 3.5
ISO Match
65/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Auction / BiddingInvestmentMarket

Power Grid Deluxe: Europe/North America(2014)

★ 7.92–6 players120 minWeight 3.2
ISO Match
65/100

Shares Market + 2 more

Auction: Turn Order Until PassCatch the LeaderIncome

Brick & Mortar(2021)

★ 7.42–4 playersWeight 3.3
ISO Match
65/100

Shares Market + 2 more

Auction / BiddingAuction: Sealed BidCommodity Speculation

18Chesapeake(2018)

★ 7.62–6 players180 minWeight 3.8
ISO Match
65/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Auction / BiddingHexagon GridMarket

Power Grid(2004)

★ 7.82–6 players120 minWeight 3.3
ISO Match
64/100

Shares Market + 2 more

Auction / BiddingAuction: Turn Order Until PassCatch the Leader

Steam(2009)

★ 7.53–6 players90 minWeight 3.5
ISO Match
63/100

Shares Network and Route Building + 2 more

Auction / BiddingLoansNetwork and Route Building

Pipeline(2019)

★ 7.52–4 players60 minWeight 3.9
ISO Match
62/100

Shares Action Drafting + 2 more

Action DraftingCommodity SpeculationContracts

1848: Australia(2007)

★ 7.93–6 playersWeight 3.8
ISO Match
62/100

Shares Market + 3 more

Auction / BiddingAuction: Dutch PriorityLoans

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