Games like Monopoly (but better)
Last checked 21 October 2026
Quick answer: If you want Monopoly's property sets and rent without the long game, get Monopoly Deal: it's a card game for 2 to 5 that takes about 15 minutes. For the trading and haggling, try CATAN. Splendor and Jaipur are about making money and spending it well, Camel Up keeps the dice and adds betting, and Ticket to Ride and Scotland Yard are big family board games that fit an afternoon.
Most of us like the idea of Monopoly more than the game itself. Buying streets and charging rent is fun. Sitting there for the last hour while one person slowly bankrupts everyone isn't. These eight keep the good bits (collecting sets, making money, a bit of trading, rolling dice) and finish in an hour or less, apart from CATAN, which can run to 90 minutes. Each card says how easy it is to teach, so you can pick one that suits whoever's playing. If you're not ready to give up on Monopoly completely, start with the first one.
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1. Monopoly Deal
Monopoly as a 110-card game. Play up to three cards a turn to bank money, lay down property or charge rent, and the first to finish three full sets in different colours wins.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: This is Monopoly squeezed into 110 cards, and honestly it's the version we'd rather play. You still collect property sets and charge rent, but you play up to three cards a turn and the first to finish three full sets in different colours wins. A game's about 15 minutes for 2 to 5 players aged 8 and up, so a grudge rematch is easy.
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Details last checked 20 October 2026.
2. CATAN
Build roads, settlements and cities on an island of hexagon tiles. Trade brick, lumber, wool, grain and ore with the table to reach 10 points first.
- Players
- 3 to 4 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- 60 to 90 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: If the best bit of Monopoly is doing deals across the table, this is the one. You build roads and settlements on an island of hex tiles and trade brick, wool, grain and the rest with everyone else to get what you need. It's 3 to 4 players aged 10 and up (5 and 6 need the separate extension). At 60 to 90 minutes it's the longest here, but nobody's knocked out, so everyone stays in it to the end.
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Details last checked 19 October 2026.
3. Splendor
You're a Renaissance jewel merchant. Collect gem tokens to buy cards that give you permanent discounts, and race to 15 points.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Splendor is all about money and spending it well. You're a jewel merchant taking gem tokens to buy cards, and every card you buy gives you a permanent discount on the next one, so your little business snowballs. Marc André's design is one action a turn and about 30 minutes, for 2 to 4 players aged 10 and up. It's the one we'd hand to the person who always wanted to be the banker.
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Details last checked 26 October 2026.
4. Jaipur
Two market traders swap and sell spices, silk and gems. Camels let you grab several cards at once, which is where the tricky choices come in.
- Players
- 2 players only
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: A two-player trading game, so it suits a couple who used to fight over Monopoly. Sébastien Pauchon's Jaipur has you buying and selling spices, silk and gems at a market, and grabbing the camels lets you take several cards at once. Selling early gets the best price, waiting for a bigger set gets a bonus, and that tension's the whole game. About 30 minutes, ages 10 and up.
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Details last checked 9 November 2026.
5. Camel Up (2nd edition)
Bet on a wobbly camel race where camels stack on top of each other, so the leader can change on every dice roll.
- Players
- 3 to 8 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- 30 to 45 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: For the people who mostly liked rolling the dice. It's a camel race where the camels stack on top of each other, so the one at the back can get carried into the lead on a single roll, and you're betting on who comes out on top. It plays with 3 to 8, aged 8 and up, in 30 to 45 minutes, and luck keeps the kids and the grown-ups on even terms.
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
6. Ticket to Ride
Collect matching coloured train cards and claim railway routes to link cities across North America.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- 30 to 60 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: If what you want is a big board on the table, Alan R. Moon's train game is the usual next step. You collect coloured train cards and spend them to claim railway routes between cities across North America, trying to link up the ones on your tickets. A turn is usually just drawing cards or laying trains, so it moves along. It's 2 to 5 players aged 8 and up, and 30 to 60 minutes.
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Details last checked 26 October 2026.
7. Scotland Yard
One player is Mr. X, moving round London in secret by taxi, bus and Underground. Everyone else plays detectives together, reading his used tickets to trap him before time runs out.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 45 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: Ravensburger's chase across London is a proper family board game, and the map of London will feel familiar to anyone raised on Monopoly. One player is Mr. X, moving in secret by taxi, bus and Underground, and everyone else works together as detectives reading his used tickets to trap him. It's 2 to 6 players aged 8 and up, and about 45 minutes.
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Details last checked 20 October 2026.
8. King of Tokyo
Play a giant monster and roll dice, a bit like Yahtzee, to attack, heal or score. Whoever's in Tokyo hits everyone else but can't heal there. First to 20 points or last monster standing wins.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Richard Garfield's monster brawl is the dice-rolling pick for a rowdier table. You roll dice a bit like Yahtzee to attack, heal or score, and whoever's in Tokyo hits everyone else but can't heal while they're there. First to 20 points or the last monster standing wins. It's 2 to 6 players aged 8 and up, and about 30 minutes, so it's over long before anyone's counting out rent.
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Details last checked 19 October 2026.
Want a detective game instead? See games like Cluedo. Or, if the family classic is Risk, see games like Risk.
Not ready to give up on the real thing? See the 10 best Monopoly versions, from the original board to Monopoly Deal and Monopoly Junior.
How we choose and check
We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.