Games like Wingspan: what to play next
Last checked 31 October 2026
Quick answer: If you liked Wingspan, Wyrmspan is the closest: the same Stonemaier engine with dragons and caves. Everdell and Ark Nova keep the cards that power each other up, Cascadia and Harmonies keep the calm nature theme with tiles, and Mycelia is a gentle mushroom deck-builder. For a short game, try Faraway or Splendor.
Wingspan's hook is two things at once: a lovely nature theme, and bird cards whose powers stack up so your turns get bigger as the game goes on. Some of these games keep the card combos, some keep the calm animals-and-landscapes feel, and a couple do both. If you're buying for someone who already owns Wingspan, these make a good next present. We've started with the closest match.
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1. Wyrmspan
Wingspan's engine with dragons. Dig out caves, tempt dragons into them and chain their powers together. It's a standalone game by Connie Vogelmann, with an Automa solo mode in the box.
- Players
- 1 to 5 players
- Age
- 14+
- Play time
- about 90 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Takes some explaining
Why it suits this: The nearest thing to more Wingspan without an expansion. It's Wingspan's engine with dragons: you dig out caves, tempt dragons into them and chain their powers together. It's a standalone game by Connie Vogelmann, with an Automa solo mode in the box. It plays a bit longer than Wingspan.
Check price on Amazon for Wyrmspan (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 22 October 2026.
2. Everdell
Woodland critters build a city in a forest valley. Send workers out for resources, then play critter and building cards that start to feed off each other.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- 40 to 80 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: Woodland critters instead of birds. You send workers out for resources, then play critter and building cards that start to feed off each other, which is the same growing-engine feeling Wingspan fans love.
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
3. Cascadia
Each turn you take a habitat tile and an animal, building a nature landscape where your bears, salmon and hawks are happy.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 45 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Keeps the nature theme and drops the card combos. Each turn you take a habitat tile and an animal and fit them into your own landscape. Nobody can get in your way, so it's as calm as Wingspan, and quicker to teach.
Check price on Amazon for Cascadia (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 26 October 2026.
4. Harmonies
Stack coloured wooden tokens into mountains, trees and rivers on your board, then build the habitats your animal cards ask for. Has a solo mode.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Another calm nature puzzle. You stack coloured wooden tokens into mountains, trees and rivers, then build the habitats your animal cards ask for. It's short, it looks lovely on the table and there's a solo mode.
Check price on Amazon for Harmonies (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
5. Mycelia
A gentle first deck-builder about mushrooms. Gather leaves, recruit forest creatures into your deck and use them to clear dewdrops off your board into the shrine. There's a solo mode in the box too.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 9+
- Play time
- 10 to 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: A gentle first deck-builder about mushrooms. You recruit forest creatures into your deck and use them to clear dewdrops off your board. It's lighter and quicker than Wingspan, with a solo mode in the box.
Check price on Amazon for Mycelia (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 27 October 2026.
6. Ark Nova
Plan a modern zoo card by card. Animals bring in visitors and money, conservation projects score the points that win, and any action you leave unused gets stronger for next time.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 14+
- Play time
- 90 to 150 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Hard to teach, so set aside time
Why it suits this: The big step up. You plan a modern zoo card by card: animals bring in visitors and money, and conservation projects score the points that win. If the Wingspan fan in your life wants something meatier, this is it. It's a long game.
Check price on Amazon for Ark Nova (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 19 October 2026.
7. Faraway
Build a row of cards on a journey across Alula, then score it backwards, from the last card you laid to the first. Johannes Goupy and Corentin Lebrat's twist makes every pick a puzzle.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- 15 to 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Takes a little explaining
Why it suits this: A short card game for when you don't have an evening. You build a row of cards across Alula, then score it backwards, from the last card you laid to the first. Every pick is a little puzzle, and it plays up to six.
Check price on Amazon for Faraway (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 21 October 2026.
8. 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: Wingspan's ‘my cards make later turns better’ idea in a quick game. The cards you buy make later purchases cheaper, so a small engine builds in front of you. One action a turn keeps it moving.
Check price on Amazon for Splendor (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 26 October 2026.
Want more like this? See games like Catan, solo board games and board game gifts for board game lovers.
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.