Wingspan is undoubtedly one of the top board games to come out in recent years. Wingspan's charm comes from its varied game mechanics, beautiful artwork, and approachable gameplay. Different actions can be taken each turn to interact with the game's different mechanics. These include drawing new birds, laying eggs that are worth victory points, placing birds on the board, and even drawing new objective cards. It's a lot of content to take in, but players still want more.

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The warm, inviting nature theme draws in players of all ages and types, showing off interesting bird facts and versatile gameplay. The game has been so central to the tabletop community zeitgeist that the Roseate Spoonbill has become a bit of a meme for board game enthusiasts. For those who have already played Wingspan and all of the expansions or players who simply want a slight change of pace, there are plenty of board games just like Wingspan to choose from. Though it may seem impossible to ever find a game like Wingspan again, these titles make for impressive follow-up acts.

The Best Tabletop Games Like Wingspan

How to Find Games Like Wingspan

Wingspan is a super popular game, but there’s no single feature that makes it stand out. Rather, the game has made waves through its unique combination of art, game mechanics, and approachability. Players looking to add more board games like Wingspan to their collection should keep an eye out for games that share some of Wingspan’s best elements, such as:

• Art Style: The art of Wingspan, especially the art on each bird card, is beautiful and realistic, mimicking Audubon sketches from early zoologists. Any game with a similar style will please fans.
• Educational: There are real facts on each card in Wingspan, and plenty of players relish the opportunity to learn while they game. Parents especially love to combine learning and playing for family game nights.
• Mechanics: Wingspan is a resource management game, meaning that each player has to make sure they are collecting and distributing their birds, eggs, and bird feed efficiently. Lots of games use resource management as a major mechanic, so players who enjoy this aspect of Wingspan are in luck.
• Straightforward Gameplay: Although the first game of Wingspan can be a bit heavy and takes extra long to get through, the gameplay is actually very easy to understand. Even new players won’t have any trouble thanks to printed aids and clearly marked pieces, things that can be found in other games if you look for them.
• Player Count: Wingspan is playable by couples and groups alike, somewhat of a rarity within the board game community. By checking reviews and board game geek forums, you can find out whether a new title is actually suitable for a variety of group sizes.
• Tactile Pieces: Having tangible, colorful tokens can make a game way more fun to interact with, and Wingspan does a great job of this with its various food pieces and colorful eggs. Games like Everdell offer even more pieces to play with during the game and make for great follow-ups to Wingspan.
• Expansions: One way to extend the life of a board game within a group of friends or family is to choose a title with plenty of worthwhile expansions. Wingspan currently has three expansions and lots of other games follow suit with game expansions that add new cards, pieces, and even player count.

Any games with features like these will be a blast for fans of Wingspan.

Best Quick Game Like Wingspan

Arboretum

One of the downsides of Wingspan is its somewhat lengthy playtime, leaving players in need of an alternative when they’ve got places to be. Arboretum is the best quick game like Wingspan thanks to its wonderful art, ease of gameplay, and short 30-minute playtime. The game is a simple draw-and-play card game, with the strategy aspects revolving around placement of trees and discarding. The goal of the game is to create a beautiful arboretum, and the game’s artwork helps this theme shine through. Similar to Wingspan, the art style is reminiscent of watercolor paintings and uses bright colors to bring the trees to life.

The gameplay is so easy and quick that anyone can pick up the game and play. Players always draw two cards, play one card, and discard a card on their turn. That’s it. There is some strategy here, as players can prevent others from scoring a certain color at the end of the game by holding on to cards, but this mostly adds depth to the game so that it doesn’t become too easy once it’s been played a few times. The game ends once there are no more cards to draw, which usually takes about half an hour. Priced at just around $20, this game is a great little addition to gamers’ tabletop libraries.

Best Long Game Like Wingspan

Ark Nova

Forget bird watching. Ark Nova is for players ready to create an entire bird habitat (or any number of other wildlife facilities) through a strategic resource management game with plenty of ways to win. Requiring somewhere between 90 and 150 minutes to complete a playthrough, this versatile board game is made for animal lovers.

Wingspan fans will instantly recognize the board, as it shares many features, such as individual boards and the card drafting row. At the same time, players who enjoy Terraforming Mars will find a lot to love with Ark Nova, especially considering the game has over 250 unique, realistically illustrated cards that offer abilities and bonuses, very much like with Terraforming Mars.

The gameplay is extremely complex, so the first few games will likely take at least 150 minutes, which isn't for everyone. However, for players who prefer longer board games, Ark Nova is an excellent, nature-themed title.

Best Game Like Wingspan Overall

Cascadia

Cascadia has a lot in common with Wingspan, so it's a natural choice for those who want a new, yet familiar, setting for their next board game night. Focused on the Pacific Northwest, Cascadia has players trying their best to fill habitats with a thriving ecosystem. A bit more affordable and shorter than Wingspan, the game is usually done within 45 minutes, but fans of Wingspan will find everything they love to see within this box.

Each card has fairly realistic art of wildlife native to this region of North America, along with fun facts about each fish, animal, and plant. Although it isn't as complex as Wingspan, players will need to think strategically. Players will build their terrain using hex tiles and fill it with appropriate animals to score points. The game is better for families than Wingspan, especially given that it's meant for one to four players and is best for two to three players. Regardless, with an expansion already available, it promises lots of replayability.

Fans who adore nature, learning, and managing resources will find that Cascadia is the best game to play after Wingspan.

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FAQ

Q: Is Wingspan similar to Everdell?

Wingspan and Everdell are similar on many fronts in that they both involve resource collection, involve creating a tableau of collected cards, and have a natural environment. Wingspan focuses more on natural realism thematically while Everdell's gameplay hints at an epic story lurking in every corner.

Q: Is Wingspan skill-based?

Wingspan is a highly skill-based game. While there are luck elements, they can usually be worked around or have only a minor effect on gameplay. For example, some birds allow the player to roll the feed dice not currently in play and gain some bonus based on the results. When skilled players have these birds in their tableau, they can calculate whether to use the bird based on how many dice are available to roll each turn. Highly skilled Wingspan players will nearly always beat low-skill players due to their ability to reason and use long-term planning.