7 Games Like Risk (That Fix Risk’s Biggest Problems)
Risk has the best idea in board gaming, armies on a map of the world fighting for control, and some of its worst habits. Players get knocked out and then sit there for hours, dice decide every battle, and a game can drag on long after the winner is obvious.
The games below keep what Risk players love and fix at least one of those problems. Every pick says what it keeps from Risk and what it fixes. All seven are games we’ve reviewed, with our Bamboo (how easy to learn) and Pandas (how fun) scores. We haven’t reviewed Risk itself.
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1. Blood Rage — Risk’s Battles, With Better Reasons to Fight
Blood Rage is the closest thing on this list to the feeling of Risk, armies on a map fighting over provinces, in about ninety minutes. You draft a hand of cards each age, then spend rage to put Viking warriors on the map and battle for provinces. Battles are decided by cards, not dice, and losing a fight can still score you points, so dying gloriously is a real strategy.
It scored 3/5 Bamboo and 5/5 Pandas in our Blood Rage review, vicious and dramatic every time, and the miniatures look great on the table. It seats 2–4 and is best with four, it’s listed at 14+, and it runs 60–90 minutes. Read our card drafting guide before your first game, because the draft decides most games. Wikipedia’s Blood Rage page covers its history.
What it keeps from Risk — armies, a map and constant fighting. What it fixes — no dice deciding battles, and no player elimination.
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2. Root — Area Control Where Everyone Plays Differently
Root is a war game where each of four factions plays by completely different rules. One runs an industrial empire, one a rigid bird dynasty, one a guerrilla uprising and one a lone wanderer. They all fight over the same woodland map, and the table makes deals, breaks them and gangs up on whoever’s ahead, just like the best Risk nights.
Nothing else produces an evening like it, the 5/5 Pandas in our Root review. The 2/5 Bamboo is the cost, since each faction plays by its own rules. Leder Games lists it for 2–4 players, ages 14 and up, at 60–90 minutes once learned. Our factions ranking tells you who should play what.
What it keeps from Risk — territory, alliances and betrayal. What it fixes — it ends on points in about an hour and a half.
3. Scythe — The Threat of War, More Than War Itself
Scythe looks like a war game, with mechs and factions on a map of an alternate 1920s Europe, but fights are rare and expensive. Most of the game is building an economy and deciding when a fight is worth the cost, so the threat of attack shapes every turn.
Our Scythe review gives it 2/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas. Budget a full first night to learn it, and after that the turns are fast and tense. Stonemaier Games lists it for 1–5 players, ages 14 and up, and it runs 90–115 minutes. Root vs Scythe compares it with the pick above.
What it keeps from Risk — a map, factions and the pressure of a looming attack. What it fixes — no elimination, and a clear end when someone places six stars.
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4. King of Tokyo — All the Dice-Rolling Combat in Thirty Minutes
King of Tokyo keeps the part of Risk where you throw dice and hope. You’re giant monsters fighting over Tokyo, rolling six dice Yahtzee-style to attack, heal or score. Whoever sits in Tokyo hits everyone else and gets hit by everyone else.
It’s the rare game we can teach to an eight-year-old in five minutes and still watch two forty-year-olds trash-talk each other over, 5/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our King of Tokyo review. It seats 2–6, the box says 8+, and it takes about 30 minutes.
What it keeps from Risk — dice-driven fighting and knocking players out. What it fixes — the game ends in half an hour, so being knocked out early doesn’t cost you the evening.
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5. Catan — Risk Without the Fighting
Catan is the game many Risk players moved on to. You settle an island, collect resources from the hexes your towns touch, trade them across the table and build toward ten points. There’s no combat, but you fight over the same spaces on the map, and the robber lets you hit a rival where it hurts.
It scored 4/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our Catan review. It seats 3–4, the box says 10+, and it runs 60–120 minutes. Our games like Catan list has more in this direction.
What it keeps from Risk — a contested map and table politics. What it fixes — nobody is eliminated, and the dice decide resources rather than battles.
6. 7 Wonders Duel — Risk for Two
7 Wonders Duel is the pick when there are only two of you. You build rival civilizations by drafting cards from a shared layout, and one of the three ways to win is pushing a military track all the way into your opponent’s capital. Every army card you take is a step toward conquering them outright.
It scored 4/5 Bamboo and 5/5 Pandas in our 7 Wonders Duel review, the best two-player strategy game under $50 we’ve reviewed. It plays in 30 minutes, and the box says 10+.
What it keeps from Risk — the race to conquer your opponent. What it fixes — Risk needs at least three to be good, and this is built for two.
Check 7 Wonders Duel price on Amazon →
7. Spirit Island — Risk in Reverse
Spirit Island flips Risk around. The players are spirits of an island working together to drive off colonists who spread across the map, build towns and blight the land. You’re defending territory instead of taking it, and everyone wins or loses together.
We’ve played it over thirty times across several groups, and our Spirit Island review gives it 5/5 Pandas and 2/5 Bamboo. It seats 1–4 players, and it runs 90–120 minutes. Start with our best spirits for beginners.
What it keeps from Risk — invaders spreading over a map you have to hold. What it fixes — it’s cooperative, so there’s no player elimination and nobody gloats.
Check Spirit Island price on Amazon →
Which One to Buy
If you want the closest thing to Risk in under two hours, buy Blood Rage. If your group loves the alliances and backstabbing most, buy Root. If you want dice and fighting without the long night, buy King of Tokyo. For two players, buy 7 Wonders Duel.
If you’ve had enough of fighting each other, Spirit Island turns the whole table against a common enemy, and our best cooperative board games list has more. For more heavy strategy, see our best strategy board games list.
The Quick Picks Table
All seven, with what each keeps from Risk and how long it runs.
| Game | Bamboo / Pandas | Players | Time | What it keeps from Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Rage | 3 / 5 | 2–4 | 60–90 min | Armies, a map, constant fighting |
| Root | 2 / 5 | 2–4 | 60–90 min | Territory, alliances, betrayal |
| Scythe | 2 / 4 | 1–5 | 90–115 min | Factions and the threat of war |
| King of Tokyo | 5 / 4 | 2–6 | 30 min | Dice-driven fighting |
| Catan | 4 / 4 | 3–4 | 60–120 min | A contested map and politics |
| 7 Wonders Duel | 4 / 5 | 2 | 30 min | Conquering your opponent |
| Spirit Island | 2 / 5 | 1–4 | 90–120 min | Holding a map against invaders |
None of the seven knocks a player out for hours, which is the biggest single fix over Risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good game like Risk?
Blood Rage. It has armies fighting over a map like Risk, but battles are decided by cards instead of dice, nobody is eliminated, and it finishes in about 90 minutes.
What is a game like Risk but shorter?
King of Tokyo plays in about 30 minutes and keeps the dice-rolling combat. Blood Rage and Root both finish in about 90 minutes and keep the map.
What is a game like Risk for 2 players?
7 Wonders Duel. It is built for exactly two, plays in 30 minutes, and one way to win is pushing your army into your opponent’s capital.
Is there a game like Risk without player elimination?
Blood Rage, Root, Scythe, Catan and Spirit Island all keep everyone in the game until the end. King of Tokyo can knock players out, but it only lasts about 30 minutes.
What is a cooperative game like Risk?
Spirit Island. The players defend an island together against invaders spreading across the map, so it is Risk in reverse.