Continue if you are looking for games like Qwirkle and are curious about what similar games to play next. Like most others in this field, Qwirkle is themeless but it does not lose anything because of it. This is a classic puzzle game is all about chess-like planning that has you start with colorful shape filled tiles and place them next to available spaces that share a common attribute.
To determine this list we broke down Qwirkle to what it is. Qwirkle is dominos with extra dimensionality. It is an abstract strategy game around hand management, pattern building and tile-laying. If you are looking for something similar, you have come to the right place. We took all this into consideration and came up with this list of the 5 board games like Qwirkle.
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#05 | Yinsh
Yinsh just makes the list of games like Qwirkle because it shares something you are going to see a lot on this list. It is a fantastic A-level game that is driven by set collection and pattern building. The puzzle here is about how you are going to move instead of where you are going to put a piece, but if you want a fantastic abstract strategy game along the same lines with some twists, this is a great option.
This is a top tier pattern building and grid movement game. In Yinsh, you start with five rings on the board. Every time a ring is moved, it leaves a marker behind. Markers are white on one side and black on the other. When markers are jumped over by a ring they must be flipped, so their color is constantly changing. For 2 players, games run about 45 minutes.
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#04 | Blokus
Blokus makes the list of games like Qwirkle because it is the same game, just with things reversed. Instead of being limited to how you can connect your tiles to existing ones, here you are limited in how you can place tiles to make sure they are NOT next to anything you control. It has it all, tile placement, set collection and pattern building all in am abstract strategy wrapper.
You play with transparent, Tetris-shaped, colored pieces that you are trying to play onto the board. The only caveat to placing a piece is that it may not lie adjacent to your other pieces, but instead must be placed touching at least one corner of your pieces already on the board. For 2 – 4 players, games run about 20 minutes.
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#03 | NMBR 9
NMBR 9 makes the list of games like Qwirkle because it is another placement puzzle gem in the Abstract Strategy sector. Just like having to make the right combination work in Qwirkle from many different possible angles, you can do the same thing here. The game is genius in that it makes the shape of numbers matter.
You play with cards and tiles numbered 0-9. Each number tile is composed of squares in some arrangement. To start, draw and reveal the first card. Players then take a number tile matching the card and place it on the table. This continues, adding each new tile to the tiles that they already have in play. The new tile must touch at least one other tile on the same level along one side of a square. And this is done in 3D. For 1 – 4 players, games run a quick 20 minutes.
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#02 | Azul
Azul makes the list of games like Qwirkle because it is another award winning game that is driven by collecting the right pieces and putting them in the right places. This selection method is via turn by turn draft instead of a forced diminishing pile, but those key puzzle within abstract strategy game mechanics still exist.
The game that tops the list of the best abstract strategy board games is about helping the king decorate with Portuguese tiles. Azul is a well crafted set collection and pattern building game. You draft tiles against other players in order to create strategic clusters that are going to get you big points. For 2 – 4 players, games last about 30 – 45 minutes.
FOR MORE: Azul Page | How To Play Azul | Azul Review | Games Like Azul | Buy Azul on Amazon
#01 | Ingenious
Ingenious takes the top spot on the list of games like Qwirkle because it has that exact same puzzle backdrop that has you taking pieces and chooses from multiple options about where to put your pieces. Scoring maybe be different but it is still that dominos meets sudoku gameplay.
This game a beloved classic and adds dimensionality (literally) and color. You need to lay tiles to get points for elaborate connections. The trick, however, is that your score is equal to your worst-scoring color, so you have to be spread out and balanced at all times. For 1 – 4 players, games take about 45 minutes.
