Smash Up has been slowly creeping to legendary status since its initial release in 2012. It is its own thing, that has certainly made its mark, so it was not easy to find games like it. The “shufflebuilding game of awesomeness” is about taking two crazy factions (like goblins and wizards or pirates and zombies) and bring them together in strategic ways to take over communal bases against other players to get big victory points. The key to the game is figuring out the big combos you can launch based on how your two different groups work together. It is attacking but it is also controlling. Smash Up is a staple and has 20 plus factions these days so there is no reason to stop now, but if you are looking for something similar this list is for you. This is the list of 5 games like Smash Up.
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#05 | King of Tokyo
This one is more smash and grab than complex combos but ultimately King of Tokyo is just like Smash Up. You are using interesting creatures to fight over central locations against other players. If you want that fast pace all out attack on other players, this is a game on the list of games like Smash Up to look at. In King of Tokyo, you play mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and strange aliens—all of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo. It is a dice rolling king of the hill combat game.
FOR MORE: King of Tokyo Page | How to Play King of Tokyo | King of Tokyo Review | Games Like King of Tokyo| Buy King of Tokyo on Amazon
#04 | Inis
This is still a bit of a stretch but Inis is like Smash Up mainly because it is card-based and about strategic area control. Sure there are many other things going on but the spirit is there. In Smash Up, the key is figuring out how you can make your very limited cards work together to take over one of several communal spaces. This is that, just with much more. Inis is a game deeply rooted in Celtic history and lore in which players win by being elected King of the Island (Inis). Players can try to achieve one of three different victory conditions: Leadership, Land Conquer or Religion.
FOR MORE: Buy Inis on Amazon
#03 | Epic PVP: Fantasy
Epic PVP: Fantasy is a head-to-head battling card game. At the start of the game, each player chooses a class deck and a race deck, then shuffles them together to create unique character combinations, such as a Human Paladin or Goblin Druid. Each combination creates unique tactics and strategies to use when you battle. The goal of the game is to defeat your opponent by reducing them to zero life which is done over a series of epic battles. This entry on the list of games like Smash Up has the card battling and it has the crazy mash together component of the class meets race.
FOR MORE: Buy Epic PVP Fantasy on Amazon
#02 | Gambit Royale
Gambit Royale, originally named Ruse & Bruise, is a fast-paced card game in where magicians and dragons, kings and princesses populate the land and want only one thing: the greatest fame. The players try to use their royal household to cause problems for their opponents and trick them with underhanded chess moves. Similar to a base in Smash Up, a goal card is flipped over (6 times, 1 per round) and players have a deck of influencer cards that will allow them to go strategically after that goal. It is a secret until everyone has chosen and is ready to reveal. Gambit Royale gives you much of the same deep combo strategy that Smash Up has and is a great game in its own right.
FOR MORE: Buy Gambit Royale on Amazon
#01 | Blood Bowl Team Manager
The top spot on the list of games like Smash Up goes to the fantasy manager game Blood Bowl Team Manager. Blood Bowl: Team Manager – The Card Game is a bone-breaking, breathtaking standalone card game of violence and outright cheating for two to four players. Chaos, Dwarf, Wood Elf, Human, Orc, and Skaven teams compete against each other over the course of a brutal season. Customize your team by drafting Star Players, hiring staff, upgrading facilities, and cheating like mad. You are bringing together combos of interesting characters and battling out in a series of battle locations, just like Smash Up.
