10 Fun Alternatives to Monopoly (the Game) You Should Try!

Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco

If you are a Monopoly junkie just like me, you will do anything to rope friends and family members into a few hours of fun with you. But what do you do if the group you are with is not as keen on Monopoly as you are? After you get over the shock of hearing that, you might want to offer alternative options. Are there alternative games that you can recommend playing instead of Monopoly? Indeed, there are!

10 fun alternatives to Monopoly: 

1. Catan
2. Acquire
3. Machi Koro
4. Monopoly Deal
5. Advance to Boardwalk
6. Kolejka (Queue)
7. Ticket to Ride
8. Market of Alturien
9. Cashflow 101
10. Pirate King

I must admit that just a few weeks ago, I would not have known what you were talking about if you mentioned any of these games to me; other than Monopoly Deal, that is. As it turns out, there are many board games out there that have a similar gameplay to Monopoly, but are just not as globally renowned as Monopoly seems to be. You never know, one of these 10 alternatives might be a perfect fit for your home and social gatherings. Read on to learn more about each of them.

Board Games That Are Similar to Monopoly – 10 to Choose From

And here they are: the much-awaited descriptions of the top 10 games that are similar to Monopoly. 

1. Catan

Previously known as the “Settlers of Catan”, Catan is an ideal game for multiple players. It was designed by Klaus Teuber and first released in Germany in 1995. Each player’s mission is to be a settler trying to develop property and trade resources along the way. As a property or settlement develops, players get points. The first to reach 10 points wins the game. 

In 2015, it was estimated that over 22 million copies of the game were sold and that it had been translated into over 30 languages. 

This is a strategy based game and is much like Monopoly in terms of wealth acquisition. What is interesting is that Catan is one of the very first German games to become popular outside of Europe, and it has received several awards over the years. 

2. Acquire

Acquire, which became extremely popular in the 1960s, is another game that is focused on players merging and acquiring hotels, money, and stock certificates. The main objective of Acquire is to build and merge as many hotels as possible to make the most amount of money. At the end of the game, all players need to liquidate their properties and stock to determine who has the most monetary value on the board.

The game was created by famous games designer, Sid Sackson, in 1962. Originally he called it “Vacation” and punted it as such to his employers, when he started working for 3M. 3M recommended “Acquire” as the name, which both parties agreed on. The game went on to be marketed in 1963 in the US, and in 1964 it was in full production. 

Acquire is similar to Monopoly in terms of acquiring property and earning wealth while working your way around a game board. 

3. Machi Koro

Machi Koro is similar to Monopoly in that it is a game about development and wealth acquisition. It was designed by Masao Sunganuma and published by a Japanese games company called Grounding Incorporated in 2012. 

Players must roll dice in order to earn coins. The coins earned are used to develop their city and gain additional wealth. To win, a player must complete a variety of in-game landmarks.

The game has won multiple awards, including the 2015 Geekie Award for Best Tabletop Game.

4. Monopoly Deal

Monopoly Deal is a card game that is based on the actual Monopoly board game. It was released in 2008 and is under license from Hasbro. 

The main objective of the game is for a player to complete 3 sets of cards that are actually featured properties from the original board game. Players can piece these sets together by playing the cards, collecting cards as rent, or stealing cards from other players. The deck for Monopoly Deal has 110 cards in it and has the likes of Monopoly money denominations, special action cards, and wild cards included. 

For those who do not want to specifically play the board game, this is a fun and lighthearted alternative to Monopoly. 

5. Advance to Boardwalk

Suggesting Advance to Boardwalk as an alternative game to play is actually quite sneaky, as it is really a 1985 spinoff of the Monopoly game. The difference is that this particular game only focuses on the boardwalk real estate properties in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Players must construct hotels floor by floor in order to generate value on the board. The gameplay is extremely similar to Monopoly. 

6. Kolejka (Queue)

Kolejka, much like Monopoly, was designed to teach a valuable lesson to players. This particular game, developed by Karol Madaj in Poland, was designed to teach young people about the challenges of living in a communist environment and what sort of impact that could have on someone trying to get certain consumer goods. The game was published in February 2011 by the Institute of National Remembrance in Poland. 

The task of players is to send out family members to various stores in order to acquire all the items listed on a shopping list. Of course, the store shelves are empty, and it is product delivery cards determine who will get what products from which stores. This leads to mounting tensions and increasing competitiveness.

7. Ticket to Ride

If you are looking for a game with the same engagement potential as Monopoly that can be played in a short space of time, Ticket to Ride is a great option. This game is designed for 2-4 players and takes around 45 minutes to play. It is a German game with a railway theme and was published by Days of Wonder in 2004. The designer of the board game was Alan R. Moon. 

To play Ticket to Ride, players are given 4 train cards and 3 destination cards. On the destination cards, there are pairs of cities on a map of the US and Canada. These are the two endpoints that are considered goals. Players must aim to secretly connect these two points. This game is similar to Monopoly because players aim to monopolize the board with their routes.

8. Market of Alturien

The Market of Alturien is designed for 2-6 players and takes around an hour to play. It was created by Wolfgang Kramer and was published in 2007 by Mayfair Games. 

The game focuses on players acting as merchant families (6 in total) that must battle it out for trade agreements with 7 unique traders, each with different levels of wealth. Each player seeks out influence, power, and wealth acquisition, much like in the game of Monopoly. Players must use the wealth they earn through trading to build their own merchant empires. 

9. Cashflow 101

If you are familiar with Robert Kiyosaki’s books, you will certainly appreciate his Cashflow 101 board game. 

Cashflow 101 is not only a fun game to play, but also a teaching tool for those who want to learn more about investments and building stable wealth. Just like Monopoly can teach players the basics of money and financial management, so can Cashflow 101. It is a popular game for those who want to learn how to get out of the rat race and want to have fun at the same time. 

10. Pirate King

Pirate King is a game that was released and became popular in 2006. In the game, players must smuggle cargo and capture territories, while sailing around the Caribbean, in an attempt to become the Pirate King. 

Pirate King was designed by Flaster Siskin and published by a company called Temple Games. It is ideal for players who are 8 years and older, and it is designed for 2 to 4 players. When players land on a certain territory, they must decide whether to capture the port, pay the owner a docking fee, or try to cease control from the current owner. 

While playing, players must draw cards that introduce various good and bad effects and spur on twists and turns in the game. The game comes to an end when one of the players reaches 16 points. Some appreciators of the game call it “Monopoly on the High Seas”.

All in all

Hopefully, these 10 popular alternatives to Monopoly have provided you with food for thought. If you want to have a variety of board games on offer in addition to Monopoly, I would certainly recommend one of these – although Monopoly will always be my number 1 personal pick!