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Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery / Similar games

18 games like Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery

The best games like Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery are Endeavor, Archipelago and Francis Drake — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Endeavor shares exploration, renaissance, area majority / influence with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery.

Every alternative below links to its own Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s civilization / exploration shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 3.1 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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  1. 1. Endeavor (2009)
    3–5 players · 90 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium · games like Endeavor →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Exploration, Renaissance, Area Majority / Influence, Set Collection · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~15 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
    View Endeavor on Amazon →
  2. 2. Archipelago (2012)
    2–5 players · 30–240 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-heavy · games like Archipelago →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Exploration, Renaissance, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~30 min longer · +0.6 heavier
    View Archipelago on Amazon →
  3. 3. Francis Drake (2013)
    3–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium · games like Francis Drake →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Exploration, Renaissance, Set Collection, Worker Placement · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 3–5 players · about the same length · 0.2 lighter
    View Francis Drake on Amazon →
  4. 4. Barbarians The Invasion (2018)
    1–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Exploration, Area Majority / Influence, Set Collection, Worker Placement · 3 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (60%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
  5. 5. Tzolk'in The Mayan Calendar (2012)
    2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy · games like Tzolk'in The Mayan Calendar →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Turn Order: Claim Action, Worker Placement · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~15 min shorter · +0.5 heavier
  6. 6. Dice Settlers (2018)
    1–4 players · 45–60 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Exploration, Area Majority / Influence, Set Collection · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~52 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  7. 7. Clash of Cultures (2012)
    2–4 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-heavy · games like Clash of Cultures →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Exploration, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~105 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  8. 8. Tigris & Euphrates (1997)
    2–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy · games like Tigris & Euphrates →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Area Majority / Influence, Set Collection · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~15 min shorter · +0.4 heavier
  9. 9. Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition (2017)
    3–6 players · 240–480 min · ★ 8.7 · Heavy · games like Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Exploration, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~255 min longer · +1.1 heavier
  10. 10. Hyperborea (2014)
    2–6 players · 50–150 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium · games like Hyperborea →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Exploration, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · same complexity
  11. 11. Civilization (1980)
    2–7 players · 360 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-heavy · games like Civilization →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Area Majority / Influence, Set Collection · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 7 · ~255 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  12. 12. History of the World (1991)
    3–6 players · 135–270 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium · games like History of the World →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Renaissance, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 3–5 players · scales to 6 · ~98 min longer · 0.4 lighter
  13. 13. Eclipse Second Dawn for the Galaxy (2020)
    2–6 players · 60–200 min · ★ 8.8 · Medium-heavy · games like Eclipse Second Dawn for the Galaxy →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Area Majority / Influence · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · ~25 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  14. 14. Die Prinzen von Machu Picchu (2008)
    2–5 players · 90 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Area Majority / Influence, Set Collection, Worker Placement · 3 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (60%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
  15. 15. Pandemic Legacy Season 2 (2017)
    2–4 players · 60 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium · games like Pandemic Legacy Season 2 →
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Exploration, Set Collection · 1 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (20%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~45 min shorter · same complexity
  16. 16. Ave Roma (2016)
    2–5 players · 45–120 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Set Collection, Worker Placement, Worker Placement · 3 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (60%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~22 min shorter · +0.6 heavier
  17. 17. Dogs of War (2014)
    3–5 players · 75 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Renaissance, Area Majority / Influence, Worker Placement · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~30 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
  18. 18. Gentes (2017)
    1–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: Civilization, Set Collection, Turn Order: Claim Action · 2 of Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery’s 5 mechanics (40%)
    vs Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
Check Endeavor on Amazon →

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Frequently asked

What game is most like Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery?
Endeavor (2009) is the closest match to Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery, sharing exploration, renaissance, area majority / influence. It rates 7.4/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery?
Endeavor, Archipelago, Francis Drake are the top-ranked alternatives to Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery in the MeeplePick database, matched on medium complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Endeavor harder than Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery?
Compared with Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery, Endeavor is 0.2 lighter and ~15 min shorter (2.9 vs 3.1 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 2-player board games · best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · best 5-player board games · area majority / influence games · set collection games · turn order: claim action games · worker placement games

Looking for the original? See the full Age of Empires III The Age of Discovery fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.