10 Best Games Like Ticket to Ride | Best Picks for Families

TransAmerica is the closest game like Ticket to Ride for families because it teaches in two minutes, plays six, and keeps the shared map race. Next Station: London is the best 20 minute option, Thurn und Taxis is the calm route planning pick, and Railways of the World is the step up when the kids get older.

Start with TransAmerica, Next Station: London, and Thurn und Taxis. Those three keep the part of Ticket to Ride most families actually love, which is drawing a line across a map and watching the table react, and each one is easier to teach than the original. The other seven below earn their place for a different reason: a bigger table, a younger player, a shorter evening, or a heavier evening.

One thing worth knowing before you buy anything. Ticket to Ride has a refreshed 2025 edition on shelves right now with 33 destination tickets and a new opening move, draw four tickets and keep at least two. If your copy is the older printing, that refresh is a fine reason to buy the classic instead of a substitute. If you are still learning the original, our beginner’s guide to Ticket to Ride covers setup through scoring.

Which Ticket to Ride Alternative Fits Your Family?

Pick the game that matches your actual game night: TransAmerica for a big family, Next Station: London for a 20 minute fix, Thurn und Taxis for a calm night, Tokaido for the journey itself, and Railways of the World when the kids are ready for a project.

Your family game night looks like…	Buy this	Why it fits
Six people, limited patience for rules	TransAmerica	Two minute teach, plays 2 to 6, finishes under 30 minutes
Kids under 10 and a school night	Next Station: London	Pencil and paper only, 1 to 4 players, about 25 minutes
Two adults who want quiet competition	Thurn und Taxis	No blocking, no racing, pure route planning for 2 to 4
The journey matters more than the winning	Tokaido	A stroll from Kyoto to Edo for 2 to 5, no conflict at all
You want a strategy layer added	The Quest for El Dorado	A deck you build as you race across a jungle map, 2 to 4
Hiking, maps, and gorgeous art	Parks	Shared trail through US national parks, 1 to 5 players
You want to draw the map yourself	Cartographers	Pencil, shape cards, and quests, 30 to 45 minutes
A loud closer for a big group	Downforce	Bidding, racing, and betting for 2 to 6, ages 10 and up
You are done with maps entirely	Wingspan	Bird engine building, the 2019 Kennerspiel winner, 1 to 5
The kids are ready for a real project	Railways of the World	Track costs, bonds, and goods, about two hours for 2 to 6

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How We Picked These 10

Every game here has been played at our table with Alex (7) and Emma (10), not just read about. We kept the ones that gave us the Ticket to Ride feeling without a half hour of rules, and we scored each one on setup time, table space, how it holds up from 2 to 6 players, and whether a child can realistically win against an adult. Games that need a dedicated table or a long teach are on the list, but we say so plainly instead of pretending they are casual.

The 10 Games at a Glance

Game	Players	Playtime	Age	Complexity	Closest to Ticket to Ride because…
TransAmerica	2 to 6	Under 30 min	8+	Very light	Shared map, shared track, pure connection race
Next Station: London	1 to 4	About 25 min	8+	Light	Draw lines between stations on a real map
Thurn und Taxis	2 to 4	About 60 min	10+	Medium	Turn route cards into a postal network, city by city
Tokaido	2 to 5	About 45 min	8+	Light	Travel across a beautiful map with no fighting
The Quest for El Dorado	2 to 4	30 to 60 min	10+	Medium	Race to a destination, buy better movement cards as you go
Parks	1 to 5	30 to 60 min	10+	Light to medium	Hike a shared trail and collect sets as the seasons change
Cartographers	1 to 4 typically	30 to 45 min	10+	Light to medium	Building a visible map on paper and scoring it
Downforce	2 to 6	20 to 40 min	10+	Light	Everyone plays every turn, and the table talks
Wingspan	1 to 5	40 to 70 min	10+	Medium	Gentle pace and beautiful cards, the weakest match here
Railways of the World	2 to 6	About 2 hrs	10+	Medium to heavy	Track building with money, bonds, and delivery contracts

Player counts and playtimes follow the publisher listings and BoardGameGeek references, so you are not reading my guess. Cartographers is the odd one out: the publisher markets it for up to 100 players because the box holds 100 score sheets and anyone can draw their own map, but a normal family game is one to four people, and the expansions add more sheets.

The Three Closest Route Builders

If you want more of exactly what Ticket to Ride gives you, buy from this section first. If your family is also drawn to trading and building settlements, our games like Catan guide covers that corner of the table.

1. TransAmerica: the fastest route race

TransAmerica is the closest thing to Ticket to Ride on this list. Everyone builds on the same shared US map, and you are helping your rivals and racing them at the same time, which is exactly why kids and adults land on the same result.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Franz-Benno Delonge. First published in 2001 in Germany, English edition from Rio Grande Games, 2 to 6 players, under 30 minutes, ages 8 and up.

How it works: Each player gets a set of five cities scattered across the United States and places their station on a map intersection. On your turn you spend one or two track segments from your supply, building across the lines on the shared map. Whoever first connects all five of their cities ends the game, and everyone else keeps laying track for penalty points. Fewest penalty points wins, so the last few turns matter even though the race is over.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Building track across a map, racing to connect cities, light family energy.
• Differences: No destination tickets or hidden goals, one shared track everyone builds on, and a pure race with a two minute teach.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It strips Ticket to Ride down to the race itself, which makes it the right family gateway when you want the energy without the rules overhead.

2. Thurn und Taxis: the calm route planner

Thurn und Taxis keeps the card to route loop of Ticket to Ride and removes the race, which changes the whole feel of an evening. It won the 2006 Spiel des Jahres, and the win is deserved.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Karen and Andreas Seyfarth. Published by Hans im Glück, 2 to 4 players, about 60 minutes, ages 10 and up, Spiel des Jahres 2006 winner.

How it works: You play route cards from your hand in ascending order, and each card is a link from one city to the next, so your hand literally builds a route. Claim a link, drop a postal coach on it, and your network spreads across the regional maps. You score for the longest continuous route, the cards left in hand at the end, and the coaches you have out on the board.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Hand management, claiming routes city by city, building an expanding network.
• Differences: No racing and no blocking, cards must be played in ascending order, and the competition is gentle.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It keeps the satisfying rhythm of turning cards into routes while asking for more planning and far less conflict.

3. Railways of the World: the bigger railway empire

Railways of the World is what Ticket to Ride looks like with an economy attached. Every segment of track costs money, bonds pay interest, and cities pay for goods you deliver. If you want more meat on the same bone, start here, and if you are not ready for the full evening, our budget family board games guide has lighter options that still play well with kids.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Martin Wallace and Glenn Drover, first published in 2005 as Railroad Tycoon, now published by Eagle-Gryphon Games, 2 to 6 players, about 120 minutes, ages 10 and up.

How it works: You run a railroad company. Lay track where it is cheap, deliver goods to the cities that want them, and take a bond when your cash runs out. The maps are large and varied, including the eastern United States and Europe, so each one plays differently. Setup is the real cost: you are sorting money, trains, and cubes rather than shuffling a deck, and the board needs a proper table.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Track building across a map, route efficiency, growing your own network.
• Differences: A full economy with track costs, bonds, and goods delivery, plus large boards and much longer sessions.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: The same satisfaction of watching your network grow, with real money pressure behind every segment.

When the Journey Matters More Than the Winning

These four keep the travel feeling of Ticket to Ride and change what you do with it. They are the right picks if your family plays for the map and the story rather than the score.

4. Tokaido: the peaceful pilgrimage

Tokaido is the most peaceful game here. Instead of racing anyone, you walk the East Sea Road of Japan from Kyoto to Edo and take in hot springs, temples, local food, and souvenirs along the way. The watercolor art is doing half the work of the appeal.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Antoine Bauza, English edition published by Funforge, 2 to 5 players, about 45 minutes, ages 8 and up.

How it works: The twist is turn order. The player who is furthest along the road takes the next turn, so moving fast means waiting. You choose between claiming a spot for yourself, taking a mediocre space that scores more, or blocking the player right behind you. Three rounds, most points wins.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: A journey across a beautiful map, collecting experiences, almost no conflict.
• Differences: No route claiming and no network to build, one pawn on a fixed road, and the last player moves first.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It trades Ticket to Ride's race for a stroll, and the scenery does the heavy lifting.

5. The Quest for El Dorado: a route race with a deck

The Quest for El Dorado is a Reiner Knizia route race with one big addition: you build your own deck of movement cards while you play. Buy better cards, travel further, and cross a modular jungle map before your rivals reach the city.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Ravensburger, 2 to 4 players, 30 to 60 minutes, ages 10 and up.

How it works: Each turn you play movement cards from your hand to move your expedition across map tiles, then buy stronger cards or take a useful action card with your coins. Because the map tiles are shuffled, the route to El Dorado changes every game. If you want the rules before you buy, our Quest for El Dorado guide walks through setup and scoring.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Racing across a map, managing movement cards, route efficiency.
• Differences: Your hand is a deck you build as you play, the map is modular, and there are no destination tickets.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It keeps the race across the map feel and adds a growing engine that gets better every round.

6. Parks: a trail through the national parks

Parks has you hiking a shared trail through US national parks, collecting resources so you can buy park cards from the Fifty-Nine Parks art series. It is the prettiest game on this list, and you will learn where the famous parks actually sit on the map.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Henry Audubon, published by Keymaster Games, 1 to 5 players, 30 to 60 minutes, ages 10 and up, with a second edition available.

How it works: You control two hikers moving along the same trail, and when you reach a space you take its resource or its campsite. Resources buy park cards at the end of each season, and a season deck brings weather that reshuffles the board. It has a solo mode for the times the kids are not around.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Simple turn rhythm, beautiful map art, low stress.
• Differences: One shared trail instead of routes, resources you convert into cards, no network to build.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It gives the same where do we go next pleasure as unfolding a new map, with almost none of the competition.

7. Wingspan: engine building, not route building

I am going to be straight with you here. Wingspan is the weakest match on this list, and it is here because families who like the calm rhythm of Ticket to Ride often end up loving this. There is no map and no route, so if maps are the whole point, skip it.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Elizabeth Hargrave, published by Stonemaier Games, 1 to 5 players, 40 to 70 minutes for the current version, ages 10 and up, 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres winner.

How it works: You play birds into three habitats, forest, grassland, and wetland, and each bird has a power that triggers when you take food, lay eggs, or play into that habitat. The 180 birds are illustrated with real world art, and the Oceania and Asia expansions add whole new regions of species.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Gentle pace, beautiful components, excellent expansions.
• Differences: No map and no routes, engine building in three habitats, and the travel is bird migration.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It scratches a different itch, which is the reason it earns a place: variety keeps a collection fresh.

Fast Map Games and Big Table Games

These three either finish in the time it takes to make tea or get the table very loud. Pick by the evening you want, not by the theme.

8. Next Station: London: the 20 minute map fix

Next Station: London is the fastest way to scratch the map connecting itch. You flip symbol cards and draw London Underground lines on a paper map, and it is over before the kettle boils.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Matthew Dunstan, published by Blue Orange Games, 1 to 4 players including solo, about 25 minutes, ages 8 and up, Spiel des Jahres 2023 nominee.

How it works: Four rounds of drawing lines between matching stations, and your lines earn points for interchanges and tourist sights. Cross the Thames in a tunnel for a bonus. Once you know the base game, the advanced module adds harder requirements. It fits in a backpack, which makes it one of the few games here we pack for a plane, alongside the small card games in our games like Sushi Go guide.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Connecting points on a map, improving your network.
• Differences: No cards to claim, you draw lines with a pencil, and every game is a fresh sheet.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It gives the map connection satisfaction in a fraction of the time and none of the table space.

9. Cartographers: draw your own map

Cartographers turns the Ticket to Ride idea upside down. Nobody claims routes on a printed map. You draw the map, then score it.

Fast facts and accolades: Designed by Jordy Adan, published by Thunderworks Games, 30 to 45 minutes, ages 10 and up, Kennerspiel des Jahres 2019 nominee. One to four players is a normal game, and the box holds 100 score sheets so any number of people can play their own map in parallel.

How it works: Everyone starts with an empty grid and takes turns revealing terrain cards, drawing the shapes onto your own map, and hunting for gold while keeping the dragul away. Quest cards change the scoring each game, and the expansions add new sheets and new rules.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Building something visible on a sheet, spatial planning, gentle competition.
• Differences: You draw the map, the shapes come from cards, and it is map making rather than route claiming.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It is the same spatial brain itch from the opposite direction: you build the map, then score it.

10. Downforce: race day table talk

Downforce is the loudest game here and the best closer for a crowded table. You bid on cars, race them with movement cards, and bet on who you think will finish where.

Fast facts and accolades: Based on Top Race by Wolfgang Kramer, designed by Rob Daviau and Justin D. Jacobson, published by Restoration Games, 2 to 6 players, 20 to 40 minutes, ages 10 and up.

How it works: Players bid to own the six cars, then on your turn play a card that moves your car and, most of the time, somebody else’s car too. Once the race is over you bet on the finishing order. Money comes from your bets and your car’s position, and the race track changes with each map card. It is also the easiest game here to teach to a group of adults who have never played anything.

How it compares to Ticket to Ride:

• Similarities: Simple rules, family energy, everyone plays every turn.
• Differences: Racing instead of route claiming, betting adds a gambling for fun layer, no network to build.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: It keeps the everyone is involved feeling and adds the most memorable table talk of anything here.

How to Choose for Player Count, Kids, and Table Space

Start with your group size. Six players means TransAmerica or Downforce. Two adults who want a quiet evening means Thurn und Taxis or Tokaido. Kids under 10 means Next Station: London, which is pencil and paper simple, or TransAmerica, where the shared track means nobody has a private ticket to be disappointed about. If you are still deciding whether the original fits a six year old, our guide to whether Ticket to Ride works for 6 year olds answers that directly.

Table space matters more than families expect. Railways of the World wants a real table and a clear hour. TransAmerica is fine on a coffee table. Next Station: London and Cartographers fit on a lap tray and in a backpack, which is why they are also the ones worth taking on a trip. Our travel games that need no flat surface list goes further into that.

Then think about weight. TransAmerica and Next Station: London are ten minute teaches and under half an hour plays. Thurn und Taxis, The Quest for El Dorado, Parks, and Cartographers each add one layer of strategy. Railways of the World is a whole evening. Buy the game that fits your most common game night, not the one that fits your most ambitious night.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the best games like Ticket to Ride for families?

TransAmerica is the closest family match, with a two minute teach, under 30 minutes of play, and room for six. Next Station: London is the pick when you want the map fix in about 25 minutes, and Thurn und Taxis is the pick for calm route planning. All three sit comfortably beside Ticket to Ride in a family collection.

2. What is the best game like Ticket to Ride for kids under 10?

Next Station: London and TransAmerica both work from age 8. Next Station is pencil and paper simple and plays in 1 to 4, and TransAmerica’s shared track means adults and kids are racing on the same terms. If you are wondering whether the base game fits a younger child, our guide to whether Ticket to Ride works for 6 year olds breaks it down.

3. Which games like Ticket to Ride work with 5 or 6 players?

TransAmerica, Downforce, and Railways of the World all support 2 to 6 players. Tokaido holds 2 to 5. Ticket to Ride itself is built for 2 to 5 and feels best at four, so those are your crowd sized options.

4. What is a heavier, more strategic game like Ticket to Ride?

Railways of the World is the natural step up, the same track building with a real economy of track costs, bonds, and goods delivery. Power Grid and Age of Steam go deeper into network economics if your group wants a serious project.

5. Can I play any of these games while traveling?

Yes. Next Station: London needs a pad and a deck of cards, and Cartographers needs a pencil, so both travel well. Ticket to Ride: The Card Game fits in a pocket. Railways of the World and Wingspan need a stable table. For more picks that need no table at all, see our travel games that need no flat surface.

6. Do these games need a big table or special storage?

Railways of the World needs the most room because the maps are large. TransAmerica is moderate, and Next Station: London plus Cartographers fit in a backpack. Next Station: London, Cartographers, and TransAmerica are the easiest three to keep in a single shelf box if storage is the thing holding you back.

7. Which game like Ticket to Ride has the best replay value?

Wingspan has 170 birds in the base game plus strong expansions, Railways of the World changes strategy completely on each map, and Cartographers adds new sheets and scoring through its expansions. The Quest for El Dorado also reshuffles its modular map every game, so no two expeditions match.

The Short Version

TransAmerica is the shortest distance from Ticket to Ride to something new, a two minute teach that plays six and lives in a small box. Reach for Next Station: London when the evening is short, Tokaido and Parks when the journey is the point, and Railways of the World when the kids are ready to run a railway. Whichever map you unfold next, the route is yours to choose.