15 Board Games for Pandemic fans
Pandemic is a great modern cooperative board game that stays fun whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gamer. If you’re looking for great tabletop games like Pandemic, we’ve got you covered with 15 recommendations to help you keep your gaming nights fresh.
I also have a video version of this list if that’s more your thing:
In this list we’ll be looking mostly at Cooperative games, games that generally play in about an hour, and games with low to medium complexity.
There are exceptions to these rules though, so keep reading till the end, and let me know in the comments if you think the list makes sense!
15 – Pandemic: On the Brink (2009)
The very first thing you might want to do if you’ve played too much Pandemic, is add one of the expansions available for the game, that bring diversity to the gameplay. On the brink adds new roles, new events, and new optional challenges to Pandemic.
You might also like: On the brink is the game’s most popular expansion, but State of Emergency and In the lab are also great options.
14 – Flash Point: Fire Rescue (2011)
Flash Point fire rescue lets you and your teammates fight against a completely different threat, fire. You’ll have to resuce victims from a fire in this intense cooperative game.
You might also like: If you’re looking for more intense cooperative games, you might like Escape: The Curse of the Temple and Red November.
13 – Ticket to Ride (2004)
Ticket to Ride is the only non cooperative game on this list, but it tends to be a favorite among Pandemic fans. In ticket ro ride, you compete with your friends to build train routes. The game is super easy to learn and plays under an hour.
You might also like: If you’re looking for more non cooperative games that are easy to learn, CATAN, Wingspan, or Sushi Go! might be for you.
12 – Forbidden Island (2010)
forbidden Island is a game created by Pandemic Designer Matt Leacock. It follows similar mechanics but is different enough that you might want to give it a try. You and your team have to collect 4 treasures before the island sinks.
You might also like: If you like the adventure theme while still retaining some of Pandemic‘s mechanics, you might also like : Forbidden Desert, Wrath of the Lich King, or the upcoming Forbidden Jungle.
11 – Pandemic: Iberia (2016)
Pandemic has a lot of reimplementations that add different mechanics and themes. Pandemic Iberia is a fan favorite, and is set in the 19th century in Spain. You’ll want to pick one with a theme that works for you of course.
You might also like: Other pandemic variations include Fall of Rome, Rapid Response, or Pandemic: The Cure.
10 – Mysterium (2015)
Mysterium is a very original cooperative game of clue. One player is a ghost sending dreams to the other players, who have to figure out the killer and the murder weapon together by interpreting the dreams.
You might also like: If you’re looking for more deduction games, you might want to try Deception: Murder in Hong Kong or Obscurio.
9 – Aeon’s End (2016)
Aeon’s End is a boss battler in which you are powerful mages trying to take down a villain and his minions. This is a cooperative deckbuilder with some nice deck management mechanics that require you to plan ahead.
You might also like: If you want more cooperative battles you might like : Legendary Marvel or Marvel Champions. People who like Aeon’s End also often recommend Mechs vs. Minions.
8 – Horrified (2019)
Horrified is a game not unlike pandemic, in which instead of a deadly virus, you have to fight and defeat monsters from popular movie franchises.
You might also like: For more cooperative action, people who like Horrified tend to recommend Atlantis Rising (Second Edition), Castle Panic, and Back to the Future: Back in Time.
7 – Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (2015)
If you love Pandemic and haven’t tried Pandemic Legacy yet, you’re missing out. It’s really hard to describe this game without giving any spoilers. Pandemic legacy starts as a regular pandemic game, but adds a campaign that spans over more than a dozen scenarios. Your actions can permanently change the game for future sessions, and the tension and fun in pandemic legacy are unlike anything else.
You might also like: Pandemic Legacy also has a season 2 and a prequel which are equally as good.
6 – Zombicide (2012)
Zombicide is not the most strategic game out there, but it’s a fun game in which, guess what, you fight against zombies.
You might also like: Zombicide has a lot of standalone variations to choose from, or for games with lighter themes you might want to try Mice and Mystics or Zombie Kidz Evolution.
5 – Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle (2016)
Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle is a cooperative deck builder with a campaign that spans over the 7 years matching the Harry Potter story. The game uses pictures from the movies which might not be to everyone’s taste, but its a good lightweight legacy game.
You might also like: You might also like Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is based on the Hogwarts Battle game but is not a cooperative game.
4 – Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases (1982)
Sherlock Holmes is a real detective game in which you and your friend have to interrogate witnesses, read actual newspapers, and find clues to try and figure out the details of a mystery. The game comes with ten cases that you can only play once, but standalone expansions exist such as Jack the Ripper.
You might also like: For more detective games, have a look at Chronicles of Crime or Detective: City of Angels.
3 – Spirit Island (2017)
Spirit Island is a cooperative game in which you have to protect your Island against invaders. Spirit Island has great variable player powers and synergies that make it a strategic mix of Area control and card hand management. Note that it is one of the heaviest games in this list, with rules that are a bit hard to digest initially, and you can expect a typical game to last 2 hours.
You might also like: If you’re looking for heavier cooperative games, Sleeping Gods, Robinson Crusoe or Gloomhaven might interest you.
2 – Hanabi (2010)
Back to lighter games, we have Hanabi, a cooperative card game where you have to light up some fireworks with your team. It’s a fun card game where everyone except you knows which cards are in your hand.
You might also like: For more lightweight, cooperative party games, have a look at Just One or The Mind.
1 – The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (2021)
Last in this list of recommendations for Pandemic fans, with have the Crew, Mission Deep Sea. This is a cooperative trick taking game, a one of a kind game where you have to work together to find a lost continent. The game comes with multiple missions that create an overall story, which contributes to make the game truly unique.
You might also like: There aren’t that many games like Mission Deep Sea except for its sequel The quest for Planet Nine, but you might also want to try Tranquility.
That’s it for this list of games like Pandemic, let me know in the comments you feel some games were missing, and see you next time!