Games Like Root: Asymmetric Area-Control Games to Try Next

If your crew is hunting for games like Root, look at Vast: The Crystal Caverns and Oath from the same publisher, Spirit Island for the cooperative version, or Cosmic Encounter and Sin of Angels for a faster, meaner turf fight. You want asymmetrical board games where everyone plays by their own rules, fights over the same map, and looks for the knife in the back.

Root hides a vicious war behind cute woodland creatures. When the forest burns down and the game ends, you want that feeling again.

Finding board games like Root means looking for:

• Deep strategy where every turn matters
• Shifting power dynamics between players
• Area control, where the board state is a puzzle and the other players are the real obstacle

We broke down the best options to hit the table next, from heavy historical conflicts to sci-fi engine builders.

Key Takeaways

• Vast: The Crystal Caverns and Oath share Root's designer and its rule-breaking asymmetry.
• Spirit Island is the top pick if your crew wants to cooperate against a shared threat instead.
• The COIN series (Cuba Libre) is the historical wargame lineage Root's insurgency mechanics come from.
• Small World and Ahoy are the lighter on-ramps before stepping up to Oath or the COIN series.
• Sin of Angels moves the same shifting-alliance turf war to a free, six-round digital format.

The Draw of the Woodland War

Explains why Root's asymmetric factions make players crave more games like it.

Root changed how people look at strategy night. Published by Leder Games, it proved multiple players could sit at the same table and play entirely different games.

• One faction builds an industrial engine to churn out troops.
• Another programs its moves in a strict decree that eventually collapses.
• A third runs a slow insurgency, striking from the shadows.
• The last wanders the map, playing a solo trading game with everyone else.

That asymmetry is the hook. You are not just rolling dice for turf. You are exploiting your faction's strengths while trying to choke out the others. It's an area-control fight with a high learning curve and massive replay value, and players love it because no two matches run the same way.

The board state shifts constantly based on who's winning. You cut a deal with a weaker player, use them to bleed the leader, then turn on them when they get too strong. If you want more of that tension, here's where to look.

The Best Asymmetric Area-Control Games to Play Next

At a Glance

Here's how the whole lineup stacks up on player count, table time, and rules complexity before you dig into the write-ups below.

The Leder Games Family

If you want the exact design pedigree of Root, look at the rest of the publisher's lineup. Leder Games specializes in rule-breaking asymmetry.

• Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile: The Oath board game comes from the same designer, Cole Wehrle. It is a massive, sprawling game of history and power. Players influence a kingdom over generations. The winner of one game sets the rules and the board state for the next. It is heavy, political, and ruthless. You will forge alliances and betray your friends to claim the throne.
• Vast: The Crystal Caverns: This is the game that put Leder Games on the map for deep asymmetry. One player explores a dungeon as a knight. One is a goblin swarm, one is a dragon waking from its slumber, and one is a thief stealing loot. One player is literally the cave itself, trying to collapse on everyone.
• Ahoy: A lighter, faster asymmetric pick from the same publisher. It brings shifting rulesets and faction abilities to the high seas. You have factions controlling the ocean, while others play as smugglers running cargo between islands.

If you want that same designer pedigree but you'd rather not order a box and wait for shipping, Sin of Angels is worth a look. It's in closed beta now, and early players help shape what ships: Claim Your Spot in the Beta.

Heavy Asymmetry and Insurgency

Root draws heavily from historical wargames. If you want the mechanics without the woodland theme, step into these arenas.

• Spirit Island: The Spirit Island board game is the top cooperative recommendation for heavy asymmetry. You and your friends play as ancient nature spirits defending your island from colonizers. Every spirit plays completely differently. One might use slow, overwhelming earth magic, while another uses fast, aggressive lightning strikes. It is complex, punishing, and incredibly rewarding.
• Pax Pamir: Another Cole Wehrle design. Pax Pamir puts you in historical Afghanistan. You are tribal leaders navigating collapsing empires. You build coalitions, switch sides when it suits you, and fight for control. It is a masterclass in reading the board and knowing exactly when to betray your allies.
• The COIN Series (Cuba Libre): Root was heavily inspired by the COIN (Counter Insurgency) series of historical wargames. Cuba Libre is often the best entry point. It features factions fighting over a central map, each with unique victory conditions and actions. It is the direct mechanical ancestor to the woodland war.

Area Control and Engine Builders

Sometimes you just want to build an engine, claim territory, and crush your friends.

• Scythe: A massive alternate-history game of mechs and farming. It blends area control with heavy engine building. Factions have unique abilities, but the core loop is about efficiency. The threat of combat is often more powerful than the combat itself, keeping everyone in a tense standoff.
• Cosmic Encounter: The Cosmic Encounter board game is the grandfather of rule-breaking asymmetry. Every player gets an alien race with a game-breaking power. You negotiate, form alliances, and betray each other to colonize planets. It is loud, chaotic, and heavily dependent on player interaction.
• Everdell: The Everdell board game shares a woodland aesthetic but swaps warfare for worker placement and city building. It is a great pivot if your group enjoys games like Wingspan and wants tight engine building over direct combat. You gather resources and play cards to build the best woodland city.
• Star Wars: Rebellion: A massive two-player asymmetric war. The Empire has a massive military and searches the galaxy for a hidden base. The Rebellion hides, runs sabotage operations, and tries to survive long enough to win the galaxy's sympathy. It is a tense game of cat and mouse.
• Small World: A lighter gateway pick for area control. You pick a fantasy race, combine it with a random power, and spread across a map that is entirely too small for everyone. When your race spreads too thin, you send them into decline and pick a new one.
• Sin of Angels: A competitive area-control turf war that plays out in your browser instead of on a table. You build a crew, take territory, and cut alliances you plan to break over about six rounds. It is in closed beta now, and the beta list is open.

If the shifting alliances above are the part you keep chasing, you do not have to wait for a full table to form. Get on the beta list and you'll be running a gang against a smart AI in your browser, no install, once you're in.

Get on the Beta List

How to Pick Your Next Game

Not sure where to start? Match the game to what your table actually needs.

• Want a full table fighting each other? Root, Cosmic Encounter, and Star Wars: Rebellion (as a two-player game) deliver direct confrontation.
• Want to work together instead? Spirit Island is the pick. It is still heavily asymmetric, just aimed at a shared enemy instead of each other.
• New to this style of game? Start light with Small World or Ahoy before stepping up to Oath or the COIN series.
• Don't want to unbox anything or teach rules? Sin of Angels below puts the same area-control fight on your phone or TV with no setup.

Take the Turf War Digital: Sin of Angels

Promotes Sin of Angels itself — territory, combat, platforms, and how to join the beta.

What made Root sing was never the woodland skin, it was the shifting board state and the constant threat of a rival flipping on you mid-game. Trade the forest for a modern underworld and that same tension holds up. Look at our outlaw-MC strategy board game.

What You're Actually Playing

Sin of Angels is a turn-based strategy board game about running an outlaw motorcycle club, the Angels MC, in an L.A. County underworld. You build your crew by bringing in patched members and recruits. You muscle rival gangs off the streets, claim territory, and bleed the town dry.

The Turf and the Score

The map is filled with illicit sites, and every one is a front to use for cash, guns, or narcotics:

• The Iron Works
• The Morgue
• Picket Fence Lab
• San Pedro Docks
• The Velvet Cage
• High Desert Trading Post
• The 110 Underpass

Working the Room, Then Betraying It

Like the best asymmetrical board games, Sin of Angels is about using the board and the other players. You trade on The Silk Road and manage Felonies with the law. You cut ceasefires with rival clubs to take down the leader, then break the deal and take their turf.

When clubs clash on a site, it is a Brawl. The fight plays out in cinematic 3D battles, not just a dice roll. If a rider goes down, you watch atmospheric death vignettes.

How You Actually Play It

The best part is how you play it. There is no massive box to unpack or rulebook to teach.

• Play party mode with a 3D board on a TV, where everyone plays from their own phone.
• Play online multiplayer with remote friends across devices.
• Run solo against a smart AI opponent if your crew is offline.
• Use local pass-and-play when everyone's in the same room.

It is a browser-based game, meaning it plays on any device with no install. An Android app is on the way, and Sin of Angels is coming to Steam for PC players. On iPhone, tablet, and desktop, it runs right in the browser once the beta opens up to you.

Matches last about six rounds, perfect for a full game night or a quick clash. You fight to control the most territory, because territory earns the cash that decides who wins.

Join the Beta

Sin of Angels is in closed beta at soa-game.com. Get on the list and you play early, and the bugs you report shape what ships.

Join the Beta

Related Guides

• Sin of Angels: The Outlaw Motorcycle Club Strategy Board Game
• Games Like Catan: The Best Strategy Board Games to Play Next
• Games Like Monopoly (But With Real Strategy)
• Games Like Ticket to Ride: Strategy Picks for the Whole Group

Frequently Asked Questions

What board games are similar to Root in terms of asymmetrical gameplay?

Vast: The Crystal Caverns and the Cosmic Encounter board game offer massive asymmetry where every player uses different rules. For a historical take, Pax Pamir provides shifting alliances and unique faction dynamics.

Is Root hard to learn for new players?

Yes, it has a steep learning curve. Because every faction plays by different rules, teaching the game means explaining multiple different systems at once. Players usually need a full practice game to understand how the factions interact.

What games did Root take inspiration from?

Root was heavily inspired by the COIN series of historical wargames, specifically titles like Cuba Libre. These games feature deeply asymmetric factions fighting over a central map using insurgency and counter-insurgency tactics.

Are there cooperative games like Root?

The Spirit Island board game is the best cooperative game with heavy asymmetry. Players work together as unique nature spirits to defend an island, with each spirit using entirely different mechanics and powers.

What other games has Leder Games published?

Leder Games is known for asymmetric designs like Vast: The Crystal Caverns and Ahoy. They also published the Oath board game, a sprawling political strategy game designed by Root creator Cole Wehrle.

Is there a good two-player game like Root?

Star Wars: Rebellion is a massive two-player asymmetric game of cat and mouse. For a faster, lighter option, Ahoy offers great two-player modes with shifting rulesets and naval combat.

What video games have asymmetric strategy like Root?

Sin of Angels brings this style of asymmetric area control to the digital space. You play in the browser against friends or a smart AI opponent, fighting for territory and breaking alliances in a modern underworld setting.

Claim Your Turf

Finding the right strategy game means finding the right mix of tension, territory, and betrayal. Want to trade the woodland war for a gritty outlaw motorcycle club? Sin of Angels is building toward exactly that. Get Early Access to build your crew early and help shape the game before it ships.