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Hive similar games & best alternatives

Hive

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2014

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Quick resume

Officially licensed version of the "Mensa Select" award-winning board game! Hive is a board game with a difference. There is no board! The pieces are added to the playing area thus creating the board.

Global score

84/100

Genres

Casual, Indie, Strategy

Similar games

    Pros

    • Faithful adaptation of popular board game
    • Deep and challenging strategic gameplay
    • Multiple ai difficulty levels
    • Supports local, online, and asynchronous multiplayer
    • Short, replayable matches

    Cons

    • Small and inactive online community
    • Some ui and graphical limitations
    • Dlc required for full piece set
    • Ai not very strong at highest levels
    • Multiplayer matchmaking issues

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fantasy, Violence, Story, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Competition, Domination, Idle.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players freely choose which pieces to place and how to move them, with no fixed board layout and many strategic options."

    • Competence
      5

      "The game is a deep abstract strategy requiring skillful planning and tactical thinking, with challenging AI and multiplayer."

    • Competition
      4

      "Strong focus on competitive play against AI or other players, including ranked and asynchronous multiplayer."

    • Continuation
      3

      "Games are short but highly replayable, encouraging multiple sessions and habitual play."

    • Cooperation
      -4

      "Primarily a two-player competitive game with no cooperative modes or team play."

    • Creativity
      3

      "Players create the board dynamically by placing pieces, and DLC adds new pieces for varied strategies."

    • Domination
      2

      "Competitive dominance is a goal, but interactions are balanced and respectful without emphasis on trash talk or power imposition."

    • Escapism
      2

      "Provides a mental distraction and stress relief through strategic gameplay, but not heavily focused on real-world escape."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players explore different strategies and piece combinations, especially with DLC expansions."

    • Exploration
      -3

      "Gameplay occurs on a dynamically built board but within a limited hex grid; no exploration of new areas."

    • Expression
      2

      "Some customization of piece appearance and themes available, but limited to cosmetic changes."

    • Fantasy
      -4

      "Abstract strategy with realistic insect-themed pieces; no fantasy or fictional narrative elements."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Some social interaction through multiplayer and community, but small player base limits strong community feeling."

    • Growth
      4

      "Players develop strategic thinking and improve skills over time through practice and learning."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary board game with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle
      3

      "Supports asynchronous play allowing players to take turns at their own pace."

    • Intimacy
      -3

      "Limited to competitive interaction; no emphasis on forming close emotional bonds."

    • Leadership
      -4

      "No leadership or group management roles; purely head-to-head competition."

    • Progression
      3

      "Players accumulate positional advantages and unlock achievements; DLC adds new pieces to collect."

    • Relaxation
      2

      "Offers a calm, thoughtful experience but can also be mentally intense and challenging."

    • Sensation
      -2

      "Visuals and sounds are minimalistic and functional rather than highly stimulating."

    • Status
      1

      "Some recognition through achievements and rankings, but limited social visibility due to small community."

    • Story
      -5

      "No narrative or story elements; purely abstract gameplay."

    • Strategy
      5

      "Core of the game is deep strategic and tactical thinking akin to chess and go."

    • Thrill
      1

      "Some tension from competitive play but overall a controlled and thoughtful experience."

    • Value
      3

      "Good value especially on sale; cheaper than physical board game and offers AI and online play."

    • Violence
      -5

      "No combat or destruction; constructive and abstract gameplay."

    • Survival
      -4

      "No survival or resource management elements; stable and predictable gameplay environment."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026