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Travellin Cats in China

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

Looking for games like Travellin Cats in China? We analyzed its gameplay DNA — deep simulation, strong narrative focus and open world exploration — against over 6,700 titles. These 33 alternatives are ranked by real similarity, not marketing tags. MASSIVE CHALICE leads with 73/100, followed by the rest of the list.

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Quick answer

The closest game to Travellin Cats in China is MASSIVE CHALICE — scoring 73/100 on our similarity scale. Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic) and Songs of Syx follow close behind.

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Top games similar to Travellin Cats in China

33 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Travellin Cats in China. Each one has been evaluated across 10 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

#1MASSIVE CHALICE
MASSIVE CHALICE
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalHistoricalManagementMagic
Steam👍 72%· 1.9KRAWG👍 36%· 131MC73IGDB70· 3OC74· 32
Year 2015Dev Double Fine ProductionsPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

✓ If you enjoyed Travellin Cats in China, expect deep simulation, turn-based strategy and deep RPG systems

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, roguelike runs and combat magic, while skipping strong narrative focus

Massive Chalice is a fantasy turn-based tactical game in the vein of XCOM. ###Plot The player assumes the role of an immortal leader in a fantasy kingdom. A dark power called Cadence repeatedly attacks the kingdom, corrupting everything it touches.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Travellin Cats in China.

Genre100Game mode100Progression72Combat68Setting56
Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic)
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloHistoricalManagementFantasyBase Building
Steam👍 96%· 1.1K
Year 2014Dev MicroProse Software · Nightdive StudiosPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for deep simulation, turn-based strategy and historical setting

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, fantasy world and base building, while skipping deep RPG systems

Special OfferOfficially Licensed Sid Meier's Colonization T-Shirts are available on Amazon! About the GameThe Tradition of Civilization Continues The New World lies before you with all its peril, promise and infinite possibility. Your colonists anxiously follow you to shore.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: visuals.

Genre100Game mode100Setting76Progression72Visuals0
#3Songs of Syx
Songs of Syx
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalOpen WorldManagement2D
Steam👍 95%· 8.2K
Year 2020Dev Jake the Dev · Jakob de LavalPlaytime ~6hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for deep simulation, turn-based strategy and open world exploration

≠ Stands apart with sandbox freedom, survival mechanics and vibe casual, while skipping deep RPG systems

Inspired by Nordic mythology and fused with nostalgia from the ’80s-’90s, Songs of Syx aims to deliver a unique city-builder experience on an epic scale. You start off as a colony-sim, and tend to your minions, micromanage your assets and try to stay off your neighbor’s radar.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: tone and setting.

Genre100Combat100Game mode100World53Progression49Visuals28
Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalHistoricalManagementMultiplayer
Steam👍 86%· 374KRAWG👍 88%· 1.4KMC88IGDB87· 20OC89· 95
Year 2016Dev Aspyr Media · 2K GamesPlaytime ~15hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for deep simulation, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Its own twist: fantasy world, multiplayer gameplay and base building, while skipping deep RPG systems

The sixth installment in Sid Meier’s Civilization series.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: visuals.

Genre100Combat100Setting76Progression75Game mode54Visuals0
Dwarf Fortress
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloOpen WorldManagementStealthRanged
Steam👍 95%· 31KIGDB84OC90· 13
Dev Bay 12 GamesOn Linux · PC · Mac

✓ If you enjoyed Travellin Cats in China, expect deep simulation, deep RPG systems and turn-based strategy

≠ Where it differs: brings survival mechanics, sandbox freedom and roguelike runs, while skipping strong narrative focus

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: combat and setting.

Genre100Game mode100Progression49World39Combat0Setting0
Advance Wars
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTactical2DMultiplayerSci-Fi
IGDB100· 1
Year 2001Dev Intelligent Systems · Nintendo

✓ Shared with Travellin Cats in China: deep simulation, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Its own twist: setting scifi, multiplayer gameplay and visual isometric, while skipping deep RPG systems

Turn-based tactics stripped to essentials: unit triangle, terrain bonuses, capture points, and COs whose powers meaningfully change how you play. Readable within one mission. The campaign difficulty spikes sharply in its later maps, and there is no undo — a misread on turn three can cost a map you then replay from the start.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: setting and visuals.

Genre100Combat100Game mode55Visuals49Setting0
#7Turmoil
Turmoil
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalHistoricalManagement2D
Steam👍 93%· 16KOC72· 11
Year 2016Dev Gamious · PlaydigiousOn PS4 · Linux · Android

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for deep simulation, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe relaxing, multiplayer gameplay and co op, while skipping deep RPG systems

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: tone and game mode.

Genre100Combat100Setting100Progression100Visuals100Game mode31
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalHistoricalMultiplayerFantasy
IGDB81· 8
Year 2008Dev Firaxis Games · 2K GamesOn PlayStation 3

✓ If you enjoyed Travellin Cats in China, expect deep simulation, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Stands apart with fantasy world, multiplayer gameplay and visual isometric, while skipping deep RPG systems

Civilization compressed for consoles: games finish in a couple of hours, the tech tree is trimmed hard, and turns are fast enough to play with a controller comfortably. That compression is the trade — the diplomacy and economic layers are thin, and anyone coming from the PC entries will find the strategic ceiling low.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: visuals.

Genre100Combat100Setting74Game mode55Visuals0
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTactical2DMultiplayerSci-Fi
IGDB91· 3
Year 2005Dev Intelligent Systems · Nintendo

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for deep simulation, turn-based strategy and combat tactical

≠ Stands apart with setting scifi, multiplayer gameplay and visual isometric, while skipping deep RPG systems

The dual-screen entry: two COs per army with tag powers, plus a much longer campaign than its predecessors. More systems on the board than any other entry. Those systems are also the criticism — tag powers can swing a map decisively, and the balance between COs is looser than in the earlier, tighter games.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: setting.

Genre100Combat100Visuals61Game mode55Setting0
Crusader Kings III
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalNarrativeHistoricalManagement
Steam👍 90%· 140KRAWG👍 89%· 465MC86IGDB91· 3OC90· 94
Year 2020Dev Paradox Developement Studios · Paradox InteractivePlaytime ~12hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ If you enjoyed Travellin Cats in China, expect deep simulation, deep RPG systems and turn-based strategy

≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, real-time strategy and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping open world exploration

A grand strategy game about dynasties rather than borders: characters have traits, stress, secrets and lifespans, and most of the story comes from managing relatives who want what you have. Far more approachable than CK2. Warfare is the shallow part, and once you understand the systems the difficulty largely disappears past the first century.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: world and visuals.

Genre100Combat100Progression78Tone58Setting56Game mode54
Sid Meier's Civilization® V
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalHistoricalMultiplayerCo-op
Steam👍 96%· 209KRAWG👍 91%· 2.0KMC90IGDB87· 5
Year 2010Dev Aspyr Media · 2K GamesPlaytime ~27hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ If you enjoyed Travellin Cats in China, expect turn-based strategy, deep simulation and combat tactical

≠ Its own twist: ranged combat, fantasy world and setting scifi, while skipping deep RPG systems

Real-time strategy genre has always been about domination over your opponent, and Civilization in general expanded on the concept. Civilization 5 allows players to pick one of the 43 civilizations available in, including DLCs and the expansions.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: progression and visuals.

Genre100Combat75Game mode49Setting48Progression0Visuals0
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloTacticalNarrativeMultiplayerSci-Fi
Steam👍 60%· 23KIGDB83· 11OC81· 67
Year 2014Dev Firaxis Games · 2K GamesOn Linux · PC · Mac

✓ Shared with Travellin Cats in China: turn-based strategy, deep simulation and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, setting scifi and setting space, while skipping deep RPG systems

Civ V's systems relocated to an alien planet, with affinity paths that visibly change your units as you commit to one. The alien wildlife adds early pressure Civ never had. It was criticised for feeling like a reskin — the diplomacy is shallow, the victory conditions blur together, and the planet never develops the character Alpha Centauri had.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: setting and progression.

On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against very positive for Travellin Cats in China.

Genre100Combat100Tone100Game mode54Setting0Progression0
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloHistoricalMultiplayerFantasyBase Building
Steam👍 87%· 1.5KRAWG👍 69%· 163MC83IGDB77· 3
Year 2008Dev Aspyr Media · 2K GamesPlaytime ~1hOn PC · iOS · Apple Macintosh

✓ If you enjoyed Travellin Cats in China, expect turn-based strategy, deep simulation and historical setting

≠ Its own twist: adventure storytelling, fantasy world and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping deep RPG systems

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization is a remake of the famous turn-based strategy game Sid Meier's Colonization which was released in 1994. The game was totally remade with the Civilization IV engine.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: progression and visuals.

Genre100Setting76Game mode54Progression0Visuals0
Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloNarrativeManagement2DDark
Steam👍 86%· 2.0KRAWG👍 48%· 25MC75
Year 2015Dev Northway GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for deep simulation, turn-based strategy and deep RPG systems

≠ Where it differs: brings survival mechanics, sandbox freedom and horror tension, while skipping open world exploration

It's been a few years since the zombpocalypse turned the world's cities into graveyards and sent the few survivors into hiding. Now you must gather them up and restore civilization to a ruined city, one building at a time.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: world and setting.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Progression60Tone59Setting0
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
StrategyGrand Strategy
SoloMultiplayerSpaceSci-FiPost-Apocalyptic
Steam👍 91%· 581IGDB91· 1
Year 1999Dev Firaxis Games · Electronic ArtsOn Linux · PC · Mac

✓ Like Travellin Cats in China, it's known for turn-based strategy, deep simulation and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: setting space, setting scifi and post-apocalyptic world, while skipping deep RPG systems

The most thematically ambitious 4X ever made: factions built on ideology rather than nationality, terraforming that reshapes the planet, and a unit designer that lets you build exactly what your doctrine implies. The writing is exceptional. The interface is genuinely archaic, and running it on modern hardware usually requires community patches.

Where it drifts furthest from Travellin Cats in China: setting and visuals.

Genre100Game mode54Setting0Visuals0

Complete list of Travellin Cats in China alternatives

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Travellin Cats in China, ordered from highest to lowest similarity score. Use the filters above to narrow down by genre, setting or game mode and find the alternative that best fits your playstyle.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Travellin Cats in China?
The closest game to Travellin Cats in China is MASSIVE CHALICE, scoring 73/100 on our similarity scale. They share 7 gameplay attributes, including deep simulation, turn-based strategy and deep RPG systems. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Travellin Cats in China?
The three closest games to Travellin Cats in China are: 1. MASSIVE CHALICE (73/100, 7 shared attributes) 2. Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic) (60/100, 5 shared attributes) 3. Songs of Syx (59/100, 7 shared attributes). All share Travellin Cats in China's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 33 candidates across 10 dimensions.
Is Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic) similar to Travellin Cats in China?
Yes — Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic) scores 60/100 similarity to Travellin Cats in China. They share 5 attributes, including deep simulation and turn-based strategy. There are some notable differences in pacing or mechanics.
What Simulation games are similar to Travellin Cats in China?
The best Simulation games similar to Travellin Cats in China are MASSIVE CHALICE, Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic), Songs of Syx and Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI. All share the Simulation genre alongside other key Travellin Cats in China attributes like deep simulation, turn-based strategy and deep RPG systems.
How is similarity to Travellin Cats in China calculated?
We compare Travellin Cats in China against every game in our catalog using 10 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Travellin Cats in China experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.
Are there free games similar to Travellin Cats in China?
Yes — Crusader Kings II is free and scores well on similarity to Travellin Cats in China. It's a great way to test whether the play style clicks before investing in other paid titles.