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Z. Year One

50 Games like Z. Year One that you should try

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Z. Year One is hard to replace: few games combine card game strategy, dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 6 gameplay attributes and found 50 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. X-COM: UFO Defense, Balatro and Hitman Go lead the list, with X-COM: UFO Defense reaching a 92/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes Z. Year One special.

iRank69/ 100

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GenreStrategySubgenreTurn-Based Strategy
Tags
DarkSolo
Year 2017Dev Downward Viral
Stores

Quick answer

The closest game to Z. Year One is X-COM: UFO Defense — scoring 92/100 on our similarity scale. Balatro and Hitman Go follow close behind.

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Games like Z. Year One

50 similar games found
X-COM: UFO Defense
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloDarkHorrorTacticalHardcore
Steam👍 95%· 4.0KRAWG👍 64%· 275IGDB85· 2
Year 1993Dev MicroProse Software · MicroProsePlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Commodore / Amiga

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, dark, oppressive atmosphere and horror setting

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, punishing difficulty and procedural generation, while skipping card game strategy

89
iRank93
Balatro
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloCasualHardcoreNarrativeRelaxing
Steam👍 98%· 191KRAWG👍 86%· 263IGDB91· 5OC92· 64
Year 2024Dev LocalThunk · PlayStackPlaytime ~14hOn PC · PS · iOS

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing card game strategy, turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: roguelike runs, vibe casual and punishing difficulty, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

91
iRank75
Hitman Go
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloStealthIsometric
IGDB75· 8
Year 2014Dev Square Enix Montréal · Square EnixOn PC · Android · iOS

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, stealth mechanics and visual isometric, while skipping card game strategy

XCOM: Chimera Squad
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalSci-FiThird Person
Steam👍 71%· 23KIGDB78· 9OC78· 75
Year 2020Dev Firaxis Games · 2KOn PC

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Where it differs: brings combat tactical, setting scifi and visual third person, while skipping card game strategy

86
iRank89
Lara Croft Go
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloHorrorCasualNarrativeAnime
Steam👍 93%· 4.0KIGDB86· 5OC83· 19
Year 2015Dev Square Enix Montréal · Square EnixOn PS4 · Linux · PC

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing turn-based strategy, card game strategy and horror setting

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, adventure storytelling and precision platforming, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloMeleeFantasyFirst PersonPixel Art
IGDB50· 1OC84· 44
Year 2021Dev DmAndyOn PC

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing turn-based strategy, card game strategy and single-player focus

≠ Where it differs: brings adventure storytelling, melee combat and fantasy world, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

Poker Night at the Inventory
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloTacticalCasualFirst Person
Steam👍 90%· 9.7KRAWG👍 59%· 249MC71OC80· 12
Year 2010Dev Telltale GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: card game strategy, turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Where it differs: brings sports simulation, vibe casual and combat tactical, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

89
iRank76
Poker Night 2
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloCasualNarrativeFirst Person
Steam👍 88%· 7.4KRAWG👍 68%· 220MC75IGDB65· 3
Year 2013Dev Telltale GamesPlaytime ~3hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with card game strategy, turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: sports simulation, puzzle design and adventure storytelling, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

88
iRank77
60 Seconds!
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloPost-ApocalypticTacticalNarrativeHardcore
Steam👍 85%· 12KIGDB80· 1OC58· 10
Year 2015Dev Robot Gentleman StudiosOn PS4 · Android · PC

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with turn-based strategy, post-apocalyptic world and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: deep simulation, survival mechanics and adventure storytelling, while skipping card game strategy

G.I.R.L.S. will be Girls
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloDarkHorrorPost-ApocalypticMelee
Steam👍 63%· 263
Year 2015Dev ZooPlaytime ~5hOn PC

✓ Fits the turn-based strategy games cluster, with card game strategy, turn-based strategy and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, puzzle design and vibe casual

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloMultiplayerTacticalSci-FiIsometric
IGDB91· 2
Year 2003Dev Intelligent Systems · Nintendo

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: combat tactical, setting scifi and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping card game strategy

Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloDarkTacticalRangedFantasy
Year 2002Dev Strategy First · StardockOn PC

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, dark, oppressive atmosphere and single-player focus

≠ Stands apart with combat tactical, ranged combat and fantasy world, while skipping card game strategy

82
iRank88
Hearthstone
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloMultiplayerMagicFantasyLoot
IGDB88· 9
Year 2014Dev Blizzard EntertainmentOn Android · PC · iOS

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy, card game strategy and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: combat magic, fantasy world and multiplayer gameplay, while skipping dark, oppressive atmosphere

83
iRank82
Triple Town
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloCasualCozyFantasyIsometric
Steam👍 92%· 820RAWG👍 67%· 27
Year 2012Dev Spry FoxPlaytime ~4hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Both are turn-based strategy games — sharing turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Where it differs: brings puzzle design, vibe casual and cozy, relaxing feel, while skipping card game strategy

Sid Meier's Civilization
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
SoloHistoricalIsometric
Year 1991Dev MPS Labs · MicroProse Software, Inc.On PC · Mac

✓ Same family of turn-based strategy games: turn-based strategy and single-player focus

≠ Its own twist: historical setting and visual isometric, while skipping card game strategy

Games like Z. Year One

Rankings in the same genre

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Z. Year One?
The closest game to Z. Year One is X-COM: UFO Defense, scoring 92/100 on our similarity scale. They share 4 gameplay attributes, including turn-based strategy, single-player focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Z. Year One?
The three closest games to Z. Year One are: 1. X-COM: UFO Defense (92/100, 4 shared attributes) 2. Balatro (89/100, 3 shared attributes) 3. Hitman Go (91/100, 2 shared attributes). All share Z. Year One's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 50 candidates across 6 dimensions.
Is Balatro similar to Z. Year One?
Yes, very much so — Balatro scores 89/100 similarity to Z. Year One. They share 3 attributes, including card game strategy and turn-based strategy. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Card Game games are similar to Z. Year One?
The best Card Game games similar to Z. Year One are Balatro, Lara Croft Go, Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors and Poker Night at the Inventory. All share the Card Game genre alongside other key Z. Year One attributes like turn-based strategy, single-player focus and dark, oppressive atmosphere.
How is similarity to Z. Year One calculated?
We compare Z. Year One against every game in our catalog using 6 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 Z. Year One experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.