Alternatives to VASSAL
An open-source engine for building and playing digital versions of board games and card games. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
VASSAL
An open-source engine for building and playing digital versions of board games and card games.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as VASSAL.
Tabletop Simulator
A physics-based sandbox for playing and building board, card and tabletop games online with others.
Tabletop Simulator is a paid physics sandbox with Steam Workshop content and a scripting API, replacing VASSAL's free open-source module library of over 3,200 games.
Tabletopia
An online sandbox for playing more than 2,500 board games in the browser, on Steam or Android.
Tabletopia runs in the browser, on Steam or Android with over 2,500 board games, but it is proprietary and players enforce the rules themselves in its sandbox.
Board Game Arena
A browser platform for playing licensed board games online with friends or players worldwide.
Board Game Arena is a proprietary browser service with licensed board games, ranked play and a large player base, but it has no play by email or community modules.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Roll20
A browser-based virtual tabletop for playing pen-and-paper role-playing games and board games online.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
A self-hosted virtual tabletop for running role-playing games that players join through a web browser.
MapTool
Host a virtual tabletop for pen-and-paper roleplaying games.
Lichess
A free, open-source, ad-free chess server for playing, solving puzzles and studying chess online.
Owlbear Rodeo
A browser-based virtual tabletop for running tabletop role-playing sessions with maps, tokens and fog.
Fantasy Grounds
A desktop virtual tabletop for playing D&D, Pathfinder and other RPGs online with rules automation.
