Root vs Spirit Island – Which Strategy Game Should You Buy?

Two acclaimed nature-themed strategy games, two completely different experiences — one pits you against your friends, the other puts you all on the same side against the board.

Root and Spirit Island are frequently mentioned in the same breath — both are acclaimed, nature-themed strategy games from smaller publishers (Leder Games and Greater Than Games respectively) that reward experienced players willing to climb a real learning curve. Both feature beautiful woodland art, both scale from 1 to 4 players, and both have devoted communities that consider them among the best games of the last decade.

But the fundamental structure of play could not be more different. Root is a competitive area-control game where four asymmetric factions fight each other for territory and points. Spirit Island is a fully cooperative game where every player is on the same team, working together against a relentless, escalating invasion.

One BGG forum thread comparing the two put it well: Root is "definitively competitive," with political maneuvering at its core, while Spirit Island offers "quite a diversity of Spirits" that behave so differently no two cooperative games ever feel the same.

See How Each One Plays

There's no dedicated head-to-head video comparing these two directly — but here's each game's own rules tutorial, so you can judge the two very different play styles for yourself:

Side-by-Side Comparison

Competitive Conflict vs Cooperative Struggle

This is really the crux of the decision. If you enjoy the tension of negotiating, bluffing, and occasionally getting betrayed by the people you're playing with, Root's competitive structure delivers that in spades — its "rule of three" and shifting alliances create constant social pressure. If that kind of direct conflict stresses you out or you'd rather collaborate than compete, Spirit Island removes it entirely, replacing player-vs-player tension with player-vs-system tension instead.

Difficulty scaling is another major differentiator. Spirit Island includes built-in difficulty adjustments — from gentle introductory scenarios up through brutal Level 10 challenges — letting a group grow into the game's full complexity over months. Root doesn't really "scale" the same way; its difficulty comes from which factions are in play and how experienced your opponents are, which some groups find less predictable to control.

Choose Root If…

Can You Play Them at the Same Skill Level?

Both games ask a lot of new players on their first session — this isn't really a "beginner-friendly vs advanced" comparison, since both sit firmly in advanced territory. If your group is newer to heavier strategy games, it's worth building up to either one rather than starting cold. Cooperative fans often work up to Spirit Island through Pandemic first; competitive fans might ease into Root's asymmetry through a lighter area-control game before jumping in.

Neither game is "easier" than the other — reviewers and forum discussions consistently place Root and Spirit Island in the same weight class, just pointed in opposite directions: one outward at your opponents, one inward at your own team's coordination.

Frequently Asked Questions