The Best Dice Games

As you know, there are many games that can be played with dice. Dice games come in a wide variety of genres, such as adventure games, casino games, racing games, money games, etc.

However, with that many games of different types, it’s difficult to decide which one you should purchase. Whether you’re buying it for yourself or as a gift for someone, there are many factors you should keep in mind: the average length of a game, the game’s genre, the number of players, the required age, etc.

Here, we’ll be showing you some of the best games that are played with dice. These games have managed to entertain players of all ages for many years. So, without further ado, let’s look at some great dice games that are sure to give you many memorable game nights.

Las Vegas

Characteristics

• Category: Board game
• Age: 8 years and over
• Number of players: 2 to 5
• Average duration: 30 minutes
• Manufacturer: Rüdiger Dorn

The concept of Las Vegas is quite nice, it combines both chance, strategy, and especially risk. The game is, of course, played with dice, with each player having their own pool of dice.

The game is quite simple. The setup takes almost no time at all. You place the casino tiles next to each other and deal money to each casino. Each player has 8 dice. The game is played over 4 rounds.

Players take turns rolling their dice and placing the dice of their choice in the casino with the same value. Players aim to be the most dominant in a specific casino to be able to collect the most money they can: at the end of each round, the player with the most dice in a casino receives the highest value banknote assigned to that casino.

If two or more players have the same number of dice in the same casino, they will not receive any money and will put their dice back in their reserve.

At the end of the four rounds, each player will have to count their money. The richest player is declared the winner.

Big Money

If you like money games, Big Money could be the right choice for you. Roll the dice and immerse yourself in the world of Big Money by buying various assets from different industries. You can invest in places like the opera house or the football stadium for example and will be able to buy objects like yachts and many other luxuries.

The concept of Big Money is quite original. You will have to invest and risk your money in the various businesses of the industry to emerge victorious at the end of the game. Big Money games are rather short, but each time there are different twists and turns that are sure to make you want to play several games in a row.

Specifications

Category: Money game, dice game
Age: 8 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 5
Average duration: 25 to 30 minutes
Manufacturer: Ravensburger, Wonder Forge

At the beginning of a game of Big Money, each player will be assigned a startup asset from one of five industries (food, sports, leisure, tourism, and technology).On your turn, roll the six numbered dice and the industry die. All players who have an asset from the industry shown on the industry die get paid. If you have more than one asset of the industry shown on the industry die, you receive a bonus.

You can try to make more money by rerolling the dice, you can choose to roll all of the dice or only a few of them to get the combination you want, for example, two or four identical dice, a sequence, etc.

With the money you make, you can buy a new asset that can earn you even more money each turn if the industry die rolls in your favor.

If the industry die reveals Biz News, you have to draw a news card, read it out loud and do what it says. Some of those cards will benefit your business, others could cause you severe financial damages.

The game ends once there is no more money in the bank. At that point, players count their money and the richest player is declared the winner of the game.

Catan

Players of Catan get to develop their settlements by building roads and cities through using the necessary resources, which they can earn on their own or by trading with one another.
Unlike other games where the board is pre-designed, with Catan you have the possibility to build the board in different ways.

Specifications

Category: Management game
Age: 8 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 5
Average duration: 25 to 30 minutes
Manufacturer: Klaus Teuber

In Catan, like many other board games, the oldest player takes the first turn. Once you’re familiar with the game, you can choose between two different setups (one for beginners and the other for more experienced players). You can look up the different setups of the game if you’d like.

At the start of the game, players will be given two settlements and two roads; the equivalent of two victory points. To acquire victory points, you will need to develop your settlement into cities by building roads with the resources you acquire during the game.

It’s possible to acquire resources each turn, depending on the sum of the dice roll. With the resources, build roads and cities to develop your settlement and earn victory points.

You will also be able to trade your resources in two different ways, either with other players in the form of inland trade or with the bank in the form of sea trade.

When a player reaches 10 victory points, the game ends and they’re declared the winner.

In Catan, even though chance plays a very important role, strategy and tactics play a role just as vital. The rules of the game are easy to understand and each game has a friendly dimension to it because of the resource exchange that takes place between players.

Qwixx

Qwixx is a dice game that is played with identical individual cards, each of which have 4 rows filled with numbers.

Each row on the cards is of a different color and corresponds to the colors of the four dice: red, yellow, green, and blue. Each row contains the numbers from 2 to 12 (the red and yellow rows are in ascending order, the green and blue rows are in descending order).

The rules of Qwixx are very easy, but the game still requires some thinking for a player to be able to receive the most points possible. During the course of the game, players will be marking the numbers based on the results of the dice rolls.

Specifications

Category: Dice game
Age: 8 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 5 players
Average duration: 15 minutes
Manufacturer: Steffen Benndorf

During your turn, roll all six dice, then add up the results of the two white dice. Each player then marks a number on their card corresponding to the result of the dice. After you have marked a number, you may mark another during your turn by taking one of the two white dice and combining it with one of the colored dice.

It’s important to remember you can mark the numbers in a left-to-right direction only: once you have marked a number, you cannot mark any of the numbers on its left.

The active player can choose not to mark any numbers during their turn, however, for that they will receive a penalty point that will be deducted from their score at the end of the game.

The game ends if a player manages to mark the final number on two rows. To do that, the player must have a minimum of 5 previously marked numbers on the same row. The game also ends if a player has four 4 penalty points. After the game has ended, each player counts their points according to the numbers they’ve marked on their cards. The player who has the most points is the winner.

Dice Forge

One of the most unique things about Dice Forge is that you can customize the dice to change the outcome of the game in your favor. This concept is called dice forging, which on its own is one of the most innovative concepts in the history of dice games.

At first, the rules and the flow of the game might seem complicated, but after two or three games, you’ll find that it’s very easy to play.

Specifications

Category: Resource management game
Age: 10 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 4
Average duration: 45 minutes
Manufacturer: ASMODEE

When there are 2 or 4 players, Dice Forge is played over 9 rounds. When there are 3 players, the game is played over 10 rounds.

Every turn, players will be throwing the dice, which are all identical at the beginning of the game. As you advance through the game, you’ll have the possibility to customize your dice according to your strategy and needs. Customizing your dice will help you collect more resources. The resources in Dice Forge are gold, sun shards, and moon shards.

When you roll the dice, there is a chance you’ll receive victory points or resources. Collecting resources allows you to either buy cards or dice faces which allow you to customize your dice. During your turn, if you spend two sun shards, you can perform an extra action.

After the final round has ended, players count the victory points earned through their cards and dice. Whoever has the most victory points wins the game.

What’s great about the concept of dice forging is that even though there is an element of chance when rolling the dice, the fact you can customize them allows you to still be able to think of different strategies and plan the best moves to make. Therefore, winning is going to highly depend on your ability to think of the best way to earn victory points through collecting and spending resources and customizing your dice appropriately.

Every game of Dice Forge is unique thanks to the different ways of customizing the dice, the different strategies the players use, and the fact that there are various card sets that always change the course of every game.

Mille Sabords (A Thousand Portholes)

Based on the world of piracy, this atmospheric dice game is accessible to an audience of 8 years of age and older. The games usually last about 30 minutes and can be played with 2 to 5 players.

Players will be drawing pirate cards and rolling dice in an attempt to earn the most points possible. However, there is a chance that they lose points as well.

Specifications

Category: Calculation game, logic game
Age: 8 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 5
Average duration: 30 minutes
Manufacturer: GIGAMIC

The rules of the game are very easy to learn. The players take turns rolling the dice in attempts to get the best possible combinations.

By the end of your turn, if you are not very familiar with the game yet, refer to your help card to see how many points you have earned with your combination (three identical dice = 100 points, four identical = 200 points, five identical = 500 points, etc.).

On your turn, draw the top pirate card and turn it face up. Pirate cards can highly affect the course of the game. Some cards could give you a much-needed advantage, while others could cause you to lose the entire game.

There are different cards with different effects. For example, a Treasure Island card allows you to roll the dice again, the Pirate card doubles your points, and the Guardian card allows you to re-roll a skull die.

Each die that shows a diamond or a gold coin will earn you 100 points in addition to the combinations they are part of. And if you score points with all eight dice, you get 500 bonus points on top of your combinations.

Each player may re-roll the dice as many times as they wish, but the round will end once you have three skulls. A die that shows a skull cannot be re-rolled, unless you draw a Guardian card as previously mentioned.

Players constantly keep track of their points. The winner of the game is the first player to reach 6,000 points.

Monopoly Cheaters Edition

Released in 2018 Monopoly Cheaters Edition is a fairly new game. There have been many variations of the classic Monopoly, but this latest one is probably the most unusual of them all.

As you might expect, the rules of this version are quite different from the original Monopoly, however, the ultimate goal remains the same: make the most money and you win.

New features have been introduced to spice up the game, such as cheat cards, a handcuff, new chance and community chest cards, etc.

The classic properties have not changed, but the game board does not contain the tax or utility spaces. Also, in this version, Railroads cannot be purchased.

Specifications

Category: Board game, money game
Age: 8 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 6
Average duration: 45 minutes
Manufacturer: Hasbro

Even though the rules of Cheaters Edition differ quite a bit from classic Monopoly, they are still based on the same principles of the classic version, and in the end, the goal is still for you to become the wealthiest player.

However, the introduction of the cheat cards and the subtly sneaky chance and community chest cards bring a new dimension to the game and require all players to be vigilant. This version will allow you to cheat to gain an advantage, however, you should be careful, as there is a punishment if you get caught in the act.

To start a game, each player will have to roll the dice and the one who rolls the highest sum starts.

On your turn, roll the dice and advance through the board, then apply the rules of the space you’ve landed on. If you roll doubles, you can play another turn. You should remember that rolling doubles three times in a row causes you to be sent to jail right away.

The principles of buying properties and building hotels remain the same as the original version, if you decide not to buy a property, it will be auctioned. Some cheat, chance, and community chest cards will allow you to buy or move your hotels from a property to another, even if you don’t have a complete colored set.

The game ends when all the players return to the GO space after all the properties have been purchased. Each player then collects rent from the bank for each property they own and the richest player wins the game.

Hotel Deluxe

Hotel is a board game that has survived several generations. It was first released in 1986 and continues to delight young and old players with its new Hotel Deluxe version.

The game has an excellent design. Whether it be the many diverse hotels, the game board, the cards, etc. It’s all very well made. The rules of the game are a bit complex, but once the players are familiar with them, each game is a real pleasure.

Specifications

Category: Board Game
Age: 8 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 4
Average duration: 40 minutes
Manufacturer: ASMODEE

In Hotel, you play as an entrepreneur who’s on a mission to own the most luxurious hotels in the world. The game ends when all players but one have gone bankrupt, the last player standing is the winner.

Each turn the players have to roll the numbered die and advance in accordance to the number shown. Once you’ve rolled the die, you’re going to have to perform an action depending on which space you’ve landed on. During the course of the game, you’re going to be buying hotels and upgrading them through buying entrances and extensions.

To build a hotel after buying a property, you’re going to need to read the details written on the title deed card to find out the price of the hotel. After that you’re going to have to roll the permission die.

When you roll the permission die, you’re going to find out if you’re allowed to buy the hotel, and if so, how much exactly you’re going to have to pay for it.

To collect rent from your opponents, you’re going to have to build an entrance for your hotel. Each entrance must be placed on a space near your property. If a player lands on one of your entrances, they will have to pay you rent for the number of nights they’re going to spend there. You can significantly increase a hotel’s rent by buying extensions for it.

A player who no longer has any money, properties, or hotels is declared bankrupt and eliminated from the game. If there are only two players left, they do not receive any more money from the bank. Eventually one player will go bankrupt. The last player standing wins the game.

Yam

When talking about dice games that have aged well, Yam is way up there on the list.

The great thing about Yam is its simplicity. It is played with 5 dice, a small board, and individual score sheets. The rules of the game are very easy to learn and include many variations on how points should be scored.

The element of chance, which plays a major part in the game, can be off putting to some, but it should be noted that the game still requires a certain amount of thought for a player to be able to win.

Regarding the rules of the game, players should agree on which variation of the rules they’re going to play by to avoid any confusion.

Characteristics

Category: Game of chance
Age: 7 years and over
Number of players: 2 to 10
Average duration: 30 minutes
Manufacturer: Dujardin

The game is played over several rounds, depending on the variation you have chosen. Every turn, each player will have to throw the 5 dice to try to get a better combination than the others. You can roll the dice three times, you can also choose whether to use all the dice or just a few, depending on which combination you’re trying to get.

The points you can earn from the various combinations are shown on your score sheet and are divided into two parts, a minor part with the number of identical dice multiplied by the value of the dice and a major part with seven specific combinations: Three of a Kind (3 identical dice), Four of a Kind (four identical dice), Full House, Small Straight, Large Straight, Yam (five identical dice) and Chance.

Each round, you can choose to score points in one of the categories, but you can only choose one at a time. If you have no other option, you can use Chance to score points equal to the sum of the dice.

After the game has ended, players count their minor, major, and bonus points. The player with the most points is the winner.

Comparison Table