Top Roll and Write Board Games of 2025

The roll and write genre has seen a remarkable surge in popularity in recent years, drawing inspiration from the classic board game Yahtzee. In these games, players roll dice or flip cards and use the outcomes to mark up their personal sheets. This simple yet engaging concept has paved the way for a variety of sophisticated gameplay experiences. Roll and write games are particularly appealing due to their straightforward nature and immediate gratification. They offer players the freedom to personalize their sheets or boards, while maintaining a structured set of rules that are easy to grasp. This winning formula has led to widespread success across diverse player groups, thanks to the genre's low entry barriers. Below, we highlight some of the best roll and write games available today.

TL;DR: The Best Roll and Write Games

Rolling Realms
Marabunta
The Fox Experiment
Twilight Inscription
Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up
Welcome To... Your Perfect Home
My City: Roll & Build
Railroad Ink
Next Station: London
Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write
Cartographers
Long Shot: The Dice Game
Three Sisters
Fleet: The Dice Game
Sagrada Artisans
Motor City
Rolling Realms

### Rolling Realms

0See it at Amazon
Rolling Realms offers a unique twist by basing each realm on another board game. Players use a card to assign die roll results to play mini-games that reflect their inspirations. Over nine rolls, all players engage with the same three realms, then draw three new ones from a set of twelve, repeating this process twice for a complete game. The charm lies in the realms themselves, which are excellent microcosms of their source material, offering family-friendly mini-puzzles to master. For those seeking more challenge, the standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, introduces more complex realms that can be played alone or mixed with the base game.

Marabunta

### Marabunta

0See it at Amazon
Marabunta, designed by the renowned Reiner Knizia, brings his strategic prowess to the roll and write genre. This two-player game simulates the competition between two ant tribes over hexes of territory, including coveted cupcakes and other rewards. Players use dice to expand their influence across color-coded hexes or earn bonuses that contribute to their final score. This blend of spatial and mathematical strategy is a hallmark of Knizia's design, making Marabunta a fascinating addition to the genre.

The Fox Experiment

### The Fox Experiment

0See it at Amazon
Inspired by a real-life experiment on fox domestication from the 1950s, The Fox Experiment by Elizabeth Hargrave, the creator of Wingspan, offers a more complex roll and write experience. Players use dice to represent genetic heredity, with each parent fox contributing trait dice to their offspring. The goal is to selectively breed foxes to meet end-game objectives, carrying forward successful traits into new rounds. This game's delightful use of dice to simulate genetics makes it a standout in the genre.

Twilight Inscription

### Twilight Inscription

1See it at Amazon
Twilight Inscription stands out by merging the expansive universe of Twilight Imperium with the roll and write format. This game emulates the 4X genre of video games, where players build space empires through exploration, exploitation, expansion, and extermination. Each aspect is represented on a separate sheet, creating a comprehensive experience that can be explored and mastered over multiple plays. Players must choose one sheet per turn to perform actions, leading to strategic trade-offs and diverse approaches. This game feels more like a full-fledged strategic board game than a typical roll and write, offering a rich and engaging experience.

Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up

### Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up

2See it at Amazon
Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up uniquely captures the theme of a pinball table using just a pen and dice. Players choose from four tables, entering at the top and navigating down by hitting bumpers and targets based on their rolls. The challenge is to maximize scores without reusing boxes, leading to a thrilling puzzle. The game includes a cooperative table and various sets, including a Star Trek-themed one, but Ramp It Up is the top choice for its engaging gameplay.

The Best Board Game Deals

Welcome To

### Welcome To... Your Perfect Home

3See it at Amazon
Welcome To... Your Perfect Home is a flip and write game that uses cards instead of dice, offering more options for players. The game involves town planning, where players choose pairs of house numbers and building effect cards to create three suburban streets. Balancing house numbers with various bonuses like pools and parks, and racing to meet city plans, adds depth and strategy. For those seeking more complexity, the sci-fi themed Welcome To The Moon is an excellent alternative.

My City: Roll & Build

### My City: Roll & Build

1See it at Amazon
Based on Reiner Knizia's popular My City, this roll and write game follows a campaign structure across multiple episodes. Each 30-minute session introduces new rules, gradually increasing complexity without overwhelming players. The game's flexibility allows for standalone play of each episode, making it suitable for both campaign and one-off sessions. My City: Roll & Build is an engaging game that stands up to repeated plays.

Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition

### Railroad Ink

9See it at Amazon
Also at Target
Railroad Ink challenges players to draw a transport network on a grid based on custom dice rolls. The goal is to link as many exits as possible to the same network, balancing the need to minimize dead ends with the potential for future connections. This unique blend of risk and spatial thinking sets Railroad Ink apart. The Deep Blue edition, which includes rivers and lakes, is the top choice, but other editions like Blazing Red, Lush Green, and Shining Yellow offer additional variety.

Next Station: London

### Next Station: London

1See it at Amazon
Next Station: London is a flip and write game that uses pencil colors as a key mechanic. Each color corresponds to a starting station on the player's map, where they begin drawing their network based on drawn cards. Players can extend lines in either direction, branch out, and aim to cross districts, visit tourist sites, and connect lines while avoiding crossing existing lines except at stations. The game's simple yet nuanced concept leads to engaging and colorful maps, making it a standout in the genre.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'N Write

### Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

4See it at Amazon
Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'N Write introduces more complexity to the roll and write genre, challenging players to build a Jurassic World-style dinosaur theme park. Dice rolls provide resources like money and DNA, which players use to sketch out their park, including attractions and concessions. Managing staff, special buildings, and security, while running a tour route to score points, adds depth and thematic engagement. This game offers a rich, strategic challenge that brings the theme to life.

Cartographers

### Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale

6See it at Amazon
Also at Target
Cartographers is a flip and write game where players map out a fantasy kingdom based on card draws, aiming to fulfill variable scoring challenges. The game introduces player interaction through monster cards, which players pass to their neighbors to place negative icons on each other's maps. This adds a personal touch and enhances the game's thematic world-building. The sequel, Cartographers: Heroes, introduces dynamic monsters and hero cards, further enriching the gameplay.

Long Shot: The Dice Game

### Long Shot: The Dice Game

0See it at Barnes and Noble
Long Shot: The Dice Game transforms the horse racing theme into an engaging roll and write experience. Players bet on horses as they race around a track based on dice rolls, with some horses more likely to move than others. Players can also buy horses for special powers and bonuses, and manipulate odds to favor their chosen steeds. The game's interactive nature and thematic excitement set it apart from other roll and write games.

Three Sisters

### Three Sisters

3See it at Amazon
Three Sisters takes the concept of rewarding specific roll combinations to new heights. Players grow crops and flowers on their score sheet, using dice rolls to access a rondel of actions. Completing certain actions often triggers bonus actions, leading to intense action chaining. The game's strategic depth and tactical planning make it a standout in the genre.

Fleet: The Dice Game

### Fleet: The Dice Game

0See it at Amazon
Fleet: The Dice Game challenges players to manage a fishing fleet, using dice to buy licenses or launch boats to catch seafood. The game's interconnected options and rewards grow as players progress down each tree, culminating in selling catches and constructing buildings over 10 rounds. The thematic dice and fast-paced gameplay make Fleet: The Dice Game a fun and engaging experience.

Sagrada Artisans

### Sagrada Artisans

0See it at Amazon
Sagrada Artisans builds on the original Sagrada's concept of arranging gem dice to create stained-glass windows. Players now color in their windows as they build, with additional decorative coloring for a more relaxed experience. The game follows a campaign structure over ten sessions, introducing new tools and challenges while maintaining its simplicity and Zen-like feel, leading to a satisfying conclusion.

Motor City

### Motor City

0See it at Amazon
Motor City, from the designers of Three Sisters and Fleet, mirrors car production lines in a roll and write format. Players control four aspects of vehicle design, engineering, testing, production, and sales, using a dice-drafting mechanic and a blueprint board to coordinate actions. This game focuses on strategic challenges rather than explosive combos, offering an innovative and engaging experience.

For more ideas, be sure to check out our list of the best board games of all time and the best puzzle tables featuring a great multi-purpose table (by Bits and Pieces) for playing cards and board games on, too.