The best board, card & dice games with role playing elements 2025

Monikers is a lively and entertaining party game inspired by the classic public domain game Celebrities. It is designed for players who enjoy guessing games and offers a fun challenge through a series of rounds where the methods of clue-giving evolve and become more restrictive.

Monikers: Serious Nonsense is a standalone expansion featuring 330 cards created by Shut Up & Sit Down. This new set also includes several requests for the return of Monikers, offering twelve delightfully ridiculous fourth rounds, minus the two least interesting ones.

Cthulhu: Death May Die is an intense, cooperative board game set in the 1920s, drawing inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's universe. Players take on the roles of daring investigators, embarking on a perilous mission to confront and eliminate Elder Gods.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf: Daybreak is a standalone expansion to the popular social deduction game One Night Ultimate Werewolf. Designed for 3-7 players, Daybreak offers a quick, engaging experience where everyone gets a hidden role with a special ability. In the span of just one in-game morning, players must deduce who among them is a werewolf, with the game's outcome hinging on uncovering at least one werewolf.

Destinies is a unique blend of board gaming and digital app integration, offering a rich, competitive, story-driven experience set in a dark medieval-fantasy universe. It is the first game in a series utilizing the innovative Destinies system.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a dynamic and fast-paced game for 3-10 players that brings the excitement and deduction of werewolf stories to your tabletop. This game is all about quick thinking, bluffing, and trying to outsmart your friends.

Legacy of Dragonholt is an innovative narrative adventure game that transports players to the enchanting Realms of Terrinoth, offering a unique blend of role-playing, adventure, and storytelling without the need for a game master. Designed for one to six players, this game stands out by utilizing the Oracle system to create a rich, interactive story where every decision impacts the unfolding narrative.

When I Dream is a whimsical and imaginative board game that delves into the world of dreams, blending elements of storytelling, deduction, and teamwork in a playful setting.

Spyfall immerses players in a unique party game experience where they step into the intriguing roles of spies, navigating through various scenarios to decipher their surroundings. In this engaging game, participants aim to uncover the spy in their midst while the spy endeavors to blend in and discern the secret location.

Players assume roles in a secret role deduction game featuring three asymmetrical factions. While everyone is on the same ship, their goals diverge: loyal sailors aim to navigate safely to shore, pirates want to lead the ship into the Bermuda Triangle, and a crazed cultist seeks to summon their dark ruler, the Kraken. Each round, the ship sails in one of three directions, determined by the captain's often conflicting orders, while the crew engages in discussions and possible mutiny amid their quest for control.

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is a cooperative, app-enhanced board game that combines elements of horror and mystery. It's set in the same universe as Eldritch Horror and Elder Sign, offering an immersive narrative experience.

Sheriff of Nottingham is an engaging board game of bluffing, bribery, and negotiation set in the medieval town of Nottingham.

Embark on an adrenaline-pumping undersea adventure with Captain Sonar, a board game that plunges you into the heart of intense submarine warfare. In this gripping scenario, every move and decision can be the difference between victory and defeat. Form a skilled crew aboard a cutting-edge submarine as you strive to locate and eliminate an enemy sub before they do the same to you. The underwater battlefield is unforgiving, and effective communication and coordination are paramount for success.

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth invites players to immerse themselves in the rich and legendary world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. This fully cooperative, app-supported board game is designed for one to five players, offering a unique blend of adventure, strategy, and storytelling set in the iconic landscapes of Middle-Earth.

Spyfall 2 elevates the intriguing and humorous party game Spyfall to new heights. This game is all about deception, quick thinking, and trying to pinpoint the spy among your friends. Each round, players find themselves at a secret location, except for the spy (or spies, in this version), who has no idea where they are. Through clever questioning, players must figure out who the spy is while the spy tries to blend in and guess the location to win points.

The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow is a captivating social deduction game that takes place in the mysterious village of Miller's Hollow, known for its werewolf curse. Players are secretly assigned roles and must use strategy, bluffing, and teamwork to uncover the werewolves or deceive others.

Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition brings the classic werewolf mystery to your table, transforming your group into a 16th-century village besieged by werewolves. It's a game of social deduction and deception for 5 to 68 players, where villagers work to uncover the werewolves hiding among them, and werewolves plot to remain undiscovered while they pick off villagers one by one. With over 30 unique roles and 18 different scenarios, this game offers a dynamic and engaging experience for players of all ages and experience levels.

Embark on a quest to forge the mightiest hero in the realm in Roll Player. Unlike ordinary heroes who materialize out of thin air, true champions are meticulously crafted. Race, class, alignment, skills, traits, and equipment – every facet contributes to the creation of the ultimate adventurer, poised to confront adversaries and seek glory and riches.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a standalone adventure game that serves as a prequel to the highly acclaimed Gloomhaven. It's designed to be more accessible to a broader audience, with streamlined rules and an integrated tutorial.

Four players enter the stage together and improvise a scene based on a unique situation known only to them. Each player knows their own rank, from 1 to 4, but not the ranks of others. Players must act in a way that makes their rank clear to the audience, and no acting experience is required to enjoy the game.

Funemployed is a card-based party game where players compete to land jobs. They apply for real positions like astronaut, lawyer, or priest while claiming absurd qualifications, such as being able to talk to pandas. Players must creatively present their qualifications in a role-playing manner, aiming to convince others that they are the best fit for the job.

Gloomhaven is a Euro-inspired tactical combat game set in a persistent and evolving world. Players assume the roles of adventurers, each with unique skills and motives, as they explore dungeons, ruins, and engage in cooperative battles against automated monsters.

In Descent: Legends of the Dark, players dive deep into the troubled realm of Terrinoth, facing off against demonic barbarians, undead servants, and other dark forces threatening the land. This co-operative dungeon-crawling board game, enriched by an integrated free companion app, invites players to embark on the "Blood and Flame" campaign, spanning sixteen quests that weave a rich narrative full of danger and discovery. With its innovative use of 3D terrain and a host of hero and monster miniatures, the game promises an immersive adventure as players build their legends through strategic combat, exploration, and skillful management of their characters' abilities.

HeroQuest is a classic adventure board game that blends elements of dungeon crawling and role-playing. One player takes on the role of the game master, unveiling the dungeon piece by piece, while up to four other players assume the roles of different characters (wizard, elf, dwarf, or barbarian) embarking on various quests.

Here to Slay is a competitive role-playing fantasy strategy card game from the creators of Unstable Unicorns. In this engaging and interactive game, players aim to build a party of heroes to slay monsters, while navigating the challenges and sabotage from their opponents. It combines elements of strategy, luck, and player interaction, making it an exciting game for those who enjoy a mix of combat and cunning.

Tales of the Arabian Nights is a storytelling board game that immerses players in the adventurous world of Arabian folklore, similar to the stories narrated by Scheherazade. This game is less about winning and more about experiencing and sharing a compelling narrative.

Take a tour through the peaceful vineyards and picturesque wineries of California's wine country. During the annual wine tasting festival, the body of local vineyard owner Barry Underwood is discovered hidden in his wine cellar, after being missing for six years. With the finding of his body, new clues emerge to unravel this vintage murder, and you might just be a suspect.

Stuffed Fables offers a unique and imaginative adventure where players embody heroic stuffed animals ("stuffies") on a mission to protect the child they cherish from an ominous villain. This game stands out as the first "AdventureBook Game" from Plaid Hat Games, blending storytelling, strategy, and a dynamic game board all within a single, vividly illustrated book.

This is a revised and expanded edition of the award-winning fantasy war game, featuring updated rules, new spells, and scenarios that challenge adventurers in the Frozen City. Players select a wizard from one of ten schools and choose from a list of eighty spells while commanding a troop of warriors, exploring the perilous ruins in search of ancient treasures and the secrets of lost magic. Beware, as the Frozen City is fraught with danger from rival wizards, wandering monsters, animated constructs, and demonic beings.

Players create a character based on unique and imaginative traits in a tabletop game filled with creative fantasy worlds and storytelling. A guide, often a parent or older sibling, presents dilemmas as players embark on their adventures. Throughout their journey, they use special abilities, companions, and equipment to overcome obstacles while facing challenges like rescuing friends or repairing a time machine.