Top Roll-and-Write Board Games of 2025

The roll and write genre has seen a significant 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 fill in personal score sheets, offering a blend of simplicity and strategic depth that's ripe for exploration.

This genre's appeal lies in its accessibility and immediate gratification. Players enjoy the creativity of personalizing their own sheets or boards, yet the rules remain straightforward, making roll and writes widely successful among diverse player groups with minimal barriers to entry. Below, we highlight some of the best roll and write games currently available.

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 experience where each realm is based on another board game. Players assign dice rolls to play mini-games that reflect the inspiration of each realm. Over nine rolls, all players engage with the same three realms simultaneously, then draw three new ones out of twelve, repeating the process twice for a complete game. The charm lies in the realms themselves, which are delightful microcosms of their source material, offering engaging, family-friendly puzzles. For an even more challenging experience, consider the standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, which introduces more complex realms that can be played alone or mixed with the base game.

Marabunta

Marabunta

0See it at Amazon

Designed by Reiner Knizia, Marabunta brings his expertise in strategy games to the roll and write genre. Exclusively for two players, this game simulates a battle between two ant tribes over territory, including cupcakes and other rewards. Players choose between spreading influence across color-coded hexes or earning bonuses to boost their final score. The game blends spatial and mathematical strategies, showcasing Knizia's signature style.

The Fox Experiment

The Fox Experiment

0See it at Amazon

Inspired by a real-life fox domestication experiment from the 1950s, The Fox Experiment by Elizabeth Hargrave, the creator of Wingspan, uses dice to represent genetic heredity. Players select parent foxes that contribute trait dice to their offspring, aiming to breed the friendliest foxes to meet end-game goals. This game is more complex than some others but offers a rewarding experience through its innovative use of dice.

Twilight Inscription

Twilight Inscription

1See it at Amazon

Twilight Inscription adapts the expansive universe of Twilight Imperium into a roll and write format. It emulates the 4X video game genre—exploration, exploitation, expansion, and extermination—in about 90 minutes. Players manage separate sheets for each aspect, choosing one to focus on each turn, creating strategic trade-offs and diverse approaches. This game offers a rich, strategic experience that feels more akin to a full-fledged board game than a typical roll and write.

Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up

Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up

2See it at Amazon

Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up captures the excitement of a pinball machine using dice and a pen. Players choose one of four tables, navigating bumpers and targets based on their rolls. The challenge lies in maximizing scores within the constraints of the table's unique rules. This game offers a thrilling puzzle with various sets available, including a Star Trek-themed version, but Ramp It Up stands out with its cooperative table option.

Welcome To... Your Perfect Home

Welcome To... Your Perfect Home

3See it at Amazon

Welcome To... Your Perfect Home is a flip and write game that involves town planning. Players use cards to select house numbers and building effects, creating three suburban streets. The challenge is to arrange houses in number order while balancing scores across various bonuses like pools and parks. For a more complex experience, players can try its sci-fi cousin, Welcome To The Moon.

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 is flexible, allowing episodes to be played as one-off sessions, making it a versatile and engaging option.

Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition

Railroad Ink

9See it at Amazon

Also at Target

Railroad Ink challenges players to draw a transport network based on custom dice rolls. The goal is to connect as many exits as possible, balancing the risk of dead ends with the potential for future connections. The Deep Blue edition adds rivers and lakes, enhancing the game's variety. Other editions include Blazing Red, Lush Green, and Shining Yellow, each introducing unique elements.

Next Station: London

Next Station: London

1See it at Amazon

Next Station: London is a flip and write game where pencil colors play a crucial role. Starting from colored stations, players draw networks based on drawn cards, aiming to cross districts and connect tourist sites. The game's simple yet nuanced rules encourage strategic planning and result in colorful, engaging maps.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write

Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write

4See it at Amazon

Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write elevates the roll and write genre with its complexity and depth. Players use dice to gather resources like money and DNA to build a dinosaur theme park. The game involves sketching attractions and managing staff while running tours to score points, offering a challenging and thematic experience.

Cartographers

Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale

6See it at Amazon

Also at Target

Cartographers introduces player interaction to the genre through a flip and write format. Players map out a fantasy kingdom, fulfilling variable scoring challenges. The twist comes with monster cards, where players pass their maps to neighbors to place negative icons, adding a personal and thematic touch to the game. The sequel, Cartographers: Heroes, enhances this with dynamic monsters and hero cards.

Long Shot: The Dice Game

Long Shot: The Dice Game

0See it at Barnes and Noble

Long Shot: The Dice Game brings the excitement of horse racing to the roll and write genre. Players bet on horses as they move around the track, using dice rolls to influence the race. The game also allows players to buy horses for special powers and bonuses, creating a web of player dependencies and strategic betting.

Three Sisters

Three Sisters

3See it at Amazon

Three Sisters focuses on action chaining, where completing actions leads to bonus actions. Players grow crops and flowers, using dice rolls to activate a rondel of actions. The game's strategic depth comes from planning and maximizing these chains, making it a tactical delight.

Fleet: The Dice Game

Fleet: The Dice Game

0See it at Amazon

In Fleet: The Dice Game, players manage a fishing fleet, using dice to buy licenses or launch boats. The game rewards strategic planning as players navigate interconnected options to maximize their catch and build structures over 10 rounds. The game's thematic dice enhance the experience.

Sagrada Artisans

Sagrada Artisans

0See it at Amazon

Sagrada Artisans expands on the original Sagrada by allowing players to color in their stained-glass windows during play. The game follows a campaign format over ten sessions, introducing new tools and challenges while maintaining simplicity and a Zen-like feel, culminating in an exciting finish.

Motor City

Motor City

0See it at Amazon

Motor City, from the designers of Three Sisters and Fleet, mirrors car production lines in its gameplay. Players manage vehicle design, engineering, testing, production, and sales using a dice-drafting mechanic and a blueprint board. This game offers a strategic challenge that innovatively evolves the roll and write genre.

For more gaming options, explore our list of the best board games of all time and the best puzzle tables, including a versatile multi-purpose table by Bits and Pieces perfect for cards and board games.