Top Roll and Write 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 then mark up their private sheet using the numbers or symbols revealed. This simple yet engaging concept has opened up a world of possibilities, leading to surprisingly sophisticated gameplay experiences. The genre's appeal lies in its accessibility and immediate gratification; players enjoy the creativity of personalizing their sheets while following straightforward rules. This winning combination has propelled roll and writes to success among a diverse audience, with minimal barriers to entry. Below, we present the crème de la crème of the roll and write genre.

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 takes you on a journey through realms inspired by other board games, each with a card where you assign die roll results to play mini-games reflecting their origins. Over nine rolls, all players engage with the same three realms simultaneously, 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 clever yet family-friendly mini-puzzles to master. For an even more challenging experience, consider the standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, which introduces more complex realms you can play alone or mix 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 struggle between two ant tribes over hexes of territory, including cupcakes and other bounties. The dice offer choices between expanding influence across color-coded hexes or securing bonuses to boost your final score. This blend of spatial and mathematical strategy is a hallmark of Knizia's design, making Marabunta a fascinating and challenging experience.

The Fox Experiment

### The Fox Experiment

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Inspired by a 1950s Russian experiment on fox domestication, Elizabeth Hargrave, the creator of Wingspan, designed The Fox Experiment. This game, while more involved than some others, rewards players with its innovative use of dice to represent genetic heredity. Each parent fox contributes trait dice to their offspring, allowing players to select pups that align with their end-game goals. This process continues through rounds of selection, aiming to breed the friendliest foxes for research purposes.

Twilight Inscription

### Twilight Inscription

1See it at Amazon

Twilight Inscription stands out by merging the expansive world of Twilight Imperium with the Roll & Write format. It emulates the 4X video game genre, where players build space empires through exploration, exploitation, expansion, and extermination, all within about 90 minutes. Each aspect of the game is represented on a separate sheet, allowing for deep exploration and mastery over multiple plays. The challenge lies in choosing which sheet to focus on each turn, creating significant trade-offs and diverse strategic paths, making it feel more like a full-fledged strategic 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 essence of a pinball table using only a pen and dice. Players choose one of four tables, start at the top, and navigate down by hitting bumpers and targets based on their roll. At the flippers, the challenge intensifies as players cannot reuse a box, forcing the ball to eventually drop. The goal is to maximize your score using the table's specific combos and special play rules, creating a thrilling puzzle. Multiple sets are available, including a Star Trek-themed one, but Ramp It Up, with its cooperative table, is the standout choice.

The Best Board Game Deals

Welcome To

### Welcome To... Your Perfect Home

3See it at Amazon

Welcome To, while technically a flip and write, closely aligns with the roll and write genre by using cards instead of dice. Players plan suburban streets using house numbers and building effect cards, aiming to create three streets in numerical order while balancing scores across various bonuses like pools and parks. The game's satisfaction comes from successfully meeting city plans, with an additional layer of strategy available in its sci-fi cousin, Welcome To The Moon.

My City: Roll & Build

### My City: Roll & Build

1See it at Amazon

My City: Roll & Build, based on Reiner Knizia's popular board game, offers a rewarding campaign structure. Each of the 30-minute episodes introduces new rules and complexities gradually, enhancing the gameplay experience without overwhelming players. The game's flexibility allows episodes to be played as standalone sessions, making it suitable for both campaign and one-off play. This engaging gem 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 using tracks and junctions determined by custom dice. The goal is to connect as many exits as possible, balancing the need to minimize dead ends with the potential for future connections. This blend of risk and spatial thinking sets Railroad Ink apart, with various editions offering different themes. The Deep Blue Edition, with its rivers and lakes, is particularly compelling, though other editions like Blazing Red, Lush Green, and Shining Yellow provide additional variety.

Next Station: London

### Next Station: London

1See it at Amazon

Next Station: London, another flip and write, innovatively uses pencil colors as a core game mechanic. Each color corresponds to a starting station on the player's map, where they begin drawing their network based on the drawn card's station symbol. Players can extend in either direction or branch their line, aiming to cross districts, visit tourist sites, and connect lines while navigating the Thames. The game's simple yet nuanced concept leads to engaging, puzzle-like gameplay and colorful maps.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'N Write

### Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

4See it at Amazon

Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'N Write expands the roll and write genre by adding complexity and depth. Players use dice rolls to gather resources like money and DNA to build a Jurassic World-style dinosaur theme park. They sketch out their park, manage attractions and concessions, hire staff, and construct special buildings, all while running tour routes to score points. Balancing these elements creates a rich, strategic challenge with a thematic flair.

Cartographers

### Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale

6See it at Amazon Also at Target

Cartographers introduces player interaction to the genre through its flip and write mechanics. Players map out a fantasy kingdom using cards, aiming to meet variable scoring challenges. The twist comes with monster cards, prompting players to pass their maps to neighbors who then strategically place negative monster icons. This not only personalizes the experience but also adds a thematic layer of world-building. The sequel, Cartographers: Heroes, enhances the game 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 transforms the classic horse racing game into an engaging roll and write experience. Players bet on horses racing around a board 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. This creates a web of player dependencies, adding interaction, excitement, and a strong thematic element to the game.

Three Sisters

### Three Sisters

3See it at Amazon

Three Sisters takes the concept of rewarding specific roll combinations to new heights. Players manage a garden, growing crops and flowers and acquiring tools based on dice rolls, which unlock a series of interconnected actions. Completing certain actions often triggers bonus actions, leading to intense action chaining that requires strategic planning. This tactical depth sets Three Sisters apart in the roll and write 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 further players progress down each tree of options, the greater the rewards. Boats return to the harbor to sell catches and build structures that offer additional benefits over ten rounds. The game's dice serve as random seeds, prompting players to navigate interconnected benefits effectively. With its fast-paced, thematic gameplay and unique mock mother of pearl dice, Fleet: The Dice Game offers a fun, strategic experience.

Sagrada Artisans

### Sagrada Artisans

0See it at Amazon

Sagrada Artisans elevates the original Sagrada's concept of arranging gem dice to create stained-glass windows. Players now color their windows as they build and engage in additional decorative coloring for a relaxing experience. As a campaign game, players complete their windows over ten sessions, each introducing new tools and challenges while maintaining the game's simplicity and Zen-like feel. This smooth progression leads to an exciting finale.

Motor City

### Motor City

0See it at Amazon

Motor City, from the designers of Three Sisters and Fleet, showcases their roll-and-write expertise. Players manage four aspects of car production: design, engineering, testing, production, and sales. Using a dice-drafting mechanic and a blueprint board, players coordinate actions to bring their muscle car to market. Unlike the explosive combos of their previous games, Motor City focuses on a cohesive strategic challenge, making it a highly innovative addition to the genre.

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.