Top Roll & Write Games of 2025

The roll-and-write genre has exploded in popularity recently. This accessible style of gameplay, reminiscent of classic Yahtzee, involves rolling dice or drawing cards, then using the results to fill in a personal score sheet. It's deceptively simple; while the core concept is straightforward, the genre offers surprising depth and sophisticated gameplay.

The appeal lies in its immediate gratification and ease of learning. Players enjoy the creative freedom of personalizing their sheets, balanced by clear, concise rules. This winning combination makes roll-and-writes incredibly popular across a wide range of players, boasting a remarkably low barrier to entry. The following games represent the best this genre has to offer.

TL;DR: The Best Roll & 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

See it at Amazon
Rolling Realms' unique charm lies in its realms, each inspired by another board game. A card dictates how you assign die rolls to mini-games reflecting the original game's mechanics. Three realms are played concurrently over nine rolls, then replaced with three new ones, repeating twice for a full game. The realms themselves are cleverly designed microcosms, offering engaging, family-friendly mini-puzzles. For a more challenging experience, consider the standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, which features even more intricate realms playable solo or combined with the base game.

Marabunta

See it at Amazon
Renowned designer Reiner Knizia brings his strategic prowess to the roll-and-write genre in Marabunta. A two-player game, it depicts a territorial struggle between ant tribes over hexes containing various resources. Dice rolls offer choices: expand influence across color-coded hexes or gain bonus points. This fascinating blend of spatial and mathematical strategy showcases Knizia's signature style.

The Fox Experiment

See it at Amazon
Inspired by a real-life Russian fox domestication experiment, The Fox Experiment (designed by Elizabeth Hargrave of Wingspan fame) offers a more involved, yet rewarding experience. Dice represent genetic traits, with each parent fox contributing to their offspring. Players strategically select pups to meet end-game goals, carrying them forward through rounds of selective breeding to create the friendliest foxes.

Twilight Inscription

See it at Amazon
Twilight Inscription uniquely adapts the sprawling 4X gameplay of Twilight Imperium into a roll-and-write format. This condensed experience (roughly 90 minutes) emulates exploration, exploitation, expansion, and extermination across separate sheets representing different aspects of empire building. Each turn requires choosing one sheet for actions, creating strategic trade-offs and diverse approaches. Its scope feels more akin to a full-fledged strategy game than a typical roll-and-write.

Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up

See it at Amazon
Unlike many roll-and-writes, Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up cleverly replicates the experience of pinball using dice and a pen. Choose from four tables, navigate the layout by hitting bumpers and targets based on your rolls, and maximize your score before your ball runs out of targets. The restriction of not re-using boxes adds a compelling puzzle element. Several themed sets exist, but Ramp It Up, with its cooperative mode, is a standout choice.

Welcome To... Your Perfect Home

See it at Amazon
Technically a "flip-and-write," Welcome To... Your Perfect Home uses cards instead of dice, offering greater strategic options. Players plan suburban streets, arranging house numbers and building cards while balancing scores across bonuses like pools and parks, and meeting city planning requirements. The strategic depth and satisfying town-planning theme make this a compelling choice, with its more complex sci-fi counterpart, Welcome To The Moon, available for those seeking an even greater challenge.

My City: Roll & Build

See it at Amazon
Based on Reiner Knizia's popular board game, My City: Roll & Build features a rewarding campaign structure across multiple episodes. Each 30-minute session introduces new rules, gradually increasing complexity without overwhelming players. The game’s flexibility allows for individual episodes to be played as standalone sessions, particularly once the campaign is completed.

Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition

See it at Amazon, Target
In Railroad Ink, players draw transport networks on a grid using custom dice to determine tracks and junctions. The challenge lies in linking exits to networks while minimizing dead ends and strategically planning future connections. The Deep Blue edition, with rivers, lakes, and ferry routes, stands out among various themed versions (Blazing Red, Lush Green, Shining Yellow).

Next Station: London

See it at Amazon
A flip-and-write game, Next Station: London uses colored pencils as a key element. Each color represents a starting station, and players draw networks based on card symbols, aiming to cross districts, visit tourist sites, and connect lines while respecting line-crossing rules. The simple concept reveals surprising depth and strategic nuance.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

See it at Amazon
Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write introduces more complexity and depth to the roll-and-write genre. Players build a dinosaur theme park using dice rolls to acquire resources (money, DNA), designing layouts with attractions, concessions, staff, and security. A thematic tour element adds excitement to the end-game scoring.

Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale

See it at Amazon, Target
Cartographers introduces player interaction to the genre. Players map out a fantasy kingdom using cards, aiming to fulfill variable scoring challenges. The unique twist involves passing maps to neighbors to place monster icons, adding a personal and engaging element to the world-building aspect. The sequel, Cartographers: Heroes, adds dynamic monsters and hero cards.

Long Shot: The Dice Game

See it at Barnes and Noble
This roll-and-write horse racing game features a track board where horses advance based on dice rolls. Players bet on horses, but can also buy horses for special abilities and bonuses, creating strategic dependencies between players as the race unfolds.

Three Sisters

See it at Amazon
Three Sisters emphasizes action chaining. Players cultivate a garden, using dice rolls to grow crops and flowers and purchase tools. Completing actions often yields bonus actions, creating intricate chains requiring strategic planning.

Fleet: The Dice Game

See it at Amazon
Fleet: The Dice Game offers interconnected options. Players manage a fishing fleet, using dice to buy licenses or launch boats, maximizing rewards by strategically developing interconnected benefits across multiple rounds.

Sagrada Artisans

See it at Amazon
Sagrada Artisans expands on the original Sagrada. Players color in their stained-glass windows as they build, adding a decorative element. The campaign structure introduces new tools and challenges across ten sessions, maintaining simplicity while building excitement.

Motor City

See it at Amazon
Motor City, from the creators of Three Sisters and Fleet, is a culmination of their roll-and-write experience. Players manage car production, using a dice-drafting mechanic and a blueprint board to coordinate actions and bring their muscle cars to market.

For more gaming options, explore our lists of the best board games of all time and the best puzzle tables.