Dice games are a fantastic way to bring excitement and fun to any gathering. These games are perfect for creating memorable moments at a party, game night, or just hanging out with friends. Here are the top 15 dice games, ranked by popularity, with step-by-step instructions on how to play.
Yahtzee
Yahtzee is a classic dice game that combines luck and strategy. The goal is to score the most points by rolling specific combinations with five dice.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: Five dice
- Accessories: Yahtzee scorecards and a pen
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Each player takes turns rolling the five dice, aiming to achieve specific combinations like three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind, whole house, small straight, large straight, Yahtzee (five of a kind), and chance.
- Players can roll the dice up to three times on their turn, setting aside any dice they want to keep after each roll.
- After the third roll, the player must choose one of the scoring categories to record their score.
- The game continues until all players have filled in all their categories. The player with the highest total score wins.
Liar's Dice
Liar's Dice is a bluffing game where players must deceive their opponents and call out false claims.
What You Need:
- Players: 2-6 players
- Dice: Five dice per player
- Accessories: A cup for each player to conceal their dice
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Each player rolls their five dice secretly and hides them under a cup.
- Players take turns making claims about how many dice of a particular face value (e.g., "There are three 4s") are under all the cups combined.
- The next player can raise the bid or challenge the previous player's claim.
- If challenged, all players reveal their dice. If the claim is valid, the challenger loses a die; if false, the claimer loses a die.
- The game continues until only one player, who is the winner, has dice remaining.
Bunco
Bunco is a fast-paced, social dice game about luck. It's best played with a large group.
What You Need:
- Players: 12 players (ideal) divided into teams of four
- Dice: Three dice per table
- Accessories: Bunco score sheets and a bell
- Space: Multiple tables for group play
Gameplay:
- Players are divided into teams, and each table has three dice.
- The goal is to roll a specific number (the round number) as many times as possible. For example, in round one, you want to roll as many 1s as possible.
- Players take turns rolling the dice, earning one point for each correct number rolled.
- Rolling all three dice to match the round number is called a "Bunco," earning the player 21 points.
- The game has six rounds, and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Farkle
Farkle is a fun and competitive game in which players roll dice to score points. If they get too greedy, they risk losing all their points.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: Six dice
- Accessories: Farkle scorecards and a pen
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players take turns rolling all six dice. Scoring combinations include ones, fives, three-of-a-kind, and other specific sets.
- After each roll, the player must set aside at least one scoring die but can choose to set aside more or roll the remaining dice.
- The player can continue rolling to accumulate more points, but if they roll and no scoring combination appears, they "Farkle" and lose all points for that turn.
- The first player to reach the predetermined score (usually 10,000 points) wins.
Catan Dice Game
A dice-based version of the popular board game Catan, where players roll dice to collect resources and build settlements.
What You Need:
- Players: 1-4 players
- Dice: Six specialized Catan dice
- Accessories: Catan dice game score sheets
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players take turns rolling the six dice up to three times to collect resources like brick, wood, and ore.
- Players use these resources to build roads, settlements, cities, and knights, marking their progress on the score sheet.
- The game consists of 15 turns, with players aiming to accumulate the most victory points by the end.
Ship, Captain, Crew
A simple game where players roll dice to assemble a ship, captain, and crew and then try to win the highest score.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: Five dice
- Accessories: A cup for rolling the dice (optional)
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players take turns rolling five dice to "build" a ship (6), a captain (5), and a crew (4) in that order.
- After assembling the ship, captain, and crew, players roll the remaining dice to determine their score.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the round wins.
Pig
Pig is a push-your-luck game where players roll a single die to accumulate points but risk losing them if they roll a 1.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: One die
- Accessories: Score sheets and a pen
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- On their turn, players roll a die as many times as they wish, adding the rolled value to their score.
- Players can end their turn at any time and bank their points.
- If a player rolls a 1, they lose all points earned during that turn, and their turn ends.
- The first player to reach a predetermined score (e.g., 100 points) wins.
Mexico
Mexico is a quick and exciting elimination game where players try to avoid having the lowest roll.
What You Need:
- Players: 3 or more players
- Dice: Two dice
- Accessories: A cup for rolling the dice (optional)
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players take turns rolling two dice. The goal is to roll the highest possible combination, with "Mexico" (a roll of 2 and 1) being the highest.
- After everyone has rolled, the player with the lowest score loses a life (usually represented by coins or tokens).
- The game continues until only one player remains, who is the winner.
Balut
Balut is a dice game similar to poker, where players roll dice to make the best hand possible.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: Five dice
- Accessories: Balut scorecards and a pen
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players take turns rolling five dice up to three times, trying to form the best hand (e.g., pairs, full house, straight).
- After the third roll, players mark their score on the Balut scorecard.
- The game typically consists of five rounds, and the player with the highest total score wins.
Zilch (or Dice 10,000)
Zilch is a game of risk where players roll dice to accumulate points, but they must avoid rolling a zilch (no scoring dice) and losing everything.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: Six dice
- Accessories: Zilch scorecards and a pen
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players roll all six dice and set aside any scoring combinations (e.g., ones, fives, three-of-a-kind).
- Players can continue rolling the remaining dice to accumulate more points or end their turn and bank their points.
- If a player rolls and no scoring combination appears, they "Zilch" and lose all points for that turn.
- The first player to reach the predetermined score (usually 10,000 points) wins.
Craps
Craps is a popular casino dice game where players bet on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: Two dice
- Accessories: Chips or money for betting
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- One player is designated as the shooter and rolls two dice.
- On the first roll (come-out roll), if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, they win; if they roll a 2, 3, or 12, they lose.
- If any other number is rolled, that number becomes the "point."
- The shooter continues rolling until they roll the point number again (winning) or a 7 (losing).
Left Center Right (LCR)
LCR is a simple game of chance where players roll dice and pass tokens based on the roll's outcome.
What You Need:
- Players: 3 or more players
- Dice: Three LCR dice
- Accessories: Chips or tokens for each player
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Each player starts with three tokens.
- Players take turns rolling the three LCR dice, determining whether they pass tokens to the left, center, or right.
- The game continues until only one player who wins the pot in the center has any tokens left.
Zombie Dice
Zombie Dice is a press-your-luck game where players take on the role of zombies trying to eat the most brains without getting shot.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: 13 specialized Zombie Dice
- Accessories: None
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Players take turns drawing three dice from the cup and rolling them.
- Each die represents a human victim and can result in a brain (point), footsteps (reroll), or a shotgun blast (lose a life).
- Players can continue rolling to accumulate more brains or end their turn and bank their points.
- The first player to reach 13 brains wins the game.
Bar Dice
Bar Dice is a classic and social dice game commonly played in bars. Players compete to roll the best hand and win drinks or small prizes.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: 5 dice
- Space: A flat surface for rolling the dice
Gameplay:
- Each player takes turns rolling all five dice.
- Players aim to roll the highest combination, usually a set of 6s.
- After the first roll, players can set aside any 6s and reroll the remaining dice up to two more times to improve their hands.
- After all rerolls, the player with the highest number of 6s wins the round. In some variations, if a player rolls five 6s, they automatically win the game.
- The game continues until a predetermined number of rounds are completed, and the player with the most wins is declared the overall winner.
Beetle
Beetle is a classic drawing game where players roll dice to assemble a beetle by drawing its parts individually.
What You Need:
- Players: 2 or more players
- Dice: One standard six-sided die (D6)
- Space: Paper and pencil for each player
Gameplay:
- Objective: The goal is to be the first to complete a drawing of a beetle by rolling the die to collect its body parts.
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Rolling for Parts: Each part of the beetle is associated with a specific die number:
- 6: Body
- 5: Head
- 4: Wings (two wings, requiring two rolls of 4)
- 3: Legs (six legs, requiring six rolls of 3)
- 2: Antennae (two antennae, requiring two rolls of 2)
- 1: Eyes (two eyes, requiring two rolls of 1)
- Building the Beetle: Players take turns rolling the die. They must first roll a 6 to start with the beetle's body. Once they have the body, they can collect other parts in their chosen order. However, they must roll the corresponding number to draw each part.
- Winning: The first player to draw a complete beetle, including all its body parts, wins.
Conclusion: These games offer endless fun and are perfect for gatherings with friends. Each game has a unique appeal, so you can choose based on your group's preferences. Whether you enjoy strategy, bluffing, or just pure luck, there's a dice game on this list for everyone. Enjoy your game night!
