Thinking of hosting a game night for your friends and family soon?
They can be tons of fun, great bonding experiences to share and memories to cherish. Unless that involves a trip to the emergency room, as game nights somehow seem to end up with someone nearly losing an eye or a tooth!
Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of games that are sure to be fun, easy-going, and safe! All you need is some good food, good friends, and good vibes.
Let’s check out some fun dice games to get the party started!
Right Dice for the Game
You might be surprised to hear this, but dice have been a mainstay in human civilizations for over 4000 years.
We might view them as a fun, party past times or means for gambling, but older societies perceived them quite differently. While we think of dice as a game of probability influenced by gravity, Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Chinese civilizations saw them as tools of divination from the gods.
Perhaps its the simplicity of their nature that makes them so appealing, or maybe it’s the complexity of the games they inspire that make dice a common household item still today.
Dice games may appear simple, but they’re still tons of fun. Better yet, dice games rarely need a huge investment. You can quite often find a pair of dice rummaging through your kitchen drawers or in-between couch cushion cracks.
For those that do wish to invest in a higher quality set of dice, though, there are options available. Dice that are made of glass or stone, for example, or ones that can quantify well-above the typical 1-2-3-4-5-6 integers. You can learn more here about the different types of dice available.
7 Fun Dice Games
Below are some dice games you can play against a friend or with your whole squad. Let’s dive into our top 7 games you can play with dice!
1. Yahtzee
Let’s start with the most famous dice game of all, shall we? There’s a reason this game has been around for generations.
Yahtzee is a game that can be played by two or more people. It is recommended for children ages 8 and up, with many adults wanting a piece of the action, too. To play the classic edition, you’ll need five dice, a cup for rolling the dice, and a pad for scorekeeping.
The game consists of thirteen rounds for each player. Each round, players are aiming to score points by rolling certain combinations with all five of the dice. For example, rolling two-of-a-kind and three-of-a-kind will net you the ‘full house’ combination.
Kids especially love this game for the ever-elusive five-of-a-kind roll—be sure to shout out “Yahtzee!” when it happens!
2. Bunco
Bunco is the ultimate game of luck! And relaxation.
For this dice game, you’ll need nine different dice and a large group of friends. It requires up to four people to play, but it’s better and recommended to play with more players. However, groups must be divisible by four.
To play, it’s pretty simple. There are nine rounds. Players aim to roll a number corresponding to the round being played.
For example, in the fourth round players should try to roll four 4’s. On round six, players should aim to roll six 6’s.
Each time a player successfully rolls a die matching the round being played, one point is awarded. This is known as a Bunco! The team with the most Buncoes after all nine rounds are played is declared the winner.
At its core, Bunco is a very simple game. It’s meant to be enjoyed as a pastime with good friends gathered around the table or bonfire.
Feel free to add your own house rules to spice things up!
3. Mexican War
If only all wars could be settled with a roll of the dice…
In Mexican War, two players go head-to-head in a battle for domination, or more players can join for an all-out war. Only one die is needed for each player, but feel free to up the ante with more dice if you feel like it!
To play, all players begin with six lives (one for each side of the die). Like the card game, players aim to beat out the other player by rolling a higher integer value with their die or dice. The player with the lowest value loses a life.
The game ends when there is only one player left remaining—champion of the dice!
4. Shut the Box
Shut the Box is a dice game that’s a little more complex than the rest.
It’s typically played in a special, wooden box, but it can definitely be adapted for some pen-and-paper when roughin’ it.
The game requires two dice, and any number of people can play!
The name of the game is number matching. Using the two dice, players take turns rolling in the hopes of knocking out one of the possible combinations—2 through 12.
(If you’d like, a point can be awarded to each player that first snags a number, but that’s not the main goal).
Once the numbers 2 through 12 are claimed, it’s a race to snag the elusive 1, or ace! Only one die is used as players take turns rolling for that snake-eye to turn up.
Whoever claims the ace wins the game!
5. Liar’s Dice
Liar’s Dice is known to many as “Pirate’s Dice,” as it was made famous in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. It’s a chance to showcase your cunning skills and your art of deception. Like any good pirate!
This game is best played by two to four players. Each player will need five dice of their own and a cup.
To start, players must all roll at the same time. Under the concealment of the cup! Once all rolls are made, then the real game begins.
Players then take turns making ‘bids’ each round on what values the face-up dice of every player might contain.
For example, one player might declare that there are “four 6’s” underneath all the players’ cups. The rest of the players can agree and reveal their dice, or one player can challenge the player that made the bid.
Once all bids and challenges are accepted, the cups come off. Players are awarded points based on their bid—in our example if there were indeed four 6’s on the board, that player would be awarded four points. If a player is challenged and loses their bid, then the bidding player loses a die from their cup!
The game is finished when only one player remains with any dice, earning a point for each dice left. The player with the most points is declared the winner.
6. Left, Center, Right
Left, Center, Right is another simple game to occupy the hands at evening gatherings.
The main game comes with specially designed dice, but you can easily get away with your standard, 6-sided die with some modifications.
Each player starts with a set number of chips—the more chips each player begins with, the longer the game.
To play, each player takes a turn rolling the die.
If they roll an ‘L’ then they pass a chip to the player on their left.
If they roll an ‘R’ then they pass a chip to the player on their right.
If they roll a ‘C’ then they place a chip in the middle, effectively removing it from the game.
If they roll something else, no action is taken this turn.
The game is over when one player has all the remaining chips. It’s purely a game of chance, but it’s sure to be good fun for all involved with laughs a-plenty.
7. Farkle
Farkle is a fun dice game that’s all about pushing your luck to the limit!
This game can be played with any number of people, with six dice total required. To begin, players each roll the six dies and total up the value—the player with the greatest value begins the game.
Each round, the starting player has the option to roll the dice, either one at a time or three at a go. There are three possible ways to earn points:
If a player rolls a 1, they earn 500 points that round.
If a player rolls a 5, they earn 50 points that round.
If a player rolls three dice and each dice contains the same number, they earn 100x that amount (ie. three 3’s will earn the player 300 points that round).
Each time a player scores a point that round, the dice they used to earn the points are removed from the game for that round. Each time the player scores, they have the option to roll another dice (or three, if possible) or pass the remaining dice to the next player.
If no points are earned in a roll, that’s known as a Farkle and the player’s turn ends immediately with no points being awarded to them at all.
The player to first reach 10,000 points is declared the winner!
Risk it and go for the big plays, or play it slow and steady for the safe gains—the power is yours!
Let the Good Times Roll!
Dice games are a fun classic for all ages!
Whether you’ve got some dice lingering around your house now or need to take a trip to the store, it’s an investment your friends and family will enjoy for years to come!
Contact us with any fun dice games you might know!