Top RPG Board Games to Play in 2025

A lot of modern board games are highly strategic, often involving conquering lands for resources or building economic engines to secure victory. However, if you find such themes dry and prefer the thrill of exploration and adventure, role-playing board games (RPGs) are perfect for you. These games, much like their pen-and-paper counterparts, immerse you in fantastical settings where you take on the role of a character, engaging in quests and challenges either competitively or cooperatively. Despite their narrative focus, these games offer deep strategic elements. Here are our top picks for the best RPG board games, promising hours of entertainment in 2025 and beyond.

Top Role-Playing Board Games at a Glance

### Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion

6See it at Amazon### WizKids Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil

1See it at Amazon### The Witcher: Old World

3See it at Amazon### Star Wars: Imperial Assault

6See it at Amazon### HeroQuest

4See it at Amazon### Arkham Horror: The Card Game

2See it at Amazon### The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth

2See it at Amazon### This War of Mine: The Board Game

0See it at Amazon### Descent: Legends of the Dark

3See it at Amazon### Mice & Mystics

1See it at Amazon### Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon

5See it at AmazonDon't have time for reading blurbs? Scroll sideways to see all the games featured on the list above.

Gloomhaven / Jaws of The Lion / Frosthaven

### Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion

6See it at AmazonLet's start with the standout: The Gloomhaven series is widely acclaimed as the best board game ever made, especially in the realm of role-playing. In this game, you step into the shoes of various adventurers, working together through a dynamic campaign where characters can retire or meet their demise in dungeons. The game features a tactical combat system where you build a deck of multi-use ability cards, with each scenario building tension as your deck depletes. While the original game is currently out of stock, the prequel, Jaws of the Lion, offers similar gameplay in a more affordable format. Meanwhile, the sequel, Frosthaven, enhances the experience with an explorable town to build and populate. These games are also excellent for solo play, perfect for those times when you're without a gaming group.

Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil

### WizKids Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil

1See it at AmazonRole-playing in board games can be a broad term, but the cooperative adventure system series, rooted in the world's most popular pen-and-paper RPG, perfectly blends the two. Each box includes a stack of tiles you draw randomly to create a dungeon, which you populate with traps and monsters that follow simple flowchart routines. This dynamic setup gives the feeling of exploring a mysterious labyrinth guided by a dungeon master. The system supports an included narrative campaign, and while all are excellent, Temple of Elemental Evil, inspired by a classic D&D scenario, stands out.

Check out our beginner's guide to Dungeons and Dragons if you're interested in classic D&D gameplay instead.

The Witcher: Old World

### The Witcher: Old World

3See it at AmazonAdding to the mix is an acclaimed board game adaptation of a renowned role-playing video game. Set before the events of The Witcher video games and novels, Old World casts players as Witchers hunting monsters and competing for coin and glory. The game involves deck-building, where you create card combos and strategic synergies to outpace rivals in battling fearsome foes. It also includes a solo mode, allowing you to explore this fascinating fantasy world and confront its mythical creatures at your own pace. See our The Witcher: Old World board game review for more information.

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

### Star Wars: Imperial Assault

6See it at AmazonNot all RPGs stick to fantasy themes; sci-fi fans will enjoy this excellent game set in the Star Wars universe. One player commands the Empire, while others control a team of Rebel operatives aiming to thwart the Emperor's rule. The tactical combat system is robust enough for standalone scenarios, but the real highlight is the campaign mode, which weaves a cinematic narrative and lets you fight alongside iconic characters like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The game's expansive range of expansion packs includes many other famous figures from the franchise.

You can check out our guide to the best Star Wars board games overall for more like this one.

HeroQuest

### HeroQuest

4See it at AmazonOriginally released in 1989, HeroQuest is a beloved dungeon-crawling board game that's now back with enhanced miniatures. Its RPG-on-a-board approach, complete with a games master, remains top-tier. The GM uses a booklet to guide the scenario, while other players take on the roles of heroes exploring the dungeon, fighting monsters, and collecting treasure. This game offers a true role-playing experience with family-friendly rules and tactical depth. After completing the campaign, numerous expansions offer additional adventures.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

### Arkham Horror: The Card Game

2See it at AmazonHorror RPGs are a popular subgenre, but balancing player control with horror can be challenging. Arkham Horror: The Card Game, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's works, excels here. Players collaborate to solve mysterious hauntings and crimes linked to alien worlds, with horror stemming from the game's difficulty and bleak narratives. The ongoing expansions enrich the story further. Strategy revolves around deck-building and managing the chaos bag's probabilities, making this one of the best trading card games available.

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth

### The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth

2See it at AmazonGiven the allure of fantasy settings in RPGs, it's no surprise that Middle-earth features prominently. This game fits seamlessly into Tolkien's universe, allowing players to feel part of the epic world without treading on established narratives. Heroes build card decks to represent their abilities, and innovative mechanics, such as tile scale-flipping for combined overground and underground exploration, enhance the experience. The supporting app adds depth with carefully constructed mysteries based on narrative clues.

You can also check out our review of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying board game, which we also loved.

This War of Mine: The Board Game

### This War of Mine: The Board Game

0See it at AmazonHeroism in This War of Mine is about survival in a war-torn city. This unique setting for an RPG, inspired by the computer game, places you in charge of a group struggling to stay alive. By day, you scavenge for resources; by night, you defend your hideout from raiders and soldiers. The game's mechanics and narrative text combine to create a poignant critique of war's impact, making the player's role deeply personal.

Descent: Legends of the Dark

### Descent: Legends of the Dark

3See it at AmazonThe appeal of RPG board games lies in their tangible elements, and Descent: Legends of the Dark excels with its detailed miniatures and 3D terrain. The game's engine, supported by a mobile app, sends your party on quests with interlinked narratives, allowing you to use treasures to unlock new powers and equipment. See our Descent: Legends of the Dark review for more info.

Mice & Mystics

### Mice & Mystics

1See it at AmazonRPG board games often attract younger players, but many are too complex for them. Mice & Mystics bridges this gap with a whimsical story of adventurers turned into mice, working to save a kingdom. The game features simple tactical mechanics and an engaging adventure, making it enjoyable for players of all ages.

Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon

### Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon

5See it at AmazonWhile many RPGs focus on mechanics, Tainted Grail prioritizes storytelling, blending Celtic legends with Arthurian myth to create a rich, challenging world. Players manage resources and navigate a branching narrative campaign with superbly written text, allowing for multiple playthroughs with different outcomes.

How Do RPG Board Games Relate to Tabletop RPGs and Video Game RPGs?

The term "role-playing game" (RPG) originated with Dungeons & Dragons, the first published ruleset to formalize narrative-driven character stories using wargame mechanics. These games, often called "pen-and-paper RPGs," celebrate creativity and imagination, offering limitless possibilities. However, players also enjoy the strategic aspects, such as skill checks and character advancement. The need for a Games Master in early pen-and-paper RPGs led to the development of board games and video games that use programmed or random elements to create worlds for exploration, satisfying the strategic elements with character leveling and mechanics.

While "role-playing" is a well-established term in video gaming, spawning sub-genres like JRPGs and Rogue-likes, board gaming lacks a similar term, often using "adventure" or "quest" games instead. This may be due to the physical nature of board games, which can distance players from the action. The cross-pollination between tabletop RPGs, board games, and video games is significant, with each influencing and adapting from the others, creating a rich ecosystem of gaming experiences.