Dice Games for Family Night: 11 Easy Favorites

The best dice games for family night are quick to explain, fair across ages and easy to replay: Pig, Shut the Box, Yacht dice, Ten Thousand and Bunco need nothing but dice and a scorepad, while Ludo, Snakes and Ladders and Backgammon add a board. Below are eleven favorites with suggested ages, player counts and step-by-step rules, so you can pick one and start rolling in minutes.

If you do not have dice handy, four of these games are free to play on one phone or tablet that you pass around the table. Find them all on our dice games page.

Family dice games at a glance

Ages are suggestions based on the counting and decision-making each game asks for. Younger children can play almost anything on a team with an adult.

Easiest for little kids

1. Snakes and Ladders

The classic first board game. Roll one die, move that many squares, climb any ladder you land at the bottom of and slide down any snake whose head you land on. The first player to reach square 100 wins; many families require an exact roll to finish.

Best for: ages four and up, counting practice, and mixed-age tables where nobody should have an edge. Play Snakes and Ladders on one device with two to four players, with computer players filling empty seats.

2. Beetle

A drawing race. Each player tries to be first to draw a complete beetle, but each body part needs a particular number on one die. A common scheme is:

• 6: body (you must roll this first)
• 5: head
• 4: each of two wings
• 3: each of six legs
• 2: each of two antennae (after the head)
• 1: each of two eyes (after the head)

Pass the die after each roll. Families change the parts and numbers freely, and kids love inventing their own creature.

Best for: ages four and up, and anyone who likes drawing more than counting.

3. Ludo

Ludo adds the first real decisions. Roll a six to bring a token out of your yard, then race all four tokens around the board and up your home column. Landing on an opponent sends their token back to start, so you are always choosing between moving forward, capturing and staying safe.

Best for: ages five and up, and families who enjoy a bit of friendly revenge. Play Ludo with two to four players; the Ludo rules guide covers safe squares and house rules.

Quick games with one or two dice

4. Pig

All you need is one die and a scorepad.

1. On your turn, roll as many times as you like, adding up your rolls.
2. Stop whenever you want and bank your turn total.
3. If you roll a 1, you lose everything from that turn and pass the die.
4. The first player to reach 100 wins.

The whole game is one question: push your luck or play it safe? It teaches risk in a way kids understand instantly.

Best for: ages six and up, waiting rooms and short attention spans.

5. Shut the Box

Write the numbers 1 to 9 in a row on paper (or use a wooden box with flip-down tiles).

1. Roll two dice and add them.
2. Cross off any numbers that add up to your total. A roll of 8 could close the 8, or 5 and 3, or 6 and 2, or 1, 3 and 4.
3. Keep rolling until you cannot make your total. A common rule lets you roll just one die once the 7, 8 and 9 are closed.
4. Add up the numbers still open. That is your score, and the lowest score wins. Closing every number is called shutting the box.

Best for: ages six and up, solo play and addition practice.

6. Ship, Captain and Crew

Use five dice, three rolls per turn.

1. You need a 6 (the ship), then a 5 (the captain), then a 4 (the crew), in that order. Set each one aside as soon as you roll it.
2. Once you have all three, the two remaining dice are your cargo, and their total is your score.
3. You may reroll the cargo dice with any rolls you have left.
4. If you do not have a ship, captain and crew after three rolls, you score zero. The highest cargo wins the round.

Best for: ages seven and up, and fast rounds between bigger games.

Scorecard games for the whole table

7. Yacht dice

The classic five-dice scorecard game, described in game books since at least 1938. On each turn, roll five dice up to three times, keeping any dice you like between rolls. Then write your result in one unused category, such as Sixes, Full House, Four of a Kind, a Little or Big Straight, Choice, or Yacht (five of a kind, worth 50 in the classic rules). Every category must be filled once, so a bad roll still has to go somewhere. Highest total wins.

Best for: ages eight and up, and players who like planning. Play Yacht dice with one to six players on one device; the app keeps the scorecard so nobody argues about the math. The Yacht dice rules guide lists every category.

8. Ten Thousand (Farkle)

Play with six dice. Scoring varies by family, so agree on a table first. A common one: each 1 is worth 100, each 5 is worth 50, and three of a kind is worth 100 times the number (three 1s are worth 1,000).

1. Roll all six dice and set aside at least one scoring die.
2. Either bank your points or reroll the remaining dice to add more.
3. If a roll has no scoring dice, you lose all points from that turn.
4. If all six dice score, you may roll all six again.
5. The first player to 10,000 wins. Many families require 500 in a single turn before your first points count.

Best for: ages eight and up, and anyone who enjoyed Pig and wants more choices.

9. Bunco

Bunco is a party game for groups, usually twelve players at three tables of four, playing in teams of two.

1. There are six rounds, numbered 1 to 6.
2. On your turn, roll three dice. Each die showing the round number scores 1 point, and you keep rolling while you score.
3. Three of the round number is a Bunco, worth 21 points.
4. A round ends when a team reaches 21. In the usual format, winners move up a table and partners switch between rounds.

Best for: holiday gatherings and big extended families where most people just want to chat and roll.

Games with strategy for older kids and adults

10. Backgammon

One of the oldest families of board games still played. Each player races fifteen checkers around 24 points and bears them off the board, using two dice each turn. Doubles move four times, a single checker can be hit and sent back, and two or more checkers on a point form a block. The dice keep it lively, but the better player wins over time.

Best for: ages eight and up, two players, and a parent and child who want a game that grows with them. Play Backgammon with a friend or against the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, and learn the setup in the Backgammon rules guide.

11. Liar’s Dice

Each player has five dice and a cup. Everyone shakes and peeks at their own dice in secret.

1. The first player makes a bid about all the dice on the table, such as “four 3s.”
2. The next player must raise the bid (more dice, or the same number of a higher face) or call “liar.”
3. On a call, everyone reveals. If the bid was true, the caller loses a die; if not, the bidder does.
4. The last player with dice wins. Many groups treat 1s as wild.

Best for: ages ten and up, teenagers and adults who like bluffing.

How to pick the right dice game

• Youngest player is four or five: Snakes and Ladders or Beetle.
• You have ten minutes: Pig, Shut the Box or Ship, Captain and Crew.
• Mixed ages around six to twelve: Ludo, Yacht dice or Ten Thousand.
• A crowd of eight or more: Bunco.
• Two players who want strategy: Backgammon.
• Teens and adults: Liar’s Dice.

Tips for a smooth family dice night

• Agree on house rules before the first roll. Dice games collect family variations, especially Ten Thousand and Ludo.
• Use a tray or a box lid. Dice that fly off the table cause most game-night arguments.
• Pair young kids with an adult. The child rolls and counts; the adult helps with choices.
• Keep one scorekeeper. Rotate the job each game so nobody feels left out.
• Mix lengths. Start with a five-minute game while people arrive, then play a longer one.

For more ideas beyond dice, see our family games collection and our list of the best pass-and-play games for family night.