Many modern board games offer deep strategic gameplay, focusing on resource management or economic optimization. But if you crave the thrill of exploration and adventure, role-playing board games are your perfect match. Like their pen-and-paper counterparts, these games immerse you in fantastical settings, where you collaborate or compete to overcome quests and challenges. However, they also retain the strategic depth expected of a quality board game.
Below are some top picks for the best RPG board games, promising countless hours of fun in 2025 and beyond.
Top Role-Playing Board Games at a Glance
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Gloomhaven / Jaws of The Lion / Frosthaven
The Gloomhaven series is renowned as a top-tier board game, and its RPG elements are exceptional. You play as adventurers, collaborating through a complex campaign, with your roster changing as characters retire or fall in battle. The tactical combat system, using a deck-building mechanic, creates intense scenarios. While the original is currently unavailable, the prequel, *Jaws of the Lion*, offers a similar experience in a more accessible format. The sequel, *Frosthaven*, expands the gameplay by introducing a town to explore and develop. These also excel as solo games.
Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil
This cooperative adventure series, based on the popular pen-and-paper RPG, masterfully blends role-playing and board game mechanics. Randomly generated dungeon tiles, filled with traps and monsters, create dynamic and unpredictable gameplay, simulating the experience of a dungeon master-led game. *Temple of Elemental Evil*, based on a classic D&D scenario, is a standout among the series.
For classic D&D gameplay, check out our beginner's guide.
The Witcher: Old World
This acclaimed board game adaptation of the popular video game series is set before the events of *The Witcher* games and novels. Players take on the roles of Witchers, hunting monsters and competing for glory and wealth. The game features compelling deck-building mechanics, allowing you to develop unique strategies to overcome increasingly challenging foes. A solo mode is also included.
See our *The Witcher: Old World* board game review for more details.
Star Wars: Imperial Assault
This sci-fi RPG board game shifts the focus from fantasy dungeons to starships and high-tech bases. Set after *A New Hope*, one player controls the Empire, while others team up as Rebel operatives to fight against the Emperor. The tactical combat system is engaging in standalone scenarios, but the campaign mode offers a cinematic narrative experience, featuring iconic characters from the films. Numerous expansions add even more content.
For more Star Wars board games, see our guide.
HeroQuest
This classic dungeon-crawling board game, originally released in 1989, is back with updated miniatures. One player acts as the game master, revealing the dungeon as the heroes explore, encounter monsters, and collect treasure. It offers a true role-playing experience, with narrative, mystery, and character progression, while maintaining accessible rules and strategic gameplay.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
This horror RPG board game, loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft's works, challenges players to solve mysteries connected to terrifying alien entities. The difficulty and bleak narratives create a genuinely unsettling atmosphere, while deck-building mechanics provide strategic depth. Expansions add even more chilling adventures.
The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth
This adaptation of Middle-earth seamlessly integrates into Tolkien's lore, allowing players to experience the iconic world without altering established narratives. The game uses deck-building mechanics, combined with innovative features like tile-flipping for overground and underground exploration, and an app for narrative clues and mysteries.
Read our review of *The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying* board game.
This War of Mine: The Board Game
This unique RPG board game depicts the struggle for survival in a war-torn city. Players manage resources, scavenge for supplies, and defend their hideout from threats. The game's narrative elements and challenging mechanics create a powerful and emotionally resonant experience.
Descent: Legends of the Dark
Descent stands out for its exceptional production quality, featuring detailed miniatures and three-dimensional terrain. The gameplay is supported by a mobile app that guides players through a series of quests, complete with narrative elements and inter-scenario connections.
See our *Descent: Legends of the Dark* review.
Mice & Mystics
This game is ideal for younger players, offering a charming story and simple mechanics. Players take on the roles of mice on a quest to save a fantasy kingdom, combining whimsical adventure with accessible tactical gameplay.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
This game prioritizes narrative, blending Arthurian and Celtic legends to create a rich and challenging world. Players must work together to survive, managing resources and navigating a branching narrative campaign with a compelling storyline.
RPG Board Games: Tabletop, Video Games, and the Connections
The term "role-playing game" (RPG) originated with *Dungeons & Dragons*, which adapted wargame rules to create narrative-driven character experiences. This led to the development of pen-and-paper RPGs, which emphasized creative storytelling and character progression. The strategic aspects of these games, along with the desire for a more streamlined experience, led to the creation of board game and video game RPGs. While video games have established subgenres like JRPGs, board games lack a similar unifying term, often being categorized as adventure or quest games.
There's significant cross-pollination between these formats, with *Dungeons & Dragons* inspiring both board and video games, which have, in turn, been adapted back into RPG materials. The lines are often blurred, creating a rich and diverse landscape of role-playing experiences.
