Top 11 Board Games Similar to Dungeons & Dragons for 2025

Home News Top 11 Board Games Similar to Dungeons & Dragons for 2025

Dungeons & Dragons is a legendary brand that has sparked countless fantasy adventures across myriad worlds crafted by its players. Despite its widespread appeal, there are moments when both players and Dungeon Masters might feel overwhelmed by the extensive world-building and rule management required. Wouldn't it be wonderful to enjoy the thrill of exploration, exhilarating combat, and the satisfaction of leveling up and acquiring loot without the heavy lifting of creating a world from scratch?

The answer is a resounding yes: consider playing a board game instead. There's a vast array of board games that capture the essence of a fantasy quest. However, many either fall too far into abstraction to truly satisfy that D&D craving, or they're so intricate that they demand a significant commitment. Here, we present a curated selection of games that strike the perfect balance, offering the fantasy experience without the epic effort, ranging from officially licensed adaptations to timeless classics.

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D&D Waterdeep: Dungeon of The Mad Mage Adventure System Board Game

2See it at Amazon!

HeroQuest Game System

1See it at Amazon!

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated

1See it at Amazon!

Dungeons & Dragons Onslaught

0See it at Amazon!

Descent: Legends of the Dark

0See it at Amazon!

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth

1See it at Amazon!

Tiny Epic Dungeons

0See it at Amazon!

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

3See it at Amazon!

Legacy of Dragonholt

0See it at Amazon!

Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate

0See it at Amazon!

Dungeons & Dragons: Bedlam in Neverwinter

0See it at Amazon!

For those seeking a quick overview, the horizontally scrolling catalog above provides a clean list. For more in-depth information on each game, continue reading below.

D&D Waterdeep: Dungeon of The Mad Mage Adventure System

D&D Waterdeep: Dungeon of The Mad Mage Adventure System Board Game

2See it at Amazon!

If you're yearning for a board game that truly encapsulates the Dungeons & Dragons experience, the Adventure System games are an ideal starting point. These games distill the essence of the 4th edition rules into a manageable box with a board. No Dungeon Master is needed here; instead, you draw tiles randomly as you explore the dungeon, and monsters follow simple yet varied AI routines as detailed on their cards. Despite the absence of a DM, there's still a narrative campaign structured into individual scenarios, complete with secrets to uncover, monsters to defeat, and treasures to claim. "Dungeons of the Mad Mage" is the latest in this series, but all of them offer an engaging and fun experience.

HeroQuest Game System

1See it at Amazon!

While the allure of D&D board games often lies in not needing a Dungeon Master, having one can enrich the experience significantly. The modern reprint of the 1989 classic HeroQuest offers just that. The game remains mechanically similar to the original, with one player taking on the role of the evil wizard and his minions, while the others play as heroes venturing through dungeons, gaining experience and treasure, and striving to vanquish the evil. It's also straightforward enough to be a great family game, ideal for parents to enjoy with their children (check out our family board game recommendations for more options).

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated

1See it at Amazon!

For a more contemporary take, consider this version of the acclaimed deckbuilding game Clank! It incorporates the branding of the popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast Acquisitions Incorporated and adopts a legacy format, where the game evolves and physically changes over multiple sessions, creating a unique experience for each player. The game blends the chaotic excitement of deckbuilding and adventure with a richer, more narrative-driven framework, filled with surprises and humor. For more on this game, explore our Clank! buying guide.

Dungeons & Dragons Onslaught

0See it at Amazon!

While the Adventure System games adapt the 4th edition D&D rules into a traditional adventure format, Onslaught brings the 5th edition rules to a skirmish board game where two adventuring parties battle for supremacy within a dungeon room. Though not typical of the role-playing game's usual style, it captures the thrill of party-on-party clashes, complete with treasure chests to loot and characters to level up. The game's adaptation of the beloved 5th edition rules provides an engaging and tactically challenging experience.

Descent: Legends of the Dark

0See it at Amazon!

Modern adventure games increasingly utilize apps to manage gameplay, freeing players to focus on the adventure and character progression. Descent: Legends of the Dark stands out with its advanced features. The app comprehensively handles dungeon exploration, monster control, narrative interludes, and even resource management for item crafting. The physical components are equally impressive, with a detailed 3D cardboard dungeon and meticulously crafted miniatures that bring the adventure to life on your tabletop.

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth

1See it at Amazon!

Inspired by Tolkien's epic works, which influenced Dungeons & Dragons, this board game offers both overland and dungeon adventures, combat, and character advancement. It's another app-driven game that allows players to immerse themselves in the fun while tackling puzzles and riddles not feasible in a purely physical format. Set in the period between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it enables players to carve out their own slice of Middle-earth.

Tiny Epic Dungeons

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A common thread among our previous selections, aside from their D&D-like qualities, is their high price point. If you're looking for an affordable dungeon crawl, Tiny Epic Dungeons is an excellent choice. This game, part of the popular Tiny Epic series, manages to pack a large adventure into a small box. Players control a group of heroes navigating a unique dungeon, racing against time as their torch burns down. With quick gameplay and an innovative combat system allowing for bad result mitigation, it feels like a vast dungeon adventure unfolds from this compact package.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

3See it at Amazon!

Gloomhaven and its sequel Frosthaven are renowned for being some of the largest and most celebrated board games, blending adventure narratives, challenging tactics, and innovative mechanics. Each class comes with a unique deck of cards, requiring players to strategically combine actions each turn. While these games offer extensive RPG-style campaigns, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion delivers the same mechanical enjoyment at a lower cost and with a more manageable campaign length. As a prequel, it sets the stage for further exploration into the main series if you're hooked.

Legacy of Dragonholt

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If you're familiar with choose-your-own-adventure books, where you make choices that guide your story, Legacy of Dragonholt takes this concept to new heights and makes it multiplayer. It offers a detailed campaign with numerous decision points, creating a unique narrative experience. The game incorporates an activation token system to ensure everyone participates in decision-making, along with strategic elements involving skill and ability deployment. It's a fantastic text-based adventure to enjoy with friends or as a solo board game, evoking that classic old-school vibe.

Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate

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This game deviates slightly from the typical fantasy quest format but captures the essence of a particular D&D session, complete with the Forgotten Realms branding. Players start as a team exploring the cursed city of Baldur’s Gate, flipping tiles and collecting items. At some point, a haunt begins, triggered by a narrative book that outlines the win conditions and often introduces a traitor among the players. The game's setup offers high variety and leads to thrilling conclusions where heroism battles the encroaching darkness.

Dungeons & Dragons: Bedlam in Neverwinter

0See it at Amazon!

This unique entry focuses more on the puzzle-solving aspect of dungeoneering rather than the traditional adventure. It's an escape-room style board game set in the iconic Icewind Dale, where players must navigate traps, tricks, and riddles to solve a mystery. Designed for all ages, it's a one-time play experience, after which you can trade or sell it. The game offers a fresh take on the genre, blending exploration, role-playing, and combat mechanics to deliver a true tabletop RPG feel, culminating in an epic narrative conclusion.