Tired of Yahtzee? Here Are Six Family-Friendly Dice Games to Try Instead

Yahtzee and Farkle get all the attention, which is fair because they're both excellent. But if you've played them a hundred times, your family might be ready for something new. The games below cover a range of ages, group sizes, and energy levels, and every one of them needs nothing more than some dice and, in a couple of cases, a handful of chips.

Beetle: Perfect for Little Kids

If you've got a preschooler or early-elementary kid at the table, Beetle is the one to try. Each player rolls a single die and draws a body part of a bug based on the number: a 1 gets you the body, a 2 the head, and so on through legs, eyes, antennae, and tail. There's a catch that keeps young players thinking instead of just rolling on autopilot: You can't draw a head before a body, or legs before a head. Roll a number you can't use yet, and your turn ends. The first kid to finish a complete bug wins. All you need is one die and paper for each player, and the game rewards paying attention without punishing bad luck too harshly.

Get the Beetle dice game rules here.

Roller Coaster: High-Energy Chaos for Groups

Roller Coaster works best with six to eight players, which makes it a strong pick for a family reunion or a birthday party. Two players start with a die each, sitting roughly across the table from one another. Everyone rolls as fast as they can, and landing a 1 lets you pass your die to the neighbor on your left. The two dice chase each other around the circle, and whoever ends up holding both at once is out. It's loud, it's fast, and it rewards nothing but speed and luck, which makes it a great equalizer between a seven-year-old and a grandparent.

Get the Roller Coaster dice game rules here.

Jackpot: Built for a Crowd

Jackpot shines with four to eight players, so it's a good fit for larger families or a gathering that spills across multiple households. Players take turns rolling two dice and placing chips on a numbered board. Fill a space with three chips, and the next player to land there wins them. Roll snake eyes and you seed chips across the board; roll boxcars — a 6 and a 6 — and you sweep the entire jackpot. Swings can be dramatic, so a quiet game can flip in one roll, which keeps everyone engaged even when they're behind.

Get the rules for the Jackpot dice game here.

Stuck in the Mud: Simple Push-Your-Luck

Also known as Drop Dead, Stuck in the Mud uses five dice and rewards nerve as much as luck. Roll without landing a 2 or a 5, and you bank the total. Roll a 2 or 5, and those dice go into the "mud pit" and score nothing, though you keep rolling with whatever dice remain. Your turn ends once every die is stuck. First to 500 points wins. It scales easily from two players to a full table, and the rules take about thirty seconds to explain.

Get the Stuck in the Mud game rules here.

Stack: Dexterity Meets Strategy

Stack asks each player to roll fourteen dice of their own color, then take turns stacking a die on top of a matching number from an opponent's dice. Build a stack of four, and you claim it for points. Knock over someone else's stack, though, and you'll be rebuilding it and losing points for the trouble. It's part math, part steady hands, and it plays well with two to eight people.

Get the Stack dice game rules here.

Lock In: A Dice Game Depot Original

Lock In is our own design, built around choosing a target number from nine dice and trying to whittle your way down to zero without running out of chips. Spend a chip to reroll when your target doesn't show, or hold steady and hope. Land all nine dice without spending a single chip, and you've pulled off a Perfect Run for a big bonus. It plays fast, works with two or more people, and rewards knowing when to push your luck and when to stop.

The Lock In dice game rules are freely available on our web site.

Getting started is basically as simple as grabbing a bag of dice and picking whichever of these games fits your group tonight. You'll have a new family favorite before the night's out.