Top 6 Family Dice Games

Dice games, by their very nature, tend to rely more on luck than skill, which often makes them a great choice for family play. While playing the odds and calculating probabilities are definitely skills which can help you win these games, which you can purchase at any local department store or specialty game seller, the emphasis here is on family fun. Each game comes with everything you need. So, if you are looking for some quick, light fun, here are the top 6 dice games for families:

1. Liar’s Dice or Call My Bluff – This game is for 2 to 6 players and works best for ages 8 and up. Each player rolls five dice and then keeps the result secret from other players. Each person then takes turns bidding on the total results. For example, “There are five 3s.” or “I say there are four 2s.” The person with the closest guess scores the points. This game is a lot of fun for a large group and is great at parties, too. Liar’s Dice usually takes about 20 minutes per game.

2. Can’t Stop – This game is best played with 2 to 4 people, ages 7 and up. The board is a series of columns which are numbered from 2 to 12. Players roll four dice, and then decide in which two columns they will improve their standing. This is where the mind games begin, as a player must decide to either stop or roll again and risk losing their progress. Can’t Stop usually takes about 30 minutes per game.

3. To Court the King – This game is great for between 2 and 5 players, ages 10 and up. To Court the King is a great dice game that brings nice new twists to the genre, such as special character powers. The objective of the game has players trying to earn more dice and the ability to manipulate those dice so that they can impress the king by making the best final roll. Players who enjoy Yahtzee but find it repetitive and limiting will love this game. To Court the King takes about 45 minutes per game.

4. Pass the Pigs – This game is for 2 to 6 players, ages 7 and up. Children often love this game since Pass the Pigs is a dice game with no dice. Instead, players roll small rubber pigs. Points are won depending on how the pigs land and then players must decide whether to roll again, risking the points they’ve earned if they “pig out”, or pass the cup to the next player. Pass the Pigs takes about 30 minutes per game.

5. Button Men – Two can play this game it works best for those ages 10 and up. During the game each player takes one character, pictured on a button, the kind you might wear on your shirt in a political campaign, and rolls his dice to defeat the opponent. Each character is a little different, and a wide variety of character sets are available, including Soldiers, Vampires and Freaks. Button Men takes about 15 minutes per game.

6. Yahtzee – Perhaps the most classic of family dice games, Yahtzee can be played by as few as 2 people and as many as 6, and is recommended for ages 7 and up. Considered the grandfather of modern dice games, Yahtzee is available in a variety of editions including Deluxe, Turbo, Pokemon and even Mickey Mouse. You simply roll the dice, trying to get specific sets and thus earning points. Yahtzee takes about 20 minutes per game.