8 Best Role Playing Board Games to Try in 2026
Find the best role playing games for epic stories, bold choices, and tabletop adventures your whole crew will remember long.
Our picks focus on story, character growth, fun choices, combat, replay value, and how quickly new players can join the table. We also looked at setup time, campaign length, and whether the game makes you feel like a hero rather than a tired accountant moving cubes. Some choices offer guided adventures, while others build huge worlds that can swallow a whole weekend. Whether you want fantasy quests, spooky mysteries, or a mighty monster hunt, this list has a role playing game for your group.
Compare a few picks
| Game | Players | Play time | Age | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) | 2-5 | 120 minutes | 14+ | Check on Amazon ↗ |
| Star Wars: Imperial Assault | 2-5 | 60-120 minutes | 14+ | Check on Amazon ↗ |
| Mansions of Madness: Second Edition | 1-5 | 120-180 minutes | 14+ | Check on Amazon ↗ |
On this list:
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) Shop on Amazon ↗
- Star Wars: Imperial Assault Shop on Amazon ↗
- Mansions of Madness: Second Edition Shop on Amazon ↗
- Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion Shop on Amazon ↗
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Shop on Amazon ↗
- Frosthaven Shop on Amazon ↗
- HeroQuest Shop on Amazon ↗
- Kingdom Death: Monster Shop on Amazon ↗
8 Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition)
Descent feels like a proper role playing adventure without asking everyone to read a giant rulebook first. One player controls the monsters while the heroes explore dungeons, grab loot, and try not to get flattened by a very rude dragon. The campaign system also gives your character new skills and gear, so your choices matter from one quest to the next. Combat uses dice, cards, and clever powers. Some missions can feel a bit swingy, but that chaos makes the table shout in the best way. It is a strong pick for groups wanting story, tactics, and classic fantasy role playing.
7 Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Imperial Assault turns Star Wars into a tense role playing board game where stormtroopers miss often, but somehow still cause trouble. The campaign gives heroes new weapons, abilities, and story choices across linked missions. One player can run the Imperial forces, while the others lead rebels through firefights, escapes, and very bad plans involving locked doors. The skirmish mode adds a separate competitive game, which gives the box extra value. It does take time to learn, and the campaign needs a steady group. Still, fans who want tactical role playing with lightsabers and blasters will find plenty to enjoy here.
6 Mansions of Madness: Second Edition
Mansions of Madness offers spooky role playing for players who like clues, strange monsters, and making terrible choices in old houses. An app runs the story, controls enemies, and reveals new rooms, so no player has to act as the game master. Each investigator brings useful skills, but the game still finds ways to make everyone nervous. The stories change with different maps, goals, and endings, which helps the box stay fresh. It can run long, and the app will not please everyone. For atmospheric horror role playing, though, it works very well.
5 Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion gives players a smoother path into role playing dungeon games. Each hero feels very different, and every turn asks you to balance powerful actions against the risk of losing cards forever. The story sends your team through dangerous city missions filled with monsters, traps, and loot. We liked how the game rewards planning without making newcomers feel useless. The campaign offers plenty of content in a smaller box than its big sibling. It still needs a few hours and some table space, but it is one of the best entry points for tactical role playing.
4 Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Tainted Grail builds a dark role playing tale around exploration, survival, and a very unfriendly version of Arthurian legend. You travel across a changing map, manage supplies, fight strange creatures, and decide who deserves help. The game remembers many choices, so small actions can create bigger problems later. Its combat system uses cards rather than simple dice rolls, giving players more control during fights. The writing creates a strong mood, although the bleak setting may not suit every group. It also asks for a serious time commitment. Choose this role playing game if you want a rich solo or co-op adventure with hard choices.
3 Frosthaven
Frosthaven takes the Gloomhaven style of role playing and adds a harsh northern settlement to manage. Your party explores frozen wilds, fights monsters, crafts gear, and helps a struggling town survive. The card system still rewards careful planning, while the campaign adds more choices outside combat. Frosthaven offers a huge amount of content, but that size comes with a warning: setup can feel like preparing a small military operation. New players may find the rules heavy at first. Groups who want deep tactical role playing, long campaigns, and constant character growth will get their money’s worth.
2 HeroQuest
HeroQuest keeps role playing simple, bright, and wonderfully old-school. One player controls the monsters and traps while the other players guide brave heroes through short dungeon quests. The game uses dice and familiar fantasy rules, so it makes a friendly first step into role playing board games. The campaign does not offer the same depth as newer dungeon crawlers, and veteran players may want more character choices. Still, the fast turns and clear rules make it easy to teach. It remains a cheerful classic for families and new adventurers.
1 Kingdom Death: Monster
Kingdom Death: Monster is the best choice on this list for players who want brutally deep role playing and do not mind a very dark theme. Your survivors build a settlement, hunt huge monsters, craft strange equipment, and try to keep their tiny community alive. The settlement phase gives characters stories through injuries, relationships, and grim events, while each hunt feels like a tense boss fight. The price and adult content make it a poor fit for casual groups. For serious players who want a long, grim, story-rich campaign, this is a wild beast.