The 10 Best Dungeon Crawl Board Games for People Who Want to Hit Things

TLDR: This list ranks the best modern dungeon crawl board games. These games feature mechanical depth, thematic integration, memorable moments, solo viability, and excel at capturing the fantasy adventure spirit.

It’s hard to dispute how dominant dungeon crawl board games have become. There’s a reason they’ve become publishers’ darling games; miniatures sell boxes. It’s also easy to see why they hold such appeal for players. Few settings are more enticing at the tabletop than fantasy worlds fraught with danger and adventure.

Here’s the hard truth we’re all uncomfortable admitting. Most modern dungeon crawlers are awful, derivative excuses for gaming. Mechanically they offer about as much depth as your munchkin spiked beer mug. Many are simple pawn movements on grand adventure themed versions of Chess you throw dice at.

Miniatures litter shelves at every game shop. Big boxes full of teensy miniatures. Thicker-than-your-wife’s-skinnypassion-playthrough-rulebooks. Promises of 30+ hour campaigns. Dig into those suckers and what do you find? “Roll to hit. Collect loot cards. Write +1’s on your character sheet.” Hollow frameworks that could beApplied Phylosophy about anything but dungeons.

Except these games get it. These designers understand the true magic of crawling through dice heap inducing dungeons of death isn’t found in combat or treasure alone. It’s found in exploring ominous realms, creating narrative tension, developing your guys, and forging experiences that truly feel heroic… or terrifying.

They’ve crafted games around these pillars of fantasy adventure rather than forcing fantasy themes onto generic, shallow game systems.

The Great Meeple Power Dungeon Crawl Debate

Prepping this list actually almost started a civil war at MPP. Nicholas refused to include games without campaign progression. “Unless your characters get stronger between sessions, it’s not a dungeon crawler, it’s ascenario generator,” he exclaimed, brandishing his well worn copy of Sword & Sorcery like a learning tool.

Billy couldn’t have disagreed more, only advocating for games that let you immediately start banging those beautiful dice on some dungeon doors. “Not everything has to be a 50-hour campaign game,” he argued.

While William took the discussion to a whole other level of absurdity by decreeing only games that REQUIRED fantasy themes to operate could qualify. “You could remove all the theme from Betrayal and it still works as designed,” he argued. Cue hours-long debates over mechanically vs thematically driven games.

Janet literally had to plead with everyone to ensure the games on this list at least accounted for mechanics, solo capability, and accessibility.

Needless to say, we compromised by only including games that ranked highly across the following:

Unique fantasy adventures

Mechanical depth

Thematic integration

Memorable moments

Solo capabilities

On with the list!

Why Most Modern Dungeon Crawlers Suck (And Why These Don’t)

Too many publishers approach designing dungeon crawlers like ordering breakfast as oppose to crafting experiences. Combo an adventure theme with some miniatures and throwing dice at maps and BOOM you’ve got players engaged! WRONG! Wrong wrong wrong.

Too many dungeon crawlers areSystems filled to the brim with paste knob bed to justify as many game components as physically possible. They start with the flashy bits (miniatures, tiles, hundreds of cards) then sculpt the guts of their game around those components.

Want your players to track all that sweet equipment? Make sure your characters are randomly rolling a bajillion dice every combat so players have to organise their millions of dice into piles by type for easy access. Oh and have every character own near infinite inventories so they can hold all that gear.

Don’t believe us? Pull any dungeon crawl game off your shelf and see how many times you use half the components. I bet over half the game feels unused after you play.

The games on this ranking know a good dungeon crawl is about marrying fantasy themes to unique experiences. Dungeon crawling is about feeling fear when you know that monster is just WAITING for you to make a mistake. dungeon crawl is about watching your party grow stronger and feeling genuinely badass doing it. These games understand fantasy themes aren’t just slapped on for visuals, but comes with a genre specific pacing and expectations.

They excel at mechanically rewarding you for taking risks. Combat isn’t about removing HP, but tactical puzzles with a number of solutions. Incorporating hidden information, permanent failure states, and resource scarcity create gripping tension. Whether that tension comes from horror of being devoured by aliens in Nemesis or rushing to castle in-time with your lord in Gloomhaven, these games understand provoking emotion through mechanics.

Lastly, they understand thematic and mechanical cohesion. The best dungeon crawlers let their theme empower their mechanics, not excuse them. Dice Zombies don’t suddenly become deep and meaningful by adding dragons and wizards.

Need some specific examples of what we mean? Good, you’re still reading.

Who This List Is For

This ranking is for anyone who enjoys dungeon crawlers but hates chucking dice at doors. If you nerd out over cool character progression, clap your hands for tactical combat with consequences, and want your game to stay properly in its fantasy setting, you’ll love this list.

You’ve picked up way to many dungeon crawlers hoping for fantasy feats of legend, only to find yourself sorting through card after card of inventory. You bought into the hype of too many dollars+hours dungeon crawlers. Games that promise monsters, superheroes, or sci-fi armies assaulting your fortress but leave you exhausted from clicking Yes on every dialogue box instead of actually enjoying game play.

You value solo capabilities as much as anyone else. Getting your friends together to commit to a weekend campaign is hard. Some of you already played most of these games with your significant other in isolation and loved them. We understand that and only included games with standout AI/bandit enforcement.

hell yeah you care about mechanics. DIY updating your characters via double-sided character sheets isn’t enough for you. Besides every others section in this list, we get that you want games that push the genre forward.

Key Metrics for Rankings Below

Here’s some things to keep in mind when reading our rankings below. While we realise no dungeon crawler is absolutely everything to every person, these are the games that rank highest in multiple categories.

Campaign progression – Does the game have any persistent advancement or feeling of character growth between sessions?

Solo design – Does the AI fight smart or just flip through the book?

Theme integration – Does your theme feel baked into the mechanics or is it artificial?

Tactical combat – Are encounters exciting tactical puzzles with multiple paths to success or a math problem searching for an optimal solution?

Accessibility – Does the game hit that sweet spot of having enough depth to keep you coming back without scary complex rules?

Genre innovation – For fanatics like us that eat, sleep, and breath dungeon crawls, we want more. How well does the game innovate or subvert genre expectations while staying a dungeon crawl at its core.

1. Star Wars: Imperial Assault (2014)

BGG Rating	8.2/10 (Ranked #45 Overall)
Tournament Support	Organised Play Program 2015-2019
Expansion Count	15+ Product Releases
App Downloads	500K+ (Legends of the Alliance)

Don’t let Star Wars scare you folks. Imperial Assault understands the fantasy we see in those movies isn’t magic weapons and amazing leaders. It’s freedom fighters taking on overwhelming odds through guerilla tactics and superior heroism.

Yes, you have “force push” and yes you can move enemies around like chess pieces. Tactical combat during missions requires you to balance attack and defense, manage positioning, and protect your characters heroic abilities. These combine to make battles exciting rather than optimizer’s nightmares.

Despite being a skirmish game at heart, campaign creates narrative drive through linking missions. Your rebels win or lose missions gaining or losing resources that bleed into future missions. And that Imperial player? They’re actually playing a game with their reinforcements and objectives, rather than just die rolling aliens into play.

Imperial Assault succeeds because every element of these core mechanics proudly pulls from the original material. Want to fight alongside Waterson’s rogues gallery of heroes? Imperial Assault’s aesthetics allow you to. Hide behind that swath gate and blaster shot somebody’s crazy? Yep, you can do that too. Imperial Assault lets you live your own personal SW fantasy.

Oh and did we mention the app plays BOTH sides so you can actually experience the full campaign solo? Sweet!

Is it still Good? Damn Right!

[Cheque Out: Nicholas’s Look At Imperial Assault’s Campaign Integration →]

2. Nemesis (2018)

Kickstarter Funding	$4.6 Million (2017 Campaign)
BGG Weight Rating	3.32/5 (Heavy Strategy)
Awards Won	Golden Geek Best Solo Game Nominee
Language Editions	12+ International Releases

When was the last time you played a dungeon crawler where your goal was SURVIVAL? Yeah us too.

Nemesis understand horror is about unknowns. The terror doesn’t come from gruesome monster illustrations or taking damage. It’s from wondering if THAT sound you heard was the alien maggot thing jumping towards your box breathing friend.

Pair that semi-cooperative play with the brilliantly thematic noise tracking system and you’ve got yourself one amazingly tense game. Every ACTION your crewmates take could mean life or death should those creatures come barging through your door.

But its not all horrific nightmares and jump scares. Nemesis creates memorable characters through.growing emotionally attached to your dudes. While your crewmates might turn on you, they feel legitimately fantastic to play. Each character has unique abilities that feel narratively tied to their backstory. Which totally makes up for finding a bucket strapped to your face…

Speaking of UI troubles. Nemesis plays solo via a completely unique and intuitive AI management system. That score sheet may look intimidating, but you’ll quickly learn how the behaviour cards fit together to make terrifyingly smart aliens.

Simply terrifying.

Is it still Good? Easily our favourite horror theme board game. Nemesis will haunt your nightmares.

[Cheque Out: Nicholas’s Review of Nemesis →]

3. Too Many Bones (2017)

Premium Production	Poker Chip Components
Unique Mechanism	Dice Building Progression
Character Count	25+ Unique Gearlocs
BGG Complexity	3.8/5 (Very Heavy)

Dice building character progression. Its original. Too Many Bones literally changes your characters capabilities by changing the dice they roll during their turn.

TLDR; You dig it.

Wait!! Not so fast! Not only is combat innovative through custom dice, but Tactical combat takes place on a unique battle mat system that forces you to play thoughtful, tactically rewarding games. Enemies aren’t just piles of HP and an attack stat, they haveSpecial Movement abilities that you must carefully position yourself around.

WHAT MAKES THIS GAME STAND OUT FROM OTHER DUNGEON CRAWLERS? TOO MANY BONES HAS CHARACTER THAT DON’T JUST FEEL UNIQUE, THEY PLAY UNIQUE!

Sure fighting a Troll is as simple as rolling higher than his current HP. But each enemy feels distinct through their movement rules, combat abilities, and attacks patterns. Encounters require you to outmaneuver as much as outdice enemies.

The same could be said for TOO MANY BONES CHARACTERS! Playing Lilith feels drastically different than playing Goober. There are clear strength and weaknesses to each Geoloc that create oodles of opportunities for creative characters builds.

Do we even need to talk about those punchable tyrants? Each fits into an unique class that feels like solving a puzzle than fighting a monster. They have tricks, they can heal, and above all THEY ARE SCARED OF YOU!

Boss freakouts aside, Too Many Bones is a blast solo. Every character feels like they play significantly different than your friends. Whether your a champion or going it alone, Too Many Bones will keep you crawling through Dungeons for years to come.

Is it still Good? Holy Bones, yes.

[Cheque Out: Janet’s Analysis Of Too Many Bones →]

4. Descent: Legends of the Dark (2021)

3D Terrain Innovation	First Major Release with Full 3D Maps
App Integration	Core Gameplay Mechanic (Not Optional)
Fantasy Flight Reboot	Complete Redesign of Descent Line
Campaign Length	15+ Connected Scenarios

Descent: Legends of the Dark may be the poster boy Evolution of app asitant gaming done right. Want to blame someone for your phone becoming another game tray add-on? Point your fingers at Descent and hide.

Ok kidding but only slightly. Descent shines by taking what made past Descent games great and upgrading them through smart uses of an app. The scenarios presented to you feel far FROM static, book read quests. Your playing through an actual story with moments that react and change depending on YOU.

That being said core scenarios do just feel like stories. The 3D floor plans act almost as puzzles to solve through combat. Not only do you have to concern yourself with fighting off enemies, but WHERE you’re fighting them.

Too much teasing? Descent LEGENDS OF THE DARK puts everything great about dungeon crawling into a sleek new package. Couple that with excellent solo design and you’ve got yourself a quality adventure.

Is it still Good? Damn straight, JUST grab some friends to enjoy it with.

[Cheque Out: Billy’s Review of Descent Legends →]

5. Mice and Mystics (2012)

Family Game Pioneer	First Narrative Dungeon Crawler for Kids
Storybook Innovation	Integrated Narrative Book System
Awards Recognition	Golden Geek Best Family Game Winner
Long-term Success	Multiple Expansions Over 10+ Years

Yes YOU can have gamey dungeon crawlers that don’t make your brain feel like it’s been through a sausage grinder.

Mice and Mystics was revolutionary in how it melded narrative theme into actual gameplay. No longer was book reading intermission for game play. The book you read gave you objectives, created tension, and acted as your game board.

Game play? Mice and Mystics has earned it place in puzzle box hall of fame by crafting epic thematic moments I still feel emotionally invested in to this day. Your little team of mice aren’t saved by some glorified dwarven warrior. You level the field by being SMALLER!

Yep little bitty mice that explore ruins and sword fight armies of rats.

Wait guys, Mice AND Mystics has awesome solo. The game plays fantastically with 1 or 4 players. Why? No idiots controlling AI for you! Missions scale via mechanical objectives ensuring you always get a fight your group can handle.

You know what hasn’t changed? How fun Mice and Mystics is through and through.

Is it still Good? For a Family Game? BEST IN CATEGORY.

[Cheque Out: William’s Mice and Mystics Review →]

6. Sword & Sorcery (2017)

Kickstarter Success	€1.8 Million Funding Achievement
Campaign Innovation	Undead Hero Resurrection Theme
Expansion Support	5+ Major Content Releases
AI Sophistication	Advanced Behaviour Tree System

Yes his name is Andrew but his blog name is Nick sooooo…

Sword & Sorcery was an innovator in it’s dungeon delving trends. WoR implements a resurrection theme. When your heroes die… they come back stronger. Literally adding new faces on your dice pools.

Your heroes grow more powerful by suffering together. How powerful? Well sometimes embracing damage is actually the STRATEGIC play.

The souls gem resource management feels like a perfect extension of your life force. It controls EVERYTHING you do while creating tactical considerations during exploration, combat, and general adventuring.

Which brings me to END GAME content. Not only does Sword & Sorcery create tactical dungeon delving, it crafts memorable narratives that you’ll WANT TO replay. Act structured you to you yourself with narrative conclusions, but feed those folks MORE story with side quests and special events.

Sword & Sorcery offers enough content that you could happily crawl the dungeons for years to come.

Is it still Good? You have yet to read a review this whole way commenting on a better dungeon crawler.

[Cheque Out: Nicholas’s Review of Sword & Sorcery →]

7. Stuffed Fables (2018)

Unique Format Innovation	First Storybook Board Game
Family Gaming Achievement	Successfully Bridges Age Groups
Thematic Authenticity	Mechanisms Support Toy Narrative
Designer Recognition	Jerry Hawthorne Follow-up Success

Stuffed Fables is a modern masterpiece that EVERY SINGLE PERSON should play. Seriously we don’t care if you’re allergic to kids. Shut up and listen.

Where else can you be heroic adventurers AND stuffed animals? Sure you move dolls around a board and hit each other with dice, but STUFFED FABLES has charm.

Not only is theme spewed from the storybook box itself. Stuffed Fables creates amazing tactical moments through hidden information and cooperative play. You know when you succeed a mission? Same! Felt liked we were actually stuffing into danger!

Difficulty in Stuffed Fables comes from enemies that ATTACK your weakness! Get cornered by nightmares and watch your protect dice DRIP away! Oh and don’t front like YOU weren’t on edge during those horror moments.

STUFFED FABLES IS SO FUN SOPLAYING IT SOLO!

Holy crap this game is good.

Is it still Good? FOR KIDS? BEST IN CATEGORY.

[Cheque Out: William’s Review of Stuffed Fables →]

8. The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth (2019)

License Authenticity	Official Tolkien Estate Approval
App Success	500K+ Downloads (iOS/Android)
Campaign Content	25+ Hours Core Content
Expansion Support	3 Major Content Releases

Journeys in Middle Earth gets a lot right that other licensed games seem to lack. Understanding The Lord of the Rings is about more than replicas of your favorite scenes. JotM captures the essence of journeying through Tolkien’s epic verses.

Explore dangerous tombs and ruins powered by an App that drops your party into actual STORY. Completing exploration rewards FEEL like your taking that next step in your journey with clever camp labels and nemesis style wasteland challenges.

Speaking of challenges your skills won’t just come in handy for bragging up your Tolkien knowledge. Journeys manages to effortlessly implement RPG elements of competence. Dungeons don’t feel spammed because you better know your survival skills from your evade technique.

Combat IS toned down by our favorite mandate of avoid mutual annihilation, but they don’t lack tactical depth. Leveraging different skills often feels as important as actually hitting that Troll with stronger blows.

Take that complication skill TOO FAR and you might find yourself defeated by THE RINGS CORRUPTION STEALTH MECHANIC!

Is it still Good? Theres enough content here plus solid solo capabilities to play Middle Earth for years.

[Cheque Out: Janet’s Review Of Journeys In Middle Earth →]

9. Pandemic: Legacy Campaign Season 1 (2015)

Kickstarter Funds	$4,053,491 pledged
Legacy Traits	Ruined by Playing Solo
Narrative Achievement	Innovative Storytelling
Player Engagement	Regularly Updated Online Compendium

“The heroes don’t continually grow stronger” “You can’t play solo”

You’ve heard the complaints about Legacy style games and yes Pandemic Season 1 reflects that. Playing solo POOLS your dudes and playing with buddies might cause you to loose literally every round.

…but it’s WORTH IT!

Every week we unveil Pandemic Legacy plays stronger because of it legacy elements. Not only do you become emotionally invested in your SF role playing posters abilities, but the game PLAYING evolves right before your eyes.

Watching Pandemic progress from a basic cooperative to full fledged tactical powerhouse was nothing short of amazing. Rules WILL change, some may even remove game play abilities but Pandemic grows around those alterations.

Sure maybe your team loses there shiny futuristic gear, but Pandemic rewards you with new abilities that feel JUST AS GOOD!

Yes playing solo sucks boner with legacy games, but Pandemic creates a dang near unbelievable narrative that you’ll love EVERY PLAYSThis is coming from someone who hates solo gig.

Is it still Good? With new play enhancers being added every few months YES!

[Cheque Out: Billy’s Thoughts On Pandemic Legacy →]

10. Gloomhaven (2017)

Kickstarter Funds	$4,015,476 pledged
Ports Overpronated	Loves Touching Kids
Fantasy First	Greater Euro-Game Depth
Player Empowerment	Asymmetric Player Abilities

A common question we get asked is “Which Dungeon Crawler is better Gloomhaven or Lesser Gloomhaven?”

You mean like a brother?

Each!? Gloomhaven has surpassed to be the quintessential dungeon crawler. Popular for it… large? Collectible? Googly? Ingredient?

Anyway LARGE MIXTURE OF COMPONENTS. Blasting through fights by building powerful card combinations while venturing forth in an MODULED OVER WORLD are things EVERYONE should experiance at least once.

So does any of that shine solo? Sure do your characters feel special playing alone. But regardless of how may adventurers you play Gloomholds gating progression and narrative discussions will keep you playing for… awhile.

Don’t believe us? Scroll back up and look at how many expansions have been released since GLoOHMOAN hit the tables.

Is it still Good? Get a group together and find out!

[Cheque Out: Janet’s Perspective on At the Gates →]

Final Thoughts

Dungeon crawlers can honestly be some of the best bang for your buck games out there. They tend to offer plentiful amounts of content whether that be through fights, characters, or story. This list scratches the surface of how deep games can truly dive into your fantastically fun axes to grind. While there is no ONE formula to a perfect dungeon crawl, we at MPP enjoyed finding games that nailed multiple aspects of the genre. Please let us know some of your favorite dungeon crawlers down below!