The best one-player dice games

Solo dice games to pass the time and minimize distractions

We've talked about great dice games for two or three players, but what about single-player dice games? Dice games are at their best with other players, but these are the best solitaire-style dice games for solo outings when you need to pass a little time or reduce digital distractions with analog calm.

Playing dice games starts with Bunco

We're partial to Bunco. Bunco is designed as a social dice game but plays well online when you’re ready to play solo. It's a free, fast-paced dice game scored dynamically on the round number. The first player to roll 21 points wins the round. With our handy online game, you can play Bunco anytime from any browser.

If you’ve never heard of the game but have the word, it’s because Bunco is a classic dice game with a storied history in the United States and the world.

Play Bunco for free in your browser here.

Yahtzee is a classic dice game perfect for solo players

Yahtzee comes in a box with a pad of nifty little score sheets, cups, and other plastic hardware and dice, but you really only need six dice. The game requires a little knowledge of the scoring system. Some, like three-of-a-kind or four-of-a-kind, are obvious. Still, a full house and the math to determine remaining numbers and specific combinations are a great way to occupy yourself and it can help teach kids basic math and probability.

To play Yahtzee alone, the gist is in these steps:

Get a Yahtzee scorecard or paper and a set of five dice.
Roll the dice and try to get combinations that give you the highest possible scores on the scorecard.
You get three rolls per turn, so you can re-roll any or all of the dice up to three times.
After each turn, mark your score on the scorecard and try to beat your previous total.
Play as many rounds as you like and challenge yourself to improve your score each time.

Alternatively, these rules also apply to playing Bunco alone with a physical set of three dice:

Get three dice and a Bunco scorecard.
Roll the dice and try to get as many matches as possible to score points on the scorecard.
You score points for matching the number displayed on each round of the scorecard.
After each round, mark your score on the scorecard and try to beat your previous total.
Play as many rounds as you like and challenge yourself to improve your score each time.

Zombie Dice

Zombie Dice is among board games in its goals. It's also probably not the sort of thing you'll break out for family game night if you have young kids.

In Zombie Dice, players become zombies trying to eat brains without getting shot by humans.

Players roll 13 dice with different symbols representing brains, footprints, and shotgun blasts to play. The winner is the first player to collect 13 brains. The goal is to collect as many brains as possible while avoiding three shotgun blasts, which ends your turn and eliminates any collected brains for that round.

You can use standard dice to play alone, rolling dice on each turn and associating a specific number with a brain, footprint, or shotgun blast. It's a unique game best played with a retail dice set, but it’s a clever and pretty cool fast-paced game.

Tenzi

Unlike most of the other dice games listed here, Tenzi is believed to be relatively new, originating sometime in the early 2000s. The rules of Tenzi dice game are like a massive game of Yahtzee: everyone starts out with 10 dice, and the goal is to roll your dice as fast as you can until all of them show the same number. Every time you roll, you can set aside any dice that match your desired number.

Tenzi is a fast-paced dice game that can be played alone or with multiple players. To play Tenzi alone, follow these steps using four dice (but you can also use three, six, or as many as you wish):

Get four dice and a Tenzi scorecard.
Roll the dice and try to get all four dice to land on the same number.
If you succeed, mark your score on the scorecard and try to beat your previous total.
If you don't get all four dice to match, keep rolling until you do or until you run out of rolls.
Play as many rounds as you like and challenge yourself to improve your score each time.

Tenzi can also be played with multiple players, where each player gets their own set of four dice and tries to be the first to get all four dice to match. It's a fun and simple game that you can play anywhere.

For a little extra fun, find colorful dice and try to match numbers and colors. As each player rolls, the odds of rolling dice matching appropriately increase exponentially and will make the game longer.

Liar's Dice

Liar's Dice is a game of bluffing and deception, typically with 2-6 players. Each player starts with a cup and five dice, which they shake and then turn upside down so the other players cannot see the numbers.

Players take turns making bids on the total number of a specific dice face that they believe are present under all of the cups in play. The next player can either challenge the bid by claiming that the total is lower or they can raise the bid by claiming that the total is higher. The game's goal is to be the last player with dice remaining.

Once a bid is challenged, all players reveal their dice and the total is counted. If the bid was correct, the challenger loses one of their own dice. If the bid was incorrect, the bidder loses one of their own dice. The game continues until only one player has dice remaining.

You can play Liar's Dice with traditional dice or with special Liar's Dice packs that include a dice cup and a set of numbered dice with unique markings to prevent cheating.

You can play by yourself by challenging yourself to bid on what's under the cup. Or use phantom players or "the house" to lose dice to.

Ship Captain Crew

In Ship Captain Crew, your job is to complete missions. Ship Captain Crew is a popular dice game that can be played alone or with multiple players and up to six dice but is usually done with five. To play alone, follow these steps:

Get five dice and a Ship Captain Crew scorecard or paper.
Roll all the dice and try to get certain combinations to score points on the scorecard.
You must roll a 6 to become the ship, a 5 to become the captain, and a 4 to become the crew.
After you become the ship, captain, and crew, you can choose which dice to keep and which remaining dice to re-roll to score as many points as possible.
After each turn, mark your score on the scorecard and try to beat your previous total.

Play as many rounds as you like and challenge yourself to improve your score each time.

It's like Tenzi, except you split the dice into multiple chunks instead of trying to score more points or a specific scoring combination. Using a six-sided dice, you can make this a fun challenge. Or play with another person, re-rolling to be first to become the Captain.

Left Center Right (LCR)

Left Center Right (LCR) is a fun dice game where players try to be the last one in the game with any poker chips. As such, you'll need a little extra hardware in the form of chips, but you can also use candies, coins, or any other marker. You'll also need three six-sided dice.

Typically you'd pay with at least three people, but you can play alone.

Before you begin, determine what specific dice rolls count as "L," "C," and "R" if you’re using dice. Retail copies of LCR already have these letters printed on them. If you’re playing with standard 6-sided dice, assign what faces are “left,” “right,” “center,” and “dots.” These can be assigned randomly or by rolling and deciding that all "2s" will be considered "L", for instance.

Give yourself three chips and start rolling all three dice to start the game. In LCR, players roll as many dice as they possess.
For each “L” that you roll, you must pass one chip to the player (or a ghost player) to your left. For each “R” that you roll, you must pass one chip to the player on your right. For each “C” that you roll, you must put one chip in the center pot.
For each dot that you roll, you keep one chip.

The game continues until only one person has any chips left.

Craps (solo variant)

Craps is typically a dice game played with multiple people, but there are solo variants of the game that exist. Here's how to play craps solo using only two dice:

Get a pair of dice and a craps table layout.
Place a bet on the Pass Line or Don't Pass Line.
Roll the dice and determine the outcome based on the rules of the Pass Line or Don't Pass Line.
Keep track of your wins and losses, and adjust your betting strategy as needed.
Continue playing as many rounds as you like to make a profit. You can reward yourself with a special dessert or treat, too!

Note that the Pass Line and Don't Pass Line rules in solo craps may differ slightly from those in traditional craps. You read up on the specific rules before playing. We don't consider craps a "simple dice game", but it is popular.