The Best Dungeon Crawler Board Games for an Epic Tabletop Adventure

Dungeon crawler board games offer a rich and diverse gaming experience, encompassing tactical combat, character progression, loot acquisition, and exploration of intricate dungeons. The genre's breadth extends beyond typical fantasy settings, encompassing horror, sci-fi, and even popular franchises like Marvel and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The sheer number of excellent options available can make choosing a starting point challenging. However, these games typically share a common thread: immersive lore and complex mechanics, providing lengthy and rewarding cooperative campaigns.

TL;DR: The Best Dungeon Crawler Board Games

### Frosthaven

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### Descent: Legends of the Dark

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### Star Wars: Imperial Assault

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### Slay the Spire: The Board Game

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### Mansions of Madness

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### Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape

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### Nemesis

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### Cthulhu: Death May Die

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### Clank! Catacombs

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### Marvel Zombies - A Zombicide Game

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### Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Change is Constant

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### Resident Evil: The Board Game

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### Arcadia Quest

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These games typically feature tactical combat, character progression, loot, and dungeons (though not always literal ones). Many also boast rich lore and intricate mechanics, perfect for those seeking extensive cooperative campaigns.

Frosthaven / Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

### Frosthaven

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### Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-4 Play Time: 60-120 mins

Gloomhaven, while currently out of print, set a high bar for dungeon crawlers. Frosthaven, its successor, offers a similarly immersive campaign. Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion provides a streamlined alternative with reduced setup time. Both games are interconnected, allowing character transfer between them. Jaws of the Lion is ideal for newcomers, while Frosthaven appeals to fans of epic fantasy campaigns. Both offer extensive, story-rich campaigns with character progression and departure, making them excellent choices for 2-4 players.

Descent: Legends of the Dark

### Descent: Legends of the Dark

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-4 Play Time: 120-180 mins

This fully cooperative Descent iteration boasts impressive 3D cardboard scenery and a large storage box. It blends tactical combat, dice rolling, and app-based resource management for crafting and leveling up, alongside randomized dungeon layouts and an engaging narrative campaign. A superb RPG and dungeon crawler.

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

### Star Wars: Imperial Assault

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Age: 14+ Players: 2-5 Play Time: 60-120 mins

This Star Wars-themed dungeon crawler features rebel operatives battling the Empire in scenario-based campaigns. While replacing swords and bows with lightsabers and blasters, the core gameplay—looting, exploration, and leveling up—remains true to the genre. Players encounter familiar Star Wars characters, making it a standout among Star Wars board games.

Slay the Spire: The Board Game

### Slay the Spire: The Board Game

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Age: 12+ Players: 1-4 Play Time: 30-150 mins

This adaptation of the popular video game retains the deck-building mechanics, allowing players to collaboratively ascend the spire, battling monsters and bosses in strategic card combat. The social aspect enhances the already addictive card curation and tactical gameplay.

Mansions of Madness: Second Edition

### Mansions of Madness

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-5 Play Time: 60-360 mins

This cooperative mystery horror game features investigators solving puzzles, collecting weapons, and battling monsters and insanity across various scenarios. The app enhances the immersive storytelling with music, voiceovers, and streamlined gameplay.

Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape

### Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-6 Play Time: 60 mins

This sequel offers a refreshing take on the dungeon crawler formula, featuring six unique character classes, varied scenarios, and a satisfying loop of monster slaying, looting, leveling up, and gear upgrades. Each class provides a distinct experience.

Nemesis

### Nemesis

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-5 Play Time: 60-180 mins

Nemesis evokes the suspense of the Alien franchise, with players navigating treacherous corridors, avoiding aliens, and managing hidden objectives that may pit them against each other. The game emphasizes survival and teamwork, while the potential for betrayal adds to the tension.

Cthulhu: Death May Die

### Cthulhu: Death May Die

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-5 Play Time: 90-120 mins

This cooperative horror game, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, features scenarios focused on preventing a dangerous ritual. Characters gain strength as their sanity diminishes, creating a risk/reward mechanic. The game is relatively easy to learn but challenging to master, with varied scenarios and flexible player groups.

Clank! Catacombs

### Clank! Catacombs

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Age: 13+ Players: 1-4 Play Time: 45-90 mins

Clank! Catacombs combines monster fighting, prisoner freeing, gold collecting, and dragon avoidance. The tile-based map expands as the game progresses, creating a roguelike experience with high replayability due to shuffled tiles.

Marvel Zombies – A Zombicide Game

### Marvel Zombies - A Zombicide Game

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-6 Play Time: 60 mins

This Zombicide entry features Marvel characters battling a zombie outbreak. Players can even play as zombies, with new mechanics streamlining the gameplay. The miniatures and expansions add to the appeal for comic book fans.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Change is Constant

### Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Change is Constant

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-5 Play Time: 45-150 mins

This game features a unique mechanic where dice rolls affect adjacent teammates, emphasizing cooperative gameplay. It can be played cooperatively or with one player as the villain, making it suitable for 4-5 players.

Resident Evil: The Board Game

### Resident Evil: The Board Game

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Age: 14+ Players: 1-4 Play Time: 60-90 mins

Set in the Spencer Mansion, this cooperative survival horror game features familiar characters, puzzles, limited resources, and zombies. It's a great starting point for fans of the franchise.

Arcadia Quest

### Arcadia Quest

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Age: 13+ Players: 2-4 Play Time: 60 mins

Arcadia Quest features a chibi art style and easy-to-learn gameplay, but includes competitive PvP quests within the cooperative campaign. It's not playable solo and requires a consistent group for the campaign.