Dinosaur board games: The 6 best of 2022

Dinosaurs have a unique way of making their appearance in a wide array of dino toys, including board games. There is a rather interesting selection of dinosaur board games to choose from on the market. These are ideal for different ages as naturally the difficulty level varies from one to another.

Dinosaur board games bring your kid’s love for dinosaurs to action as they try to win the game. These games often include a certain level of forward thinking and strategy, offering developmental benefits. Simpler board games for younger kids also offer a nice opportunity for brain development and thinking processes which will benefit the child greatly. Moreover, some board games encourage team spirit.

So if you are interested in purchasing a dinosaur themed board game for your kid, check out the following recommendations. As well as these, we’ve also included a handy buying guide to help you choose the right one for you and your family.

Best dinosaur board games: Our picks

1. Hasbro Gaming Monopoly: Jurassic Park Edition Board Game

Up first, we’ve got what is arguably the ultimate dinosaur-themed game night – the Jurassic Park Edition of Monopoly, from Hasbro Gaming. This edition of Monopoly makes an excellent gift for Jurassic Park fans and supports up to six players at a time, being suitable for kids aged from 8 years and up.

In the box, you get a themed monopoly gameboard, 60 game cards – 28x title deed cards, 16x cold storage cards, and 16 x impact tremor cards – 6x character tokens, 2x dice, 1x T-Rex token, and an electronic Jurassic Park gate, which plays music and sound effects as plays pass or land on Go. One of the main features of this version of Monopoly is the addition of the T-Rex token. Once unleashed, rampages across the board, causing property damage and forcing players to pay up to the bank – to fight back, players can build fences to protect their properties from the rampaging T-Rex.

Overall, game nights don’t get better than this for dinosaur fans! When it comes to price, this board game is surprisingly reasonably – retailing for just $30 – making it a pretty good option as an affordable, inexpensive gift for any board game-loving dinosaur fan in your life. This dinosaur board game also comes extremely well-rated, scoring a perfect 5-stars from some 292+ verified customer reviews.

Buy it: From $30, Amazon.com

2. Peaceable Kingdom Dinosaur Escape Game

Our next dinosaur board game is from game maker Peaceable Kingdom – their Dinosaur Escape Game. This game requires a blend of memory, logic, and luck to round up and rescue all the dinos before the volcano blows. It supports 2-4 players and is recommended for kids aged four years and up, making it an excellent pick for younger children.

Part memory, part strategy – this game is all about cooperation. You’ll work together with other players to remember and match dinosaurs under fern tokens to rescue them. It’s designed to promote several essential early development skills to work together with other players. This means it can help develop social, language, and communications skills, as well as critical thinking. In the box, you’ll find 3x dinosaur movers, 1x die, 1x game board, 12x fern tokens, and 5x volcano puzzle pieces with a stand – each of the pieces are well-made and hard-wearing, meaning that they’ll last for many months and years to come, offering plenty of value in the long-run.

Overall, this game is pretty good – and definitely a worthy addition to any young dino fans board game collection. When it comes to value for money, dinosaur board games don’t come much better than this. With its $18 price tag making this pick one of the cheapest on our list. As well as its affordability, this game also benefits from being well-rated. 1,571+ verified customer reviews giving this one an average rating of 4.5-stars – not bad for a budget pick.

Buy it: From $18, Amazon.com

3. Baby Dinosaur Rescue Board Game

Next, we’ve got the game Baby Dinosaur Rescue – a kid’s dinosaur board game from brand Jumping High Five Games. Unlike some games, this one is all about working together – not against each other. This makes it a good pick for young, impressionable kids who are still building and improving their early childhood development skills. This board game supports 2-4 players at a time and is suitable for kids aged four years and up.

The aim of this game is to get the dinosaurs to the island before the volcano erupts. This game is designed to be cooperative, with players needing to share ideas and work together – making this pick especially useful for early childhood development, helping kids to improve their communication, sharing, critical thinking, and social skills. All of the items that make up this game are well-made and durable, being built to last. This means that your little one will get plenty of value out of this board game for many months and years to come.

All in all, this game is a pretty good pick. It’s simple to understand, easy to set up and get into, and suitable for kids as young as four years old, making it especially good for younger children. Price-wise, it’s also pretty good – having a cost of just $20 – which isn’t bad for a board game of this quality, and in our view, very fairly priced considering what you get. This kid’s dinosaur board game also comes with a pretty good user rating, with over 697 verified customer reviews giving this pick an average rating of 4.5-stars.

Buy it: From $20, Amazon.com

4. Green Board Games Brainbox Dinosaurs Game

Our next pick is from BrainBox, and it’s their Dinosaur game. This is a card game that lasts around 10 minutes each playthrough. BrainBox is a brand of company MindWare that makes all kinds of great STEM toys, including dinosaur puzzles and SOMETHING. This game is part memorial and educational. Each card is packed full of interesting facts about all your different favorite dinosaurs.

This game is pretty simple to play, making it easy to pick up and get into, without much effort. Players take turns taking a card from the stack, then roll a dice, answering the question on the back of the card – if you answer correctly, you keep the card; if you don’t, it goes back in the deck. The winner is the player with the most cards after 10 minutes of play. It’s suitable for kids aged six years and up and is best played in groups of 2-4 players.

Overall, if you’re looking for a simple, educational game to keep your little one and their friends entertained, without too much in the way of extensive, complicated rules – this pick from BrainBox is a pretty good option. It’s not the cheapest game – in all honesty, at $35 it’s arguably a little expensive. However, you’ll find that with how easy it is to jump into this game, that you’ll get plenty of use out of it, making it excellent value over time.

Buy it: From $35, Amazon.com

5. Continuum Games Digging Dino Bones Board Game

Next up is Digging Dino Bones, a dinosaur-themed strategic board game from Continuum Games that you can play and enjoy with all the family. The game is simple, easy to understand, and recommended for players as young as four years and up, making it an excellent choice for those with younger children.

The purpose of this game is to test your memory skills and includes a wealth of educational content that will help sharpen your mind and dinosaur knowledge. The game, best for 2-4 players, features fun, colorful dinosaur illustrations that will keep you and your little ones entertained for hours at a time.

The cheapest dinosaur board game on our list, at just $16. If you’re looking for a dino-themed game to play with the whole family at a price that won’t break the bank, this is it. In addition to it’s low-price, it’s also well-rated. Over 80 verified customer ratings have given this product an average of 4.5-stars.

Buy it: From $16, Amazon.com

6. Gamelyn Games Tiny Epic Dinosaurs

Last but not least, we’ve got the game Tiny Epic Dinosaurs from Gamelyn Games. The tiny epic series has seen different themes, with everything from space to zombie versions; the series is pretty popular and well-regarded among frequent board game players. This worker-placement resource management game is suitable for 1-4 players aged 14+ years and has a typical playtime of 45 minutes per game.

The game got its break on Kickstarter, with the project launching on the crowdfunding site back in late 2019, raising almost $500k from 14k+ backers. The game throws you into an alternative universe where modern scientific breakthroughs put humans living alongside dinosaurs, springing up a lucrative new industry – dino ranching. You compete against up to 4 ranchers, farming dinosaurs to sell to the highest bidders for use in their high-thrill, dinosaur theme parks. In the box, you’ll find 70 dino meeples, 60 wooden tokens, 30 research cards, 28 contract cards, 8 ranch mats, 4 actions mats, and a wrangler die.

All in all, if you’re looking for something to play with older kids and teens, then this pick from Gamelyn is a pretty good option. As well as the base game, there are also several expansions available for the game. Each of these can be purchased separately and offer variety to the base game, keeping it fresh and interesting. And as you’d expect from a popular Kickstarter project, this board game comes reasonably well-rated. It scores an average of 4.5-stars from some 230+ verified customer reviews.

Buy it: From $25, Amazon.com

Buying guide for dinosaur board games

Age considerations

The way to start off is definitely by setting your child’s age as the primary priority. A board game will clearly show this on the packaging as it is a very important factor. You can’t buy a board game that’s too simple for your child as it will be too boring for him. Likewise, a board game can’t be too complicated either, as it may discourage kids from playing it.

Number of players

Another key consideration is the number of players a game needs to play it. This is something that you need to take into account. If for instance the board game requires at least four players to be played, and your child does not have any brothers or sisters, then it will be useless to buy it for him.

Cooperative board games

Cooperative board games are great to encourage team spirit and teach your child to collaborate with others. If your child is too competitive or likes rivalry by nature, you may need to consider this carefully.

A cooperative board game might just be the right way to teach him to play with other kids. He might not like it at first, but once he starts having fun playing the game he will appreciate the beauty and the benefit of collaboration and team spirit. It will also allow him to communicate more as well as develop social skills.

Pieces, tokens and cards

Keep an eye on game pieces and tokens. These should not be too small as they could pose a safety hazard for young kids. Moreover, if they are too small they could end up getting lost easily.

If your child young, you may want to stay away from board games that use a lot of cards. This is because these will likely end up getting damaged, torn or lost easily.

Rules

You’ll want to check out how you play any game before buying it. If the instruction manual is thick and with small print, most likely the game is not suitable for young kids.

Apart from considering the recommended age you should also make sure that the instructions are actually suitable for your child’s comprehension level. Some kids are more mature than others, while others may have a harder time understanding and following instructions. Aim for logical and easy to follow rules.

Compartmentalization

A board game will include various tokens. So it is best if it has some solid and secure compartments where these can be stored safely.

Board setting and colors

Check the design of the board itself. The more bright, bold, and colorful the board is, the more enticing to kids a game will be.

Being a dinosaur themed board game you will want to actually check what role the dinosaurs play in the game. The more dinos there are, the more your kid is going to enjoy it.

Final thoughts

As you may see there are several factors worth taking into account before buying a board game. It is important to be careful and consider these aspects so as to make a good choice for your child.

Dinosaur board games can be great fun, as well as educational. So choosing one that can satisfy your kid’s preferences can offer them a great gift, while you get good value for money.