Researchers have long noted the strong appeal of dinosaurs and the role they play in imaginative play and learning through children’s fascination with dinosaurs.
Every kid goes through a dinosaur phase. Some never leave it. Some children enjoy taking their interest further by learning about dinosaurs through books, museums, and educational resources.
I have cousins at one point that their house was so deep in dinosaur books, dinosaur shirts, dinosaur toys and dinosaur facts that they could’ve sat the PSLE in palaeontology and scored an AL1 for it. Thankfully, they have outgrown it. My kids love dinosaurs too, but thankfully I don’t have to be stuffed with Dino facts.
If your child loves dinosaurs, board games are a brilliant way to feed it without handing over a screen. They get their dinosaurs, you get them thinking, planning, and arguing with a sibling instead of a tablet. Win-win.
A quick note before we dive in.
Draftosaurus and SOS Dino are the two dinosaur games that have seen the most table time in our home. They’re the ones I’ve personally played with my own kids and can recommend without hesitation.
Some of the other games on this list are titles I’ve researched extensively, watched playthroughs of, and shortlisted based on their reputation among board-gaming families. A few are still slightly beyond what my six-year-old twins would comfortably enjoy right now.
Rather than pretending we’ve played every dinosaur game under the sun, I’d rather be honest about that.
Think of this list as a collection of games I’d happily recommend to other parents, with a couple already tested and approved at our own dining table. As we try more of them ourselves, I’ll continue updating this article.
What makes a great dinosaur game?
Easy to teach, a dinosaur theme that’s actually in the game (not just a sticker slapped on a generic card game — I cut a couple for exactly that), the right age fit, enough replay to survive the school holidays, and fun enough that you don’t dread being roped in. Everything below clears that bar.
Beyond the dinosaurs themselves, many of these games also encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and the benefits of imaginative play.
List of 6 Dinosaur Board Games
The volcanoes are erupting and the lava’s spreading tile by tile — your team has to get four little dinos (and their eggs) up the mountains to safety before it’s too late. Fully cooperative, language-free, and genuinely tense in the nicest way. Reviewers reckon even fives and sixes keep up with a hand from a grown-up. More cooperative games for kids →
The one that actually lives on our table. You draft little wooden dinosaurs and slot them into your park’s enclosures, each with its own scoring rule. Easy to teach, quick to play, and the chunky dino meeples are pure catnip — my son narrates every placement like a nature documentary. If you buy one game off this list, make it this. More drafting games we love →
Guess Who, flipped on its head: everyone can see which dinosaur you are except you, and you ask yes/no questions to work it out. Gorgeous chunky dino standees, lots of giggles, and just enough deduction to keep it sharp. A reliable crowd-pleaser when the cousins come round.
You’re on a dig, shifting layers of “earth” with plastic tools to uncover and claim fossils. Reviewers rave about the toy factor — the chunky dirt tokens and tools make it feel like a real excavation, which is exactly what hooks a dinosaur-mad kid. The closest thing on this list to learning disguised as play.
A proper two-player duel from two legendary designers: one player is a mother raptor and her babies trying to escape, the other is the scientists trying to capture or sedate them. Asymmetric, tense, cat-and-mouse. The perfect parent-and-kid head-to-head once they’re a bit older.
Think Jurassic Park meets a proper little resource-management game: you ranch dinosaurs, send workers out for resources, fence the carnivores away from the herbivores, and fulfil contracts. Surprisingly deep for such a small box — this is the one for the kid who’s ready to actually strategise.
Which dinosaur game should you buy first?
If your child is 5–7, start with SOS Dino — cooperative, gentle, no losing. For 7–10, it’s Draftosaurus, no contest. If they just want to laugh, it’s Dinosaur Tea Party. If they love learning, Fossilis turns a dig into a game. Got two players and a quiet evening? Raptor. And for the kid ready to truly strategise, Tiny Epic Dinosaurs.