Best Improv Board Games

Planning a party with some good mates? Are you hanging with some witty fellows?

Bring out these improv party games to spice up some conversation, ruin friendships, or maybe find out what’s really inside those dark minds of yours. Some of these games require lying, story-telling, top-notch marketing skills for the dumbest inventions since the Sham-Wow, or even self-inflicted torture post-death.

You’re guaranteed a good, howling time! Find the best improv, acting, and comedy games below.

🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Improv Board Games

In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.

Best Kids

Once Upon A Time: The Storytelling Card Game

Channel your inner Mother Goose in Once Upon a time as players collectively create their own fairy tales one line at a time. It’s a fun and quirky way to brush up on those improv skills for all ages.

Best Fantasy

Aye, Dark Overlord

Aye, Dark Overlord forces players to think on their feet as they try and pass the blame from one player to the next. Players particularly good at lying and passing the buck will do well as they make up lies and try to throw their opponents under the bus.

Best Overall

Fiasco

Fiasco is a rather unique roleplaying game. Players work together to create and act out improv scenes in high-stakes situations. If you’re looking for some seriously fun roleplaying, Fiasco will have you flexing your improv skills to the max.

#1. Fiasco

Players: 2–6
Playing Time: 15 Minutes

When I used to spill my tea, my grandma would shout that I created a “fiasco in the house”, but did you know that Fiasco is actually an Italian legend? He oversees the six suits of royalty, power, and wealth.

Try your luck playing a trick or two on him by building your suited cards of roses, horses, ancient carriages, and more. The more cards you have in your chosen suit, the higher your reward. Of course, with any trickster, comes a twist — playing high cards can risk a penalty from your opponents; sometimes it pays to play low.

Fiasco

Fiasco is a roleplaying game about ordinary people with powerful...
GM less game for 3 to 5 players
Takes a few hours to play

#2. Gloom

Players: 2–4
Playing Time: 60 Minutes

“And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.”

Micheal Andrews said it best, and it just so happens to be the point of Gloom. Your main objective in this card game is to suffer the most unbearable happenings until you die mangled and in pieces.

Play cards on your own character such as rabid flesh-eating mice attack, immeasurable debt, midget attack, and more! Try to lower your own self-worth and stay alive as long as possible all the while being sadistically tortured by life itself.

Bless your opponents with happy occurrences such as marriages and promotions to make them feel better about themselves; which in turn, makes them lose.

Gloom (2nd Edition)

2-4 Players
60 minute playing time
Compatible with first edition

#3. Aye, Dark Overlord

Players: 4–7
Playing Time: 30-60 Minutes

Another day at the evil office commences and your boss Rigor Mortis is not happy with you. You failed to complete His Evilnesses’ dark mission and now you must have a good reason for this failure.

Were you overpowered? No no, It was your opponents, surely!

Stand in front of the Dark Overlord and plead your case. “My companions dropped the weapons, sir!” “They were watching reruns of Friends!” You must out-lie and out-blame your co-conspirators to survive Rigor’s wrath.

Aye, Dark Overlord

A fast-paced card game of shameless excuse-making
Featuring comical and zany artwork
Age: 13+

#4. Snake Oil

Players: 3–10
Playing Time: 20-30 Minutes

The Old Wild West was a place of shootouts, big dresses, and of course — the wackiest products. Every player will get to pitch their ideas to customers and try to sell out of their newest two-word inventions.

Players are given 6 cards to mix and match bizarre creations, have 30 seconds to sell to the consumer, and then the round continues onward. Will this be the start of your new e-commerce store specializing in Antelope Leotards?

Snake Oil

SNAKE OIL: If laughter is the best medicine, then Snake Oil...
FUN GAMEPLAY: Quickly combine two Word Cards from your hand to...
ANY OCCASION: Birthday parties, holiday parties, family game...

#5. Ex Libris

Players: 4-8
Playing Time: 30 Minutes

It’s your chance to make Charles Dickens proud! Test your writing capabilities by blending modern-day lingo to Old English literary classics.

A reader will choose a line from a novel, read it out loud, and then all players will channel their inner Jane Austen to compose a first/last line fitting the sentence. If your poetic writing is voted to be the real line of the passage, you score points!

As a reader, if nobody chooses the original line, you score! “To be or not to be, that is the burrito!”

Ex Libris - First Lines & Last Words

Ex Libris - The game of first lines and last words

#6. Funemployed

Players: 3-20
Playing Time: 30 Minutes

Times are hard, and everyone wants a job. Everyone receives cards with their job qualifications to which they must apply like crazy to land their dream position.

Reality meets fantasy as you can apply to be an astronaut, carpenter, or some outlandish positions such as panda-speaker or dragon. It’s your job to convince everyone else that you are the most qualified person for the role, so market yourself like crazy and out-bid your opponents with crazy stories of past job experiences.

I am most qualified to be Han Solo because I work better alone.

Funemployed

Hilarious interviewing game for adults that puts you in the...
Try to earn the position by convincing employers that you’re...
Variety of oddball Qualification cards makes the game hilarious!...

#7. Once Upon A Time

Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 30 Minutes

“Once upon a time, there lived a princess…”

“…WHO WAS PART CRAB!”

“No, no, as I was saying, she was a beautiful princess because she—”

“HAD HEMORRHOIDS!”

“Because she had magical hair…”

In this story-telling game, one player operates as a story-master while all other players are trying to derail the narrative. Play out your set of cards and end with your happily ever after to secure a win, but it won’t be easy. Everyone wants to be the new storyteller, so you’ll have your fair share of interruptions.

Once Upon A Time: The Storytelling Card Game

Tell a tale based on random topics in your hand and try to steer...
Appeals to players of all ages.
Once Upon a Time is a game in which the players work together to...

#8. Codenames

Codenames Board Game Box and Game Components

Players: 2-8
Playing Time: 15 Minutes

There are spies amongst us, clues to be revealed, and code words to prompt action responses. Play in teams to unravel where your agents are in the field by giving your crew verbal clues on placements.

Codenames begins with a 25 card grid all with different words. As a team leader, you know what color the cards are and where your victories and defeats lie. Enemy agents are littered in the grid and if revealed, can throw a wrench in your secret force.

Prompt your team accordingly to find all cards in your color to be the ultimate spy force and infiltrate the table.

Codenames

Work together to contact all of your agents before the other...
A perfect party game experience for game nights
2-8+ player (in two teams)

#9. One Night Ultimate Werewolf

One Night Ultimate Werewolf Board Game Card Setup

Players: 3-10
Playing Time: 10 Minutes

Is that a full moon? The werewolves have come out to play and one is in your village.

Using deduction, lies, and schemes, villagers must out the hairy beast before it attacks your fellow villagers. Each player is given a character role: the feisty werewolf, an all-knowing seer, playful troublemaker, etc.

Since your character comes fresh with individual abilities, you will have to work together to find who is howling at the moon and who is trying to save your people. One Night Ultimate Werewolf plays out quickly, depending on the number of villagers to feast on, so you are promised laughs and new tactics.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Each player gets a unique role: A Werewolf, Seer, Troublemaker,...
After a secret night phase that includes changing roles, players...
Includes a free iOS/Android app that makes playing incredibly...

#10. Rory’s Story Cubes

Players: 1-12
Playing Time: 20 Minutes

This game is multi-functional and can be applied as an improv game, writing challenge, talking prompts, and more!

Rory’s Story Cubes come equipped with nine different 6-sided dice images to trigger conversation in 54 total ways. Play it individually and make a story with all dice or use them as a medley where every player picks up a portion of the dialogue.

Introduce challenges like speed, humor, imagination, or themes to complicate the improvisation further. Some dice depict aliens, some fish, so who’s knowing what topics you will have to make up along the way.

Rory's Story Cubes

Can be mixed with other themes
Free imagination and create wonderful & limitlessstories
Magic happen when children plays the game

Wrap-Up

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best improv board games! Get your act together and try some of these out! Have you played any of the games on this list? Drop a comment below! We’d love to hear from you.Share on email