Dino Racer is the hottest board game you haven’t played, and it deserves the hype

There was plenty of shouting at Gen Con this year, and one board game was responsible. Dino Racer, a fast-paced racing game from designer Marceline Leiman, shot to the top of BoardGameGeek’s hotness list after causing uproar (pun intended). It’s the latest in line for a growing trend: racing board games.

Games like Hot Streak and Magical Athlete made waves this year during awards season, being rightly named some of the year’s best board games. That’s thanks to the shouting, stamping, laughing, and chaos that accompany their relatively simple rules. Dino Racer paces a similar track.

When I pulled out my review copy at a recent game night, we had questions. I already own the year’s trendiest racing games – do I really need another? And is Dino Racer the game for me?

Yes. Absolutely yes. Dino Racer feels familiar yet wonderfully fresh. It keeps pace with other great racing games, but it’s different enough to deserve its own lane. Ignore your ‘one game in the collection per genre’ rule. Dino Racer is as exciting as it is compact, and it’s well worth the low cost of entry – if you can find a copy. I hear they’re going fast.

Also going fast are the game’s titular dinos (see what I did with that segue?). The game presents five prehistoric racers, who you’ll place bets on as they charge towards the finish line.

These vibrant dino cards are placed in a set order, with whoever is nearest the top breaking ties. That means some dinos are more likely to win a race than others. T-Rex has a better shot at victory than my beloved Steggy (the art has so much character you quickly form attachments), and the points earned for betting on each reflects this. Ultimate slowpoke Bronto is worth the most if he finishes first, but good luck getting him over the line.

This is a game made entirely of cards. Your race track is a queue of face-down checkpoint cards that flip and cause upset once every racer has passed them. The position of each racer is decided by card draw, as the announcer pulls a batch to push the runners forward.

After a certain amount is drawn, you’ll then take turns drafting these cards. Each card represents a bet on which dino you think will take first, second, or third place. It’s a neat way to add a little strategy to player decisions, as there’ll be more bets available for the dinos performing better, and vice versa.

Plus, there’s always one more card available than there are players, so the dino no one believes in gets a last-minute push before a new round of drawing begins. Dino Racer pulls all kinds of levers to keep races thrilling and unpredictable.

Most of the chaos that’s crucial to this genre is found under those checkpoint cards. A dino might slip, stumble, or suddenly catch-up to the front-runner. Most checkpoints offer an incremental move forward or backward, but some are more dramatic.

The first time we turned over an Upset card, which swaps the dinos in first and fifth place, the table exploded. We were at risk of being kicked out of our venue for shouting too loud.

It goes without saying that a game this swing-y won’t appeal to everyone. If you prefer competitions where your decisions matter, Dino Racer’s lack of agency may frustrate. However, explosive luck is part of the genre’s DNA. Chances are, when I name-dropped Hot Streak and Magical Athlete, you’d already decided whether Dino Racer is for you.

If it isn’t, that’s fine. You may actually like Dino Racer better than other racers, because games can be as short as 10 minutes long. Each race ends when one dino reaches the finish line, and the best better is declared after three races. More checkpoints are added for later races, but the game never outstays its welcome.

For those that do enjoy a day at the races, you’ll marvel at how much Dino Racer achieves with so little. Just three types of cards power this punchy little engine, and each elegantly telegraphs its rules without sacrificing personality. Dino Racer’s components are so compact and intuitive, you barely need a rulebook to get the dinos running.

This travel-friendly $20 box easily contends with its fellow racing games, and its simplicity helps it stand out. Hot Streak has an impeccable, toy-like presentation, but Dino Racer is far easier to pull out at the pub (or barbecue, or family dinner). Magical Athlete has the most intricate racer interactions, but Dino Racer offers clearer decisions – and a far shorter runtime.

All are wacky, weird, and wonderful in their own ways. Racing board games are alive and well, and Dino Racer is a welcome addition. I’d like to apologize to the T-Rex, though. My friends called you some nasty names in that final race.

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A review copy of Dino Racer was provided by the publisher. Note that I accepted a damaged copy to reduce waste, and the photos may reflect this!

Source: Wargamer