
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Puzzle Dungeon: Pets
- 1 player
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2025

2019
Rules assistance for Puzzle Dungeon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 1 player
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Puzzle Dungeon is a board game released in 2019 for 1 player, 10–20 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Brian Garber and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Set Collection.
Puzzle Dungeon is a solitaire hand management, modular board, set collection game in which you control a monster hunter making their way through a dungeon filled with several types of monsters and their kings. In Puzzle Dungeon, the player uses the limited cards in their hand and cards they deal into play from a deck to defeat enemies which are dealt randomly each game to form a unique board. Players are limited by the order in which their cards are dealt and the order of the monsters in the dungeon, so a strong strategy is required to win. Puzzle Dungeon features twenty double-faced monster cards. The front of each monster card features an average monster of that type: a vampire, a goblin, or haunted armor. The back of each monster card depicts that monster as a monster king. There are four of each type of monster. When the third monster of a type is defeated, the fourth is flipped over to the monster king. Monster kings have punishing abilities and a strong effect on the game. —description from the designer
Puzzle Dungeon supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Puzzle Dungeon is 10–20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Puzzle Dungeon for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Puzzle Dungeon has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Puzzle Dungeon belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Puzzle Dungeon are: Brian Garber. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Puzzle Dungeon as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.