Unique Gaming Events & Experiences

Ready for a fun game night with all your friends? You’ve come to the right place!

The Rook Room is the Des Moines area’s most exciting pop-up that’s all about games. From board games to puzzles, TTRPGs to trivia, mystery adventures to tournaments, and much more. Whatever you’re into, we have something for you. So check out our upcoming events and we’ll see you soon!

Check Out Upcoming Events

Okay, But What Is a Gaming Pop-Up?

It means The Rook Room doesn’t have a space of its own, so we bring all of our fun to our amazing venue partners all around central Iowa and the Des Moines metro. Breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, cafes, schools, libraries, storefronts – we’ll pop up just about anywhere!

The Rook Room Signature Event Series Puzzlepalooza Classic

And when we say fun, we mean it. From board games to puzzles and everything in between, we have something for everyone. Here are just a few of our most popular options:

While there are other places where you could play games, what makes The Rook Room special is our mission to provide a uniquely memorable experience through a variety of one-of-a-kind touches you won’t find anywhere else.

So make plans to join us soon and let’s play!

All Signature Events

We're Des Moines' Jigsaw Puzzle People

Did you know we also have our own line of Rook Room jigsaw puzzles featuring art from all local artists? And that we share the profits with our artist partners? That means each puzzle purchase supports at least two local small businesses.

Rook Room Jigsaw Puzzle Pile

These are jigsaw puzzles that you won’t find anywhere else. Each puzzle features gorgeous artwork that makes for perfect puzzle designs. In fact, we love them so much, we have them hanging on our walls as art pieces!

Our jigsaw puzzles are made from high-quality materials that snap together snugly. We have pretty high standards when it comes to puzzle quality so we make sure our collection checks all the boxes. And even then, we guarantee each purchase, so if you’re not completely satisfied, let us know and we’ll get you all squared away!

Whether you need a unique gift or you’re looking for a little something for yourself, we’re sure you’ll find something great in our Rook Room jigsaw puzzle collection. So take a look and purchase with confidence!

Peruse Our Jigsaw Puzzles

A Board Game Cafe Here in Des Moines

Our goal for the future of The Rook Room is to make the leap from a gaming pop-up to a brick-and-mortar board game cafe and bar right here in Des Moines!

We’d love to build a space where everyone is welcome to come, play some games, grab a drink and a bite, and stay as long as they like. We want to create a place where you can connect with friends, make memories, and level up your game night.

We’re still figuring out what it would look like, so that’s where you can help! We have a couple of surveys to let us know what you’d like to see in a board game cafe in Des Moines. Depending on how much time you have, we’d love if you could fill out one of the surveys below.

Super Quick 1-Minute Survey

(Still Very Quick) Longer Survey

We can’t wait to create something you’ll love coming to again and again. Thanks for your interest and stay tuned for updates!

Never Miss the Fun!

Our Rook Room Newsletter comes out every two weeks with a quick look at what’s on our calendar. We hate email spam so the one thing we’ll never do is spam your inbox. All of the fun, none of the annoying clutter.

Sign up below and be part of the exclusive in-the-know crowd. Once you do, it’s okay to brag. We won’t judge.