🎲 Build a Dice Game with Python and Tkinter

In this tutorial, we'll create a simple Dice Game where you can play against the computer. We'll use Tkinter for the GUI and Python’s random module for dice rolls.

Step 1: Import Libraries

We need tkinter for the GUI, messagebox for pop-up dialogs, and random for generating dice rolls.

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import messagebox
import random

Explanation:

tkinter → main GUI library in Python

messagebox → to show dialogs like "About"

random → to simulate dice rolls

Step 2: Define the Theme

Let's set some colors for the app to make it look modern and consistent.

# App Colors
APP_BG = "#121212"
PANEL_BG = "#1F1F1F"
BTN_BG = "#2C2C2C"
BTN_HOVER = "#3A3A3A"
BTN_ACTIVE = "#FF6F61"
ACCENT = "#FF6F61"
TEXT_CLR = "#E0E0E0"
SUBTEXT_CLR = "#AAAAAA"
INPUT_BG = "#333333"
INPUT_FG = "#FFFFFF"

Explanation:

These colors will be used for backgrounds, buttons, text, and highlights.

Using constants makes it easy to tweak the theme later.

Step 3: Create the Main App Class

We'll encapsulate our game in a class called DiceGameApp.

class DiceGameApp:
    def __init__(self, root):
        self.root = root
        root.title("MateTools – Dice Game")
        root.geometry("1000x500")
        root.configure(bg=APP_BG)
        root.resizable(False, False)

Explanation:

root.title() → sets the window title

root.geometry() → sets window size

root.configure(bg=APP_BG) → sets background color

root.resizable(False, False) → prevents resizing

Step 4: Create the Left Panel (Actions)

This panel contains buttons like Roll Dice, Clear History, and About.

# LEFT PANEL
left = tk.Frame(root, bg=PANEL_BG, width=420)
left.pack(side="left", fill="y")

tk.Label(left, text="MateTools", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=ACCENT, font=("Segoe UI", 20, "bold")).pack(padx=16, pady=16)

tk.Label(left, text="Dice Game", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=TEXT_CLR, font=("Segoe UI", 14, "bold")).pack(anchor="w", padx=16)
tk.Label(left, text="Play against the computer", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=SUBTEXT_CLR, font=("Segoe UI", 10)).pack(anchor="w", padx=16)

Explanation:

Frame → a container for other widgets

Label → shows text like headers or instructions

pack() → positions elements inside the frame

Step 5: Create Buttons with Hover Effects

We can define a helper function to make consistent buttons.

btn_frame = tk.Frame(left, bg=PANEL_BG)
btn_frame.pack(padx=16, pady=16)

def make_btn(text, cmd, color=BTN_BG):
    btn = tk.Button(btn_frame, text=text, command=cmd, bg=color, fg="white",
                    font=("Segoe UI", 11, "bold"), relief="flat", height=2, width=20)
    btn.bind("<Enter>", lambda e: btn.config(bg=BTN_HOVER))
    btn.bind("<Leave>", lambda e: btn.config(bg=color))
    btn.bind("<ButtonPress-1>", lambda e: btn.config(bg=BTN_ACTIVE))
    btn.bind("<ButtonRelease-1>", lambda e: btn.config(bg=BTN_HOVER))
    return btn

# Buttons
make_btn("Roll Dice", self.roll_dice, ACCENT).pack(pady=8)
make_btn("Clear History", self.clear_history).pack(pady=8)
make_btn("About", self.show_about).pack(pady=20)

Explanation:

bind() → allows hover and click effects

command → runs a method when the button is clicked

make_btn → re-usable button creator

Step 6: Create the Right Panel (Game UI)

The right panel shows dice results, winner, and history.

# RIGHT PANEL
right = tk.Frame(root, bg=APP_BG)
right.pack(side="right", fill="both", expand=True)

self.result_card = tk.Frame(right, bg=PANEL_BG, bd=2, relief="ridge")
self.result_card.pack(padx=30, pady=20, fill="both", expand=True)

tk.Label(self.result_card, text="Dice Game vs Computer", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=TEXT_CLR, font=("Segoe UI", 18, "bold")).pack(pady=20)

Explanation:

bd=2, relief="ridge" → adds a border effect

fill="both", expand=True → allows the frame to stretch

Step 7: Add Dice Result Labels

We'll display Player Roll, Computer Roll, and Winner.

# Player Roll
tk.Label(self.result_card, text="Your Roll:", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=SUBTEXT_CLR).pack()
self.player_label = tk.Label(self.result_card, text="--", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=ACCENT, font=("Segoe UI", 18, "bold"))
self.player_label.pack()

# Computer Roll
tk.Label(self.result_card, text="Computer Roll:", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=SUBTEXT_CLR).pack()
self.computer_label = tk.Label(self.result_card, text="--", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=ACCENT, font=("Segoe UI", 18, "bold"))
self.computer_label.pack()

# Winner
tk.Label(self.result_card, text="Winner:", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=SUBTEXT_CLR).pack()
self.winner_label = tk.Label(self.result_card, text="--", bg=PANEL_BG, fg=ACCENT, font=("Segoe UI", 18, "bold"))
self.winner_label.pack()

Explanation:

Initial values are set to "--"

We’ll update them after each dice roll

Step 8: Add Game History

We'll keep track of the last 10 rolls using a Listbox.

self.history_box = tk.Listbox(self.result_card, bg=INPUT_BG, fg=INPUT_FG, font=("Segoe UI", 12), height=10)
self.history_box.pack(fill="both", padx=10, pady=10)

self.history = []  # store history

Explanation:

Listbox → shows a list of previous rolls

self.history → stores history internally

Step 9: Add Game Logic

Now let's define the dice roll and history update methods.

def roll_dice(self):
    player_roll = random.randint(1, 6)
    computer_roll = random.randint(1, 6)
    self.player_label.config(text=str(player_roll))
    self.computer_label.config(text=str(computer_roll))

    if player_roll > computer_roll:
        winner = "You Win!"
    elif player_roll < computer_roll:
        winner = "Computer Wins!"
    else:
        winner = "Draw!"
    self.winner_label.config(text=winner)

    entry = f"Player: {player_roll} | Computer: {computer_roll} -> {winner}"
    self.history.append(entry)
    self.history = self.history[-10:]
    self.update_history()

def update_history(self):
    self.history_box.delete(0, tk.END)
    for item in self.history:
        self.history_box.insert(tk.END, item)

def clear_history(self):
    self.history = []
    self.update_history()
    self.player_label.config(text="--")
    self.computer_label.config(text="--")
    self.winner_label.config(text="--")

def show_about(self):
    messagebox.showinfo("About", "MateTools – Dice Game\n\nPlay against the computer!")

Explanation:

random.randint(1, 6) → simulates a dice roll

self.update_history() → refreshes the Listbox

clear_history() → resets all labels and history

show_about() → opens an info dialog

Step 10: Run the App

Finally, initialize Tkinter and run the game.

if __name__ == "__main__":
    root = tk.Tk()
    app = DiceGameApp(root)
    root.mainloop()

Explanation:

root = tk.Tk() → creates the main window

root.mainloop() → starts the GUI event loop

✅ Result: You now have a fully functional Dice Game with a modern dark-themed GUI, history tracking, and interactive buttons!