Games like Exploding Kittens
Last checked 8 November 2026
Quick answer: Flip 7 and Skull keep the 'please don't be the bad one' push-your-luck feeling. UNO Show 'em No Mercy and Monopoly Deal are full of nasty cards to play on each other. Coup and King of Tokyo are last-one-standing games for older players, and Sleeping Queens and Slamwich are gentler picks for younger children.
Exploding Kittens is about as simple as card games get. Draw a card and hope it isn't an Exploding Kitten, and use action cards to skip, attack, shuffle or defuse your way to being the last player standing. The publisher lists the original edition for 2 to 5 players, 7 and up, about 15 minutes, with 56 cards drawn by The Oatmeal. If yours has been played to death, these eight keep a bit of what makes it work: pushing your luck, mean cards to play on each other, or trying to be the last one left. They make good Christmas presents for a family who already own it. Ages run from 6+ to 13+, so check each card.
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1. Flip 7
Flip cards one at a time and bank your points before you turn up a number you already have. Get seven different numbers and you score a bonus.
- Players
- 3+ players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: The closest feeling. Flip cards one at a time and stop before you turn up a number you've already got, or you bust. Bank your points or risk it for seven different numbers and a bonus. It's that same 'one more card' moment, with everyone groaning when it goes wrong. Eric Olsen's game was nominated for the 2025 Spiel des Jahres (Germany's game of the year award). The Op lists it for 3 or more players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes. Very easy to teach.
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Details last checked 19 October 2026.
2. Skull
Everyone has three flowers and one skull. Place discs face down, then bid on how many you can flip without finding a skull. Pure bluffing.
- Players
- 3 to 6 players
- Age
- 10+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Exploding Kittens without the cards. Everyone has four discs: three flowers and one skull. Place them face down, then bid on how many you can flip without turning up a skull. Same stomach drop when the wrong one appears, with a lot more bluffing. Hervé Marly's game is out in a pink new edition from Space Cowboys, for 3 to 6 players, 10 and up, about 30 minutes. Very easy to teach.
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Details last checked 2 November 2026.
3. UNO Show 'em No Mercy
The harsh one. 168 cards, Wild Draw 6 and Draw 10, stacking, swapping hands on 7s and 0s, and a Mercy Rule that knocks you out at 25 cards.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 7+
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: For families who love the attack cards most. Mattel's harshest UNO has 168 cards, Wild Draw 6 and Wild Draw 10, stacking, and hand swaps on 7s and 0s. The Mercy Rule knocks you out once you're holding 25 or more cards, so you can win by emptying your hand or by being the last one left. Mattel lists it for 2 to 6 players, 7 and up, and it's easy to teach if you already know UNO.
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Details last checked 4 November 2026.
4. Monopoly Deal
Monopoly as a 110-card game. Play up to three cards a turn to bank money, lay down property or charge rent, and the first to finish three full sets in different colours wins.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Plenty of dirty tricks in 110 cards. Play up to three cards a turn to bank money, lay property or charge rent, while action cards let you swap and steal from each other. First to three complete property sets in different colours wins. Everyone already knows Monopoly, so it's an easy sell. Hasbro lists it for 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, and says it can be played in as little as 15 minutes. Easy to teach.
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Details last checked 20 October 2026.
5. Coup
Bluffing in a tiny box. You hold two face-down characters and can claim to be anyone to use their power. Get caught lying and you lose a card; lose both and you're out, so games are short.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 13+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: For older teens and adults who like the last-one-standing bit. Rikki Tahta's game gives you two face-down character cards, and you can claim to be any character to use their power. Get caught lying and you lose a card. Lose both and you're out, so games are short and there's always another one. Indie Boards & Cards lists it for 2 to 6 players, 13 and up, about 15 minutes.
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Details last checked 2 November 2026.
6. King of Tokyo
Play a giant monster and roll dice, a bit like Yahtzee, to attack, heal or score. Whoever's in Tokyo hits everyone else but can't heal there. First to 20 points or last monster standing wins.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Dice instead of cards, but just as much whacking each other. You're a giant monster rolling dice, a bit like Yahtzee, to attack, heal or score. Whoever's in Tokyo hits everyone else but can't heal there. First to 20 points or last monster standing wins. Richard Garfield's game from IELLO is for 2 to 6 players, 8 and up, about 30 minutes. Easy to teach.
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Details last checked 19 October 2026.
7. Sleeping Queens
Twelve queens are under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them. Play a knight to pinch one, chance a jester, and watch out for potions and dragons. Invented by a 6-year-old.
- Players
- 2 to 5 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: A gentler pick for younger Exploding Kittens fans. Twelve queens are under a sleeping spell and you're trying to wake them. Play a knight to pinch someone else's queen, chance a jester, and watch out for potions and dragons. It was invented by a 6-year-old, Miranda Evarts, with her family. Gamewright lists it for 2 to 5 players, 8 and up, about 20 minutes, with 79 cards.
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Details last checked 21 October 2026.
8. Slamwich
A fast flipping card game. Turn cards onto a pile and slap it when you spot a matching pair or a sandwich, but watch out for the thief cards.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 6+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: The youngest pick, at 6 and up, and the fastest. Flip cards onto a pile and slap it when you spot a matching pair or a sandwich, but watch out for the thief cards. It's loud and silly in the same way Exploding Kittens is. Gamewright lists it for 2 to 6 players, about 20 minutes, with 55 cards. Very easy to teach.
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Details last checked 24 October 2026.
For more stop-or-keep-going tension, see push-your-luck games. Want more small card games? See family card games, card games for adults and stocking filler games. For a rowdier grown-up crowd, try party games for adults. UNO fans can compare every edition on the best UNO versions.
How we choose and check
We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.