9 Best Family Card Games That You Should Know Update 04/2024

best family card games

Tech-based entertainment like virtual reality and modern video games can be very interesting, but nothing beats a good card game when it comes to getting people together around the table and making them want to play. There have been a lot of new games in the last few years that are better than or even better than the classics when it comes to entertainment and social value, as well as ingenuity and design. This is what we’ve found: the best card games for your next party or family night. We’ve also given you a few important things to think about before you buy them.

What to Consider

Age

Age is the first thing you’ll want to think about when you buy a card game. On most games, you should be able to see how old they are on the box. You don’t need to look for this information. In this case, you don’t want to get a game that is too hard or inappropriate for your kids. You also don’t want to buy a game that isn’t hard enough for adults if the whole family is going to play it.

Number of Players

Keep in mind that you’ll need more than two or four people to play a game at a party. Some games, on the other hand, may require more than two people to play, so it’s worth noting the recommended number of players if you aren’t going to be playing with a lot of other people, even if you aren’t.

How We Evaluated

The Spruce, Cool Material, and Games Radar, as well as personal experience, helped us figure out which card games are the best on the market today. You can choose from a variety of games for different ages and situations, so you can find one (or more) that fits your needs and sounds like fun.

1. Uno

uno

Key Specs

Number of Players: 2–10

Recommended Age Range: 7 years and up

Since it was first released in the 1970s, Uno has been very popular. This is a good thing, because it’s a great game. It’s easy to learn, can be fun for people of all ages, and can be played with up to 10 people. If a player throws out a card, they try to play a card that matches its color or number. The goal is to get rid of all the cards you have in your hand.

There are cards that make players draw more cards or skip a turn, or that catch them if they don’t say “uno” when they play their second-to-last card.

2. Apples to Apples

Key Specs

Number of Players: 4–10

Recommended Age Range: 12 years and up

Apples to Apples is a great game for a party because it works well with a lot of people and makes people laugh. It was made in 1999. It’s a game where each player is the judge.

It starts with the judge playing a red apple card with a noun on it. The other players each play a green apple card with an adjective on it that they think best describes that noun on the red card. Afterward, the judge doesn’t know who played each card, so they choose which answer they think is best and that player gets the red apple card. It doesn’t matter how many rounds the players decide to play. The winner is the person who has the most red apple cards at the end of the game.

3. Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity

Key Specs

Number of Players: 4–20

Recommended Age Range: 17 years and up

Cards Against Humanity is a word-based game that is popular at parties. It’s a lot like Apples to Apples, but with a more sexy twist, and it’s a lot of fun.

The judge (a title that changes from player to player with each round) first puts down a black card with a fill-in-the-blank phrase or question on it. Then, each player takes their turn. As soon as everyone else has chosen a white card from their hand, they have to decide which card best completes a phrase or answers a question in a funny way. The results are then judged, and the player with the best answer is given the black card. People who have more black cards win. There is no set time limit or number of rounds that can be set by the people who play.

4. Kids Against Maturity

Key Specs

Number of Players: 4 or more

Recommended Age Range: 10 years and up

People who play Cards Against Maturity and Apples to Apples have another game called “Kids against Maturity.” It follows the same format as CAH, with questions and answers that are appropriate for people of all ages. It’s not the game for kids who want to learn. But if you don’t mind fart jokes and other things like that, this will keep them off their phones for a while.

5. Exploding Kittens

Exploding Kittens

Key Specs

Number of Players: 2–5

Recommended Age Range: 7 years and up

It was made after a Kickstarter campaign that was very successful. Exploding Kittens is a Russian roulette-style card game where (of course) you want to avoid having a kitten explode on you.

It’s the same thing every time. Players draw cards from a pile that has Exploding Kitten cards in it. A diffuser card that can stop the explosion, a skip card that lets you not draw a card for one round, an attack card that makes your opponent draw two cards, and a future card that lets you see the next three cards and move an Exploding Kitten card somewhere else in the deck.

Exploding Kittens is a fun, unique game that both kids and adults can learn quickly. The illustrations are made by Matthew Inman, and they are very funny.

6. Sushi Go!

Key Specs

Number of Players: 2–8

Recommended Age Range: 8 years and up

In this fast-paced game, the goal is to make the best sushi dishes. Each player picks one card from their hand to keep, then passes the rest of their cards to the person on the left. Choose another card before they pass their cards again. All the cards are chosen in this way until there are no more cards left.

It’s possible to get wasabi or chopsticks cards, which can help you get even more points. It’s over after three rounds. The player with the most points is the winner.

7. Hasbro Gaming Monopoly Deal Card Game

Hasbro Gaming Monopoly Deal Card Game

If your family can’t stay still long enough to play the classic board game Monopoly, try this card version that’s great for taking with you on trips. The goal of the game is the same for each player. They are all trying to buy real estate and make money. Keep an eye out for debt collectors, forced deals, and deal breakers. You need to get three complete property sets to win the game. With short gameplays, you can play a lot of rounds back-to-back to find a new winner every time.

8. PlayMonster Relative Insanity

It’s now possible to play Jeff Foxworthy’s jokes in a fun card game for families with tweens and teens who want to have a good time. As a judge, a player reads the set-up of the joke. People at the party each write a joke on a card from their deck. Then, the judge picks the best one, and that person wins that round. Continue adding cards until the person with the most is declared the winner (and a comedic genius). Young people may find some of the jokes offensive, so think about that before you buy.

9. Hygge Games …I Should Have Known That! Trivia Game

Hygge Games ...I Should Have Known That! Trivia Game

If you want to play trivia games, there aren’t many rules. You can learn how to play and enjoy them even if you’re not at home. I Should Have Known That from Hygge Games is great for road trips and dinner parties. It asks you questions you should already know the answer to, like “How do you say Japan in Japanese?” If you and your whole family want to show off your random knowledge, you’ll love this fast-paced test of your skills.