Despite the immersive qualities of tech-based entertainment like virtual reality and contemporary video games, nothing surpasses a decent card game for bringing people together around the table. In terms of entertainment value and societal significance, not to mention originality and design, a lot of new games have recently been released that are on par with (or even better than) the classics.
1. Uno
Uno has been a staple in mainstream culture since its debut in the 1970s, and for a good reason. You can play it with up to 10 players, and it is pretty simple to learn and enjoyable for almost all ages. By playing cards that match the color or number of the most recent card discarded by another player, players attempt to eliminate all the cards in their hands.
As they play cards that force players to draw more cards, miss a turn, or catch them if they neglect to utter “no” while playing their second-to-last card, their opponents attempt to stop them from getting rid of their hand.
2. Apples to Apples
Apples to Apples, which was first played in 1999, is a hilarious party game that plays nicely with big groups. Players alternate, becoming the judge in this game.
The judge plays a red apple card with some form of not nudge, and each participant plays a green apple card bearing an adjective they believe best defines the phrase on the red card. The judge selects the response they believe is the finest, without knowing who played each card and awards the red apple card to that player. After the game (which may finish after any number of rounds that the participants decide), the player with the reddest apple cards is declared the winner.
3. Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity is a verbal game popular at parties, comparable to Apples to Apples but with a bawdy edge.
A black card with a fill-in-the-blank phrase or question is placed first by the judge (a role that alternates between players every round). The next step is for the other players to choose the card from their hand of white cards that best completes the statement or provides a humorous response to the inquiry. The findings, often hilariously vulgar, are then evaluated, and the player who provided the best answer is given the black card. A player wins if they have the black cards.
4. Kids Against Maturity
Kids Against Maturity is a game that falls between Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity. It has a structure similar to the CAH, with questions and responses usually including age-appropriate potty humor. In other words, this game isn’t what you want if you seek instructional games for your kids. However, if you don’t mind fart jokes and other jokes of the same kind, this will keep them away from their phones for a while.
5. Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is a card game modeled by Russian roulette that (obviously) you want to avoid having a cat explode on you. It was released after a very successful Kickstarter campaign.
Players are responsible for drawing cards from a pile containing Exploding Kitten cards each round. Each player is dealt a diffuser card, which can stop the explosion, a skip card, which allows you to skip drawing cards for one round, an attack card, which forces your opponent to draw two cards, and a future card, which allows you to see the following three cards and move an Exploding Kitten card elsewhere in the deck. These cards can all be used to avoid drawing the Exploding Kitten cards.
Exploding Kittens is a quick-to-learn game for kids and adults with amusing drawings by Matthew Inman.
6. Sushi Go!
This fast-paced game aims to put up the most OK sushi meal possible. Each player picks one card from their hand to retain, then passes the remaining card to the person on their left, creating the impression of a sushi restaurant with a conveyor belt. Before passing their cards once again, players then pick another card. Up until all the cards have been picked, this procedure is repeated.
Finding wasabi or chopsticks cards will help you gain even more points. Varying combos are worth different amounts of points. The person with the most points at the end of three rounds wins.
7. Gloom
The “world of Gloom is a dismal and benighted place,” according to the game’s creator, Atlas Games. Consequently, if you like macabre, this game is for you.
The game’s objective is to subject each player’s family of Victorian outcasts to the worst catastrophes possible before their demise. The game has translucent cards with drawings like Edward Gorey, which is a lot of fun.
8. Marvel Champions: The Card Game
This Marvel-themed game is a terrific option if you want to play with your pals rather than against them. Players take on the roles of Marvel superheroes and band together to defeat enemies and escape dangerous circumstances, which should appeal to any fan of Marvel comic books or movies. Additionally, a steady stream of brand-new expansion packs is often produced to keep things interesting.
9. Arkham Horror: The Card Game
The border between a card game and a role-playing adventure is blurred in Arkham Horror, another cooperative game. Using the tools, abilities, and defects represented by the cards you wield, you and your companion act as detectives to discover the terrible danger residing in Arkham, Massachusetts. Like a role-playing game, the outcomes of one game affect the outcome of the next, developing the plot in the process.
10. Five Crowns
The unusual deck used to play this rummy-style game features five suits instead of four, with stars serving as the fifth suit. Three cards are dealt to you at the start of the game, and the number rises with each round until you end up with 13 cards overall.
Threes are wild in the first hand, fours in the second, and so on until kings are wild in the last round. Wild cards for each hand correspond to the number of cards. The objective is to play all your cards first, leaving your opponents with cards that will later be added to determine who won. After 13 hands, the person with the fewest points wins.