By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Best card games 2027: top picks for adults, two players and families
Sam – an ex-science teacher – uses his physics degree and over five years experience getting hands-on with products at Which? to test everything from beard trimmers and trampolines to IPL hair removal and electric fans
Whether you're looking for a family favourite, a brilliant two-player game or a lively party game, we've tested more than 15 of the UK's most popular card games to find the ones genuinely worth buying.
To do so, we enlisted a small army of testers to play every game.
We focused on card games for adults and families, as well as some two-player options, from modern classics such as Exploding Kittens to popular games to play with a standard deck of cards, such as Hearts and Whist.
After many hours of playing (and a bit of arguing over who won), we can reveal the best card game recommendations, coming from both card game novices and enthusiasts alike.
How our tests find you the best
Over 15 card games tested
We played the most popular games out there (it’s a tough job) to bring you the best.
Over 20 testers
From casual players to avid gamers, our testers spent hours playing and gave honest verdicts you can trust.
Replayability
We look for card games that stay fresh, exciting, and fun no matter how many times you play.
We also test
Rule clarity, gameplay and visual appeal. Everything that makes a card game stand out.
The card games we tested
Discover the hot new card games as well as the most popular classic games you can play with a standard deck of cards, if you're in the mood for an oldie but a goldie.
Only logged-in Which? members and Free account holders can view the card game test results.
Register for free to get instant access to our test results and recommendations.
| Card game | Price | Number of players | Type of game | What we liked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to unlock for free Get instant access to these results, plus more reviews of household essentials, by signing up to a free membership. Sign up for freeAlready have an account? | Classic trick-taking card game | |||
| Starter set for popular trading card game | ||||
| High-stakes twist on a classic | ||||
| Russian roulette, push-your-luck card game | ||||
| Social deduction party game | ||||
| Co-op word association game | ||||
| Co-op trick-taking card game | ||||
| Sci-fi head-to-head deck-building card game | ||||
| Classic meld-building card game | ||||
| Murder mystery rummy-style card game | ||||
| Fast-paced solitaire race | ||||
| Speed and observation card game | ||||
| Quick-playing spin on a classic | ||||
| Snap-like card game | ||||
| Strategy tableau builder | ||||
| Co-op mind-reading card game |
Sign up to unlock for free
Get instant access to these results, plus more reviews of household essentials, by signing up to a free membership.
Sign up for freeAlready have an account?
Log in
Dates tested: October 2026, December 2025, November 2023. Page last checked: October 2026. We are not able to show every retailer, and cheaper prices may be available.
All out of cards? Try your hand at one of our best boards games instead
The card games we've tested are listed below.
Only logged-in Which? members and Which? Free members can view the best card games from our tests.
Jump to:
Settle in for an epic game night: best board games, best wireless or Bluetooth speakers, best alcohol-free beer, best dark chocolate
Card games
Jump to:
- Uno Show 'em No Mercy
- Exploding Kittens
- The Traitors Card Game
- Murdle Alibi Card Game
- Dobble
- Monopoly Deal
- Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza
- The Mind
Uno Show 'em No Mercy
Type of game High-stakes twist on a classic
Need to know 2-6 players; age 7+; approximately 30 minutes to play; Uno Show 'em No Mercy rules
How to play This game plays exactly like traditional Uno, but the effects on the cards are turned up to eleven.
These include cards such as draw 10, skip everyone and switch hands, which are more brutal than those in the original game.
The winner is the first person to get rid of all their cards, or be the last player standing (if you reach 25+ cards in your hand, you're out).
Exploding Kittens
Type of game Russian roulette, push-your-luck card game
Need to know 2-5 players; age 7+; approximately 15 minutes to play; Exploding Kitten rules
How to play You draw and play cards, all the while hoping to avoid drawing an exploding kitten card.
If you draw an exploding kitten, you explode (metaphorically) and lose. Unless you have a card in your hand that means you can stop the explosion from happening. The winner is the last player standing.
There is also a party pack edition, which lets you play with up to 10 players at a time.
The Traitors Card Game
Type of game Social deduction party game
Need to know 4-8 players; age 8+; approximately 30 minutes per round; can be played with or without a smart device; The Traitors Card Game rules
How to play If you've seen the TV show, you'll know what to expect. Players are secretly assigned roles as either Faithfuls or Traitors. Players add gold to a central prize pot and hope not to be murdered by the Traitors.
In banishment rounds, players can discuss who to eliminate. Faithfuls want to get rid of Traitors, and Traitors want to cast doubt on other Faithfuls.
A round ends when players agree all Traitors are gone, or there are two players remaining. Faithfuls split the prize pot, but any Traitors steal it all for themselves.
The player with the most gold at the end of an agreed-upon number of rounds wins.
Murdle Alibi Card Game
Type of game Murder-mystery rummy-style card game
Need to know 2-5 players; age 12+; approximately 30 minutes to play
How to play This rummy-style card game has you solving cases by matching three evidence cards from your hand to symbols on case cards.
Action cards mix things up by letting you swap hands with other players, discarding cases and more. Plus, there are alibi cards that stop other players from solving cases entirely.
Dobble
Type of game Speed and observation card game
Need to know 2-8 players; age 6+; approximately 15 minutes to play; Dobble rules
How to play You can play five different games with the Dobble cards, but they all share the same goal: spot the matching symbol between cards and call it out first.
It’s trickier than it sounds. You need sharp eyes and quick reflexes. Each card contains eight colourful symbols, from a mix of 50 symbols – everything from cheese to dinosaurs, cacti to snowmen.
Monopoly Deal
Type of game Quick-playing card game
Need to know 2-5 players; age 8+; approximately 15 minutes to play; Monopoly Deal rules
How to play You want to be the first player to collect three full property sets of different colours.
You do this by drawing property cards, putting money in your bank, and playing action cards to help yourself or hinder your opponents.
The game plays fast, so expect your family to want to play a few rounds.
Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza
Type of game Snap-like card game
Need to know 2-8 players; age 8+; approximately 10 minutes to play; Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza rules
How to play Players flip cards while saying ‘Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza.’ When the card matches the word, you slam the pile. Last to slam collects the pile. First out of cards wins.
Watch out for special cards that have everyone performing actions before snapping.
The Mind
Type of game Co-operative mind-reading card game
Need to know 2-4 players; age 8+; approximately 15 minutes to play; The Mind rules
How to play You complete each level by playing numbered cards from lowest to highest.
You can’t communicate and don’t know your opponents’ cards. Play cards when you feel yours is next.
Higher levels increase the sequence length, requiring focus, cooperation and a bit of intuition.
Best Lego deals: we've hunted down the cheapest sets from popular Lego lines such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, Ninjago, and more
Two-player card games
Jump to:
Pokémon Battle Academy (2024 Edition)
Type of game Starter set for popular trading card game
Need to know 2 players; age 6+; approximately 30 minutes to play; The Pokémon Trading Card Game rules
How to play You win by knocking out your opponent's Pokémon; when you do, you get a prize card. The first player to collect all their prize cards wins.
Play Pokémon, charge them up with energy cards to use their attacks, and use trainer cards (that have various effects) to help you win.
This is a starter set for the popular Pokémon Trading Card Game, giving you three 60 card decks a game board, coin, damage counters and tutorial rules.
But you can expand your collection and improve your deck by getting booster packs with the latest cards in them.
Codenames Duet
Type of game Co-operative word association game
Need to know 2 players; age 11+; approximately minutes 15 to play; Codenames Duet rules
How to play You work together to identify the 15 undercover agents. You do this by giving your teammate one-word clues for them to identify the right words on the five-by-five grid.
But you have to be careful of assassins: each player has three words that, if the other player picks them, will instantly lose the game.
Pick your clue words carefully to make sure your teammate finds the undercover agents, but don't accidentally associate the assassin words with your clue.
Star Realms
Type of game Sci-fi head-to-head deck-building card game
Need to know 2 players; age 12+; approximately 20 minutes to play; Star Realms rules
How to play You are building your deck up, growing a weak fleet of ships into a powerful armada, to destroy your opponent.
Each player starts with 50 health points (called authority), and the first player to wipe out the others wins.
You use trade to buy new cards from a shared trade row, use combat to lower your opponents health, and play bases to defend your health points.
As the game goes on, you'll get more powerful cards in your hand, and by playing cards of the same colour, you unlock 'ally abilities' that make your cards even more powerful.
7 Wonders Duel
Type of game Strategy tableau builder
Need to know 2 players; age 10+; approximately 30 minutes to play; 7 Wonders Duel rules
How to play Over three ages, you take cards that provide resources, military power or scientific development to develop your civilisation. Cards get stronger each age.
You win through military supremacy, scientific victory or by having the most points at the end.
Gifting games? Why not go digital with our picks on the best gifts for gamers
Games to play with a standard deck of cards
Jump to:
Hearts
Type of game Classic trick-taking card game
Need to know 3-5+ players; age 13+; approximately 30 minutes to play; Hearts rules
How to play The aim is to be the player with the lowest score at the end of the game, which ends when one player hits an agreed-upon score (typically 100 points).
In each round, the player with the two of clubs starts first (also known as leading). Each player must follow suit (in this case, also play a club) if they can; otherwise, a card of any other suit can be played.
The highest card of the lead suit wins the trick. The winner leads the next trick. The suit of hearts can't be led with until another heart or the queen of spades is discarded.
Once all cards have been played, players count the number of hearts they've taken, as well as the queen of spades. Each heart = one point, Queen of Spades = 13. If a player takes all hearts and the queen they score zero and every other player scores 26.
Whist
Type of game Co-operative trick-taking card game
Need to know 4 players (in two teams); age 18+; approximately 30 to 60 minutes; Whist rules
How to play Each team scores points by taking tricks. The team that reaches the agreed-upon score first wins.
On each round, the last card dealt is the trump card for that round. The player on the dealer's left starts first (also known as leading). Each player must follow suit if they can; otherwise, a card of any other suit can be played.
The trick is won by the person who played the highest trump card; if no cards of the trump suit are played, the highest card of the leading suit wins.
At the end of the round, each team scores a point equal to the number of tricks they collectively won above six. So, for example, if a team wins eight tricks, they score two points.
Rummy
Type of game Classic meld-building card game
Need to know 2-6 players; age 18+; approximately 30 minutes to play; Rummy rules
How to play The object of the game is to form matching sets called melds (three or four of a kind, cards of the same suit, or sequences of three or more cards, eg 3, 4, 5).
When a player gets rid of all their cards, they win the round. The overall winner is the first person to reach an agreed-upon score.
Players take turns to draw a card from the deck or the top card from the discard pile. They then lay down any melds they can make or add any cards they want to existing melds already on the table.
If they don't lay down a meld, they discard a card.
The winner of the round scores points equal to the value of the cards left in the other players' hands. Number cards are worth their number. Jack, Queen and King are worth 10 points. Aces, one point.
If a player can get rid of all their cards in one go, without having put down any cards, they say 'rummy' and score double points.
Nerts
Type of game Fast-paced solitaire race
Need to know 2-4+ players; age 8+; approximately 10 minutes per round; Nerts rules
How to play Also known as Racing Demon, each player races against others to play all the cards in their 'nerts' pile (to end a round).
Each player has their own deck of cards (with a unique back) and is essentially playing solitaire simultaneously. However, unlike solitaire, there is a community area in between all the players where foundation piles (starting with aces) are played.
Any player can add to any foundation pile. Once a foundation pile reaches king, they turn the pile face down so it can no longer be played on.
When a player plays all cards from their nerts pile, they shout ‘nerts’ and the round is over.
Each player scores a point for every one of their cards in the community area. The overall winner is the first person to reach an agreed-upon score (usually 100 points).
Treat yourself and your guests to a glass of the best prosecco and sparkling wines, best red wines and best Champagne
How we test card games
Many free-to-access websites review card games using a small group, or just one tester. These sites may also receive card games free of charge, directly from manufacturers.
Which? tests are different. Our tests are based on collecting the views of more than 20 people, ranging from card game newbies to aficionados.
Everyone gave us their insight, gleaned from hours of playing these games, to help you decide the right game to add (or start) your collection this year.
Brands can't buy their way into our testing. We select the most searched-for card games, and we pay for every single one we test.
We also regularly revisit the card games on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing.
We’re not influenced by third parties, and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers. As a not-for-profit organisation, we have no owners, shareholders or government departments to answer to, so we work entirely on behalf of you, the consumer – nobody else.
Read our full statement of editorial independence.
How we choose card games
To make sure our reviews are 100% independent, we never accept free product samples from manufacturers or brands. Instead, we invest hundreds of pounds every year buying card games directly from major retailers.
We've tested 16 card games (so far), catering to a range of budgets and types of games. Everything from twists on classic games like Monopoly to epic sci-fi deck builders.
This means we can showcase a range of card games that you may never have come across and give you insights from casual, as well as hardcore, gamers