Best card games

Best card games: our pick of the top card games for adults

Looking for this year's best card games for grown-ups? Then you've come to the right place. 

There’s simply nothing quite like shuffling the deck and getting stuck into a long game of cards with friends or family. Many of the best PC games have tried to emulate the uniquely tactile experience, but most (if not all) have fallen woefully short.

Card games have universal appeal too; with the vast array of games on offer, it's easy to cater your games to the age or level of experience of players. If you're playing in a mixed group, don't fret - some of the best card games for adults are wildly inappropriate for children (we're looking at you Cards Against Humanity), but some are rather wholesome and can be enjoyed regardless of who you're playing with. 

To help you select a sensational deck for family game night, your next party, or just a relaxed night in with friends, we've collated a selection of some of the best card games that will see you building dungeons, fighting monsters, and even betraying your friends.

Ready to start building your deck? Read on for the best card games for adults and make sure to check out our list of best board games and the best digital board games, too.

Best card games

Sushi Go! (Image credit: Gamewright)

Sushi Go is a number-cruncher's dream for raw fish foodies. It's a draft-based scoring game where you take turns picking one card from your hand, and then pass your hand to the left. Whether you go for the high-risk high-reward cards like Sashimi or prefer to chase after lower-value cards shall depend upon the hand you are dealt and the players around you, meaning no two games are the same. 

There are three rounds of five minutes or less per game, which means it's easy to play a few games a night. What's more, this cute cartoon take on classic card games is incredibly affordable for how much value you can get from it!

If you're just starting off your card game collection, this is one of the best card games for beginners.

• Here are some of the best free games right now.

Munchkin (Image credit: Anton Gvozdikov / Shutterstock.com)

Munchkin is undoubtedly some of the most fun you can have with a bit of cardboard, assuming you’re neither a toddler nor a cat. It’s a bit like Dungeons and Dragons lite in that your aim is to get stronger, fight your way through enemies, and come out the other side victorious. 

The main aim of Munchkin is to get to level 10 and, to do so, you have to beat monsters. Easy enough, right? Before you reach for your Witcher blade and go full Geralt on your family and friends, you might want to think twice about decimating them completely. Alliances will be formed, friendships will develop complicated new layers, and you’ll all start to wonder why you keep letting the same person win each time. Not only is Munchkin one of the best card games for PC and console players, but it will also appeal to all lovers of classic fantasy RPGs.

• Munchkin is coming to Steam!

Bears vs Babies (Image credit: Exploding Kittens)

Let’s be honest: ever since Chandler and the boys argued over whether Batman or Superman would win in a fight, we’ve all pitched two imaginary entities against each other for a pointless yet passionate debate about whose butt would be kicked by whom.

That's what Bears VS Babies is. Your aim whilst playing this silly card game is to build up an army of monstrous, hideously mutated bears to take down the evil baby menace. The person who takes down the most babies is the winner, so it's time to be red in tooth (or gums) and claw if you want to reign victorious.

Straightforward and silly, this one is easily one of the best card games due to its simplicity.

• Check out some of the best indie games.

Boss Monster (Image credit: Brotherwise Games)

Everything about Boss Monster is reminiscent of a classic video game - and we love it for that. Boss Monster sees you playing as a villain and building your own dungeons. You have to try and attract adventurers into your dungeon and send them swiftly to their maker if you want to win. It's one of the best card games for those who enjoy snappy gameplay and improvisation.

You can, of course, mess with your friends by stealing their heroes and messing up their game plans - but don’t be surprised if they do the same to you as a result. 

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Joking Hazard (Image credit: Joking Hazard)

The aim of Joking Hazard is to get your friends to laugh. That’s it.

Sounds simple, right? 

Your only tools to get your buddies in hysterics are images from Cyanide & Happiness - an infamously un-family-friendly comic strip for adults. These will, more often than not, lead to incredibly strange jokes that don’t make any sense - but are still hilarious. 

It’s an incredibly funny game and one that’s sure to have you and your friends laughing so hard it hurts. That’s all anybody can ask for from one of the best card games for adults: being offended and crying (or giggling) about it.

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Marvel Champions (Image credit: Fantasy Flight Games)

Superheroes are a big deal. Even if you’ve lost interest in the MCU, you might find yourself a minority these days - but it's never too late to get back in the game.

Your goal in Marvel Champions is to build a deck that lets you take down the evil villains of the Marvel universe, and you get to do it all while playing as its greatest heroes: The Avengers.

Marvel Champions is full of playful nods to its loyal base of long-time fans, as well as brimming with the kind of charm that is sure to garner plenty of new ones. Just bear in mind that this game takes a little longer to get into than the other decks on this list, thanks to its more comprehensive set of rules.

• Here's everything we know about Marvel's Wolverine.

Bucket of Doom (Image credit: Big Potato Games)

This is the only game on this list that comes in a cool plastic bucket, so it's already easily one of the best card games for presentation alone.

Bucket of Doom gives you a scenario and then tasks you with building a convincing escape plan using the things depicted on the item cards in your hand. This means you might be trying to escape from an army of flowerpot men using only an apron and a pair of tights. Makeshift slingshot, anyone?

It’s one of the more inventive ones on the list, and it’s incredibly good fun for those who aren't afraid to dream a little bigger and really unleash their improv potential. 

• The best PC games to get your creative juices flowing.

Game of Phones (Image credit: Breaking Games)

This is an excellent choice for students or any other adults who have to share the same space. Each card will have a prompt of some sort on it, and each prompt will relate to your smartphone. You all have to try and complete the prompt as quickly as possible and also try and make your friends laugh. 

It’s good fun but can also reveal a lot about your friends’ Google history. 

• Here are the best co op games to play with friends.

Exploding Kittens (Image credit: Penty Photography / Shutterstock.com)

Cats can be a little bit dangerous. Everyone who owns one knows that they’re prone to absurdly random fits of excitement and energy, often occurring at 4am as you’re trying to sleep. Well, did you also know that they can explode? That’s basically the premise of one of the best card games around, Exploding Kittens. 

Your aim is to trick another player into drawing an exploding kitten so that they lose. It’s a very simple premise, and it’s also one of the easiest card games to get through on this list thanks to its short playtime. 

Gloom (Image credit: Atlas Games)

Gloom is all about with a Victorian family and gleaning pleasure from their misfortune. The whole point is to make your family as sad as possible before they eventually die out, one by one. 

It’s a very mean game and not one we recommend replicating in real life. The trouble is, all of the other players will be trying to make your family happier, so you need to try and balance their misery with offsetting the potential joy your real-life friends are causing them. 

Gloom's combination of dark humor with a totally unique setting makes it one of the best card games for adults available today.

• Our pick of the best board games for two players