Exploding Kittens

1 Overview

Exploding Kittens is a card game about avoiding a cat-shaped bomb. The deck is mostly harmless, but hidden within are Exploding Kitten cards. If you draw one without a Defuse, you're out. The rest of the deck is a collection of action cards designed to help you avoid the explosion and redirect it toward your friends.

Created by Elan Lee (Xbox) and Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), it raised over $8.7 million on Kickstarter in 2015 and remains one of the fastest-selling card games ever. It's extremely quick to learn and brutal to your relationships.

2 What You Need

• 56-card deck (standard edition):
  • 4 Exploding Kittens
  • 6 Defuse cards
  • 4 Attack cards
  • 4 Nope cards
  • 4 Skip cards
  • 4 See the Future cards
  • 5 Favor cards
  • 5 Shuffle cards
  • 20 Cat cards (various)

3 Setup

1. Remove all Exploding Kitten cards and Defuse cards from the deck.
2. Deal 7 cards to each player. Include exactly 1 Defuse in each hand.
3. Insert remaining Defuse cards back into the draw pile.
4. Insert Exploding Kittens back into the draw pile (one fewer than the number of players, e.g., 3 Kittens for 4 players).
5. Shuffle the draw pile. The player who most recently used a litter box goes first.

4 How to Play

On your turn:

1. Play any number of action cards from your hand (or none).
2. End your turn by drawing a card from the top of the deck.
3. If you draw an Exploding Kitten: show it to everyone. If you have a Defuse card, play it, you're safe! Return the Exploding Kitten to any position in the deck (secretly). If you have no Defuse card, you're eliminated.

Key Cards

• Skip: End your turn without drawing. Play to avoid drawing.
• Attack: End your turn without drawing AND force the next player to take 2 turns.
• Nope: Cancel any card except an Exploding Kitten or Defuse. Can be played at any time.
• See the Future: Peek at the top 3 cards of the deck.
• Shuffle: Shuffle the draw pile (randomizes where that Exploding Kitten is hiding).
• Favor: Force another player to give you one card of their choice.
• Cat cards (pairs): Play 2 matching cat cards to steal a random card from any player.

5 Winning

The last player remaining after all others have drawn Exploding Kittens (and failed to Defuse them) wins. If you're the second-to-last player standing, you still must end your turn by drawing.

6 Tips

• Hold Defuse cards late. You only need one Defuse per Exploding Kitten you draw. Don't waste them early on a low-risk draw.
• Use See the Future constantly. Knowing what's coming lets you plan Skips and Attacks. Use it aggressively.
• When you Defuse, bury the Kitten deep. The bottom of the deck is safest if there's only one other player left. Middle is best in multiplayer.
• Nope is most powerful on Favor and Attack. Block an Attack coming at you or prevent someone from stealing your cards.
• Attack the player with the most Defuses. Force them to draw twice. Burn their safety net.