Exploding Kittens

1 Game Overview

Exploding Kittens is a card game of kitty-powered Russian roulette. On your turn, you play action cards from your hand to skip drawing, steal from opponents, see the future, or sabotage others. Then you draw a card from the deck. If you draw an Exploding Kitten and cannot defuse it, you are eliminated. Last player standing wins.

The game is fast, mean, and hilarious. Alliances form and dissolve instantly. The deck is always changing. And no one ever really feels safe.

Players: 2 to 5 (up to 9 with expansions) | Time: 15 to 30 minutes | Ages: 7 and up

2 Deck Composition (Base Game)

3 Setup

1. Remove all Exploding Kittens and Defuse cards from the deck.
2. Shuffle the remaining deck and deal 4 cards to each player.
3. Give each player 1 Defuse card (so each player starts with 5 cards total).
4. Set aside extra Defuse cards: with 2 to 3 players, insert 2 extras into the deck. With 4 to 5 players, insert 1 extra. Remove the others from the game.
5. Insert Exploding Kittens back into the deck: use one fewer than the number of players. (With 5 players, insert 4 Exploding Kittens.)
6. Shuffle the deck thoroughly and place it face-down in the center.
7. The youngest player goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

4 How to Play

On your turn:

1. Play any number of cards (including zero) from your hand into the discard pile. Playing cards is optional.
2. Draw one card from the top of the deck. This is mandatory unless you played a Skip or Attack card.
3. If you draw an Exploding Kitten: Show it to everyone. Play a Defuse card to survive and reinsert the Exploding Kitten anywhere in the deck (secretly). If you have no Defuse, you are eliminated.
4. If you draw anything else: Add it to your hand secretly and the next player takes their turn.

The game continues until only one player remains. That player wins.

5 Card Reference

Skip

Play Skip to immediately end your turn without drawing a card. If you are under an Attack (forced to take 2 turns), one Skip cancels one turn. You would need to Skip twice to escape a double-turn Attack, or just Skip once and still draw once.

Attack

Play Attack to end your turn without drawing and force the next player in turn order to take 2 turns in a row. If the attacked player plays their own Attack, the player after them must take 4 turns (Attacks stack). The attacked player must take all stacked turns before play moves on.

See the Future

Look at the top 3 cards of the draw deck in order (do not show them to other players). This tells you whether an Exploding Kitten is near the top. Use this to decide when to Shuffle, Skip, or Attack.

Shuffle

Randomly shuffle the entire draw deck. Useful when you know an Exploding Kitten is near the top. Also scrambles information other players gathered.

Favor

Force another player to give you one card of their choice. They choose which card to give you. You do not get to pick.

6 Steal Mechanic (Cat Card Sets)

Cat cards come in 5 different types with 4 of each type in the deck. Playing sets of matching cat cards lets you steal from opponents:

Targeting a player you believe has a Defuse card is the primary use of the steal mechanic. Getting a Defuse from someone else can be the difference between winning and losing.

7 The Nope Card

Nope is the most powerful card in the game. It can be played at any time to cancel any action card. Key rules:

• Nope cancels the action of any action card as if it was never played.
• Nope cannot cancel an Exploding Kitten or a Defuse.
• Nope on a Nope: If you play a Nope to cancel someone's action, they (or anyone else) can play a second Nope to cancel your Nope, restoring the original action. A third Nope re-cancels it. This creates "Nope Wars."
• Nope can be played on cat card steal combos.
• There is no limit to how many Nopes can be chained on a single action.

Strategy: Save Nopes for high-stakes moments. Block an Attack that would stack turns, cancel a steal targeting your Defuse, or stop a Skip that sends the Exploding Kitten to you.

8 Defusing an Exploding Kitten

When you draw an Exploding Kitten:

1. Show the card to everyone immediately.
2. Play a Defuse card from your hand. The Exploding Kitten is neutralized.
3. Reinsert the Exploding Kitten anywhere in the draw deck. You do this secretly (without showing the position to other players).
4. Play continues with the next player.

Strategic reinsertion: Where you put the Exploding Kitten back is a major decision. Placing it near the top punishes whoever draws next. Placing it near the bottom gives everyone a brief reprieve but guarantees danger later. Placing it at a specific position based on what you saw with See the Future adds another layer of strategy.

If you draw an Exploding Kitten and have no Defuse card, you are out of the game. Show your entire hand to the other players, discard it, and remove yourself from play.

9 Strategy

• Track Defuse cards. The most important information in the game is who still has Defuse cards. When a player defuses, they reveal that card. Keep count. Players without Defuses are in mortal danger.
• Save your Nopes. Do not burn Nopes on low-stakes actions. Save them for blocking Attacks that would stack or protecting your Defuse from being stolen.
• Attack stacking is powerful and brutal. Chaining Attacks can force the same player to draw 8 or more times, almost guaranteeing they hit an Exploding Kitten.
• See the Future before Shuffling. Pair See the Future with Shuffle for maximum control: peek to see if the top 3 are safe, then decide whether to shuffle based on what you see.
• Reinsert Exploding Kittens tactically. After defusing, place the Exploding Kitten right after the player you fear most is about to draw.

10 Variants and Editions

Party Pack Expansion

Adds cards that allow up to 9 players. Includes new card types like Alter the Future (rearrange the top 3 cards) and Draw from the Bottom.

Imploding Kittens

Adds a 6th player spot and introduces the Imploding Kitten (a kitten that cannot be defused). Also includes new card types and a blind-drawing mechanism.

Streaking Kittens

Adds the Streaking Kitten card, which lets you hold an Exploding Kitten in your hand without dying as long as you also hold the Streaking Kitten.

Barking Kittens

Introduces a two-team cooperative variant alongside new individual cards. Teams share health points and win or lose together.

NSFW Deck

An adults-only version with sexually suggestive and crude humor artwork and card names. Same core rules but with mature content. Not for children or sensitive groups.

11 Wrong House Rules

• Drawing multiple cards per turn: You draw exactly one card per turn (unless affected by Attack or similar cards).
• Playing cat cards individually for an effect: Single cat cards do nothing on their own. They must be played in matching pairs (2 or 3) or as five different types to have any effect.
• Noping an Exploding Kitten: Nope cannot cancel an Exploding Kitten. If you draw one, you must deal with it using a Defuse.
• Choosing what to give during Favor: When playing Favor against someone, they choose which card to give you, not you.
• Reinserting the Exploding Kitten face-up: The kitten must be reinserted secretly, face-down.
• Skipping the mandatory draw: You must always draw a card at the end of your turn unless you played a Skip or the draw was somehow avoided.

12 History of Exploding Kittens

Exploding Kittens was created by Elan Lee (Xbox Entertainment Studios), Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal webcomic), and Shane Small. The game launched on Kickstarter in January 2015 with a goal of $10,000. It raised over $8.7 million from more than 219,000 backers, making it the most-backed Kickstarter project in history at that time and the most-backed game ever.

The viral success was driven in large part by Matthew Inman's enormous webcomic audience and the game's irreverent, cat-themed humor. The base game shipped in mid-2015 and became a runaway retail success.

The game won the Golden Geek Award for Best Card Game in 2015 and has remained a bestseller for nearly a decade. In 2023, Netflix adapted Exploding Kittens into an animated series, further extending the franchise's reach.

Shop Exploding Kittens on Amazon

13 Frequently Asked Questions

How many Exploding Kittens are in the deck?

4 in the base game. You insert one fewer than the number of players before starting.

Can you Nope an Exploding Kitten?

No. Nope cannot cancel an Exploding Kitten. You must play a Defuse card to survive.

What happens when you draw an Exploding Kitten without a Defuse?

You are immediately eliminated. Show your entire hand, then remove all your cards from the game.

Can you choose where to put the Exploding Kitten after defusing?

Yes. You secretly reinsert it anywhere in the draw deck. Other players do not see where you put it.

Can a Nope cancel another Nope?

Yes. A second Nope cancels the first, restoring the original action. This chains indefinitely.

Do cat cards do anything by themselves?

No. They need to be played in sets: 2 matching = steal a random card, 3 matching = steal a named card, 5 different types = search the discard pile.

What does the Favor card do?

Forces another player to give you one card from their hand. They choose which card to give.

How many players can play Exploding Kittens?

Base game: 2 to 5 players. With the Party Pack expansion: up to 9 players.

What is the Attack card?

Attack ends your turn without drawing and forces the next player to take 2 turns. Attacks stack if the next player also Attacks.

What was Exploding Kittens' Kickstarter record?

Over $8.7 million from 219,000+ backers in January 2015, the most-backed Kickstarter project in history at that time.