List of Card Games - Card Game Reviews & Rules

This page is a list of card games, in alphabetical order. Eventually each card game listed will link to card game reviews and card game rules pages on the site.

The information on this page will be updated as often as necessary. The entire site is a work in progress, especially the card game reviews and card game rules pages. Any remotely “complete” list of card games is going to be constantly expanding.

A

A list of card games that begin with the letter “A”.

Abduction – A commercial card game with an alien abduction theme.
Alibi – A mystery-solving commercial card game for 3-10 players. From Mayfair Games.
Allegiance: War of Factions – A collectible card game with a social/political theme. Players try to gain control of the throne by winning the allegiance of various influential characters.
Anima: The Shadow of Omega – A commercial card game for 2-5 players published by Fantasy Flight Games. Players form adventurer parties which fight and defeat fantastic creatures.
ASAP – A commercial card game for families. The game has two decks: a deck of letter cards (A-Z) and a deck of category cards (dog breeds, celebrities, etc.) The goal is to name things with words that fit into the category and also start with that letter. (So for “B” and “dog breeds”, you’d want to name things like “bulldog”.)
Asshole – This is another name for the card game President, which is a traditional card game played with a traditional deck.
Authors – A commercial variation of Go Fish with an educational goal. The cards feature various authors. Other versions include Inventors, Explorers, and Presidents.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – A trading card game based on the Nickelodeon animated series with the same name. Published by Upper Deck Entertainment.
Aye, Dark Overlord – A commercial card game with a fantasy theme, for 4-10 players. Players take the roles of an evil overlord’s goblin servants.

B

Card game reviews and card game rules pages for card games beginning with the letter “B”.

Bang! – A spaghetti western themed card game from Mayfair games. Bang! takes 20 minutes to play and requires a minimum of 4 players.
Barbu – A traditional trick-taking card game using a standard deck of cards.
Battle Cattle the Card Game – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson Games, based on Car Wars: The Card Game. But instead of cars with weapons and armor, you have cows with weapons and armor.
The Big Idea – A commercial card game with an inventing/investing theme from Cheapass Games. For 3-6 players.
Black Monday – A Wall Street themed commercial card game designed by Sid Sackson.
Bohnanza – A commercial card game with a “bean farmer” theme.
Bonnie and Clyde – A commercial card game based on the criminals of the same name.
BRAWL – A commercial card game designed by James Ernst and published by Cheapass Games.
Bridge – A perennially popular game played with a standard deck of cards.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – A trading card game based on the television show.
Burn in Hell – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson games, with a devil/hell theme. Your goal is to collect more souls than your opponents.

C

These pages feature card game rules and reviews for card games which start with the letter “C”.

Call of Cthulhu LCG – A “living card game” from Fantasy Flight Games that is based on H.P. Lovecraft‘s Cthulhu mythos and on the roleplaying game of the same name.
Canasta – A traditional card game in which you form melds.
Car Wars the Card Game – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson with an automotive combat theme. It’s based on the miniatures game of the same name.
Catan – The commercial card game version of the board game Settlers of Catan.
Cthulhu 500 – A commercial card which combines a Call of Cthulhu theme with a car racing theme.
Chez Dork – An out of print Steve Jackson commercial card game based on Dork Tower.
Chez Geek – A commercial card game with a roommate theme. Players take the roles of slackers and try to earn “slack points.”
Citadels – A commercial card game from Fantasy Flight where the players attempt to build cities.
City of Heroes – A trading card game version of the MMORPG.
Clobyosh – A traditional card game using a standard deck of cards.
Colossal Arena – A commercial card game with a gladiator/monster theme.
Conan – A trading card game based on Robert E. Howard’s barbarian hero.
Concentration – A good card game for children using a traditional deck of cards. Also known as Memory.
Condottiere – A mercenary-themed card game where the players’ goal is to capture 4 Italian provinces.
Corruption – A commercial card game with a bribery theme from Atlas Games.
Cowpoker – A western-themed commercial card game where the players take the role of ranchers.
Cribbage – A traditional card game which includes a boardgame component.

D

A list of card games with names starting with the letter “D”.

Dead Money – This is part of a series of zombie-themed commercial card games that also includes Give Me the Brain, Lord of the Fries, and The Great Brain Robbery. It’s a cross between poker and Give Me The Brain.
Dino Hunt – A commercial card game aimed at families. As the title might imply, the theme of the game is hunting dinosaurs.
Dinosaur King – A trading card game with a dinosaur theme.
Dominion – One of the most popular commercial card games in history. The only invented card game I can think of that’s more popular than Dominion is the collectible card game Magic the Gathering. Click on the link to get a full description of how to play.
Doomtown (aka Deadlands: Doomtown) – A collectible card game with the same setting as the Deadlands RPG. The cards serve a dual purpose, and poker mechanics are used to resolve certain in-game situations, in order to give the game more of an old West flavor.
Dragon Ball – A trading card game based on the Dragon Ball tv show.
Dungeoneer – A commercial card game with a dungeon exploring fantasy theme. The game offers multiple expansions, and it’s published by Atlas Games.

E

List of “E” card game rules and reviews.

Eights – A popular traditional card games that’s also often called Crazy Eights.
Epic Battles – A trading card game with an emphasis on fighting. The game features characters from multiple fighting video games, like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.
Euchre – A simple trick taking card game using a standard deck of cards.
Evil Ted – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson games that combines the zombies theme with teddy bears. The players take the roles of survivors during a zombie teddy bear apocalypse, and their goal is to get a vehicle and escape.
Express – A train-themed proprietary-deck card game. The players’ goal is to collect five cards which match his train station, so that he can create a full train.

F

Lists card games starting with the letter “F”.

Fan Tan – A traditional deck card game for 3-7 players. Your goal is to get rid of your cards before the other players get rid of theirs.
Fifty Two Card Pickup – This is more of a practical joke than a card game, but it uses a traditional deck. If someone asks you if you want to play, turn them down.
Fight Klub – A trading card game involving action movie and horror movie characters in combat. Some of the cards include characters like the Terminator, Hannibal Lector, and Rambo.
Fightball – A futuristic basketball themed card game. The game has both strategy and memory elements.
Frog Juice – A commercial card game that uses fairy tale elements. Players brew potions and cast spells.

G

List of “G” card games.

A Game of Thrones – A “living card game” from Fantasy Flight Games, based on the series of books by George R.R. Martin.
Girl Genius: The Works – A Cheapass Games card game that’s presented as a companion to the Phil Foglio comic strip, Girl Genius.
Give Me the Brain – A proprietary card game with a fast food/zombie theme. Part of a series of zombie-themed card games from Cheapass Games.
Gloom – A commercial card game from Atlas Games that reminds me of the old Addams Family comic strip from Charles Addams. The goal of the game is for the characters in the strange family to have the most tragic deaths.
Go Fish – A popular game for kids using a traditional deck of cards.
Grave Robbers from Outer Space – A B-movie themed commercial card game from Z-Man Games.
Guillotine – A commercial card game with a French Revolution theme. Players get points by beheading nobles.

H

Lists card games starting with “H”.

Hacker – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson games with a computer hacking theme.
Harry Potter Trading Card Game – The collectible card game for the book and movie franchise Harry Potter.
Hearts – One of the more popular trick taking card games using a traditional deck of cards.

I

A list of card games starting with the letter “I”.

Illuminati – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson Games which has a conspiracy theme. Each players takes the role of a secret but powerful organization with goals of ruling the world.
INWO – An acronym for Illuminati New World Order, which was the trading card game version of Steve Jackson’s Illuminati.

J

A list of card games starting with the letter “J”.

James Ernest’s Totally Renamed Spy Game – This was originally called “Before I Kill You, Mr. Bond.” It’s a commercial card game with an obvious movie spy theme.

K

Lists card games starting with the letter “K”.

Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot – A commercial card game where your goal is to keep your bunnies alive while killing your opponents’ bunnies. Various weapons help.
King’s Blood – An English translation of a Japanese card game, with a royalty/family-tree theme.
Knightmare Chess – A card game version of the boardgame chess, from Steve Jackson Games.

L

Card games starting with the letter “L” are listed here.

Letter Head – A word forming card game from Atlas Games that uses a proprietary deck.
Let’s Kill – A psychotic murderer themed proprietary card game from Atlas Games where players try to kill their victims in the most bizarre ways imaginable.
Loot – Players plunder their opponents’ merchant ships in this pirate themed commercial card game.
Lord of the Fries – Another zombie restaurant themed game from James Ernest.
Lord of the Rings: The Duel – A Gandalf versus the Balrog themed game from Rio Grande Games. For two players.
Lost Cities – A two player proprietary card game designed by Reiner Knizia and published by Rio Grande Games. The object is to explore lost cities, a la Indiana Jones.
Lunch Money – A fighting-in-the-schoolyard game from Atlas Games.

M

A list of card games starting with the letter “M”.

Mad Scientist University – Billed as a “story telling party game” by Atlas Games, players take the roles of mad scientists at a school. The mad scientist who hatches the most ingenious plot wins.
Magic the Gathering – The first collectible card game, and still the most popular game of that type.
Munchkin – A parody of RPG’s with multiple genre-based expansions. The original Munchkin game parodies Dungeons & Dragons specifically. From Steve Jackson Games.
Mythos – An out-of-print collectible card game based on H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos.

N

A list of card games which start with the letter “N”.

Nanuk – A commercial card game from Steve Jackson where players take the roles of prehistoric hunters. Scoring is based on how much bragging the leader does and how well his hunting party succeeds in their boasts.
Ninja Burger – A proprietary deck game from Steve Jackson in which the players take the roles of ninjas working at a restaurant that delivers.
Nuclear War – A tongue-in-cheek card game about nuclear war. Uses a proprietary deck.

O

List of card games starting with the letter “O”.

Oh Hell! – A trick taking game where the players have a goal of taking the exact number of tricks they bid. The game uses a traditional deck of cards.
Old Maid – A children’s game which can be played with a traditional deck or with a proprietary deck.
On the Edge – A collectible card game from Atlas Games with a conspiracy theory theme.
Once Upon a Time – A story telling card game with a fairy tale theme from Atlas Games.

P

A list of card games starting with the letter “p”.

Parity: The Othello Card Game – The card game version of the boardgame Othello. (The boardgame is also known as “Reversi”.)
Phase 10 – A family card game similar to Rummy that uses a colorful proprietary deck of cards.
Pig Pile – A commercial card game where the players try to corral the most pigs. For 3-6 players age 7+.
Pinochle – A traditional trick taking card game using a standard deck.
Piquet – A two player card game using a traditional deck of cards with some of the cards removed.
Pit – A commercial card game from Parker Brothers with a commodities trading theme.
Poison – A commercial card game designed by Reiner Knizia in which players try to avoid toxic poisons when they make their potions. The player with the fewest points of toxins wins.
Poker – A traditional card game with a betting/bluffing theme, played with a traditional deck. The betting and bluffing aspect of the game is so important that poker variants can be played without a deck of cards.
Power Lunch – Famous people have lunch together, and the players get points for explaining why they’re having lunch. Use a proprietary deck from Mayfair Games.
President – Another name for the card game, Asshole. Played with a traditional deck, President is a shedding card game for 4-7 players.

Q

We’ll list card games starting with the letter Q here as soon as we think of some.

R

A list of card games starting with the letter “R”.

Race for the Galaxy – A commercial card game from Rio Grande Games where players develop galactic civilizations. Similar to the San Juan card game, only set in space.
Ren Faire – A Renaissance fair themed card game from Atlas Games. Your goal is to outfit your character with the best costume.
Rook – A trick taking game that uses a special “Christian” or “missionary” deck of cards, which was intended to replace the traditional “evil” deck of cards. Originally published by Parker Brothers in 1906.

S

A list of card game starting with the letter “S”.

San Juan – The card game version of the boardgame Puerto Rico. It’s a proprietary deck game, similar to Race for the Galaxy.
Secret Tijuana Death Match – A Cheapass Games proprietary deck card game with a Mexican wrestling theme.
Set – A proprietary deck game where players find sets based on multiple potential criteria, like shapes, colors, and quantities of symbols on each card.
Setback – A trick taking card game that’s also called Pitch. The game is similar to Spades.
Sheepshead – A traditional deck, trick-taking game that’s related to Skat. Usually played with 5 players.
Skat – The most popular card game in Germany. It’s a trick taking game.
Skip-Bo – A family card game related to Uno. It uses a proprietary deck, but the game itself is similar to Spite and Malice.
Slapjack – A silly card game for kids using a traditional deck. Players take turns playing cards face up into the middle, and when a jack appears, the first person to slap the jack gets to pick up the cards. The goal is to get all the cards in the deck.
Solitaire – Not a specific card game, but a whole family of card games with the distinguishing characteristic of being played by a single person.
Spades – A popular trick taking game played by 4 people and using a traditional deck of cards.
Spammers – A commercial card game for 2-6 players age 13 and up. The game has a junk e-mail theme.
SPANC – An acronym for space pirate amazon ninja catgirls, and a commercial card game with that theme. The cards are illustrated by Phil Foglio.
Spooks – A Halloween/horror themed commercial card game designed by Monica Stephens and Jason D. Wittman. The cards come in five suits: goblins, bats, spooks, spiders, and bones.

T

Card games starting with the letter “T”.

The Stars Are Right – A commercial, Cthulhu-themed card game where players try to raise the Great Old Ones from their slumbers.
Too Many Cooks – A family card game where the players take the roles of chefs making soup at a restaurant. Designed by Reiner Knizia.

U

Lists card games that start with the letter “u”.

Unexploded Cow – A commercial card game from Cheapass Games in which players send mad cows from the UK to France to blow up unexploded bombs.
Uno – A commercial card game that’s very similar to Crazy Eights.
Unspeakable Words – A James Ernst card game/word game mashup with a Cthulhu theme.

V

A list of card games starting with the letter “V”.

Vampire: The Eternal Struggle – The trading card game version of Vampire: The Masquerade.

W

A list of “W” card games.

War – The simplest comparing card game of all time, played with a traditional deck of cards.
Whist – A trick taking game using a traditional deck that’s still popular in England.
Wizard – A commercial card game that combines elements of both Hearts and Whist.
Wyatt Earp – A commercial card game with rummy style play and an old West theme. Published by Rio Grande Games.