Telepathy, exciting insights into the psyche and declaring war on stuffiness: these new card games for adults bring variety and have what it takes to become a new favourite. From sophisticated connoisseur’s games for game night to fun card games that are so much fun that it never stops at one round.
Dominion, Wizzard or a few rounds of Durak? Everyone has them, their absolute favourite games and I bet most of them include at least one entertaining card game. Whether for game night, social rounds with friends or colleagues or (small) parties, there are simple and amazingly exciting or hilariously funny new card games for adults that have what it takes to become a new favourite. My recommendations are a colourful mix, are all much loved and often played, and have always provided a hilarious mood and enormously good entertainment.
It is important to note that these 10 recommendations are all new games – that is, not just from the last 2 years but from the last 10 years, but not classics and cult games since the 80s. So there is no place in my list of recommendations for my deckbuilding favourite Dominion, which is already a cult card game, and old favourites like Werewolves of the Bleak Forest and timeless card game classics do not appear either.
Unlike most of the recommendation lists for the best new card games for adults that you come across on the internet, this is not an amazon best list. These are my personal new favourite card games, including some that are unknown (not only in Germany). For all of them, I have linked to where you can buy them.
Top 10 New and Fun Best Card Games for Adults
1. The Crew – One of the Best Sophisticated Card Games for Adults
The Crew – Travel together to the 9th planet is a cooperative card game for adults in which we are astronauts on a mission in space. An uncertain space adventure awaits us, consisting of 50 missions. The aim is to conquer the game together on each journey by completing tasks. And that’s not so easy, because like real astronauts, the players can only communicate to a limited extent and the game becomes more difficult with each mission. The Crew is a cooperative trick-taking game that is something completely new in its form and is addictive and grabbed every one of us.
The Crew – Travel Together to the 9th Planet received the coveted German “Kennerspiel des Jahres” award in 2020 and in the meantime there is already a follow-up game with new missions: The Crew – Mission Deep Sea.
- Game type: Cooperative, challenging connoisseur game
- Players: 3-5 players
- Age: from 10 years
- Game material: cards, log book, punching tableau, instructions
- Game Objective: Win as a team against the game
2. The Mind – Merging Telepathically
“Let’s become one” – in a card game? That’s the aim of the game and miraculously that’s exactly what happens and is what makes this unusual card game so appealing.
Without consulting each other or exchanging information, cards are placed in turn, level by level, until the last level is defeated together and the two merge. This can take quite a while, but then you experience the amazing effect that a kind of intuitive synchronisation of shared time perception happens.
The Mind is one of the quick, small card games for adults for in-between that is something quite different precisely because it does not rely on competition and strategy.
Here you can find our detailed review of The Mind with even more info about the game.
The Mind Extreme – New Telepathic Challenges
In The Mind Extreme, the rules are the same. However, time runs twice as fast and in the opposite direction as in the original game. This means that two piles of cards are now played in parallel, one ascending, one descending, and some levels even have to be mastered blind.
You should definitely try the original The Mind first before venturing into the extreme variant of one of the most unusual card games for adults.
- Game type: Short-duration team card game
- Players: 2-4 players
- Age: from 8 years
- Playing material: cards, instructions
- Game objective: Place cards in the correct order without communicating
3. Bloody Hell – Fun Card Games for Adults Aged 18+
We know the game principle of Bloody hell from one of the cult card games for adults: Anno Domini: Events must be ordered in the correct sequence. The only difference is that this card game for adults is not about dates but about very curious events and their misery index from 1-100. Which situation is worse: “You bite off your tongue” or “Pubic hair in the soup”?
With just 15 minutes, the rounds of the card game are quick and the fun factor is high. In any case, there is a lot of laughter. However, logic often doesn’t get you very far because the extent of the catastrophe doesn’t match your personal assessment. Luck plays a decisive role and this party game is definitely worthwhile, especially at a late hour.
Due to the additions with more events, the card game does not lose its appeal so quickly.
- Game type: Short-winded, macabre party game
- Players: from 2 players
- Age: from 18 years
- Playing material: cards, instructions
- Game objective: Be the first to line up 10 cards in front of you and win.
4. Dixit Odyssey – The Game That Makes the Imagination Bloom
Dixit Odyssey is an association game that is super creative and automatically leads to good and even profound conversations. One after the other, you take on the role of the narrator and think of a statement for one of your picture cards – as a poem, fantasy term, quote, proverb, there are no limits to your creativity. Each player now chooses one of his cards that fits this statement and gives it to the narrator, who reveals it. Now all players guess which card is the narrator’s card and points are awarded for it. The most exciting thing, however, is to find out the associations and thoughts about the pictures and Dixit is one of those games for which you immediately catch fire and it actually becomes totally irrelevant who wins.
Dixit Basic Game and Expansions
The basic game Dixit won the Game of the Year award in 2010 and originally comes from France. The expansions came onto the market first in the last few years and there is no way around them if you are enthusiastic about Dixit. Because every expansion – and every basic game, by the way! – consists of new picture cards and especially if you play a lot, you definitely need a large selection!
Our review of the basic game Dixit can be found here.
- Game type: Association game, emotional card game
- Players: 3-12 players
- Age: from 8 years
- Game material: picture cards, wooden rabbits, voting boards, voting tiles, scoring board, instructions
- Game Objective: Win with the most points.
5. The Cartographer – Strategic Flip and Write Card Game for Adults
We are cartographers and develop landscapes that are mapped on our own maps. The basic idea of the game is reminiscent of Sink Ships: as a so-called flip and write game, the aim is to uncover maps, make decisions and draw the result on our map. The game principle is simple and quickly understood. Nevertheless, The Cartographer is a connoisseur’s game, because the appeal of the game lies in the strategic and tactical possibilities that present themselves and are really a lot of fun. The invisible decision-maker is chance and the monsters provide unpredictable interaction.
The Cartographer is one of the card games for adults that is a real discovery for frequent players. The solo mode is also fun!
You can find my detailed review of The Cartographer here.
The Cartographer – Continuation and Extensions
The Cartographer is a sequel to The Cartographer and can be played both independently and as an expansion. The game principle is the same – but now you map the western lands instead of the northern lands. In addition, there are new maps, exploration cards, scoring sections and ambush cards which, together with the completely new hero cards, provide many more tactical and strategic variations.
There is also a mini-expansion (see amazon link below with more maps and ambush cards, a new block and a replacement block for the basic game The Cartographer.
- Game type: Tactical drawing game, Flip and Write card game
- Players: 1-100 players
- Age: from 10 years
- Game material: cards, maps, pens, instructions, mini-expansion skills
- Game Objective: Map a piece of land and skilfully draw the borders to win with the most fame points.
6. Cards Against Humanity – The Bitterly Wicked Card Game for Adult Meanies
Cards Against Humanity is one of the card games for adults that is ideal as a nightcap at a party or in a relaxed atmosphere. The game principle is simple: all players fill in a blank text with a term card, which the round boss reads out to create a text that is as humorous, meaningful or evil as possible. The player with the solution that the round boss likes best receives the yellow card as a reward and is the round boss for the next round. There are also suggestions for drinking game variants.
Admittedly, Cards Against Humanity is one of many card games of this kind that scratch the edge of good taste. But of the party games I know, it is one of the best and the basic game can be supplemented with expansions. If you like dark humour, you will get a wicked, very funny and communicative card game.
- Game type: Party game with black humour
- Players: from 5 players
- Age: from 16 years
- Game material: cards
- Game objective: Win first with the previously agreed number of points / number of yellow cards.
7. What Do You Meme? Funny Card Game for Adults With Black Humour
Anyone who doesn’t laugh at this party game has no black humour. In any case, it’s impossible to stay serious. What do you Meme? is about creating the funniest, craziest, nastiest and crudest picture-text combinations. Memes are a phenomenon of social networks in which statements are posted under pictures that give the picture a disturbing, satirical or socially critical meaning. And that is also the game principle in this funny party card game for adults.
Over 2 million copies sold worldwide – anyone who has played the game knows why. It’s really fun, and creative minds in particular can bring everyone to endless fits of laughter with congenial creations in Freestyle mode.
You can find my detailed review of What Do You Meme? here.
- Game type: Party game
- Players: from 3 players
- Age: from 18 years
- Game material: text cards, photo cards, easel, instructions
- Game objective: Combine funny words with pictures to create funny, bitterly wicked and blackly humorous pairs and be the first to win with 20 cards.
8. Exploding Kittens – Bitterly Funny Russian Roulette With Cats
You either love them or hate them: cats. The woolly balls of fur can be exploded in one of the funniest card games for adults as a kind of Russian roulette with cats.
All players take turns to play cards and carry out the instructions on them and draw new cards from the draw pile or pass. If there is an Exploding Kitten, the player loses immediately and is dead unless he has a Disarm card in his hand and plays it. In addition to the dangerous Exploding Kitten cards, there are also useful cards in the deck that can be used to look into the future or the deck, to end a turn immediately or to grab a card from a fellow player with the Wish card.
The original game was the most supported Kickstarter campaign of all time and raised a record amount. There are now also expansions and other versions.
- Game type: Competitive card game, party game with strong luck factor
- Players: 2-5 players
- Age: from 7 / 18 years (there are different versions see below)
- Playing material: cards, instructions
- Goal of the game: Be the last player left and win as a cat lover.
9. Frantic – One of the Funniest Card Games for Adults
Frantic is the nasty Mau Mau. Or as the game praises itself: it’s the game for the best enemies! Because in this simple card game for adults, the other players become enemies and the aim is to be the first to get rid of your cards and to beat the others as much as possible in the process.
In the game there are action cards to attack the other players and unpredictable, nasty event cards that can hit all players somehow.
What makes Frantic stand out? It’s a Mau Mau clone in which discarding cards is the simple goal, the real attraction of the game is the way to get there. It’s simply impossible not to get emotional, and verbal gaffes happen all by themselves, because any strategy is torpedoed and the game is so unpredictable.
There are already 2 expansions for Frantic: Troublemaker with 36 more special and event cards and Supercharge with new power cards.
- Game type: fast, unpredictable card-playing game
- Players: 2-8 players
- Age: from 12 years
- Playing material: cards, instructions
- Game objective: Be the first to get rid of your cards and beat the other players
10. Make Fake News Great Again – Card Games for Adult Chatterers
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Breaking News! You don’t need Donald Trump for fake news, wild stories and stories that make your jaw drop. With the card game Make Fake News Great Again, everyone steals the show from the EX-president and fabricates factual photos, real facts and celebrities into thematic news.
This party game is one of those card games for adults where laughter is inevitable. Winning is a minor matter, the attraction of this game is the great fun you have in laughing, tinkering and telling peppered fake news. The game contains 405 cards from various topics, some of which go below the belt – that will get you a long way. There is also already an expansion with more picture and text cards so that the fun doesn’t stop after hours.
- Game type: Party game
- Players: from 4 players
- Age: from 16 years
- Playing material: cards, instructions
- The aim of the game: Make as little fake news as possible from picture and text modules and win with the fewest loser cards
Fancy some more new and fun adult card games? Abenteuer Freundschaft has lots of worthwhile insider board game tips, as well as tips for activities with friends, families and partners.
If you don’t want to miss any of our tips and ideas from now on, follow us on Facebook and Instagram! 🙂
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