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Best Card Games Of All Time

Best Card Games Of All Time

When I think of card games I don’t think of Poker or Rummy. I enjoy those games but I want something a little more when it comes to tabletop games. I want card games that tell a story, force me to think outside the box, duel my friends, or explore galaxies

Not all card games are created equal and not all card games need a colored suit or sequential numbers to be played. In this article, we’re looking at the best tabletop card games of all time. I’ve collected a list of my favorites and I hope you enjoy it. Find the list of best card games of all time below.

Our Top Picks for Best Card Games Of All Time

In a hurry? Check out our favorites below.

06/03/2023 07:30 pm GMT

Dominion

Dominion Board Game

It’s hard to skip over the original deck-building game when you start thinking of the best card games of all time. Dominion has probably one of the highest replay values of any of the games on this list… and that’s saying a lot. 

Dominion introduced deck-building mechanics to the world and has consistently released incredible expansions that keep making the game better and better. 

It offers highly competitive play and lets players pursue almost any strategy they can think up. To make the game even better, there are multiple variable setups that only improve the game as new expansions are added.

Dominion: 2nd Edition
$49.99 $36.91

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06/04/2023 09:00 am GMT

7 Wonders: Duel

7 Wonders Duel Board Game

Experience 2-player 7 Wonders the way it was meant to be played. The original 7-Wonders does have a modified 2-player variant but it’s clunky, to say the least. The Duel version has revamped the entire system while still feeling like the original classic. 

Now all paths to victory are intertwined and don’t feel like an afterthought. The mechanics will keep you on your toes trying to balance tech levels, pushing back your opponent’s military, and wishing there were more cards or turns available to build the absolutely perfect civilization. 

It’s rather amazing to not only see a big box game condensed down to a 2-player card game but also to see it done so well making it one of the best civilization-building games out there as well.

7 Wonders Duel
$29.99 $27.99

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06/03/2023 01:30 am GMT

Everdell

Everdell Board Game Art and Components

Welcome to the valley of Everdell, a beautiful valley hidden within the forests, ready to be settled by cute little woodland creatures. 

Everdell is a worker placement card drafting game, that is absolutely stunning. Every single design choice has been meticulously made. The setup and layout look amazing, the mechanics offer strategy and compelling gameplay, and the game itself is absolutely dripping with thematic elements. 

Players each control a new settlement of woodland creatures that are hoping to make Everdell home. They’ll need to gather resources and build up their own village to make a thriving community.

There’s a reason players have fallen in love with Everdell and it’s because, behind the gorgeous artwork and theme is a truly impressive game, which doesn’t happen too often.

Everdell
$77.99

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06/03/2023 07:30 pm GMT

Doomlings

Doomlings Card Game Box

Players: 2-6
Playing time: 20-45 min
Ages: 10 +

Doomlings is a delightfully fun game about trying to survive the end of the world. It’s part-strategy, part-party-game, and a great way to introduce non-gamers into the world of tabletop! But this game has a surprising amount of depth and replayability, due to its randomized setup process. (Think Fluxx or Pandemic.)

Your goal is to evolve your Doomlings species over rounds, which are called Ages, that introduce new rules to the game. However, hidden in the Ages are Catastrophes that have an adverse effect on the entire table.

After three Catastrophes, the World Ends, and the player with the most points wins!

Because all the cards are unique, Doomlings feels a little like a trading card game that you don’t have to deck-build. It’s great for families or adult game nights, and also has several expansions that add new mechanics.

Doomlings
$24.85
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Star Realms

Star Realms Board Game Box and Cards

This is one of my favorite 2-player card games

Star Realms reminds me of playing Magic with my brother growing up. It’s a simple card game that is specifically designed for 2-players to wail on each other. 

The mechanics are solid and the card design and gameplay are out of this world. Players can develop some great synergies between the 4 different factions and have a fully satisfying gaming experience in under a half-hour. 

Unlike Magic: the Gathering that I used to play with my brother, all the cards come in one box. There are additional expansions of course, but there are no purchasing tons of booster sets to look for a specific card you want since the card lists are all set.

Star Realms
$14.99
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06/06/2023 03:30 pm GMT

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck-Building Board Game Box

The Legendary series takes popular fandoms and lets players relive their favorite stories. Alien is my favorite of the series. In Legendary Encounters, players fight against the board’s ever-present threat deck. 

Legendary comes with a ton of cards to relive the classic first 3 Alien movies. They were the only ones that really mattered anyway (Prometheus never happened). Legendary puts a twist on the deck-building mechanic by adding a cooperative element to the game.  

Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game

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Sentinels of the Multiverse

Sentinels of the Multiverse Card Game Box and Art

I’m a huge fan of Sentinels of the Multiverse. The creators wanted to play a specific type of game but couldn’t find one that fit their criteria, so they made their own. 

Sentinels is a Superhero vs. Supervillain slugfest using premade card decks. The interesting part here is that all of the cards are based on fictional comic books designed specifically for Sentinels of the Multiverse. You’ll see iconic powers but completely unique characters. 

All of the cards are beautifully done with comic-inspired artwork and each villain and hero has their own set of strengths and weaknesses that keep me pulling the box off the shelf time and time again. If you don’t believe me, they actually made a really nice smartphone app that lets you play around with the core set for free.

Sentinels of The Multiverse: Definitive Edition
$69.95 $53.06
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06/06/2023 09:00 am GMT

The Grizzled

The Grizzled Board Game Box and Cards

The artwork of The Grizzled is what first attracted me to the game. It’s a little cartoony-looking but grim all the same which works perfectly with the theme of the game. 

The Grizzled is a hidden information game about surviving the trenches of WWI. Players work together to survive, and as with most cooperative games, you’ll win or lose together.

The object is to get through the draw deck while simultaneously playing all the cards in each player’s hand. 

That’s not an easy task, because too many disasters mean everyone loses, and the different hands are hidden from each other, making working together that much harder.  

The Grizzled
$24.99

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06/04/2023 04:30 am GMT

T.I.M.E. Stories

T.I.M.E. Stories Board Game Logo Featured Image

Each expansion comes with a new scenario and setting and they’re completely different from each other while using the same core mechanics and rules. 

The game has a bit of an expiration date, limiting the number of playthroughs, but it’s a unique experience all its own. You can check out our full in-depth review here.

TIME Stories
$59.99 $47.99

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06/04/2023 08:00 pm GMT

Jaipur

Jaipur Board Game Open Box and Cards with Logo

It’s all about the art of the deal in Jaipur. Two rival traders go head to head to become the most successful merchant. 

What I like about Jaipur is that it’s very balanced when it comes to risk vs. reward. Players can go either way and how they adapt to the changing resources ensures victory.

The mechanics of the game allow only 1 resource type to be sold at a time but it rewards players for turning in larger sets of resources. It can get pretty intense waiting for the opportune moment to snag the big haul, then it all comes crashing down if the opponents decide to cash in early. 

Jaipur is an absolute classic set collection game and the camel cards are pretty freaking adorable.

Jaipur
$24.99

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06/06/2023 10:00 pm GMT

Love Letter

Love Letter card game components

For a game consisting of 16 cards, Love Letter has given me hours and hours of entertainment. It’s one of the most portable tabletop games I’ve ever seen while still being fun and entertaining. 

In Love Letter, the card in front of a player represents which character in the castle currently holds your love letter to the princess. The object of the game is to get your letter to the highest-ranking character at the end of the round and not have it destroyed (getting knocked out of the round). 

It’s a simple and quick game that’s a lot of fun and requires strategy, a bit of deduction, and a little bit of luck.

Love Letter
$14.99 $8.99

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06/05/2023 10:30 am GMT

Hanabi

Hanabi Card Game Components

Who doesn’t love fireworks? Honestly, probably these guys. 

Hanabi is a hidden information card game in which players need to work together to successfully play cards in the proper order to put on the best fireworks show of all time. 

The problem is that players can’t see their own cards. Everyone can see everyone else’s cards, though. Just not their own. Players have to give each other clues without outright telling them what cards they have, making a successful fireworks show tricky. 

Hanabi is an oddly social game that requires players to not talk to each other too much.

Hanabi
$10.99 $8.99

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06/03/2023 06:00 am GMT

Thunderstone Quest

Thunderstone Quest Deck-Building Board Game

I wasn’t initially blown away by Thunderstone. I did give it another try when Thunderstone Quest came out and I’m extremely glad I did. The original Thunderstone was a decent deck-builder that felt like it never really came together.

It had a cool theme and I had just been introduced to Dominion, so was very familiar with the mechanics. Instead of simply going for arbitrary victory points like Dominion, there was an actual goal and a dungeon to explore, but it just never seemed like it was well-thought-out. 

Thunderstone Quest completely fixes any misgivings I’ve had about the original game. The Quest system has been improved and the economics of buying and selling cards is much smoother.

Everything from mechanics to rules has been completely revamped and if you’re like me and only experienced the original Thunderstone or Thunderstone Advanced, give Quest a look. It’s definitely one of the cooler deck-building card games I’ve seen come out in a while.

Thunderstone Quest
$67.75
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06/04/2023 10:00 pm GMT

Star Wars Destiny

Star Wars Destiny Board Game Box and Cards

I was a little hesitant the first time I tried out Star Wars Destiny. I didn’t really feel like getting sucked into another booster pack situation but get sucked in, I did. 

Star Wars Destiny is a little unique to make this list because not only are the cards collectible, but the dice themselves are collectible. Each character card comes with its own unique dice and allows a fair bit of customization for load-outs. Players pick the light side, dark side, or neutral cards to mix in with their deck and heroes. 

The interesting part of the game, that makes me overlook the collectible booster packs is the dice and card load-outs themselves. Dice are unique to specific characters, and cards are limited by their faction. It’s really fun theming out an entire deck or recreating a certain Star Wars era to duel with friends.

Star Wars: Destiny
$19.99

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06/07/2023 12:02 am GMT

Gloom 

Gloom Card Game Box and Cards

Gloom takes me back to my emo/goth days of high school. Gloom is a card game about giving your 4 characters the worst possible time of their lives that culminates in their eventual demise. 

Gloom has possibly the coolest cards I’ve ever seen in a game. The cards are all clear plastic and are played on top of each other. As they’re stacked, the stats on each card gets overridden and change value throughout the course of the game, showing the current overall score of each character.

Gloom (2nd Edition)
$27.95 $21.90

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06/07/2023 10:30 am GMT

Dixit

Dixit Board Game Box and Components

Dixit is a very pretty card game that lets players use their imagination. 

This card-based party game is all about how you interpret pictures. On a turn, one player as the storyteller chooses a card and gives a simple short description of the card. The cards are a glimpse into Alice’s adventure in Wonderland and often have conflicting or wondrous imagery. 

Every other player then secretly submits a card that they think fits the storyteller’s description. Whoever fools the rest gains some points and the storyteller gains points if he/she successfully gets players to guess the original card. 

Dixit is one of those perfect family-friendly games for large gatherings. It has beautiful artwork, easy rules, and a large player count. 

Dixit
$39.99 $29.99
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06/06/2023 08:00 am GMT

Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! Board Game Box, Cards, and Logo

For on-the-go adorable gaming, Sushi Go! delivers a delicious bite-sized game. 

Sushi Go is a card-based set collection game about getting the best meal possible. Each turn players collect adorable-looking sushi cards and build up their collection of dishes eaten over the course of the game.

Each iconic sushi dish scores differently, and there’s no wrong strategy to pick. After 3 rounds final scoring is tallied up, and the winner is named.

The artwork is sickeningly cute but in a good way, and although it looks like it’s geared toward kids, the game itself is fun at any age. Also, check out Sushi Go! Party for fun with larger groups!

Sushi Go!
$11.99

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06/05/2023 03:30 pm GMT

Race for the Galaxy

Race for the Galaxy Board Game Box and Cards

Complete galactic conquest is in the palm of your hand.

Race for the Galaxy is such a cool concept for a game in a tiny package. Players expand out to colonize and develop different planets. Each turn, players secretly choose an action to perform, and sometimes players piggyback off your action, so planning ahead and trying to stay one step ahead of your opponents should always be in the back of your mind. 

Race for the Galaxy is one of those card games that’s endlessly playable. There’s always a new strategy to try out and if somehow you get bored, there are a ton of official and fan-made expansions to keep you going for quite some time.

Race for the Galaxy
$34.99 $27.59

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06/03/2023 09:00 pm GMT

Exploding Kittens

Exploding Kittens Card Game

Let’s be honest. We’ve all tried this game because of The Oatmeal’s ridiculous artwork. The fact still remains, however, that it’s one of the most fun and over-the-top card games I’ve ever seen. 

The object is super simple: DON’T EXPLODE. 

It’s basically a Russian roulette-style card game with exploding kitten cards hidden within the deck. The object is to simply not draw them. There are also ability cards and set cards.

The most powerful card is the Diffuse card. It lets you not explode once if you accidentally draw an Explode card. The other cards give additional abilities like stealing a card from another player or looking at the top cards of the deck. 

Exploding Kittens is very bare-bones when it comes to actual gameplay, however, the artwork and weird theme make it such a fun experience that it’s worth bringing out at your next shindig.

Exploding Kittens
$19.99

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06/05/2023 06:30 am GMT

Scrimish

Scrimish Card Game Box and Cards

Scrimish shows that a seemingly simple game can deliver serious strategy and complexity with nothing but a set of cards. Without any of the bells and whistles you might see in a lot of other games on this list, Scrimish is a simple-looking deck of cards the hide a serious and fast-paced game. 

In Scrimish, each player takes their deck and organizes it into 5 stacks. They then take turns attacking 1 stack of their opponent’s deck. The higher card wins. Simple right? There’s a bit of memory involved when playing. 

Scrimish is one of those fast-paced card games that can fit into your pocket and be taken and played anywhere.

Scrimish
$14.99

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06/06/2023 06:30 am GMT

Munchkin

Lots of versions of Munchkin

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Munchkin has been making friends stab each other in the back to steal their loot for years now. 

I personally love the quirky jokes and goofy artwork. Munchkin promises a brutal, friendship-ending experience when every player gangs up on whoever is in first place. 

It’s one of my go-to card games for killing some time with friends and it’s portable enough to travel with. The original copy that we’ve had for years has seen almost as many countries as we have.  

Munchkin: Deluxe
$34.95 $27.95
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06/07/2023 03:30 am GMT

Wrap-Up

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best card games of all time! How many of these card games have you tried? Did we miss any of your favorite card games? Drop a comment below and let us know!

Dawn Clark

Tuesday 21st of December 2021

Happy City should be on your list. You really have no family friendly ones except Sushi Go.

Bryan Truong

Wednesday 5th of January 2022

Hi Dawn,

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to check out Happy City. It looks really cute.

I do think there are quite a few family-friendly games on the list though. Dixit, Scrimish, and Love Letter are all family-friendly and a ton of fun.

If you're looking for games for specific age groups we do have some round-ups for younger and older kids. We're also always updating and trying to add more content, and we really appreciate your feedback.

Cooperative Family Games Games for Teens Games for 5-6 year olds

Happy New Year! We'd love to hear if you've found any games to play over the holidays.