Top 6 compared
The best card games
A quick game after dinner that gets the whole family laughing, plotting and shouting around the table.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How this works
The top 6 at a glance
A deck of cards is the easiest game night there is: it fits in a coat pocket, sets up in a minute and needs no board or batteries. Card games come in a few kinds: luck games where you risk one more card, planning games that reward thinking a few turns ahead, speed games of quick hands and loud voices, and trading games of deals and stolen sets.
Every pick here is a family game for ages 7 or 8 and up, with nothing crude in the box, and younger children can play on a team with a grown-up. Most play well with two, but Flip 7 needs at least three.
What matters
- The player count, the minimum as well as the maximum.
- Playing time on the box, for a hand before bed.
- A score pad in the box, for games of several rounds.
- Rules in English, if it’s an imported edition.
#1Five Crowns Card Game
Under $10
Rummy with a twist: five suits instead of four, and a wild card that moves up every hand. The first hand deals three cards with 3s wild, the next four cards with 4s wild, and so on to the kings, so early hands are quick and the last few take real planning.
What owners say: Owners find it hard to stop at one game and call it great family entertainment. It works with two players or more and takes just the right amount of time, though opinions on the cards are split: some find them well made, others say they feel like paper.
A closer look: Newcomers can learn on the short opening hands before the long ones near the end, and six jokers sit alongside the rotating wild card to help out. There are no aces or twos in the deck. Keep a pencil and paper nearby, as the score carries across all 11 hands.
- Wild card changes every hand
- Five suits, 116 cards
- Six jokers in the deck
- 11 hands, lowest score wins
- No aces or twos
Best for: Planners and rummy fans
- Kind of game
- Rummy (sets and runs)
- Players
- 2–7
- Ages
- 8+
#2Flip 7 Card Game
Under $10
Each turn you flip one more card and add up the numbers, until you either stop and bank the points or turn over a number you already have and lose the lot. The deck is built to tempt you: there are twelve 12s but only one 1, so the big numbers come thick and fast, and so do the busts.
What owners say: Owners find it fun for all ages, with rules that children and adults pick up easily, quick turns with no waiting between them and a good balance of strategy and luck. They like the quality of the cards, and parents value the practice it gives in adding up.
Heads up: It needs at least three players, so for two, pick one of the others here.
A closer look: A game runs about 20 minutes, with the score carried from round to round until someone passes 200. Turning over seven different numbers in one turn scores bonus points, which is when the table gets loud. A Freeze card can stop you or a rival in your tracks, so a big lead is never quite safe.
- Bonus for seven different numbers
- Freeze cards stop a rival
- First to 200 points wins
- About 20 minutes a game
- 94 cards
Best for: Groups who like a gamble
- Kind of game
- Press your luck
- Players
- 3+
- Ages
- 8+
#3Magilano SKYJO Card Game
$10–$20
Each player lays out a spread of face-down cards, then turns them over or swaps them for better ones, aiming for the lowest total by the time someone has uncovered all of theirs. It keeps everyone counting and weighing the odds, and magilano pitches it as practice in adding up and estimating.
What owners say: Owners find the rules clear and quick to learn for all ages, the turns fast and the mix of luck and strategy just right for family gatherings of two to eight. They also like the math practice it gives: spotting high and low numbers, adding and subtracting.
Heads up: This is magilano’s multilingual edition, made in Germany, and the listing doesn’t promise English rules in the box, though owners find the rules easy to follow.
A closer look: Use the score pad in the box: a game runs over several rounds, about 30 minutes in all, and the totals decide it. Keep an eye on the discard pile, since a card a rival throws away can be just what you need, and watch for anyone close to uncovering everything.
- 150 cards and score pad
- About 30 minutes a game
- Made in Germany
- Rules in five languages
Best for: Quick math at the family table
- Kind of game
- Swap for the lowest score
- Players
- 2–8
- Ages
- 8+
#4Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Card Game
Under $10
Players lay cards in turn while chanting taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza, and when a card matches the word, everyone slaps the pile and the slowest hand takes it. Gorilla, Groundhog and Narwhal cards add moves of their own, and the first to run out of cards wins.
What owners say: Owners say it’s fast, funny and easy to learn, a family favorite that suits all ages and works for small and big groups alike. It’s small enough to carry in a pocket or a little bag, so it travels well.
A closer look: Take off rings before a round, as hands come down hard and fast on the pile. Younger players soon keep up, because it rewards quick eyes and a loud voice more than strategy, and at 10 to 15 minutes a round fits in before dinner or between longer games.
- Slap the pile on matches
- Special cards add new moves
- 10 to 15 minute rounds
- Pocket-size box
Best for: Big, noisy groups
- Kind of game
- Slap and react
- Players
- 2–8
- Ages
- 7+
#5Monopoly Deal Card Game
Under $10
Monopoly’s rent and property trading, squeezed into a card game that plays in about 15 minutes: be the first to collect three full property sets in different colors, while charging rent and stealing or swapping properties from everyone else. Reference cards in the box remind new players what they can do on a turn.
What owners say: Many owners prefer it to the board game because it’s quick and doesn’t take hours. They say it’s simple to pick up, good for kids and adults together and strategic with some luck, and that it travels well.
A closer look: Bank a few money cards early: debts are paid with them, and a big rent card hurts most when you have nothing set aside. The birthday card takes money from everyone at the table, so hold it for the right moment. At two to five players it suits couples and small families as much as a full game night.
- Steal and swap properties
- Collect 3 property sets
- About 15 minutes
- Reference cards for new players
- 110 cards
Best for: Deal-makers and schemers
- Kind of game
- Collect sets and trade
- Players
- 2–5
- Ages
- 8+
#6UNO Card Game
$10–$20
The card game most families already know: match the color or number on the pile, switch the direction with a Reverse or hit the next player with a Draw Four, and shout UNO when you’re down to one card. Merle Robbins, a barber in Reading, Ohio, made the first decks in 1971 to settle a family argument over the rules of Crazy Eights.
What owners say: Owners say it’s easy to learn and that kids and adults can play together. The metal tin works well and the game packs easily for vacations, though the card size divides opinion: some like it, others find the cards smaller than usual.
A closer look: Write a house rule on each of the three blank wild cards, such as swapping hands or everyone drawing two, then wipe them clean and make up new ones next time. Play to 500 points for a longer evening, or just a hand or two when time is short.
- 3 blank wild cards
- Colorblind-friendly symbols
- Play to 500 points
- 112 cards
- Storage tin
Best for: Mixed ages, up to ten players
- Kind of game
- Shedding (match and discard)
- Players
- 2–10
- Ages
- 7+
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Five Crowns | #2Flip 7 | #3Skyjo | #4Taco Cat | #5Monopoly Deal | #6UNO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best press-your-luck | Best party game | Best classic | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 |
| Price | Under $10 | Under $10 | $10–$20 | Under $10 | Under $10 | $10–$20 |
| Kind of game | Rummy (sets and runs) | Press your luck | Swap for the lowest score | Slap and react | Collect sets and trade | Shedding (match and discard) |
| Players | 2–7 | 3+ | 2–8 | 2–8 | 2–5 | 2–10 |
| Ages | 8+ | 8+ | 8+ | 7+ | 8+ | 7+ |
| Best for | Planners and rummy fans | Groups who like a gamble | Quick math at the family table | Big, noisy groups | Deal-makers and schemers | Mixed ages, up to ten players |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
