The best card games in 2025

Why it's great

Scout has scooped a bunch of awards and nominations since releasing in 2021, and we think it deserves every single one. Hidden behind its simple premise is a game of careful decision-making. There's enough strategy and push-your-luck tension packed into this tiny box to fill a whole night of fiendish gaming, but Scout sits at a supremely replayable runtime of just 15 to 30 minutes.

How to play

At first glance, Scout is an easy set-building game, similar to classics like Rummy or Whist. However, Oink Games' innovations give this familiar gameplay an incredibly unique twist.

Each round, players are looking to collect and play (or 'Show') sets of cards with matching numbers or sequential runs. Matching sets always beat sequential runs with the same or fewer cards, and high-value sequences beat low-value ones.

The challenge comes from the fact that, when you first receive your opening hand, you can't rearrange the order of the cards you were dealt. Your only choice is which way up you'll play your hand, as both ends have different sets of numbers.

To up the stakes, the set you play must always be more valuable than the one played previously, so sometimes you'll need to 'Scout' cards already played by an opponent - netting you a card that could complete a crucial sequence in your hand, but rewarding another player with a victory point in exchange. The first player to empty their hand or play an unbeatable set ends the round, and they usually take home the most victory points.

What are the cons?

Scout's simplicity will be a drawback for anyone who enjoys thematic games. There's zero storytelling, and the mechanics are barely linked to Scout's circus theme.

Despite this simplicity, Scout can be a surprisingly tricky game to explain to newcomers. The fixed hand mechanic can be jarring, especially for younger or less confident gamers. We'd recommend giving a physical demonstration as you teach this game - that tends to overcome any confusion.

Learn more in our Scout review.

If you like this, you should try…

• Bohnanza - a classic 1990s card game that pioneered the 'fixed hand' game mechanic.
• Startups - another Oink Games compact card game about investing in companies.
• No Thanks! - a unique bidding game where you compete to pick up cards that net you the lowest overall score.

Released in 2024, The Gang is a recent darling that all card game lovers should be aware of. Players form a crack team of bank robbers who must work together to infiltrate a lucrative vault. In order to do so, they'll draw Poker hands, much like they would in a standard game of Texas Hold'em.

We're not here to recommend basic playing card games, though, so there's obviously a catch. The group must accurately guess the rankings of each player's hand, from most obvious to least obvious. However, no one can explain exactly what's in their hand.

Instead, The Gang is a game of vague hints and reverse poker faces. As the public pool of cards is gradually revealed, you'll have multiple attempts to figure out who's holding what. Get it right, and you're one step closer to cracking the vault - but get it wrong, and an alarm goes off. A game ends when three alarms or three code cracks are achieved. It's simple, fast-paced, a little silly, and heaps of fun.

What are the cons?

To fully appreciate The Gang, you need a player group with just the right amount of Poker knowledge. If you know nothing whatsoever about Poker hands, you'll find it tougher (although still fun) to figure out how likely your hand is to beat another's. However, knowing too much about Poker can make the base game feel trivial. Luckily, there are extra difficulty modes to help with this hiccup.

Trust is also surprisingly important in this game about robbing banks. It's important to establish with your group what counts as revealing information. The official rules can be a little vague on this front, and it means it's easy for new players to accidentally (or not so accidentally) let more slip than they should.

If you like this, you should try…

• Coup - a brilliant sci-fi secret role card game (read more below).
• BANG! - a classic Italian social deduction card game that pits Sheriff against Outlaws, with tons of intrigue and also dynamite.
• Hanabi - A co-op where you hold your cards so only other players can see them, and you work past the limited communication rules to create the perfect fireworks display.

Why it's great

The best card games don't need to have a weighty deck packed with countless different options to provide a good time. In fact, Love Letter proves that they only need 16. That's all that's inside this uber-light, uber-fun classic, which is ideal for the tabletop gamer on a budget (or who's running low on cupboard room).

Simple to teach and dead easy to jump into, Love Letter makes for a brilliant warmup game. Also, because rounds are so short and cards move around so quickly, you're never holding the same hidden hand for long, making this that rare thing: a social deduction game that's still enjoyable for the virtuous among us with no fibbing skills.

How to play

Love Letter has a charming premise. The players are each suitors, trying to send letters to a princess by selecting the right court member as a courier while intercepting their rivals' wooing efforts.

A single card is dealt to all players, and this represents the person who currently carries your declaration of devotion. Everyone takes turns drawing a card and then playing one from their hand. Depending on which card was played, players may be forced to trade, discard, or add to their hand - or they might be knocked out of the round entirely.

The winner is the last player standing or, if multiple suitors survive, the person with the highest-value card in their hand. Anyone holding the coveted Princess is a surefire winner, but discarding said card can be disastrous for your romantic chances.

What are the cons?

With only 16 cards and one way to play, Love Letter is more of a starter than a main course. We mean that, after one or two games, you'll probably be craving something fresh. The value for money is excellent considering the game's price, but Love Letter certainly isn't famous for its endless replayability.

If you like this, you should try…

• The Resistance: Avalon - a gorgeous, popular medieval-themed spinoff of social deduction favorite The Resistance.
• Citadels - a bluffing card game where you assume a range of roles to build the best medieval city.
• Sushi Go! - a compact, easy-to-learn card game that involves drafting and playing the best combinations of adorable sushi.

Why it's great

A trick-taking two-player card game, The Fox in the Forest has a lovely fairy tale theme and adorable artwork. However, this cutesiness belies the meaty, satisfying puzzle that lies within. Beneath the surface, this is a fiendish little game about using sneaky tactics to win (and lose) points at just the right time.

How to play

A game of The Fox in the Forest is played across 13 tricks. In each of these, the leading player will lay a card. The following player must then play a card of the same suit if they can, and any card from their hand if they cannot.

The player with the highest card in the leading suit, or the highest card in the trump suit, determined at the start of the game, wins the trick. The winner then becomes (or remains) the leading player for the next trick.

It's all about when to expend resources, then, as you want to win tricks by as little as possible, saving your best cards (many of which have special functions) for when you really need them. One very clever rule transforms the experience from enjoyable to exceptional: the scoring mechanism.

You see, you want to win as many tricks as possible, but if you triumph in 10 or more of the 13, you are punished for your greed and don't win any points. That means at any time, your opponent might switch from trying to best you to trying to throw away winning tricks in spectacular fashion.

What are the cons?

As a two-player card game, you'll naturally have fewer opportunities to bring the Fox in the Forest to the table. Unless, that is, you exclusively play games on date night. A word of warning, though: this simple, intriguing puzzle of a game can be surprisingly cutthroat, so warn your date about how competitive things can get in advance.

If you like this, you should try…

• Cat in the Box - an all-time classic trick-taking game that twists the format in clever ways, introducing more tactics than most others.
• Skull King - a pirate-themed trick-taking game where simultaneous bidding on cards adds even more chaos to the mix.
• The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine - a co-op space quest with elegant trick-taking mechanics (see more below).

Why it's great

The distinguished paterfamilias of trading card games, Magic: The Gathering sits near the head of the table here for good reason. Simple to learn, but unfathomably difficult to master, Magic is a game with history behind it, one that can be appreciated as much for its beautiful artwork and interesting storytelling as for its tight gameplay and challenging deckbuilding.

The great thing about Magic is the sheer variety of experiences it has to offer, from the constantly shifting Standard meta to Commander's exciting, over-the-top turns. From lean, mean aggro decks; to infuriating, opponent-stymying control decks; to absurd jank decks that only come together 10% of the time, but when they do are things of beauty; Magic's a fount of diverse experiences.

How to play

Thanks to the many existing MTG formats, there are multiple ways to play Magic: The Gathering. The basics are always the same, however: you'll need to construct a deck of cards (between 40 and 100, depending on the format). You'll then test the strength of your creation against one or more opponents.

Most games are won by reducing your rival's life points to zero, but there are always alternatives in a game of MTG. Will you steamroll other decks with huge creatures, take them out early with an army of small attackers, or hit them indirectly with other kinds of cards? The choice is yours, and the possibilities are nearly endless.

This is a pretty complex game, but don't let this intimidate you. We can teach you how to play Magic: The Gathering in our handy guide, and this list of free MTG Arena codes can help you get started on the game's digital platform - which we'd argue is one of the most approachable places to learn to play.

What are the cons?

As the only trading card game on this list, Magic: The Gathering is the only product we've recommended that requires continual investment. You can squeeze a lot of fun out of two starter decks, but eventually they'll fall so far behind Magic's meta that they'll no longer represent what the full game looks like.

If you want to keep up with one of Magic's many formats, you'll need to spend some - if not lots - of extra cash. We are talking about the physical version of the game here, however - digital MTG Arena decks are far less costly to maintain.

If you like this, you should try…

• Pokémon TCG - simpler, quicker, and brighter - but a bit shallower.
• Disney Lorcana - mechanically similar, but filled with Disney love.
• Star Wars: Unlimited - compact, more affordable, with super art.

Why it's great

Like all great social deduction games, Coup is a delightful ballet of secrets and lies, where the cards you have are far less important than the cards you claim to have. The rules are simple, and games move quickly, but despite this simplicity, Coup is rife with tension. It isn't the cards that really make the game - it's staring your opponents in the eye and daring them to take a risk.

How to play

In each game, you're dealt two cards in secret, each showing a particular member of a backstabbing royal court in a futuristic dictatorship. Every card also has a unique, advantageous ability - or the power to block opponents from using their own abilities.

Someone else may claim to have the Assassin, who gives them the power to remove another player's card from the game. But what if their target says they have a Contessa, who blocks assassination attempts? This is the crux of Coup's risky, intoxicating bluffing game.

Any time a claim about a card is made, another player can challenge it. If they were telling the truth, the challenger loses a precious card - but if the challenger outs them as a liar, it's the first player who must discard. The winner is the last person standing with at least one card, so these are a precious resource to gamble with.

What are the cons?

As with many easy-to-learn card games, you might find Coup's replay value starts to wane over months or years of multiple plays. Plus, with so many other excellent social deduction games on the market, we sometimes feel this one is a little overpriced - despite its lovely components and solid gameplay.

If you like this, you should try…

• Ultimate One Night Werewolf - the purest and best card game version of the classic social deduction game Werewolf a.k.a. Mafia, with ultra-tight, quick gameplay and brilliantly designed roles.
• Secret Hitler - a social deduction game with a slightly more racy theme, where players conceal their political parties and try to pass laws in pre-Nazi Germany.
• Codenames - a word game where one Spymaster gives single-word clues to lead their team to the location of hidden ally spies.

Why it's great

Monikers may adapt the rules of ancient games like Celebrity and Charades, but it's one of the most unique - and consistently entertaining - party games around. As easy as it is silly, if your goal is goofy entertainment, there's no better funny card game for adults.

How to play

In Monikers, players take turns describing a series of characters, objects, or concepts to their team. Cards range from the mundane (Bob Ross, Marie Antoinette) to the seriously outlandish (Doge, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, or just 'Nobody').

In the first round, clue-givers can say anything they want, except the phrase on the card they drew. In the second round, they can only utter one word (or noise) for each character, and in the third, they can only mime.

Sounding like an impossible challenge so far? Well, it kind of is. The frustration is half the fun, but the other half comes from the fact that the same deck is used across each of the three rounds, meaning in-jokes form and your group develops a kind of - very silly - shared language.

What are the cons?

Monikers is stuffed with brilliant prompts, some of which you'd never have dreamt of introducing in a typical game of Charades. However, given that this game is based on two classic free party games, the price of these prompts may put some players off.

If you like this, you should try…

• Obama Llama 2 - an ingenious party game from Big Potato that merges Charades, Articulate, and classic riddles (and every solution is a silly rhyme). Trust us, it's great.
• Don't Get Got! - another Big Potato title where everyone receives secret missions that they must complete without getting caught. Great for playing in the background of parties and other activities.
• Anomia - A fast-paced party game where you race to make word associations based on the cards drawn.

Why it's great

Dominion is the original deck-building game, and it remains one of the best in its genre. Its addictive gameplay loop is made even more enticing by the exhilarating combos you can pull off - and the sneaky ways you can sabotage your friends. Ever varied and short enough to never outstay its welcome, Dominion is replayable even after decades.

There's plenty of strategic deliciousness to be had just from the core box, but, once you feel you've seen what it has to offer, there are no fewer than 15 Dominion expansions on offer, each packed with extra cards that add brand new game features, as well as their own distinct themes.

How to play

In this medieval-themed card game, you and your rivals will all start with identical, small decks of weak cards. You'll then take turns drawing and playing cards from a central supply to grow, improve, and refine your deck; rack up victory points; and screw over the other players.

That big, central pool of cards contains a whole circus of tricks and treats you'll need to plot a strategic course between. Some cards straight-up give you victory points; some generate 'coins' you can spend on buying new, better cards; some attack your enemies; some let you react to your enemies attacking you; and so on.

Your choices compound, and your chosen deck-building path might outpace your enemies or leave you in their dust. When enough pools of a particular card are empty, the player with the most victory points is crowned the winner.

What are the cons?

Dominion clearly shows its age, with old-fashioned art and components that hark back to the board game revolution of the 80s and 90s. Looks can be deceiving, though. If you can get past the old-timey theme of this title, you'll discover gameplay that more than holds up in the modern tabletop era.

If you like this, you should try…

• Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game - A tight, quick-playing deck builder with superb Star Wars aesthetics and energy.
• Clank! - A simpler and more accessible, but characterful and high-energy deck builder about looting a fantasy dungeon.
• Aeon's End - A co-op deck-builder where you'll work together to defend an underground city from fantasy monsters.

Why it's great

The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9 is fast-paced, tense, and immensely satisfying when your group's strategy is pulled off. For a simple trick-taking card game - and one that is mostly played in silence - this is high praise.

If it's up your alley, this space game is out of this world when it comes to value for money. Packed in its compact box you'll find 50 scenarios, allowing you to change the game up each time, and face increasingly challenging, nightmarish missions.

How to play

Another trick-taking game, but this time cooperative - in The Crew: The Quest for Planet 9, players are astronauts on a mission to the final frontier. To succeed, they'll need to ensure the right players win the right cards in order to complete individually assigned tasks.

But, uh-oh, a complication! There's a cosmic communication jam caused by space dust or angry Martians or something, which means you have to play in silence, or at least not discuss strategy. You can only describe your hand to your companions with the help of radio tokens, which indicate whether a card you've laid is the highest, lowest, or only card of its suit that you're holding.

That means you really have to pay close attention and get into a shared headspace to figure out what each other's clues mean. It's easy to go wrong, but the misunderstandings are usually funny - and you can always yell at your bumbling teammates once the game is complete.

What are the cons?

The Crew is one of the most challenging card games on this list. That's great news for someone who loves complexity but wants a compact game to take on the road. It's less great for those who prefer party games and a more chilled out evening in. Consider the intensity of games your regular group enjoys before diving into deep space.

If you like this, you should try…

• The Crew: Mission Deep Sea - the 2021 sequel to Quest for Planet Nine, tweaking and iterating on the same great mechanics, but - of course - set underwater.
• The Mind - another co-op with limited communication, where you collectively play cards in order (lowest to highest) to complete each of the game's levels.
• Shamans - a mix of trick-taking and social deduction where you'll either play into or against a suit depending on which team you belong to.

Why it's great

Summoner Wars is an unusually tactile game of turn-based strategy. Players go head to head in a battle for dominance, adding cards from their unique decks to a shared board and sliding them around in tactical maneuvers. It's an approachable yet immensely replayable strategy game, and it plays out in far less time than most strategy board games.

Where Summoner Wars really shines is its asymmetrical faction decks, from the boost-based Savannah Elves to the construct-building Polar Dwarves. Each one has its own distinctive playstyle, and with six in the Master Set alone, there are endless memorable matchups to try out.

How to play

Each player places their unique Summoner card on their side of the board, along with any structures or allies that they bring to the battle. Each turn, players draw from their personal deck, and they can move units, initiate combat, or build structures depending on their available resources.

Since cards can only move into adjacent, unoccupied spaces, you'll need to plan carefully if you want to take over your opponent's half of the board. The victor is the first to remove their opponent's Summoner from the field, so combat is a tense, chess-like affair (only with far more ways for luck to screw you over).

What are the cons?

It can take a few playthroughs to fully grasp the strategy of Summoner Wars, though that's far from a deal-breaker for most gamers. What might irk players more is the reliance on dice rolls. Sometimes, a game will turn against you because luck wasn't on your side. At that point, an hour-long game may start to chafe.

If you like this, you should try…

• Unmatched - a hero fight board game driven by custom card decks, with loads of variants to try, each featuring heroes, villains, and weirdos from pop culture, history, and myth.
• Mage Wars Arena - a heavier-duty combo of miniatures board game and card game, with multiple mage classes to try and lots of tactical variation.
• Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth - a head-to-head card drafting game where the armies of Sauron race to defeat the Fellowship and their allies.

Why it's great

Full of co-op (or single-player) adventures, it's impressive how Arkham Horror: The Card Game creates that big campaign experience using just a few decks of cards. Tweaking the decks that determine your investigators' powers, equipment, and fatal flaws is highly rewarding, and the narratives, though linear, are strongly thematic - with some good twists, turns, and touch choices.

When you tire of fiddling with the core game's decks and replaying its stories, there are plenty of adventures to be found in expansions - as well as new investigators to try out. That added replayability comes at a cost, but if this Cthulhu-themed game manages to take over your brain, you won't run out of ways to make it feel new again.

How to play

In Arkham Horror: The Card Game, you play a group of mystery-solving paranormal investigators, finding clues and then figuring out how to deal when those clues sprout tentacles and spiky teeth. Every campaign plays out over several scenarios, each of which plays out depending on your investigators' skills - and how lucky they are.

Working together, investigators must explore various locations and uncover their secrets to advance the story. Lovecraftian threats lurk around every corner, so players must balance their investigations with fending off eldritch threats. The cards in each player's hand can be used to improve their investigator's chances in skill tests and combat - but not every card you pull is a helpful one, and the luck-based chaos mechanics can always interfere with a competent investigator.

In the end, Arkham Horror is a race between the players and the game itself. Gather enough clues, and players will reach the end of the Act deck, netting them a relatively happy ending. However, if they're not fast or strong enough, the agenda deck will reach its end first and add a grim finale to that chapter of the adventure.

What are the cons?

The target audience here is lovers of storytelling over strategy, so anyone looking for complex decision-making will find Arkham Horror less appealing. It might also be off-putting to budget board gamers. The core box is perfectly playable and replayable, but you'll need to invest in expansions if you want to experience new stories, decks, and challenges.

If you like this, you should try…

• The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - another narrative-led adventuring card game by Fantasy Flight Games, trading eldritch horror for Tolkien's Middle-earth. Less deck-building but the same tactical gameplay and loads of spectacular art.
• Marvel Champions: The Card Game - a co-op deck construction game where iconic superheroes team up to stop villainous schemes.
• Elder Sign - Another Cthulhu mythos game where investigators work together to close portals and seal away monstrous eldritch nightmares.

Why it's great

There's no better lie than a shared lie, that's what they say… Or is it? Perhaps we made that up. Anyway, it's definitely true that the vermin-themed bluffing card game Cockroach Poker (a.k.a. Kakerlaken-Poker in the original German) is stupendous fun. Scout's honor! It's absurd, but it's also absurdly enjoyable.

How to play

Cockroach Poker is all about handing your friend an animal card and, with great audacity, declaring it to be something it isn't. So you might say a cockroach is a rat, for instance. They can then either make a call on whether you're lying or not, or they pass the card on to the next player.

A correct guess sends the card back to you, but getting it wrong means that player keeps the card instead. If they opt to move the card along, they look at the card first, either agreeing with your claim ("Yes, that's one whiskery rat all right") or coming up with a new one, which just like your own, could be true or false ("Actually, it's a bat!").

So, you might end up passing a card all the way down the line, until the last player is forced to untangle this web of utter twaddle and settle the matter of what the damn card truly is once and for all. At which point everyone else, who already knew the answer, collapses in a fit of giggles.

The game ends when a player has four of the same card in front of them. In the true spirit of absurdity, there are no winners - just one unfortunate loser with a heap of cards in front of them.

What are the cons?

Cockroach Poker is a game with no winners, only a loser. This means it's easy for groups to gang up on a single player - usually the player that's the worst liar. If you're not comfortable with or skilled at lying, this will be a game to pass entirely. Bluffing is the meat, potatoes, and dressing of the meal - there isn't much else to it.

If you like this, you should try…

• Skull - the other best bluffing card game, Skull is the perfect low-impact, low-effort bluff game to play over a few drinks.
• Cheating Moth - a card game from the same publisher as Cockroach Poker, where you compete to empty your hand of cards (mainly by cheating).
• Sheriff of Nottingham - a bluffing game where everyone spends a round as the sheriff, trying to sniff out contraband in the sealed bags players bring to market.

Why it's great

Ever wished Russian Roulette was a little more family-friendly? Alright, maybe Exploding Kittens is still a pretty grim mental picture - but it's still a far more family-friendly version of the age-old push-your-luck game. The brainchild of Matthew Inman, creator of webcomic The Oatmeal, this bestselling card game is a direct translation of the comic's irreverent humor; but it's still cracking fun even if the jokes aren't your cup of tea.

Exploding Kittens may seem a bit simple, but the tension as the deck of cards slowly depletes - and the chance of an exploding kitten grows - will leave you breathless. This is one of the biggest-selling board game Kickstarters ever, and the millions of people who've picked up a copy can tell you it's a worthy buy.

How to play

Play is simple. Take turns drawing cards, and the first person to draw an exploding kitten is out. The winner is the last survivor, the one person who managed to avoid encountering spontaneous feline combustion.

Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to push probability in your favor (or screw an opponent over). Other cards in the deck allow you to check what cards are coming up, force other players to draw cards, or even shuffle the deck entirely - so no one knows where the next exploding kitten will come from.

What are the cons?

Exploding Kittens isn't a game that requires much thinking. At best, you can attempt to count cards and suss out your next possible pull. Most of the time, though, you've put your fate in the hands of chaos. Many people love the free, fast-moving feeling that creates. Those who love to slowly mull over a strategic move will be less impressed.

If you like this, you should try…

• Muffin Time - a chaotic, high randomness bunfight of a card game based on the 'random-random' 2010s humor of Tom 'Tomska' Ridgewell and his famous ASDFmovie YouTube series. Great for kids, maybe tiring for adults.
• Happy Little Dinosaurs - a silly, snappy party game where you'll collect as many points as possible while avoiding treacherous disaster cards that could eliminate your dino from play.
• Herd Mentality - a party game where you aim to answer as part of the majority when responding to random, goofy prompts. Anyone who stands out gets shamed by the cows.

Why it's great

With just a handful of cards and very few rules, Air Land & Sea reliably produces nail-biting games, and it plays so quickly it's incredibly easy to fit in another game - or more. This is a World War Two game (or a cartoon-y 'Critters at War' game, if you prefer the alternate theme) that's fast-paced and exciting for players of all skill levels.

How to play

Three 'theater' cards laid out between the players represent the battles for Air, Land, and Sea. Both players start by drawing a hand of cards from a shared deck, representing your forces.

Each card has a strength score from one to six showing how much it contributes to a battle. You can only deploy each card in one type of theater - there's no way to get your Aircraft Carriers into the battle for the skies - but you can play any card face down into any theater, where it counts as strength two.

You're fighting to control two out of three battles by having the highest score there at the end of the round, a bit like Marvel Snap. And just like Marvel Snap, your cards have extra powers. They might flip over one of your face-down cards, blow something up, call in reinforcements from the deck, or let you deploy your next unit anywhere. The fact you share the deck with your opponent means you'll have some idea of what they've got in their hand, but you never know.

The best twist is in the scoring system. If you think a round's going against you, you can choose to retreat. You'll surrender some points to your opponent, but the sooner you retreat, the less your opponent gets. When should you fold? When do you need to go all in? Can you bait your opponent into the trap you've set?

What are the cons?

Air, Land & Sea does a lot with a little, and it's surprising richness can unfortunately lead new players to the land of Analysis Paralysis. An existing understanding of the game and its cards creates an immense advantage, as you can better judge what your opponent is up to and when a retreat would be most tactical. This creates a higher barrier for entry for newer players - though we'd still recommend sticking with it. Once you've got your head wrapped around the gameplay, you can fully appreciate what a brain-teaser this game can be.

If you like this, you should try…

• Lost Cities - a classic 1999 card game that sees you tactically placing different ranked and suited cards across multiple 'lanes' representing Indiana Jones-style archeological expeditions.
• Field of Glory - a light, strategic wargame where two players construct decks of units and pit them against each other in battle.
• War of the Ring: The Card Game - A fantasy strategy game with a major war theme, where teams of players put characters, items, and locations in play to turn the tide of the war for Middle-earth.

Why it's great

Jaipur is a game of risk-taking and knowing when to push your luck. It's a great two-player card game because you soon realize that following your opponent's moves is more important than planning out your own. You've got to get a read on what precious resource they're collecting, how much of it they're likely to have, and the size of their camel fleet. And then you can create a plan of action for screwing them over.

As economic card games go, Jaipur is simple but effective. It's a quick and easy card game to jump into, and incredibly moreish.

How to play

In Jaipur, players are Indian merchants, trading the finest spices, cloth, gold, and camels, all in a tug-of-war to become the wealthiest. The overall goal is to collect the most rupees in the best of three rounds. On your turn, you've got just two types of moves to consider: you can buy wares, or you can sell them.

While bonuses are awarded for selling goods in large quantities, each type of good decreases in value as the market becomes flooded. That means there's a fine balance to strike between selling early and waiting till you have more to sell.

You can also buy all the camel cards in one go, which reveals new, valuable resources your foe can snatch up, but gives you greater purchasing power, as you can trade these even-toed ungulates in later for whatever's sitting on the shelves.

What are the cons?

Like all two player games, Jaipur is limited to couples' date nights and extremely small friend groups. Luck is this game's greatest weakness as well as its strength. The randomized market of cards create plenty of interesting decision points, but on rare occasions it can slow down the pace of Jaipur immensely. Watch out for those games where there's nothing to buy but camels.

Read our Jaipur review.

If you like this, you should try…

• 7 Wonders Duel - the best two-player board game there is, condensing the wonderful card drafting, tableau-building gameplay of its big sister into a taught, 30-minute competitive delight.
• Flip 7 - an excellent push-your-luck game that's fast, simple, and addictive.
• Port Royale - A nautical-themed push your luck game where you collect as much gold as you can before the luck of the draw sinks your ship.