Games Like Exploding Kittens: Push Your Luck Card Games, How It Plays, and Every Way to Play Exploding Kittens Online
By The Rondovo team · Published · Updated · 10 min read
The best games like Exploding Kittens are quick, mean card games where every draw could be your last: Flip 7, Love Letter, Coup, Skull, No Thanks!, Cockroach Poker and our own Nine Lives. To play Exploding Kittens online, the official options are Exploding Kittens 2 on Steam and mobile, the original mobile app, a Netflix edition, a VR version and a browser version on Board Game Arena.
Below: how Exploding Kittens actually plays, every official digital version we could verify, the push your luck games that scratch the same itch, and when each one fits your group.
In short
- Exploding Kittens: 2 to 5 players, 56 cards, about 15 minutes, ages 7 and up, $19.99 as of October 2026.
- Play it online: Board Game Arena in a browser, Exploding Kittens 2 ($12.49 on Steam as of October 2026, also on iOS and Android), the original app, Netflix and VR.
- Closest in feel: Flip 7 and Love Letter. Closest in chaos: Cockroach Poker and Coup.
- No download, up to 10 players: Nine Lives, our draw-until-it-explodes card game in a browser.
What is Exploding Kittens?
Exploding Kittens is a card game by Elan Lee and Matthew Inman (the cartoonist behind The Oatmeal), launched in 2015 after one of the biggest Kickstarter campaigns of its time. The official site describes it as for 2 to 5 players, ages 7 and up, about 15 minutes, with 56 cards in the box. The original edition costs $19.99 as of October 2026 on explodingkittens.com.
It is a game of Russian roulette with cards. Somewhere in the deck are Exploding Kittens. Draw one without a way to defuse it and you are out. Everything else in the deck exists to help you avoid drawing, or to make someone else draw instead.
How Exploding Kittens plays
The setup
Each player gets a hand of cards plus one Defuse card. Then you shuffle Exploding Kittens into the draw pile, one fewer than the number of players, so exactly one player survives. A five-player game has four kittens in the deck.
A turn
On your turn you may play as many cards as you like, or none. Then you draw one card, which ends your turn. That draw is the scary part. Most of the game is about avoiding it.
The cards
The original 56-card deck contains:
| Card | How many | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Exploding Kitten | 4 | Draw it without a Defuse and you are out |
| Defuse | 6 | Saves you; you put the kitten back into the deck anywhere you like, in secret |
| Attack | 4 | End your turn without drawing; the next player takes two turns |
| Skip | 4 | End your turn without drawing |
| Favor | 4 | Another player gives you a card of their choice |
| Shuffle | 4 | Shuffle the draw pile |
| See the Future | 5 | Look at the top three cards, privately |
| Nope | 5 | Stop any action except a kitten or a Defuse; a Nope can be Noped |
| Cat cards | 20 | Do nothing alone; pairs let you steal a random card from someone |
That table explains the whole game. Defuse is life. Skip and Attack dodge the draw. See the Future tells you whether you need to dodge. Nope is the argument.
The best moment in the game
When you defuse a kitten, you put it back wherever you want, face down, while everyone watches you do it. Top of the deck, so the next player is doomed? Third from the top, hoping someone uses See the Future and panics? That one secret placement is why people keep playing.
What experienced players do differently
- Count the kittens. You always know how many are left. As the deck shrinks, the odds of drawing one rise fast. With two kittens in a ten-card deck, a blind draw is a one in five shot.
- Spend Skips late. Early in the game a draw is safe. Late, every Skip and Attack is worth a life.
- Hold a Nope for the steal. Losing your only Defuse to a Favor or a cat pair is the most common way to die.
- Watch the player who just defused. They know where the kitten is. If they suddenly play Attack, you know where it is too.
How to play Exploding Kittens online
As of October 2026, the official site lists these digital versions:
| Version | Where | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploding Kittens on Board Game Arena | Any browser, plus BGA's mobile apps | Free to join; some BGA games need a Premium member to open a table, so check the game page | Play with friends or strangers, no install |
| Exploding Kittens 2 | Steam, iOS, Android | $12.49 on Steam | Released August 2024 by Marmalade Game Studio; online play with friends; in-game purchases |
| Exploding Kittens (original app) | iOS, Android | Check your store | Online with friends or strangers, against AI, or pass and play on one device |
| Exploding Kittens (Netflix edition) | iPhone and iPad | Included with Netflix | Netflix members only |
| Exploding Kittens VR | Meta Quest headsets | Check the Quest store | Up to five players online, or solo against bots |
Which official version to choose
- Everyone on different devices, nobody wants to buy anything: Board Game Arena. It runs in a browser, so laptop and tablet players can join the same table. Everyone needs a BGA account.
- A group of PC players: Exploding Kittens 2 on Steam, which adds expansions you can buy.
- One iPhone household with Netflix: the Netflix edition costs nothing extra.
Playing the physical game over video
You cannot. Exploding Kittens is a hidden information game with a secret deck, and the defuse placement needs to happen out of sight. Use a digital version instead.
Games like Exploding Kittens
We grouped these by what you like about Exploding Kittens. All of them play in under 30 minutes.
If you like the "will this draw kill me" feeling
Flip 7. A push your luck card game where you flip cards one at a time and stop before you get a duplicate number, which busts you for the round. It is the purest version of the feeling: no attacks, just you and the deck. Board Game Arena hosts it.
Can't Stop. A dice game rather than a card game, but the same question every turn: one more roll, or bank what you have? Also on Board Game Arena.
Incan Gold. Explorers go deeper into a temple, sharing treasure, until a second hazard of the same kind sends everyone still inside home empty handed. Brilliant with a big group, and on Board Game Arena.
If you like getting someone knocked out
Love Letter. A tiny deck of cards; you hold one, draw one, play one, and try to knock the others out of the round by guessing their card. Faster than Exploding Kittens and more about deduction. On Board Game Arena.
Coup. Everyone has two hidden roles and claims abilities they may not have. Call a bluff and get it wrong, and you lose a life. If the Nope arguments were your favourite part, this is your game.
If you like the bluffing and table talk
Skull. Each player hides flowers and a skull in a stack of discs, then players bid on how many flowers they can flip without hitting a skull. Five minutes to teach, endless lies. On Board Game Arena.
Cockroach Poker. You pass a face-down card to someone and tell them what animal it is, truthfully or not. They call it or pass it on. Collect four of one animal and you lose. Pure bluffing, no luck of the draw.
If you like the silly art and chaos
Unstable Unicorns. Build a stable of unicorns while wrecking everyone else's. Longer and more cutthroat than Exploding Kittens, with similar humour.
Throw Throw Burrito. From the makers of Exploding Kittens. A card game where you also throw squishy burritos at each other. Only works in the same room.
Exploding Kittens: The Board Game. The publisher's own board version for 2 to 6 players, if your group wants the same idea with a board.
If you like "No" being a card
No Thanks! Each turn you either take the card on offer, which costs points, or pay a chip to say no thanks and pass it on. Simple and agonising, and it shines with a full table. On Board Game Arena.
Nine Lives: our take on the draw-until-it-explodes game
Nine Lives is our own version of the explode-or-survive card game. It is not Exploding Kittens and it has its own cards and names, but the rules will feel familiar.
The cards, and the idea they echo:
| Nine Lives card | What it does |
|---|---|
| Kaboom | Draw it and you are out, unless you have a Spare Life |
| Spare Life | Survive a Kaboom and slip it back into the deck anywhere you like, in secret |
| Pounce | End your turn without drawing; the next player takes two turns |
| Nap | End your turn without drawing |
| Beg | A player gives you a card of their choice |
| Scramble | Shuffle the deck |
| Sneak Peek | See the top three cards |
| Hiss! | Cancel the card just played; a Hiss! can be hissed back |
| Tabby, Siamese, Ginger, Tuxedo, Calico | Two matching cats take a random card from a player; three let you name the card you want |
Where it differs:
- 2 to 10 players. The deck grows with the table: for six or more, the counts of each card double. The physical base game stops at five.
- The Hiss! window is timed. After any card is played, everyone has a few seconds to Hiss! it (4 by default, the host can set 3 to 8). No more arguing about whether the Nope came in time.
- Pounce stacks. Pounce a Pounce and the next player owes the remaining turns plus two.
- No five-different-cats rule. Pairs and three of a kind only.
- Starting hands shrink for big tables: seven cards plus a Spare Life for up to five players, five plus a Spare Life for six or more. The host can change it.
- The secret placement is actually secret. Your Spare Life choice happens on your own screen, so nobody sees where the Kaboom went.
A game takes about 15 minutes. One person hosts a room and shares a four letter code, and everyone joins in a browser on their own screen with nothing to download and no account. A TV is optional; on a video call, everyone picks "Just this screen" and sees the deck and their own hand together. If you do have a TV, open rondovo.com/tv in its browser and it shows the deck, the discards and the moment someone goes Kaboom, which is the best bit at a party.
Which game to play when
| Situation | Play |
|---|---|
| You want Exploding Kittens itself, free, in a browser | Exploding Kittens on Board Game Arena |
| Group of 6 to 10, no installs | Nine Lives |
| Two players | Love Letter, or Nine Lives with two |
| Big group, same room | Incan Gold or Skull |
| You want something calmer afterwards | Showdown!, our match-the-colour game, or the UNO guide |
| You want a longer card game with more planning | Summit, or read about Phase 10 |
Questions people ask
Can you play Exploding Kittens online with friends for free?
Yes, in most cases. Board Game Arena hosts an official browser version; joining BGA is free, and you can set up a table with friends (check the game page in case a Premium member is needed to open it). Exploding Kittens 2 and the original app cost money or include purchases.
How many people can play Exploding Kittens?
The original edition is for 2 to 5 players. For bigger groups, the publisher has sold larger party editions, and digital versions like Nine Lives scale the deck for up to 10.
How long does a game of Exploding Kittens take?
About 15 minutes, according to the publisher. Two-player games are often quicker.
Is Exploding Kittens good with two players?
It works, but it becomes more about counting cards than reading people. Love Letter and Flip 7 are both strong alternatives for two.
What happens when you draw an Exploding Kitten?
You are out, unless you play a Defuse. Then you put the kitten back anywhere in the deck, face down and in secret, and your turn ends.
How many Exploding Kittens go in the deck?
One fewer than the number of players. That guarantees one survivor.
Is Exploding Kittens suitable for kids?
The original edition says ages 7 and up. There is also a separate adult edition, so check the box before buying for children.
What is the difference between Exploding Kittens and Exploding Kittens 2?
Exploding Kittens 2 is the newer digital game by Marmalade Game Studio, released on Steam in August 2024 and also on mobile, with new modes and expansions. It is not a different card game in a box.
Exploding Kittens, Exploding Kittens 2, Exploding Kittens: The Board Game, The Oatmeal, Throw Throw Burrito, Board Game Arena, Steam, Netflix, Meta Quest, Flip 7, Can't Stop, Incan Gold, Love Letter, Coup, Skull, Cockroach Poker, Unstable Unicorns and No Thanks! are trademarks of their owners. Rondovo is not affiliated with them.