Exploding Kittens

Printable one-page rules cheat sheet · If you explode, you lose. Last player alive wins.
2–5Players
15Minutes
56Cards
7+Ages

Setup

  1. Take out all 4 Exploding Kittens and all 6 Defuse cards.
  2. Shuffle the rest and deal 7 cards to each player.
  3. Give everyone 1 Defuse — 8 cards each. Keep hands secret.
  4. Return at most 2 spare Defuses to the deck; remove the rest.
  5. Add Kittens = players − 1. Shuffle. Place face-down. Pick who starts.
12 players
23 players
34 players
45 players

Your turn

1 · PlayAny cards you like, or none. Effects happen immediately.
2 · DrawTake 1 card. Your turn ends. Play passes left.
Drew a Kitten? Show it at once. Have a Defuse → discard it and secretly slide the Kitten back anywhere in the deck. No Defuse → discard your hand; you're out.

No hand-size limit · Deck never runs out · Discard pile is public · Counting the deck is allowed

The cards

Exploding Kitten4

Draw it → you're out unless you Defuse. Can't be Noped.

Defuse6

Survive a Kitten; hide it back in the deck. Can't be Noped.

Nope5 · any time

Cancel any action or combo, even off-turn. Nope a Nope = Yup.

Attack4 · ends turn

Skip your draw; next player takes 2 turns. Attacks stack to 4.

Skip4 · ends turn

End turn without drawing. Ends only 1 of 2 owed turns.

See the Future5

Privately peek at top 3 cards; return them in order.

Shuffle4

Randomly shuffle the draw pile. Still your turn.

Favor4

Pick a player; they give you 1 card of their choice.

Cat Cards20 · 5 kinds × 4

No power alone. Play them as matching pairs or triples in a combo (below).

Special combos

2 of a kind — steal a random card from any player.
3 of a kind — name a card; if they have it, they must hand it over.
5 different — take any card from the discard pile.

Combos use any cards with the same name. Ignore their normal actions. Nope works on combos.

Quick tips

  • Save cards early. The deck is safest at the start.
  • Peek, then act. See the Future before you Skip, Attack or Shuffle.
  • Someone Defused? A Kitten just went back in — be careful.
  • Defusing? Put the Kitten on top to hit the next player.
  • Hold Nopes for a combo aimed at your Defuse.