How to Play Smash Up: Setup, Turns, Scoring Bases and Winning

November 14, 2026

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Smash Up is the card game where you shuffle two factions together, say Ninjas and Robots, and send their minions to smash bases for points. It plays two to four people in under an hour, and the base box from AEG has eight factions to mix and match. Here is how to play Smash Up, from building your deck to scoring bases and winning, based on the official AEG rulebook.

Get the game: Smash Up (base game)

Eight factions of 20 cards, 16 bases, 2 to 4 players. It costs about $35.

Price band: $30+ (about $35) · Check today’s price on Amazon

What is in the Smash Up base game

8 factions of 20 cards each, 160 cards in total: Aliens, Dinosaurs, Ninjas, Pirates, Robots, Tricksters, Wizards and Zombies
16 base cards
The rulebook

How to set up Smash Up

Choose factions. For a draft, pick a random first player, who chooses one faction. Choices go clockwise, then the last player picks a second faction and choices go back counterclockwise.
Each player shuffles their two 20-card factions together into a 40-card deck.
Shuffle the bases. Deal one base per player, plus one more, face up in the middle (four bases for three players).
Everyone draws five cards. If your hand has no minions, you may show it, discard it and draw five new cards once. You must keep the second hand.
The rules say whoever got up earliest this morning goes first. Play continues clockwise.

The five phases of a Smash Up turn

Start of turn. Resolve any abilities that trigger at the start of your turn.
Play cards. Play one minion, one action, or one of each, in any order. You do not have to play anything.
Check for scoring. Score any base that is ready (see below).
Draw two cards. Your hand limit is 10. If you have more after drawing, discard down to 10.
End of turn. Resolve end-of-turn effects, then play passes left.

Playing minions and actions

To play a minion, put it next to a base facing you and do what the card says. Its power counts toward that base. To play an action, show it, do what it says and discard it, unless it has an Ongoing ability that stays in play. If your deck runs out, shuffle your discard pile to make a new one.

Scoring bases in Smash Up

A base is ready to score when the total power of all minions on it, from every player, equals or beats its breakpoint number. If several bases are ready, the current player chooses the order.

Players may first use any Special abilities that happen before a base scores. Once scoring starts, it finishes even if power drops below the breakpoint.
The player with the most power gets the first, highest number of victory points. Second place gets the middle number, third place the last number.
You must have at least one minion on a base to score it.
Ties share the best position. If two players tie for first, both take first-place points, and the next player gets third place, not second.
After scoring, use any after abilities, then move every card on that base to its owner's discard pile and replace the base from the base deck.

How to win at Smash Up

At the end of any turn, if a player has 15 or more victory points, the player with the most points wins. If there is a tie for the most, keep playing turns until the tie is broken.

Smash Up tips for first games

Pick factions that play well together. Zombies love the discard pile, Pirates move minions around and Wizards draw lots of cards.
Count before you commit. Adding the minion that breaks a base can hand first place to someone else.
Spread out a little. Second and third place still score points, so a cheap minion on a nearly full base can pay off.
Read the bases. Many bases have their own abilities that change how you should play there.

Common Smash Up rules questions

Moving a minion is not the same as playing it, so its play ability does not trigger again.
You can play your free minion and action in either order.
One player cannot use two copies of the same faction.

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