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Best games like Exploding Kittens (2026): the appeal of Exploding Kittens is simple. Short turns, cards that mess with your friends, and a jolt of tension every time someone draws. If your group has worn out the deck, or wants that same energy with a new twist, these seven games deliver it in different ways: one adds flying foam, one adds slapping, one adds pure push-your-luck. Need a rules refresher on the original first? See how to play Exploding Kittens.
Games like Exploding Kittens at a glance
All seven play in about 20 minutes or less.
- Top pick: Throw Throw Burrito — set collecting plus dodgeball with squishy burritos (about $20)
- Best push-your-luck: Flip 7 — the same draw-and-pray tension in a tiny box (about $8)
- Best for kids and adults together: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — chant, flip, slap (about $10)
- Best for sneaky players: Coup — bluffing and elimination in 15 minutes (about $17)
What we looked for
Exploding Kittens sits at the crossroads of three things: a press-your-luck draw, take-that cards that hit other players, and silly art that keeps it light. A good alternative has to nail at least two. We skipped games that need a long rules read, and we left out the other Exploding Kittens editions because those are the same game. If that is what you want, our Exploding Kittens vs Party Pack guide covers which box to buy.
1. Throw Throw Burrito: our top pick from the same creators
Players: 2 to 6 (7+) · Price: about $20 · Check Throw Throw Burrito on Amazon
Made by the Exploding Kittens team and illustrated by The Oatmeal, Throw Throw Burrito is a set-collecting game that breaks into dodgeball. Everyone passes cards at the same time trying to make three of a kind, and when a burrito card turns up, players grab the two foam burritos and throw. Get hit and you take a bruise token, which costs points.
The box includes 120 cards, 2 foam burritos and 6 bruise tokens. It is the most physical game here, so clear the drinks off the table. Rules: how to play Throw Throw Burrito.
Skip it if: you play in a tight apartment with breakables, or someone at the table hates being hit with anything.
2. Flip 7: best for the draw-and-pray feeling
Players: 3+ (8+) · Price: about $8 · Check Flip 7 on Amazon
Flip 7 takes the best moment in Exploding Kittens, that held breath before you flip a card, and builds a whole game around it. Each round you keep flipping number cards to build a score, and if you flip a number you already have, you bust and score zero. Collect seven different numbers and you earn a bonus. First to 200 wins.
Action cards like Freeze and Flip Three let you mess with opponents, so the take-that streak survives. At this price it is an easy add. Rules: how to play Flip 7.
Skip it if: your group likes long strategy. Rounds are pure nerve.
3. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: best for mixed ages
Players: 2 to 8 (7+) · Price: about $10 · Check Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza on Amazon
Players flip cards onto a pile while chanting taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza in order. When the word you say matches the card you flip, everyone slaps, and the last hand on the pile takes it. Action cards add quick physical challenges. Rounds run 10 to 15 minutes.
It keeps the chaos of Exploding Kittens but swaps the strategy for reflexes, which levels the field between kids and adults. Rules: how to play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza.
Skip it if: anyone at the table has long nails or sore wrists. The slaps get enthusiastic.
4. Coup: best for players who love betrayal
Players: 2 to 6 · Price: about $17 · Check Coup on Amazon
Coup keeps the elimination tension and adds lying. You hold two face-down character cards and on your turn you claim an action, whether or not you actually hold that character. Anyone can call your bluff. Lose both cards and you are out. Games last about 15 minutes and end with two people staring each other down.
Rules and strategy: how to play Coup.
Skip it if: you are playing with young kids. The bluffing is the whole game.
5. Bears vs Babies: best step up in strategy
Players: 2 to 5 (10+) · Price: about $14 · Check Bears vs Babies on Amazon
Another Exploding Kittens team game with The Oatmeal's art. You build monsters from heads, torsos, arms and hats, then use them to fight off armies of babies for points. It is a little longer and a little more tactical, so it suits a group that has mastered Exploding Kittens and wants something meatier with the same sense of humor.
The box has 107 cards and a cloth game board. Our Bears vs Babies rules guide walks through a first game.
Skip it if: you want something you can teach in one minute.
6. Love Letter: best tiny box
Players: 2 to 4 (10+) · Price: about $15 · Check Love Letter on Amazon
Love Letter is a deduction game with a handful of cards. You hold one card, draw one, and play one, trying to knock rivals out of the round or end with the highest card. Rounds take a few minutes and the whole game fits in a pocket.
It has the same quick-elimination rhythm that makes Exploding Kittens addictive. Rules: how to play Love Letter.
Skip it if: you need a game for five or more. This edition tops out at four.
7. Monopoly Deal: best for take-that fans
Players: 2 to 5 (8+) · Price: about $8 · Check Monopoly Deal on Amazon
Monopoly Deal turns the board game into a 15-minute card game. Collect three full property sets to win, while action cards let you charge rent, steal a property or swipe a whole set. If the best part of Exploding Kittens for you is ruining a friend's turn, this is your game.
How to play: Monopoly Deal rules.
Skip it if: someone in your group takes stealing personally.
Pick by what you love about Exploding Kittens
| You love... | Try | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The silly art and chaos | Throw Throw Burrito | about $20 |
| The tension of every draw | Flip 7 | about $8 |
| Playing with kids | Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza | about $10 |
| Knocking people out | Coup or Love Letter | about $17 / about $15 |
| Wrecking a friend's plan | Monopoly Deal | about $8 |
| Wanting a bit more depth | Bears vs Babies | about $14 |
Building a night around fast card games
Fast games work best in a run. Open with Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza while people are still arriving, since a new player can jump in mid-round. Move to Flip 7 once everyone sits down, and save Throw Throw Burrito for when the room has energy to burn. Coup makes a good closer for the last four people standing.
For more quick family-friendly picks, see our best family card games.
Questions about Exploding Kittens alternatives
What game is most like Exploding Kittens?
Throw Throw Burrito, from the same creators, matches the humor and chaos. For the draw tension alone, Flip 7 is closest.
Is there a game like Exploding Kittens for more players?
Flip 7 plays with three or more, and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza handles up to eight.
What is a good game for kids who like Exploding Kittens?
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Throw Throw Burrito are both rated 7+ and teach in minutes.
