The Crew vs The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (2026): Which to Buy First?

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The Crew vs The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (2026): both games are cooperative trick-taking card games from Kosmos. Players work as a team to win specific tricks while communicating very little, which turns a familiar card-game mechanic into a satisfying group puzzle. The original, The Quest for Planet Nine, is set in space. Mission Deep Sea moves the story underwater and changes how goals are dealt. They are each complete games, so the question is which to buy first.

How both games play

All the cards are dealt out. The player with the highest rocket (in space) or submarine (under the sea) leads first. Players must follow the suit that was led if they can, and the highest card of the led suit wins the trick unless a trump card is played. Each mission tells the team which tricks need to be won and by whom. You cannot talk about your cards, but each player can use a communication token once to show one card and say whether it is their highest, lowest or only card of that suit.

How missions differ

Planet Nine: task tokens and order

In the original, missions hand out task cards that name a specific card a player must win in a trick. Small tokens can add conditions such as winning tasks in a certain order. Each new mission adds one more twist, so the logbook acts like a tutorial that never feels like one.

Mission Deep Sea: conditions with difficulty scores

The sequel replaces most single-card tasks with task cards that describe conditions, such as winning no tricks with a certain suit or winning exactly a set number of tricks. Each task card has a difficulty number for each player count, and the mission sets a total difficulty. That makes missions far more varied, and it rewards players who already understand the basics.

Planet Nine and Deep Sea compared

A first Crew mission, step by step

Here is how an early mission feels at the table. Cards are dealt, and the commander reveals one task card for each player to claim in turn. Your job might be to win the trick that contains the pink 3, while a teammate needs the blue 8. Nobody can say what they hold, so you watch which suits each person plays and slowly build a picture of every hand. Halfway through, a teammate uses their communication token to show the yellow 9 as their highest yellow. Now you know you can lead yellow without stealing their trick. When every task is complete, the team moves on to the next mission. If the wrong player wins a trick that holds a task card, the mission fails and you try it again.

Mission Deep Sea plays the same way, but a task might instead say that one player must win no tricks containing a 9, or that the captain must win the first and the last trick. Those open-ended goals make players think about the whole hand rather than one card.

Which Crew box fits your group

• Buy Planet Nine if you are new to trick-taking games or want the cleanest teach for a family table.
• Buy Mission Deep Sea if you finished the original, play Spades or Bridge often, or want missions that feel more like logic puzzles.
• Buy both if your group plays weekly. Together they cost less than many single board games.

Getting good at The Crew

• Save your communication token. Showing a card at the right moment is often the key to a mission.
• Lead suits your teammates are void in. It lets them discard safely.
• Count the trumps. Knowing how many trump cards are gone avoids surprises.
• More team card games: see our best cooperative card games and trick-taking card games guides.

The Crew questions

Do you need the first Crew game to play Mission Deep Sea?

No. The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is a complete standalone game.

Which Crew game is easier?

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is easier to learn and builds difficulty slowly.

Can The Crew be played with two players?

Both include a two-player variant, though they shine with three to five.