Family Card Games
Whether you're in a small family of three or part of a huge family, playing family card games is an awesome way to have bonding time. Bring fun card games for a quiet night at home or family gatherings with all your aunts, uncles, and cousins during special holidays!
✍️ December 16, 2022
- 🎴 Best Overall: Uno Flip
- 🐑 Best Icebreaker: Herd Mentality
- 🌮 Best Creative: Taco vs Burrito
- 🧒 Best Classic: Kids Against Maturity
- 🧝 Best Immersive: Gnoming A Round
- 👉 How we picked and tested
Sometimes, nothing brings a family together, like getting out the cards for a game night. This cheap and no-nonsense activity brings back memories and creates new ones, and it’s a perfect way to bond with your loved ones. For any family looking for a fun night of card games, our top recommendation is Uno Flip for its easy-to-learn rules and fast-paced, competitive play.
Whether you’re looking for a classic card game or something newer and more exciting, we’ve compiled our favorite five family-friendly card games to bring hours of entertainment to your home. If you want to know more about how we curated this list, read the process behind our selections here.
1. Best Overall: Uno Flip
- Player count: 2-10 players
- Duration: 30 minutes average playing time
- Ages: 7+
This beloved classic with a modern twist tops our list for its accessibility and family-friendly rules. Uno Flip is an excellent game for children and adults alike as it combines the classic rules of Uno with a new double-sided deck.
Why we love it
Our favorite thing about this game is that it is easy to learn yet still offers the same level of fun and competition as traditional Uno. Its simple rules make it easy for new players to join in on the fun quickly, and the double-sided deck creates quite a few surprises for experienced players.
This game has an excellent level of player interaction, so it’s perfect for a family gathering with multiple players. If you want to take time off your devices, this is a great game to play together.
Uno Flip is also a great way to teach strategic thinking and decision-making to kids because the game requires players to think several moves ahead to win. In addition, this game is durable and stands up to repeated use and grimy hands!
However, this game only comes with a cardboard box to store the cards, which wears out after a while. We suggest investing in a tin or plastic box to keep your deck for longevity.
Uno Flip is our top family card game pick for its uncomplicated rules and easy-to-learn gameplay. It’s a great option for any family looking to have a fun and interactive game night. So gather your family ‘round the table and get ready for some Uno Flip!
How to play
In Uno Flip, there are two sides to every card — a dark and a light side. The game’s object is to get rid of all your cards first. To start, shuffle the deck and deal seven cards to each player. All players begin with their light side up.
As usual, players then take turns playing a card from their hand by either matching the color or number of the card on top of the discard pile. They draw one from the deck if they cannot play a card.
Once a Flip card is drawn or played, all players turn their hand to the dark side. The rules are still the same; however, now everyone has to match either the color or number of the dark part of the card. The first player to discard all their cards wins the game.
2. Best Icebreaker: Herd Mentality
- Player count: 4-20 players
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Ages: 10+
Where being a sheep has never been so fun — Herd Mentality is a relatively new card game but one that’s sure to liven up any family game night. This simple but addictive game requires players to follow the herd (or flip) to win.
Why we love it
We love how fun and straightforward this game is! It’s perfect for a family with members of all ages, as the rules are easy to learn, and there is no need for strategy or any math skills. It encourages players to talk and socialize rather than follow the game’s rules.
There is also an immense level of flexibility regarding the rules of this game. If you do not like some questions, you’re able to easily add your own personal spin. For example, “What would you do if you had a million dollars?”
A possible downside to this game is that its inner components are flimsy and wear out easily, so handling them with care is key. But other than that, we still think Herd Mentality is a fun and lighthearted card game that will surely bring laughs and smiles to your family game night.
How to play
Before starting the game, build the 3-D cow paddock in the center of the playing area. This is where players will collect their cows from. Then, put the pink cow on top of all the tokens.
Then, select a player to be the Question Wrangler. Their duty will be to read questions out loud for everyone during the game.
Playing the game: The Question Wrangler will start the game by reading a question aloud on the card. Every player will then write down their answer on their sheets. The point is to have the same answer as everyone else — so try to think like the group!
This game is played over a series of rounds. Each round will consist of a player’s and a villain’s phases. In the players’ phase, each player will turn clockwise to try to defeat the final villain stage. After each player has taken their turn, the villain either attacks the player or further advances the scheme.
After everyone has answered, have each player read their answer aloud to the group. If the majority of the players’ answers match, all of those players earn one cow. In the event of a tie, none of the players earn cows. The player with a different answer than everyone else gets to keep the pink cow as punishment for not going along with everyone else’s words.
If you have a pink cow, you cannot win the game but still get cows. The only way to lose the pink cow is if another player becomes the odd man out. If that happens, you pass the pink cow to them. The first player who collects eight cows wins the game!
3. Best Creative: Taco vs Burrito
- Player count: 2-4 players
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Ages: 7+
Taco vs Burrito is an entertaining card game that encourages you to think of the wildest combinations! A battle of creativeness and originality, this game is perfect for a family that likes to challenge each other.
Why we love it
What makes this game so much fun is how it combines creativity and fun. Players think creatively and come up with the craziest combinations of taco and burrito ingredients. The hilarious artwork on the cards also helps make the game even more entertaining and adds a unique touch.
In addition, this game is perfect for all types of gamers because it’s lighthearted and easy to learn. There are no complicated rules, and there’s enough chance and luck that anyone can win, but strategy and creativity are still key.
Our only gripe about Taco vs Burrito is that it gets repetitive after a few rounds, as there need to be more food cards to keep the game interesting. Regardless, it’s still a great game to get everyone’s gears turning and having fun.
How to play
First, each player picks if they want to be either a taco or a burrito. This doesn’t affect how you play and adds more flavor to the game. Then, shuffle the deck and deal everyone five cards.
Place the rest of the deck in the center and make sure no player has the Health Inspector card yet. The youngest player starts the game, and play goes clockwise.
During a player’s turn, they draw a card from the deck and either play it or discard it. Once the deck runs out, don’t reshuffle it.
On your turn: You draw a card and either place a card in any taco or burrito or play an action card. Ingredients, tummy ache, and hot sauce boss cards are placed in any taco or burrito.
If you have to play an action card, follow the instructions. For example, when you draw the Health Inspector card, your meal is immediately discarded, and you lose your turn.
The game ends once a player plays their last card. Tally up the points, and whoever has the most points wins!
4. Best Classic: Kids Against Maturity
- Player count: 4-10 players
- Duration: 30 to 90 minutes
- Ages: 10+
A kid-friendly take on the classic game of Cards Against Humanity, Kids Against Maturity is a great way to introduce young ones to the game night scene. The main objective is still the same — be creative and clever with your answers, but this version is much tamer and family-oriented.
Why we love it
The main attraction of this game is the laughs it brings. We love that despite being kid-friendly, the game still gives adults a chance to be witty and have a blast. It combines the humor children love while suggesting innuendos that adults appreciate.
This game is an excellent way to introduce children to card gaming, as the rules are easy to learn, and it doesn’t take too long to complete a round. And since it’s not overly competitive, Kids Against Maturity is also an excellent game for families who want to foster friendly competition.
The only issue we had with this game is that it uses way too many American words that won’t make sense to someone outside the US. Of course, you’re allowed to adjust the game and take these cards out if necessary. But all in all, Kids Against Maturity is a fantastic card game that will make game night a blast!
How to play
Setting up Kids Against Maturity is easy. Start the game with a stack of Question cards and a stack of Answer cards. All players draw ten Answer cards each.
The person with the hairiest knuckles begins by reading the questions out loud. After the Question card on top of the deck is read, all other players lay their funniest Answer card face down.
The reader picks the best one, and whoever played it gets the Question card. Playing clockwise, the next player reads out their Question card, and the game continues until all the cards in the deck are gone. The player with the most Question cards wins!
5. Best Immersive: Gnoming A Round
- Player count: 2-7 players
- Duration: 15 to 30 minutes
- Ages: 7+
Ever thought about playing mini-golf with cards? Gnoming A Round lets you do just that! This quirky card game is all about creating patterns and patterns that will result in the lowest score.
Why we love it
The best thing about Gnoming A Round is how fun and quick it is to play. You complete the game within under half an hour because the rounds are not too long, and the setup is relatively simple. It’s a great game for families with little spare time but still want to get in on the fun!
This game has endless replay value as advanced rules create new challenges as you get familiar with the game. The attention to detail and superb artwork also makes the game more immersive, allowing you to have a blast as you try to create the best patterns and get the lowest score.
Gnoming A Round is also a fantastic way to practice maths since each player needs to calculate their score. This makes the game great for children who need a little help with basic math skills.
The biggest drawback of this game is that while it’s portable, the box that it comes in is flimsy. It’s easily ruined if it’s carried around too much, so we suggest you purchase a sturdier box for storage.
How to play
You play Gnoming Around in three rounds. You’ll be collecting and sorting cards into a 3x3 grid over the course of three rounds, and your objective is to drive your score as low as possible. To do this, you need to either place Negative value cards in your grid or create rows or columns of 3 identical Positive value cards.
To set up, deal each player nine cards, which they lay face-down in a 3x3 grid. Players then flip over any two of their 9 cards. Put the rest of the deck within easy reach of all players and flip over two cards to create two different discard piles.
On your turn, you do the following actions in order:
- Draw a card from the top of the discard pile or from the top of the deck.
- Play a card into your grid.
- Place either the card you drew or replaced on top of one of the two discard piles.
Like in real mini golf, you sometimes take a swing, and your ball bounces off obstacles. In Gnoming A Round, if you choose to replace a face-down card and the revealed card matches the replaced card (or at least one other revealed card), then you select another card from your grid instead of discarding it.
The round ends when one player reveals their last face-down card. Then, each other player gets to take one turn before scoring points. After that, players set up for the next round. The player with the lowest score at the end of the game is the winner!
How we picked and tested
PsyCat Games is built by people who know how to have fun! We’ve been researching parties and games since 2018 and have published 400+ articles on our website. That’s why we’re confident that we know what we’re talking about!
We want you to have the best time possible and not waste your money on a subpar product. That’s why we spend over three months testing 20 games with groups of kids, teens, and adults. We’ve ranked the games by the fun factor, player experience, and replayability!
Our ranking is subjective, but we’ve tried our best to be as impartial as possible. However, if you stumble upon a family card game that you think deserves a spot on our list, please reach out to us! We would love to hear from you.
PsyCat Games is supported by readers clicking on our affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, we might earn a commission if you buy something through our links.
FAQ about Family Card Games
1. What are some fun family card games?
There are many fun family card games that are perfect for game night! Some great choices include Uno Flip, Gnoming Around, and Kids Against Maturity.
Uno Flip is an exciting twist on the classic game of Uno, Gnoming Around allows players to create mini golf courses with cards, and Kids Against Maturity is a hilarious game sure to keep the family laughing. For more options, check our article on the 5 Best Family Card Games for a great game night.
2. What is a good family game night?
A great family game night is fun and engaging for everyone involved. Beforehand, make sure to have a few different game options so that everyone can find something they enjoy.
Setting aside time for everyone to relax and catch up is also essential. A game night is a great opportunity for family members to reconnect and create memories together.
Finally, try to keep it light-hearted and don’t take the games too seriously. After all, the most important thing is just to have a good time!
