Card Games
How to play Exploding Kittens
Use action cards to avoid drawing an Exploding Kitten and be the last player still in.
What you need
Exploding Kittens Original Edition deck
Set up the game
- Remove the Exploding Kittens and Defuse cards, deal a Defuse to each player and deal the initial hands as the Original Edition instructions specify. Return the correct number of Exploding Kittens for the player count.
- This is the Original Edition without expansions; expansion cards alter setup and effects.
Playing Exploding Kittens
- On your turn play any number of action cards, or none, resolving each card in order.
- End your turn by drawing from the deck unless a card such as Skip or Attack changes that obligation.
- If you draw an Exploding Kitten, play a Defuse to survive and secretly reinsert the Kitten anywhere in the deck; without Defuse, you are out.
- Continue until one player remains. There is no accumulated point score in this standard game.
A known dangerous top card
You use See the Future and see an Exploding Kitten on top. If you have a Skip, end your turn without drawing; the next player faces that top card unless another effect changes the deck. If you draw and lack Defuse, you are eliminated.
Drawing is the dangerous end of a turn
A player can play zero or several action cards before the required draw. Skip and Attack modify whose turn or draws are pending, so resolve their text before reaching for the deck. The last surviving player wins; a cat-card combo is a tool, not a point score.
Beginner decisions
- Notice whether a See the Future or Shuffle effect changed the deck since your last peek.
Common rule mix-ups
- Drawing after a Skip when that card ended the required turn.
- Assuming Attack always means one extra draw; follow the current turn count and card text.
Questions about this game
Can I play several cards?
Yes, unless the specific card or turn effect says otherwise.
Do I keep a Defuse after using it?
No; resolve and discard it according to the instructions.
Sources and edition notes
Exploding Kittens Original Edition, without Imploding Kittens or other expansions.
Sources and stated format checked October 13, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
Report a rule or edition correction →