Exploding Kittens: Good vs. Evil - Game Rules

How it Works

Some cards in this game show Exploding Kittens. You play by taking turns drawing a card from the draw pile. Keep doing this until someone draws an Exploding Kitten.

The moment this happens, that player explodes and is out of the game.

All other cards give you powerful tools to prevent exploding. The game continues until only 1 player remains: the winner.

Fundamental Rule

Who Explodes, Loses. You are a loser, a pathetic heap of misery.

Who Doesn't Explode, Wins. You are destined for something greater. Well done!

All other cards reduce the probability of exploding from Exploding Kittens.

Game Setup

The Game Mat

You use the game mat (along with the God Cat and Devil Cat cards that live on it) to play the Armageddon game: 2 players engage in a battle between Good and Evil. This battle is triggered by the Armageddon card. Here's what's at stake:

• God Cat ?: The most powerful card we've ever created. With it, you can do almost anything you want.
• Devil Cat ?: This card makes a player explode immediately. They must play a Defuse card to save themselves.

Check out the battle plan on the back of these rules for more about Armageddon, the God Cat, and the Devil Cat.

Preparing the Deck

1. Place the game mat and lay out the God Cat and Devil Cat cards on their designated spots. These cards are easy to find as they have a different back design from all other cards.
2. Remove all 4 Exploding Kittens from the deck and set them aside.
3. Remove all 6 Defuse cards from the deck and give 1 to each player. Note: Depending on the number of players, some Defuse cards may remain. Shuffle 2 of these back into the draw pile and return the rest to the box. (For a 5-player game, only 1 Defuse card remains, which you shuffle into the draw pile.)
4. Shuffle the remaining deck and deal 7 cards face down to each player. Each player now has 8 cards in hand (7 cards + 1 Defuse). Look at them, but keep them secret.
5. Take 1 fewer Exploding Kitten than the number of players and shuffle them into the draw pile. Return the remaining Exploding Kittens to the box. (Example: For 4 players, shuffle in 3 Exploding Kittens; for 3 players, shuffle in 2.) This ensures players will explode – except for one.
6. Shuffle the draw pile and place it face down in the center of the table. This is the draw pile. (Leave space for a discard pile.)
7. Determine a starting player. (Possible criteria: youngest player, player who is most eager to start, player who is worst at distinguishing Good and Evil, etc.)

Quick Game Variant (Recommended for 2 or 3 Players)

Before shuffling the Exploding Kittens into the draw pile, randomly remove about one-third of the deck and place the cards in the box. (You'll be playing with approximately two-thirds of the deck, but you won't know which cards were removed.) Then, shuffle the appropriate number of Exploding Kittens into the remaining deck (as per step 5).

Your Turn

Take your 8 starting cards into your hand and decide to:

1. PLAY CARDS (Optional): Choose one of your hand cards, play it FACE UP on the discard pile, and follow its instructions. The text on the card describes what it does. After following the card's instructions, you can play more cards, as many as you wish.
2. PASS (Optional): Play no cards.
3. DRAW A CARD: You end your turn by drawing the top card from the draw pile. Hopefully, it's not an Exploding Kitten. (Unlike many games, you draw at the END of your turn.)

The game proceeds clockwise. Play or Pass, then Draw. Play or Pass, then Draw.

Card Types and Abilities

Exploding Kitten ? (4 Cards)

You must immediately show this card. If you don't have a Defuse card, you explode and are out of the game. All your remaining cards and the Exploding Kitten go to the discard pile.

Defuse ?️ (6 Cards)

When you draw an Exploding Kitten, you can play a Defuse card instead of exploding. Play it and place it on the discard pile. Secretly place the Exploding Kitten back into the draw pile anywhere you choose, without looking at the other cards or rearranging them. Your turn ends.

Tip: To prank the next player, place the Exploding Kitten on top of the draw pile. Do this under the table so no one sees where you put it back.

God Cat ? (1 Card)

Take the God Cat into your hand if you win it in an Armageddon. You can use it as any card in the game, except for a NO! card. You can play it as a Defuse, an Attack, or whatever you need! After playing it, place the God Cat next to the Devil Cat on the game mat. Do NOT place it on the discard pile.

Note: The God Cat's back is different from other cards in your hand, making it easy for opponents to steal, even if they can only steal a 'random' card. You can't use it as a NO! because if someone tries to steal it, you'd just play NO! to prevent the theft, which is boring!

Devil Cat ? (1 Card)

The Devil Cat explodes if it's in front of you at the end of an Armageddon. You must play a Defuse card to save yourself. Then, place the Devil Cat back on the game mat. (If you play a Defuse to save yourself from the Devil Cat, you cannot place a card back into the draw pile. Just place your Defuse on the discard pile. Normally, Defuse works differently, but in this case, no Exploding Kitten is defused.) Never place the Devil Cat into the draw pile; always place it back on the game mat.

Shuffle ? (2 Cards)

Shuffle the draw pile until the next player stops you. This card is especially useful if you know an Exploding Kitten is on top of the pile.

Attack ⚔️ (2x) (2 Cards)

End your turn without drawing a card, forcing the next player to take two turns in a row. Your victim takes their first turn (play or pass, then draw) and then immediately takes another. If your victim plays an Attack card (normal or Targeted) during their turns, they are not the next player in line, and the next player must take the remaining turns plus the number of attacks on the new Attack card (e.g., 4 turns, then 6, and so on).

Targeted Attack ? (2x) (2 Cards)

End your turn without drawing a card, and choose ONE SPECIFIC PLAYER who must take two turns in a row. Your victim takes their first turn (play or pass, then draw) and then immediately takes another. (For all Attack cards, normal or targeted, a Defuse card only ends ONE of your turns. You must still complete any remaining turns.)

Wish ? (4 Cards)

Force a player of your choice to give you one card. That player decides which card you receive.

Help from Hell ? (2 Cards)

Draw the bottom card of the draw pile and decide whether to take it into your hand or place it back on top of the pile. Either way, your turn ends.

Beard the Future ? (3x) (3 Cards)

Show all players the top three cards of the draw pile and place them back without changing their order. Then, continue your turn.

NO! ? (5 Cards)

Use NO! to cancel the action of any card, except for Exploding Kittens and Defuse cards. It's as if the card was negated. You can play a NO! on top of another NO! to cancel it and make it a 'YES!'. A NO! can be played at any time before an action begins, even if it's not your turn. All cards that are negated by NO! are removed and stay on the discard pile. You can even play NO! on a COMBINATION!

Cat Cards ? (4 of each type)

Individually, these cards are powerless. However, if you have 2 identical Cat cards, you can play them as a pair to steal a random card from an opponent. The rule no longer applies only to Cat cards, but to all cards with the same title (a pair of Shuffle cards, a pair of Attack cards, etc.). Ignore the card instructions when playing a combination.

• Mermaid Cat (4 Cards)
• Taco Cat (4 Cards)
• Beard Cat (4 Cards)
• Nope Cat (4 Cards)
• Tame Cat (4 Cards): Counts as any Cat card. (Any card that has no effect on its own.) Cannot be used as other card types (Shuffle, Attack, etc.).

Armageddon ? (3 Cards)

This card triggers Armageddon, played with the two cards on the game mat. You can only play this card if both the God Cat and the Devil Cat are on the game mat (i.e., no player has the God Cat in hand). After Armageddon, your turn ends. The Armageddon card can be NO!-ed, but the NO! must be played before the player who wants to trigger Armageddon takes the two cards from the game mat! If you play the Armageddon card after being attacked, only one of your turns is ended.

Playing the Armageddon Card

This is a special 2-player mode between Good and Evil.

1. Take the God Cat and the Devil Cat from the game mat.
2. Shuffle both cards and secretly look at them. Place one face down in front of you and the other face down in front of any other player. Only you know which card is where.
3. Without looking, the other player must decide if they want to keep the card in front of them or swap it with the card in front of you.
4. Once they decide, you both reveal your cards. The player with the God Cat in front of them takes that card into their hand. The player with the Devil Cat in front of them immediately explodes unless they can play a Defuse card.
5. Regardless of whether the player explodes or saves themselves, the Devil Cat is placed back on the game mat. The player with the God Cat gets to keep it in hand.
6. Your turn ends. You do not draw a card from the draw pile.

Combinations

Pairs ?

Now, ANY identical cards can be played as pairs to steal a random card from an opponent. Ignore the card instructions when playing a combination.

Drilling ?️

Like a pair, except you can ask an opponent for a specific card. If they have it, they must give it to you. If they don't, you're out of luck. Ignore card instructions when playing a combination.

End of Game

The player who does not explode and is the last one remaining wins!

Don't worry, the draw pile will never run out because all players (except one) will explode from Exploding Kittens first – explosions guaranteed!

Good to Know

Try to keep a few cards in hand early on when the probability of exploding is still low.

You can count the remaining cards in the draw pile at any time.

There is no minimum or maximum hand size. If you have no cards left in hand, don't panic. Just keep playing. On your next turn, you will draw again!