Best Card Games For Families: 20 You Can Play With One Deck
A pack of cards is the cheapest entertainment there is, and it fits in a coat pocket. Most families know three games and could easily know ten.
Below: what to play with an ordinary deck, the boxed card games worth buying, and which ages they suit.
Cards for the people you play with
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
With a standard deck of cards
- Rummy and gin rummy - the best all-round family card game there is.
- Cheat, for the children who enjoy lying.
- Racing Demon (Nerts) - noisy, fast, brilliant with four or more.
- Newmarket, a Christmas tradition in a lot of British houses.
- Sevens, Pontoon, Whist, Knockout Whist and Chase the Ace.
- Cribbage, if someone will teach the scoring.
For younger children
- Snap, Go Fish, Old Maid and Beggar My Neighbour.
- Pairs with a deck face down. Children beat adults at this regularly.
Boxed card games worth buying
- Uno - the one everyone owns, and the one everyone argues about.
- Dobble - the fastest to teach on this list.
- Sushi Go, Love Letter and The Crew.
- Exploding Kittens for older children, Skip-Bo and Phase 10 for long afternoons.
For a big family gathering
- Racing Demon with two decks and everyone standing up.
- Newmarket with matchsticks or coppers.
- Cheat, played across three generations, is undefeated.
How to write it so it lands
- Write the house rules down at Christmas. It saves the same argument next year.
- Keep a spare deck in the car and one in the kitchen drawer.
- Matchsticks or coppers make any card game better and nobody loses real money.
Where to shop next
- Board games hub
- Best family board games: curated picks
- Board games for adults
- Board games for kids
- Board games for two players
- Board games for toddlers
- Board games for teenagers
- Christmas board games
- Boxing Day games
- Classic vs modern board games
- Quickest board games to learn
- Board games under £20
- Board games for big groups
- Monopoly rules explained
- Uno rules explained
- Articulate rules explained
- Cluedo rules explained
- Games for older relatives
- Kids' party games by age
- Charades word lists
- Free feel good tools
- Shop all cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Birthday cards for kids
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the best card game for families?
Rummy with a standard deck - easy to teach, works from about seven upwards, and scales from two players to five. Dobble is the quickest to learn if there are younger children.
What card games can you play with a normal deck of cards?
Rummy, cheat, Racing Demon, Newmarket, sevens, pontoon, whist, cribbage and pairs, among dozens of others. One deck covers an entire Christmas.
Do you sell board games?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, so these picks are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. The cards on this page are ours.