2 PLAYER EDITION!

EXPLODING KITTENS
© EXPLODING KITTENS 2021

THE RULES
PLAYERS: 2
CONTENTS: 32 CARDS

how it works SETUP taking your turn

1
Gather all 8 of your cards into your hand

1
In the deck of cards is an To start, remove the Exploding Kitten and look at them. Do one of the following:
Exploding Kitten. You play the game by from the deck and set it aside.
putting the deck face down and taking turns
drawing cards until someone draws the PLAY
Exploding Kitten. Play a card by placing it FACE UP on
top of the Discard Pile and following
the instructions on the card.

2
Remove all of the Defuse Cards (3) from WHAT
I DO Read the text on a card to
the deck and deal 1 to each player. learn what it does.
Insert the extra Defuse Card back
After you follow the instructions on the
in the deck.
card, you can play another card. You
CRUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH

can play as many cards as you’d like.

defuse cards OR
The Defuse Card is the most powerful card in the
game. These are the only cards that can save you
Pass
Play no cards.
When that happens, that person explodes from the Exploding Kitten. If you draw the Exploding
and they are out of the game. Kitten, you can play a Defuse Card instead of dying.
Then, reinsert the Exploding Kitten back into the

2
Draw Pile anywhere you’d like in secret. End your turn by drawing a card from the
Try to get as many Defuse Cards as possible. top of the Draw Pile into your hand and
hoping it’s not an Exploding Kitten.

3
Shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards face When your turn is over, it’s the other
down to each player. Both players now player’s turn.
The remaining player wins the game. have a hand of 8 cards total (7 cards +
1 Defuse). Look at your cards but keep remember
All the other cards will give you powerful them secret. Play as many or as few cards as you’d like, then
tools to help you avoid exploding! draw a card to end your turn.

Play-or-Pass then Draw.

4
Insert the Exploding Kitten back into the
Play-or-Pass then Draw.

basically
deck.

if you explode, you lose.

and you are full of incendiary loser sadsauce.

if you don’t explode, YOU WIN.

ending the game
5
Shuffle the deck, and put it face down in Eventually, one player will explode,and the
and you are full of greatness. good job, buddy.
the middle of the table.  other player wins the game!
You won’t ever run out of cards in the Draw
and all of the other cards Pile because the Exploding Kitten will
Will Lessen Your Chances of Getting
This is your Draw Pile. always kill one player before you run out.
Exploded by the Exploding Kitten.

three more things

A good strategy is to save your cards early in
FOR EXAMPLE the game while your chance of exploding is
low.
If it was your turn to draw, you could You can always count the cards left in the
play a See the Future Card to peek see the future(3x) (Be sure to leave some space for a Discard Pile as well.) Draw Pile to figure out the odds of exploding.
3x

at the top few cards in the Draw Pile

before drawing. There is no maximum or minimum hand size.
skip If you run out of cards in your hand, there’s
If you saw an Exploding Kitten, you no special action to take. Keep playing. You’ll

6
could then play a Skip Card to end Pick a player to go first. (Some sample draw at least 1 more card on your next turn.
your turn without drawing a card criteria: most excited to go first, most
instead of exploding.
intimidating odor, shortest spleen, etc.)
stop reading! go play!
If you have questions about specific cards, flip this sheet over.
 exploding kittens field guide EXAMPLE TURN
you only need this if you have questions about specific cards
YOU SUSPECT THE TOP CARD IN THE DRAW PILE IS AN
“EXPLODING KITTEN,” SO INSTEAD OF PASSING AND THEN
EXPLODING KITTEN 1 CARD FAVOR 3 CARDS
DRAWING A CARD TO END YOUR TURN, YOU DECIDE TO PLAY A
“SEE THE FUTURE” CARD ALLOWING YOU TO PRIVATELY PEEK
AT THE TOP 3 CARDS IN THE DRAW PILE.
You must show this card immediately. Unless Force your opponent to give you 1 card from
you have a Defuse Card, you’re dead. their hand. They choose which card to give you. 3x
See the Future
deploy the special-ops
(3x)
bunnies.

WHILE VIEWING THE 3 TOP CARDS YOU

SEE THAT YOU WERE RIGHT, AND THE
TOP CARD (THE CARD YOU’RE ABOUT TO Privately view the top
three
cards of the draw pile.

DRAW) IS AN “EXPLODING KITTEN.”

DEFUSE SEE THE FUTURE (3X) 3 CARDS
See the Future ( 3x) 3x

3 CARDS 3x

If you drew an Exploding Kitten, you can play Privately view the top 3 cards from the Draw
this card instead of dying. Place your Defuse YOU DECIDE TO PLAY
Pile and put them back in the same order.
Card in the Discard Pile. Don’t show the cards to your opponent.
AN “ATTACK” CARD
TO END YOUR TURN
AND FORCE YOUR OPPONENT TO
TAKE 2 TURNS.
attack (2x)
unleash the catterwocky.
2x

Then take the Exploding Kitten, and without

SHUFFLE 2 CARDS
BUT THEN YOUR OPPONENT
reordering or viewing the other cards,
Shuffle the Draw Pile thoroughly. PLAYS A “NOPE” CARD WHICH
secretly put it back in the Draw Pile anywhere
the
Do not draw any cards. Force
next player to take two turns.

you’d like.
CANCELS YOUR “ATTACK,” SO (2x) attack
2x

This is useful when you know there’s

IT’S STILL YOUR TURN.
an Exploding Kitten coming.

YOU DON’T WANT TO DRAW

THAT TOP CARD AND EXPLODE,
SO YOU PLAY A “SHUFFLE”
Want to immediately hurt your opponent? Put CARD AND RANDOMLY SHUFFLE
the Kitten right on top of the deck. If you’d THE DRAW PILE.
like, hold the deck under the table so that
your opponent can’t see where you put it. NOPE 3 CARDS WITH THE DECK FRESHLY Shufgueflofebat farts descends fro
a pla
the sky.
m

Your turn is over after playing this card. SHUFFLED, YOU DRAW THE
Stop any action except I'm Gonna play TOP CARD TO END YOUR TURN
for an Exploding Kitten See the Future. NOPE! AND HOPE IT’S NOT
or a Defuse Card.
.
draw pile
Shuffle the

AN “EXPLODING KITTEN.”
Imagine that any card
Shuffle
M!
BA

beneath a Nope Card

2x
ATTACK (2X) 2 CARDS never existed.
A Nope can also be YUP! Dang.
played on another Nope
Do not draw any cards. Instead, your turn is
over, and your opponent must take 2 turns in
to negate it and create
a Yup, and so on.
SPECIAL COMBOS
a row. The victim of this card takes a turn as (READ THIS AFTER YOU’VE PLAYED YOUR FIRST GAME)
normal (play-or-pass then draw). Then, when A Nope can be played at any time before an
their first turn is over, it’s their turn again. action has begun, even if it’s not your turn.
Any cards that have been Noped are lost. TWO OF A KIND
If the victim of an Attack Card plays an Leave them in the Discard Pile. Playing matching pairs of Cat Cards (where
Attack Card on any of their turns, the other You can even play a Nope on a Special Combo. you get to steal a random card from the
player must take any remaining turns plus other player) no longer only applies to pairs
the number of attacks on the Attack Card just of Cat Cards. It now applies to ANY pair of
played (e.g. 4 turns, then 6, and so on). cards with the same title (a
pair of Shuffle Cards, a pair
of Skip Cards, etc). Ignore
the instructions on the cards
CAT CARDS 4 OF EACH when you play a combo.

SKIP 3 CARDS These cards are powerless on their own, but THREE OF A KIND
if you collect any 2 matching Cat Cards, you
Immediately end your turn without drawing When you play 3 matching cards (any 3
can play them as a Pair to steal a random
a card. cards with the same title), you get toI'd name
like your
card from your opponent. They can also be Defuse, please.
a card. If your opponent
used in Special Combos.
has that card, they I'd like your
Defuse, please.
must give you one. If
If you play a Skip Card as a they don’t have it, you
defense to an Attack Card, it get nothing. Ignore the
only ends 1 of the 2 turns. 2 Skip instructions on the cards
Cards would end both turns.
when you play a combo.