BoardGameArchiveHow to Play Exploding Kittens: Setup, Turns, Defuse & Winning
Learn Exploding Kittens Original Edition rules: setup, drawing, Exploding Kittens, Defuse cards, action cards, combos and winning.
Exploding Kittens: Original Edition is a survival card game. On most turns, play any number of cards you want, then draw one card to end your turn.
Exploding Kittens: Original Edition is a survival card game. On most turns, play any number of cards you want, then draw one card to end your turn.
At a glance
Learn Exploding Kittens Original Edition rules: setup, drawing, Exploding Kittens, Defuse cards, action cards, combos and winning.
About this guide
Exploding Kittens: Original Edition is a survival card game. On most turns, play any number of cards you want, then draw one card to end your turn.
What this guide covers
Setup
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Your turn
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Exploding Kitten
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Defuse
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Setup
Prepare the deck according to player count so the game contains fewer Exploding Kittens than players. Players begin with a Defuse card as specified by the current rules, then draw their starting hands.
Your turn
You may play cards before drawing. You can also pass and draw immediately. Drawing normally ends your turn.
Exploding Kitten
If you draw an Exploding Kitten and cannot Defuse it, you are eliminated.
Defuse
Play a Defuse instead of dying, discard the Defuse, then secretly return the Exploding Kitten to the Draw Pile where the rules permit.
Action cards
Skip can end a turn without drawing. Attack ends your turn and gives the next player multiple turns. Shuffle changes the Draw Pile order. See the Future previews upcoming cards. Favor makes another player give you a card of their choice. Nope cancels most actions.
Winning
The last surviving player wins.
Original Edition setup by player count
For the standard 2–5-player Original Edition, take out all Exploding Kittens and Defuse cards first. Give each player one Defuse plus seven other cards for an eight-card starting hand. Return one fewer Exploding Kittens than the number of players to the shuffled draw pile. Return up to two spare Defuses to that pile, removing any remaining unused Defuses. Then shuffle it.
| Players | Exploding Kittens shuffled in | Extra Defuses in draw pile |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | 4 | 1 |
Earlier printings and Party Pack editions may use different card counts or deal sizes. Follow the rule sheet for your exact box if it differs. This example assumes the commonly sold Original Edition with four Exploding Kittens and six Defuse cards.
A full turn, step by step
- Look at your hand. You may play one or more action cards, resolving each effect, or play none.
- Choose whether to avoid drawing. Skip and Attack can end a turn without the usual draw; obey the specific card text.
- Otherwise draw one card from the top of the face-down draw pile. Your turn normally ends as you draw.
- Resolve an Exploding Kitten immediately. Reveal it. Either use Defuse or leave the game.
Example: You have a Shuffle and a Skip. You could shuffle the draw deck and then choose to draw, or play Skip to end your turn without drawing. You are not required to play a card before ending your turn with a draw.
What happens after a Defuse?
Suppose you draw an Exploding Kitten. Reveal it and discard a Defuse. You then secretly return the Exploding Kitten anywhere in the draw pile without looking through or reordering the other cards. Put it on top if you want to threaten the next player, or deeper to change when it reappears. Your turn is over after resolving Defuse.
The Defuse itself does not remove the danger from the game. Because the kitten goes back into the deck, somebody may draw the same one later. If you draw another Exploding Kitten without a Defuse, you are eliminated.
What the main action cards actually do
| Card | Practical effect in Original Edition |
|---|---|
| Skip | Finish one turn without drawing. During multiple Attack turns it ordinarily removes one owed turn. |
| Attack | End your turn without drawing and make the next player take additional turns according to the card. |
| See the Future | Privately examine the next cards in order without removing or reshuffling them. |
| Shuffle | Randomize the draw pile, useful when its next card seems dangerous. |
| Favor | Choose a player who must give you a card of their choice. |
| Nope | Cancel an eligible action; it cannot cancel a drawn Exploding Kitten or a Defuse. |
| Matching Cat cards | Use the qualifying pair combination to steal a random card from a rival. |
Card wording and special combos can differ by printing. Check the supplied rule sheet for stacking Attacks, Nope timing and the optional additional combination rules.
Attack and Skip: two-turn example
Example: Red plays an Attack and ends their turn. Blue must take the required extra turns. If Blue plays one Skip on the first owed turn, that normally cancels that one turn—not the entire Attack obligation. Blue still needs to resolve the remaining turn unless another card changes the situation.
If Blue draws an Exploding Kitten on one of the owed turns and successfully Defuses it, that does not automatically erase the other owed turns. The details can vary by edition and by whether the Attack is stacked with another Attack, so use the card’s printed instructions and original rulebook.
Common mistakes in Exploding Kittens
Do I have to play a card? No. You can draw immediately. Do I draw after Skip? No, Skip ends that turn without the normal draw. Can Nope stop an Exploding Kitten? No, not one you just drew; use Defuse. Can I look through the deck when reinserting a kitten? No. Do I win by collecting kittens? No, the last player not eliminated wins. Does everyone start with Defuse? Yes, in the standard Original Edition setup.
Official reference: Exploding Kittens Original Edition rules; Asmodee setup explanation.