How to Play Love Letter: Draw One, Play One & Character Powers
Love Letter is a compact deduction game built around a simple turn: draw one card, then play one of the two cards in your hand. The card you play resolves immediately, revealing information, protecting you, forcing a discard or eliminating an opponent.
Current-edition guide. This covers Z-Man Games’ current 2–6 player edition with the expanded 21-card character deck.
Deal one card to each player
Shuffle the Character deck, remove the setup cards required by the player count, then deal one facedown card to every player. The remaining deck becomes the draw pile.
On your turn, draw one card
Add the top card of the deck to your hand. You now have two Character cards and must choose one to play face up.
Play one card and resolve its effect
Character effects include guessing another player’s hand, secretly looking at a card, comparing values, granting temporary protection, forcing discards, exchanging hands and manipulating the draw pile. Resolve the played card before the next player acts.
Some card combinations create mandatory-play restrictions. When a card says it must be played if held with certain higher-value cards, that rule overrides your normal freedom to choose either card.
Eliminated players sit out the rest of the round
If a character effect eliminates you, reveal/discard your hand as instructed and take no more turns that round. The remaining players continue until one player remains or the draw pile is exhausted.
Round end: survive alone or hold the strongest eligible card
If only one player remains, that player wins the round immediately. If the deck runs out with several players still active, compare the values of their remaining Character cards. The highest eligible value wins, with the rulebook’s tiebreak used if needed.
Round winners collect favor tokens
The round winner takes a favor token. Start a fresh round with a reshuffled deck. The number of favor tokens needed to win the match depends on player count and is listed in the current rules.
Continue learning
Source: Z-Man Games: Love Letter. Checked September 20, 2026.