Best card games for 2024, tested for kids and adults

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Whether you want a screen-free way to keep the kids happy on holiday or something that will have your friends howling with laughter over drinks, the best card games can provide hours of entertainment.

Unlike board games, which require a bit of setup and space to play, card games are small enough to sling in your bag, simple enough to start playing quickly, and usually free from too many fiddly extra pieces or complicated rules.

Crucially, the best card games are the ones you want to play again straight away – whether it’s because they’re hilariously funny or ridiculously addictive. That was the main criteria we used when it came to whittling down the mammoth amount of card games available, to bring you our top ten below.

From word games to music quizzes, and from kid-friendly to adult options, keep scrolling to discover the games you’ll soon be playing on repeat.

How we tested

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We spent a month working our way through countless card games. To narrow them down, we looked for games that were entertaining enough to re-play, easy to learn, and portable enough to travel with. Games that made us laugh got extra points – although, we’ve included some straight-faced options, too. Bonus points were given to games that went down well with a range of ages, from reading-age kids to reading-glasses-age adults.

The best card games for 2024 are: