What Do You Meme? is the party card game that brings internet meme culture to your living room – a hilarious judge-based game where players compete to create the funniest meme by pairing caption cards with photo cards featuring viral images, celebrities, pop culture moments, and internet legends. Since its explosive Kickstarter launch in 2016, What Do You Meme? has become one of the best-selling adult party games in North America, beloved by millennials and Gen Z Canadians who grew up with meme culture and appreciate humor that is weird, dark, absurd, and unmistakably online.
The genius of What Do You Meme? is how it captures the creative chaos of internet humor and turns it into a competitive game. Unlike traditional party games with obvious correct answers, meme humor is subjective, context-dependent, and constantly evolving. What wins one round might bomb the next. What kills with one judge falls flat with another. This unpredictability – combined with the shared language of meme culture – creates an experience that feels genuinely different from Cards Against Humanity, Apples to Apples, or any other judge-based party game.
This guide covers everything you need to know to play What Do You Meme? – the complete rules, winning strategies, expansion pack recommendations, house rules variations, and where to buy the game in Canada.
Table of Contents
What Do You Meme? at a Glance
| Category | Detail |
| Players | 3–20+ (best with 5–10) |
| Age | 17+ (mature content, adult humor) |
| Playing time | 30–90 minutes |
| Game type | Party card game – pair meme images with captions |
| Objective | Create the funniest meme combinations to win rounds |
| Deck | Photo cards (meme images) + Caption cards (text) |
| Difficulty | Very easy – can teach in 2 minutes |
| Publisher | What Do You Meme LLC |
| First released | 2016 (Kickstarter success) |
| Best for | Adult parties, groups who love internet culture and memes |
The Objective – Create the Funniest Meme
The goal of What Do You Meme? is to win the most rounds by creating the funniest meme combinations. Each round, one player acts as the Judge and flips a Photo Card (a meme image). All other players submit a Caption Card from their hand that they think pairs best with the Photo Card. The Judge reads all submissions, chooses their favorite, and awards the Photo Card to the winning player. The first player to collect a predetermined number of Photo Cards (typically 5–7) wins the game.
| ★ What Do You Meme? vs. Cards Against Humanity What Do You Meme? uses the same judge-picks-favorite mechanic as Cards Against Humanity, but with a critical difference: instead of filling in text blanks, you are pairing text captions with visual meme images. This creates a different kind of humor – more about contrast, timing, and visual-textual interplay than pure shock value. What Do You Meme? also requires familiarity with internet meme culture to fully appreciate, making it best for groups who live online. |
Setup – Dealing What Do You Meme?
- Separate the deck into two piles: Photo Cards (meme images) and Caption Cards (text).
- Shuffle both decks thoroughly.
- Deal 7 Caption Cards to each player.
- Place the Photo Card deck face-down in the centre of the table.
- Choose the first Judge (youngest player is traditional, or any method works).
That is it – you are ready to play. Setup takes less than a minute.
How to Play What Do You Meme? – Round by Round
Every round in What Do You Meme? follows the same seven-step structure. The table below shows the complete round sequence.
| Step | Action | Who Does It |
| 1 | Judge draws a Photo Card and displays it face-up for all to see | Judge only |
| 2 | All other players select one Caption Card from their hand that they think is funniest with the Photo | All players except Judge |
| 3 | Players submit their Caption Cards face-down to the Judge | All players except Judge |
| 4 | Judge shuffles submitted Caption Cards and reads them aloud one by one | Judge only |
| 5 | Judge selects their favorite Caption Card as the winner | Judge only |
| 6 | Player who submitted winning Caption Card wins the Photo Card (1 point) | Winning player |
| 7 | All players draw back to 7 Caption Cards; Judge role passes clockwise | Everyone |
The Judge’s Role
The Judge has complete authority each round. Their decision is final, and there is no debate, lobbying, or arguing after the Judge chooses. This keeps the game moving and prevents rounds from dragging. The Judge role rotates clockwise after each round, ensuring everyone gets equal opportunities to judge and play.
Winning the Game
The first player to accumulate 5 Photo Cards wins the game (or 7 for longer sessions). When someone reaches the target, the game ends immediately and that player is declared the winner.
What Do You Meme? Strategy – How to Win Consistently
While What Do You Meme? rewards creativity and humor over pure strategy, certain approaches increase your win rate. The table below covers the most effective strategies.
| Strategy | Why It Works | Example |
| Know your Judge | Different people find different things funny | Play edgy humor for edgy friends; wholesome for conservative judges |
| Go for surprise/absurdity | Unexpected combinations are funnier | Pair wholesome image with dark caption for contrast |
| Read the room | Group dynamics affect what wins | Office colleagues vs. close friends need different humor levels |
| Play to meme knowledge | Deep cuts win with meme-literate groups | Reference trending memes or classic formats the group knows |
| Timing matters | Play your best cards on judges likely to appreciate them | Save perfect cards for judges who will understand them |
| Don’t overthink it | Your first instinct is often funniest | Overanalyzing kills comedic timing |
| ★ The Importance of Meme Literacy What Do You Meme? works best when all players share a baseline of internet culture knowledge. If half your group lives on Twitter/Instagram/TikTok and the other half rarely goes online, the digitally native players will dominate because they understand meme formats, references, and what makes a meme genuinely funny versus just random. Consider mixing in expansion packs with more mainstream content (The Office, Stranger Things) if your group has mixed meme literacy levels. |
What Do You Meme? Expansion Packs
What Do You Meme? has released dozens of expansion packs that add new Photo Cards and Caption Cards to the base game. The table below covers the most popular expansions available at Canadian retailers.
| Expansion Pack | Theme/Content | Best For |
| Fresh Memes | Latest trending memes and current internet culture | Groups who stay current with meme trends |
| Nostalgia 90s Edition | 90s pop culture, childhood memories, vintage memes | Millennials and Gen X players |
| Game of Thrones | GoT-themed photos and references | Game of Thrones fans |
| Stranger Things | Stranger Things characters and moments | Stranger Things fans |
| The Office | The Office scenes and quotes | The Office superfans |
| Basic Bitch | Stereotypical millennial/Gen Z culture | Self-aware millennial groups |
| NSFW Expansion | Even more adult content than base game | Groups comfortable with explicit humor |
| Stoner Pack | Cannabis culture and stoner humor | 420-friendly groups |
For most Canadian groups, the base game plus Fresh Memes provides the best experience. If your group has a specific obsession (The Office, Game of Thrones, etc.), the themed packs are excellent additions. All expansion packs are fully compatible and can be mixed freely.
Popular House Rules
What Do You Meme? encourages players to create their own house rules. The table below covers the most popular variants used by Canadian groups.
| House Rule | How It Works | Effect on Game |
| Rando Cardrissian | Draw one random Caption Card each round from the deck | Random card often wins – hilarious chaos |
| Judge rotates every round | Judge passes clockwise after each round (official rule) | Everyone gets to be Judge; keeps game balanced |
| Never Have I Ever discard | Discard Caption Cards you don’t understand; draw replacements | Levels playing field for different meme knowledge levels |
| God Is Dead | No rules – play as many Caption Cards as you want | Maximum creative freedom; chaotic |
| First to 5 wins | Game ends when one player has 5 Photo Cards | Shorter game sessions |
| Silent judging | Judge doesn’t reveal winner until all are read | Prevents bias from knowing who submitted what |
| Haiku mode | Caption Cards must form a haiku with the Photo | Creative challenge mode |
Tips for Hosting a Great What Do You Meme? Session
Set Expectations About Content
What Do You Meme? contains adult humor, internet slang, and references to drugs, sex, and dark topics. Make sure everyone in your group is comfortable with this before starting. The game works best when everyone shares a similar sense of humor and comfort level with edgy content.
Keep Judging Fast
The best What Do You Meme? sessions move quickly. Judges should read all Caption Cards, pick their favorite, and move on – no lengthy deliberation, no explanation required. Fast judging keeps energy high and prevents rounds from dragging.
Encourage Creativity
The funniest memes are often the most unexpected. Encourage players to take risks, try weird combinations, and avoid always playing the obvious Caption Card. Bold, absurd choices often win over safe, predictable ones.
Mix Expansion Packs
If you own multiple expansion packs, shuffle them all together. The variety of Photo Cards and Caption Cards creates more interesting combinations and prevents the game from feeling stale across multiple sessions.
Play in Short Sessions
What Do You Meme? works best in 30–60 minute sessions. Playing to 5 Photo Cards creates a perfect length game – long enough to be satisfying, short enough that the humor stays fresh. Marathon sessions (2+ hours) often lead to diminishing returns as players burn through their best cards.
Where to Buy What Do You Meme? in Canada
What Do You Meme? and its expansion packs are widely available at Canadian retailers. The table below shows the most reliable sources.
| Retailer | Availability | Price (CAD) | Notes |
| Amazon Canada | Excellent (base + expansions) | $35–50 | Fast shipping with Prime |
| Indigo / Chapters | Good (base game + select packs) | $40–55 | In-store and online |
| Walmart Canada | Limited (base game mainly) | $35–45 | Check online for better selection |
| EB Games / GameStop | Good | $40–50 | Gaming-focused expansions often stocked |
| Local game stores | Varies | $40–55 | Support your LGS, get recommendations |
| Toys ‘R’ Us Canada | Limited | $40–50 | Base game usually available |
The base game typically retails for $35 to $50 CAD. Expansion packs range from $15 to $30 CAD depending on size. Buying the base game plus one or two expansion packs creates the ideal experience for most groups.
Content Warning – This Is an Adult Game
What Do You Meme? is rated 17+ and contains mature content including profanity, sexual references, drug references, dark humor, and internet slang. It is not appropriate for children, teens, or mixed-age family gatherings. If you are looking for a meme-based game suitable for younger players, consider What Do You Meme? Family Edition, which removes adult content while preserving the meme-pairing mechanic.
Summary – The Ultimate Meme Party Game
What Do You Meme? is the rare party game that successfully translates internet culture into a tabletop experience. It rewards creativity, meme literacy, and understanding your friends’ sense of humor. The gameplay is simple, the rounds are fast, and the laughs are genuine – especially when someone plays the perfect Caption Card that makes the entire table lose it.
Pick up a copy at your nearest Canadian retailer, gather 5 to 10 meme-literate friends, and start pairing captions with photos. The game that brought meme culture to game night is waiting for you.