There is something uniquely Canadian about gathering around a table with good friends, a drink in hand, and a deck of cards at the centre of the action. Whether it is a cottage weekend in Muskoka, a Friday night in a Vancouver apartment, or a holiday gathering in a Halifax living room, party card games have become a staple of adult social life across Canada.
Party card games occupy a distinct category in the world of card games. Unlike traditional card games that reward deep strategic thinking or trading card games that require significant investment in cards and rules knowledge, party card games are designed with a single primary objective: to make a group of people laugh, argue, compete, and connect. The rules are typically simple enough to explain in five minutes, the games scale easily to different group sizes, and the best party card games create moments and memories that people talk about long after the cards have been put away.
The party card game market has exploded over the past decade. Games like Cards Against Humanity – which was partly developed with Canadian sensibilities in mind and has a dedicated Canadian Edition – and Exploding Kittens have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and introduced an entirely new generation of adults to the joy of card games. Today, Canadian game stores, bookshops, and online retailers stock hundreds of party card games catering to every taste, group size, and occasion.
This guide covers the best party and drinking card games available in Canada. We explain the rules of the most popular games, offer tips for hosting a successful game night, and provide recommendations for different types of groups and occasions. Whether you are planning a birthday party, a cottage weekend, a work social event, or just a casual evening with friends, you will find the perfect game right here.
Table of Contents
Cards Against Humanity – Canada’s Favourite Adult Card Game
No party card game has had a greater cultural impact over the past decade than Cards Against Humanity. Originally launched as a Kickstarter project in 2011, the game quickly became a phenomenon in Canada and around the world, celebrated for its unapologetically dark, irreverent, and frequently hilarious humour.
What Is Cards Against Humanity?
Cards Against Humanity describes itself as “a party game for horrible people,” and that description is both accurate and intentionally provocative. The game is built around a simple fill-in-the-blank mechanic: one player reads a Black Card containing a question or sentence with one or more blanks, and all other players anonymously submit White Cards containing words or phrases to fill in the blank. The reader then picks their favourite answer, and the player who submitted it wins the round.
The humour in Cards Against Humanity comes from the combination of unexpected, inappropriate, and often deeply wrong answers with the questions on the Black Cards. The game deliberately pushes against social norms and taboos, which is both its greatest strength and the reason it is strictly for adults. It is not a game for children, for easily offended guests, or for formal occasions – but in the right company, it consistently generates some of the most memorable moments of any card game.
The Canadian Edition
One of the things that makes Cards Against Humanity particularly relevant for Canadian players is the dedicated Canadian Edition. The Canadian Edition replaces American cultural references with Canadian ones – references to Canadian politics, geography, culture, media, and national identity replace their American equivalents. The result is a version of the game that feels genuinely native to Canada rather than a foreign import, and the Canadian-specific content generates an additional layer of recognition humour for Canadian players.
The Canadian Edition is available at many Canadian game stores and online retailers. It can be played on its own or combined with the standard edition and other expansions for an even larger card pool.
How to Play Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity requires three or more players, though it is best with six to ten. The game comes with a set of Black Cards and a much larger set of White Cards. All White Cards are shuffled, and each player is dealt ten cards as their starting hand.
The first Card Czar is chosen by any method the group prefers. The Card Czar draws a Black Card and reads it aloud. All other players select one White Card from their hand (or two, for “pick two” Black Cards) that they think will best complete the statement or answer the question, and submit them face-down to the Card Czar.
The Card Czar shuffles the submitted White Cards and reads each combination aloud, then picks their favourite. The player who submitted the winning card takes the Black Card as a point. The role of Card Czar passes clockwise, each player draws back up to ten White Cards, and a new round begins.
The game ends when the group decides to stop, or when a specific number of Black Cards have been won. The player with the most Black Cards wins, though in practice the “winner” of Cards Against Humanity is really the whole group, which has hopefully spent the evening laughing together.
Learn how to play Cards Against Humanity
Tips for Playing Cards Against Humanity
The key to a great Cards Against Humanity session is knowing your audience. The game works best when all players share a similar sense of humour and comfort level with edgy content. Before playing with a new group, it is worth having a brief conversation about the game’s content to ensure everyone is on board.
As Card Czar, resist the temptation to always pick the most shocking answer. Sometimes, the most understated or unexpected combination is genuinely the funniest, and rewarding creative combinations over pure shock value make for a better game.
The game’s many expansion packs allow you to customize the experience for your group. Thematic expansions covering specific topics, pop culture references, and holiday themes can refresh the game significantly after multiple sessions with the core set.
Exploding Kittens – The Perfect Party Card Game
Exploding Kittens is one of the most successful card game crowdfunding projects in history, raising nearly nine million dollars on Kickstarter in 2015 and going on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide. In Canada, it has become a go-to choice for game nights, family gatherings (the original version is family-friendly, though an NSFW edition is also available), and cottage weekends.
What Is Exploding Kittens?
Exploding Kittens is a strategic card game of Russian Roulette crossed with cat-themed absurdist humour. Players draw cards from a shuffled deck, trying to avoid drawing an Exploding Kitten card. If you draw an Exploding Kitten and cannot defuse it, you are eliminated. The last player remaining wins.
The genius of Exploding Kittens lies in the action cards that allow players to manipulate the deck, skip their turn, force other players to draw extra cards, and generally cause chaos. The game is easy to learn, plays in 15 to 30 minutes, and generates constant tension and laughter as players try to avoid the Exploding Kitten while sending it toward their opponents.
How to Play Exploding Kittens
The deck is prepared by removing Exploding Kitten cards and Defuse cards. Each player is dealt one Defuse card and four additional cards. Exploding Kitten cards are then shuffled back into the remaining deck (one fewer than the number of players), and this deck is placed in the centre of the table.
On each turn, a player may play any number of action cards from their hand, then must draw one card from the top of the deck. If the drawn card is an Exploding Kitten, the player must immediately play a Defuse card or be eliminated. Defuse cards allow the player to return the Exploding Kitten to any position in the deck, which is where much of the strategic and social gameplay occurs, as players try to place the Exploding Kitten where it will cause maximum damage to their opponents.
Key action cards include:
Skip – End your turn without drawing a card, avoiding the risk of drawing an Exploding Kitten.
Attack – End your turn without drawing and force the next player to take two consecutive turns.
See the Future – Look at the top three cards of the deck without showing anyone else. This card provides crucial information about whether an Exploding Kitten is imminent.
Shuffle – Shuffle the deck, randomizing the position of any Exploding Kittens.
Nope – Cancel any action card played by another player. Nope cards can even be played on other Nope cards, creating escalating back-and-forth exchanges that are one of the game’s most entertaining features.
Learn how to play Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens Expansions
Several expansions are available for Exploding Kittens in Canada, each adding new card types and mechanics. The Imploding Kittens expansion adds a sixth player and introduces new card types, including the Imploding Kitten, which cannot be defused. The Streaking Kittens expansion adds a special Streaking Kitten card that allows a player to hold an Exploding Kitten in their hand without being eliminated. The Barking Kittens expansion enables two-player team play. All expansions are compatible with each other and with the base game, allowing for highly customized experiences.
UNO – The Drinking Game Version
UNO needs no introduction as a family card game, but its simple rules and fast pace also make it an excellent foundation for adult drinking game variants. Drunk UNO – where players drink when certain cards are played or certain events occur – has become enormously popular at Canadian parties and game nights.
Basic Drunk UNO Rules
The standard UNO rules apply, with drinking rules layered on top. The most common drinking rules used across Canada include drinking one sip when a Draw Two card is played on you, drinking two sips when a Draw Four card is played on you, drinking when you forget to say “UNO” and are caught with one card, drinking when you draw a card because you have no playable cards, and finishing your drink when you lose a round.
A popular Canadian variant adds a rule that the player who wins the round assigns drinks equal to the sum of the remaining players’ card counts – rewarding a decisive victory while ensuring the trailing players face consequences for holding many cards.
As with all drinking games, responsible consumption is important. Always ensure players are of legal drinking age (19 in most Canadian provinces, 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec), that non-alcoholic options are available, and that you never pressure anyone to drink more than they are comfortable with.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza – The Reflex Party Game
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza has become one of the most popular party card games in Canada over the past few years, beloved for its simplicity, its physical comedy, and its ability to generate genuine hysteria in even the most sedate groups. It plays in under 15 minutes and works brilliantly as a warm-up game before a longer session.
How to Play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
The deck contains cards with illustrations of tacos, cats, goats, cheese, and pizza. The deck is divided equally among all players, who hold their cards face down without looking at them.
Players take turns placing one card face-up in the centre of the table while saying the next word in the sequence: “Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza, Taco, Cat…” and so on. When the spoken word matches the card just played – for example, when a player says “Cat” and simultaneously reveals a Cat card – all players must slap the central pile as quickly as possible. The last player to slap takes the entire central pile into their hand.
Special cards add physical actions to the game. When a Gorilla card appears, all players must pound their chests. When a Narwhal card appears, all players point their arms above their heads like a narwhal’s horn. When a Groundhog card appears, all players slap the table. In all cases, the last player to complete the action takes the pile.
The goal is to get rid of all your cards. The first player to empty their hand wins.
Learn how to play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
What Do You Meme? – The Social Media Card Game
What Do You Meme? is a party card game built around one of the defining cultural formats of the internet age: the meme. Players compete to create the funniest meme by pairing caption cards with photo cards, with one player acting as judge each round. The game has been a massive hit in Canada since its release, particularly among younger adults who grew up with internet culture.
How to Play What Do You Meme?
Each round, one player serves as the judge and selects a photo card from the deck, then places it face-up for all players to see. All other players select the caption card from their hand that they think creates the funniest meme when paired with the photo, and submit it face down to the judge.
The judge shuffles and reads all submitted captions aloud with the photo, then selects their favorite. The player who submitted the winning caption earns a point for the photo card. The role of judge rotates clockwise, and players draw back up to seven caption cards after each round.
What Do You Meme? works best with groups that share a knowledge of internet culture and meme formats. Multiple expansion packs are available covering specific themes, pop culture references, and Canadian content, making it easy to customize the experience for your group.
Learn how to play What Do You Meme
Joking Hazard – The Comic Strip Card Game
Joking Hazard was created by Cyanide and Happiness, the Canadian-influenced webcomic known for its dark humour and distinctive art style. The game uses cards featuring comic strip panels, and players compete to create the funniest three-panel comic strip. Like Cards Against Humanity, Joking Hazard is strictly for adults and features content that many players will find offensive – which is precisely the point.
How to Play Joking Hazard
Each round begins with two panel cards already in place – either drawn from the deck or selected by the judge from their hand. Players then submit a third panel card face down, competing to create the funniest conclusion to the comic strip. The judge selects their favourite, and the winner takes the cards as a point.
The game’s distinctive format rewards creative thinking and an understanding of comedic timing and structure. The best submissions are not always the most shocking – sometimes the perfect understated panel creates a far funnier strip than an obvious choice. Joking Hazard plays best with five to eight players and pairs well with Cards Against Humanity for a full evening of adult card game entertainment.
Learn how to play Joking Hazard
The Mind – The Cooperative Silence Game
The Mind is a cooperative card game unlike anything else on this list. There are no turns, no communication, and no discussion allowed – players must work together in complete silence to complete a seemingly impossible task. The result is an experience that is simultaneously tense, hilarious, and deeply satisfying.
How to Play The Mind
The Mind uses a deck numbered 1 to 100. In each round, each player is dealt a number of cards equal to the round number – one card each in round one, two cards each in round two, and so on. The group must then play all their cards face-up onto a central pile in ascending numerical order, without any communication whatsoever.
The catch is that players cannot tell each other what cards they hold. If a player plays a card that is higher than another player’s unplayed card, the group loses a life. The group starts with a limited number of lives and must complete all rounds before running out.
The Mind creates a fascinating psychological experience as players develop a wordless collective sense of timing, learning to read each other’s hesitation and confidence through body language alone. It plays brilliantly as a change of pace between noisier party games and works for groups of two to four players.
Learn how to play The Mind
Coup – The Bluffing Card Game
Coup is a fast, cutthroat bluffing game that plays in 15 minutes and generates an extraordinary amount of drama and social tension. It is one of the most popular party card games among Canadian adults who enjoy strategic thinking alongside their social play.
How to Play Coup
Coup is set in a dystopian future where players are influential citizens competing for power. Each player receives two character cards face down and a small amount of coins. The character cards represent five roles – Duke, Assassin, Captain, Ambassador, and Contessa – each with special abilities.
On each turn, a player declares an action, claiming to use the ability of one of the five characters. The twist is that players do not have to tell the truth – a player can claim to be the Duke and take three coins even if their cards are completely different characters. Other players can challenge the claim (calling the bluff) or, for actions that can be blocked, claim to have a blocking character.
If a challenge is made and the challenged player was bluffing, they lose one of their character cards face-up. If the challenger was wrong and the player genuinely had the claimed character, the challenger loses a card. Players who lose both their character cards are eliminated.
The game rewards confident bluffing, careful observation of other players’ behavior, and the ability to deduce what cards other players are likely holding based on their actions. It plays brilliantly with five to six players and generates intense social dynamics that spark lively discussion long after the game ends.
Learn how to play Coup
Tips for Hosting a Party Card Game Night in Canada
A successful party card game night does not happen by accident. A little planning goes a long way toward ensuring everyone has a great time.
Match the game to the group. The most important factor in a successful game night is choosing games that are appropriate for your specific group. Consider the age range, the relationships between players (close friends versus work colleagues, for example), and the general sense of humour and comfort level with edgy content. Cards Against Humanity is perfect for a close group of adult friends but completely wrong for a work event or a mixed-age family gathering. Exploding Kittens works brilliantly for almost any adult group. Know your audience.
Have a variety of games ready. Different games work better at different points in the evening. A quick warm-up game like Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza or The Mind is perfect for getting the group energized early. Longer games like Cards Against Humanity or What Do You Meme? works well as the centerpiece of the evening. Keep a fast, simple game in reserve for the end of the night when energy levels may be flagging.
Keep explanations short. Long explanations of the rules before a party game kill the atmosphere. Choose games with simple rules that can be explained in two to three minutes, or use a first practice round where mistakes are allowed and no points are kept. Players learn party games far better by playing than by listening to the rules.
Manage group size carefully. Most party card games have a sweet spot for player numbers. Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme? are best with six to ten players. Coup works best with five to six. Exploding Kittens plays well with 3 to 6 players. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza works with two to eight. Check the recommended player count before choosing your game for the evening.
Create the right atmosphere. Good lighting, comfortable seating, an appropriate playlist in the background, and plenty of drinks and snacks all contribute to a successful game night. Clear the table of anything breakable before a round of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza – the slapping mechanic has been known to send drinks flying.
Rotate games regularly. Most party card games work best in sessions of 45 to 60 minutes before energy starts to flag. Switching to a different game refreshes the group and ensures that players who are not enjoying a particular game get a break.
Where to Buy Party Card Games in Canada
Party card games are widely available across Canada through multiple retail channels.
Local game stores are the best source for a wide selection of party card games, including newer releases and expansions that may not be available in mass market retail. Staff at local game stores are typically knowledgeable and can make personalized recommendations based on your group size and preferences.
Mass market retailers including Walmart, Target, Indigo/Chapters, and Amazon Canada stock the most popular party card games including Cards Against Humanity, Exploding Kittens, What Do You Meme?, and UNO. These retailers are convenient for last-minute purchases and sometimes offer competitive prices on popular titles.
Online retailers offer the widest selection, including import titles and smaller independent games not widely distributed in Canada. Amazon Canada, 401 Games (Toronto), and Snakes & Lattes (Toronto and online) are popular Canadian sources for party card games.
Second-hand sources including Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, and thrift stores can be excellent sources for used party card games at significantly reduced prices. Cards Against Humanity, in particular, is commonly available second-hand, as many players upgrade to newer editions or expansions.
Responsible Drinking and Party Card Games
Party card games and alcohol are a common combination in Canadian adult social life, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a drink alongside a game of Drunk UNO or a similar drinking game variant. However, responsible drinking is always important.
Always ensure that all players consuming alcohol are of legal drinking age in your province – 19 in most provinces, 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. Always have non-alcoholic alternatives available and make it clear that players are welcome to participate with a soft drink or water – no one should feel pressured to drink alcohol to participate in a game.
Never drink and drive. If your game night involves alcohol, plan in advance for how guests will get home safely – designated drivers, rideshare services, or overnight accommodation.
The best party card games are fun because of the social experience they create, not because of the alcohol involved. Many of the games on this list are just as entertaining when played completely sober, and the memories and laughter they generate are the real point of the evening.
Summary – Party & Drinking Card Games in Canada
Party card games are one of the most accessible, entertaining, and socially rewarding categories of card games available to Canadian adults. From the dark humor of Cards Against Humanity and Joking Hazard to the frantic energy of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Exploding Kittens, from the strategic bluffing of Coup to the silent cooperation of The Mind, there is a party card game perfectly suited to every group, every occasion, and every budget.
The common thread running through all the best party card games is their ability to create shared moments – moments of laughter, surprise, tension, and connection that bring people closer together. In a world where screens increasingly dominate our leisure time, a great party card game around a table with good friends remains one of the most genuinely enjoyable social experiences available.
Browse our individual game guides for more detailed rules and strategy tips, and explore the rest of card-games.ca for guides to traditional card games, casino card games, trading card games, and family card games.