Small Card Games for Stocking Stuffers: Picks by Group Size

The best small card games for stockings are quick, pocket-size games with simple rules: Sushi Go! for families, Exploding Kittens for kids 7 and up, Love Letter or Coup for teens and adults who like bluffing, Skull for groups of 3 to 6, and No Thanks! for up to seven players. All take roughly 15 to 30 minutes.

What makes a card game a good stocking stuffer?

A stocking game has to do more than fit. Look for four things.

• A small box. Card games usually come in a tuck box or small cardboard box. Gamewright lists the Sushi Go! box at 4 by 5.63 by 1.5 inches, a useful benchmark. Check the dimensions in any listing before you buy.
• Rules that fit on a card or two. The recipient should be able to play on Christmas afternoon without a video tutorial.
• The right player count for the house. A game for three or more is no good to a couple.
• An age rating that matches the stocking. Publishers rate these games from 7 and up to 13 and up.

Small card games compared

Player counts, ages and times come from each publisher’s page unless noted.

Sushi Go!: the easy family pick

Designed by Phil Walker-Harding and published in the US by Gamewright, Sushi Go! has 108 cards. Hands of cards pass around the table, and players grab the best combinations of sushi dishes as they go, such as sets of sashimi or the most maki rolls.

Gamewright lists it for 2 to 5 players, ages 8 and up, with rounds of about 15 minutes. It is the safest choice when you do not know how often the family plays games.

Exploding Kittens: for kids 7 and up

Exploding Kittens was created by Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), Elan Lee and Shane Small. The deck has 56 cards. Players draw until someone pulls an Exploding Kitten and is out, unless they can defuse it.

The publisher rates it for 2 to 5 players, ages 7 and up, in about 15 minutes. That is the youngest age on this list, which makes it a strong stocking pick for school-age kids.

Love Letter: a whole game in a handful of cards

Seiji Kanai designed Love Letter, first released in 2012. The original game had just 16 cards and took 2 to 4 players. That edition made the Spiel des Jahres recommended list in 2014, according to the award’s own site.

Z-Man Games now publishes an edition with 21 character cards for 2 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, in about 20 minutes. The larger player range makes the current edition easier to gift.

Skull: bluffing for groups of 3 to 6

Hervé Marly’s Skull first appeared in 2011 as Skull and Roses. That year it made the Spiel des Jahres recommended list and, according to Wikipedia, won France’s As d’Or game of the year.

Each player gets four discs, three flowers and one skull, plus a mat. Space Cowboys, the current publisher, lists 3 to 6 players, ages 10 and up, in about 30 minutes. It needs at least three people, so save it for households that host.

Coup: fast bluffing for teens and adults

Coup, designed by Rikki Tahta and published by Indie Boards & Cards in 2012, deals each player two face-down character cards. Players claim the powers of characters they may not hold, and anyone can challenge a claim; the last player with a card left wins.

The publisher lists 2 to 6 players, ages 13 and up, with games of about 15 minutes. The higher age rating makes it a better fit for older teens and adults than for younger children.

No Thanks!: the pick for up to seven players

Thorsten Gimmler designed No Thanks!, first published by Amigo in 2004 as Geschenkt! The deck runs from 3 to 35. On each turn, a player pays a chip to pass a card or takes it along with any chips on it.

Wikipedia lists 3 to 7 players, ages 8 and up, in about 20 minutes. The game made the Spiel des Jahres recommended list in 2005. With seven seats, it suits big holiday tables better than anything else here.

Small card games for stockings

Shop the range

Browse current small card games on eBay, new condition only.

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• Sushi Go!Shop on eBay →
• Love LetterShop on eBay →
• Exploding KittensShop on eBay →
• SkullShop on eBay →
• CoupShop on eBay →

Award-winning card games in small boxes

The German awards are a useful shortcut for choosing a game. Two small card games have won outright.

• Hanabi by Antoine Bauza won the Spiel des Jahres in 2013. It is a cooperative game: the award site lists 2 to 5 players and about 30 minutes, with a publisher age of 8 and up, though the jury suggests 10 and up.
• The Crew by Thomas Sing won the Kennerspiel des Jahres, the award for more experienced players, in 2020. The award site lists 3 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, in about 20 minutes for the German edition.

Our guide to Spiel des Jahres winners explains the difference between the main award, the Kennerspiel and the recommended list.

Which small card game for which person?

A family with children under 10: Exploding Kittens or Sushi Go!

A couple: Love Letter or Sushi Go!, since both play well with two. For a bigger two-player gift, see our best two-player board games.

Friends who host game nights: Skull, Coup or No Thanks!. For word and drawing games in bigger boxes, see our party games for groups.

Someone who already owns a shelf of games: Hanabi or The Crew, or an accessory from our guide to gifts for board game lovers.

How to buy small card games on eBay

A few checks before you buy help make sure the gift arrives complete and genuine.

1. Look for the publisher’s name and logo on the box in the photos.
2. Buy new and sealed for a gift, and check that the seller lists the edition.
3. Read recent seller feedback and the return policy, since a missing card ruins a card game.

For more gift ideas by player count and age, head back to our main board game gifts guide.