We’ve been discussing card games for different age groups a lot lately. Our site has posts about card games for middle schoolers and card games for elementary students.
So why not look at a particular generation, one that everyone on our team is a part of? We’ll be doing exactly that in this post about the best card games for millennials.
Whip out any of these card games with your friends to enjoy a fun, nostalgia-filled (and possibly drunken) night of gaming bliss.
Best Card Games for Millennials
That’s What She Said
Do you remember when everyone was saying, “that’s what she said” in response to any comment that could be construed as suggestive? If you were one of those people, then the card game That’s What She Said is a match for you.
Imagine a card game where your goal is to make as many innuendos as possible. You’ll then have a basic grasp of what the point of this game is.
It’s sort of like Cards Against Humanity. Players will need to respond to a prompt card with what they feel is the best response to make a suggestive joke. Have fun ending each round with our favorite saying: that’s what she said!
Pros:
- Adult humor is sure to appeal to the immature aspects of your personality.
- Will bring you right back to a time where everyone laughed over inappropriate jokes in school.
- Has well over 400 cards for you to play with, so it will be a while before you see all of them.
- Games can be finished in anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
Cons:
- It could get repetitive if you’re playing it with the same group over and over again.
Cards Against Humanity
There’s no denying the fact that Cards Against Humanity is a classic. This is the card game that kicked off that ever-present trend of prompt and response card games that are everywhere these days.
Just as you can’t deny its classic status, however, you also can’t deny that Cards Against Humanity holds up. It’s still fun to this day.
Plus, the game is incredibly simple. No matter how much experience your group has with card games in general, they’ll no doubt be able to learn this one in literal seconds.
Pros:
- Super easy to learn and play.
- Games can be as long or short as you want them to be.
- Appeals to the dark and immature person inside all of us.
- There are tons of new home-brewed ways to play the game beyond the basic rules.
- Has plenty of expansions to try if you get bored of the basic game.
Cons:
- This game can get pretty offensive or awkward at times.
New Phone, Who Dis?
For awhile, there was a meme going around in which someone would reply to a text with the phrase, “new phone, who dis?” Fans of that meme – or anyone who still uses the phrase to this day – will love the game of the same name.
Like many other games on this list, it’s similar to Cards Against Humanity. There will be a prompt card that players will respond to with the cards in their hand. The difference is the format.
Each round, there will be a gray card representing a text message that was sent to you. You’ll play a blue card representing a text that you’d send back, and the judge picks the response that’s funniest.
Pros:
- A fun and modern take on the Cards Against Humanity format.
- Can be played with any number of players over three.
- Has over five hundred cards to play with.
- Easy to learn to play.
Cons:
- The humor probably wouldn’t be suitable for older people.
- Has the potential to make some players uncomfortable.
What Do You Meme?
Memes are everywhere. Millennials were there to witness the uprising of memes, from those cringey old rage comics to the surreal formats you see today.
The bottom line is, the average millennial is probably familiar with more than a fair share of memes. Most have thought of making their own but questioned their creativity.
Well, with What Do You Meme?, you don’t need to be a meme-making artisan. Because of its user-friendly prompt and response format, you’ll be able to easily put together memes that will undoubtedly have everyone roaring with laughter.
Pros:
- Everyone can learn to play the game quickly.
- Allows all players to make their own memes.
- Perfect for introducing meme enthusiasts to game nights.
- Comes with an easel that you can prop cards up on.
Cons:
- Like other Cards Against Humanity-type games, it runs the risk of becoming repetitive, especially if you keep playing with the same group of people.
The Awkward Storyteller
Do you have that one person in your group of friends that can spin stories like no other (whether or not they’re true)? If so, you can really get them to demonstrate their imaginative storytelling skills with the help of The Awkward Storyteller.
In The Awkward Storyteller, one player draws a card with text that makes up the first line of a story. Anyone who’s not the storyteller asks them questions from their own cards, forcing the storyteller to come up with creative responses that fit in with the first line.
Play this with the right people, and we guarantee you’ll hear tall tales you’ve never heard before.
Pros:
- Has a unique theme that forces players to think on their toes.
- You’ll undoubtedly hear funny and interesting stories.
- Can support up to 11 players.
- Great for creative groups of people.
Cons:
- It could put pressure on players since you only have ten seconds to answer questions.
Quickwits Party Card Game
Quickwits is another game that will keep players on their toes and strays away from the ubiquitous Cards Against Humanity style. You can think of it as a sort of trivia game.
Each card in the box has a symbol on it. Once there are two cards on the table with the same symbol, players have to quickly provide examples of things from the category on the card. For example, you may have a card that says, “dirty magazine,” which means you’ll have to come up with the name of one.
There’s no limit to the number of people you can play with, as long as you can scrape together at least three players. If you pride yourself on all of your random and oftentimes useless knowledge, this is the game for you.
Pros:
- Quick-moving gameplay will get everyone’s hearts pumping.
- This is a great trivia game for anyone who knows a lot of random junk.
- Can support pretty much any number of players within reason.
Cons:
- Having to hurry and shout answers before someone else does might be uncomfortable for introverts.
The Voting Game
We don’t know about you, but we know for sure that we’ve looked at one of our friends before and thought to ourselves that they’re most likely to do one particular thing. The Voting Game allows you to have these conversations out loud with a group of people – which, we suppose, could be a good or bad thing.
Either way, it will be interesting. In The Voting Game, a prompt card is played that will ask questions about who is most likely to do something, such as survive a zombie apocalypse. Players then vote anonymously for whomever they think fits the bill, and then the votes are counted.
Pros:
- The game can support up to 10 players.
- You can complete games in as little as 30 or as long as 90 minutes.
- You’ll learn a lot about your friends that you might not have known before.
Cons:
- This isn’t the kind of game you could play with the same group over and over again.
Drunk, Stoned, or Stupid
This game is a lot like The Voting Game. Just like in The Voting Game, players of Drunk, Stoned, or Stupid will need to decide who is most likely to do the thing listed on a card.
If you’ve got open-minded friends, this could be an excellent card game to bring out. Just make sure you play with some people who are truly shameless, otherwise you’re likely to end up with more than one red-faced person who was just called out by the group.
Pros:
- You’ll learn new things about the people you play with.
- Easy to play.
- There will definitely be interesting stories involved in each game.
Cons:
- It can get repetitive if you only play it with one group of people.
Don’t Get Stabbed!
We couldn’t help including this one on our list of the best horror-themed card games for adults. We’re putting it here, too, because we know quite a few people our age with a penchant for horror.
Don’t Get Stabbed! is a beginner-friendly and fun way to bring people who otherwise don’t normally like horror into the horror fold. Plus, the whole time you play, you’ll feel like you’re in one of those cliché 90’s slasher movies.
The objective of the game is to survive the serial killer’s wrath. The player who’s chosen as the killer, of course, must try and “stab” victims through stab cards that other players can potentially draw.
Pros:
- It’s enjoyable even for people who aren’t normally horror fans.
- The artwork on the cards is fun and strangely adorable, considering it’s a game about a serial killer.
- It’s easy to learn.
- Suitable for small gatherings of friends.
Cons:
- It doesn’t really take any skill to win – it comes down to the luck of the draw.
Superfight
If you’ve got any geeks in your group of friends, then we strongly suggest considering Superfight. You’ll get to debate about your favorite heroes and villains and which of them would win in a fight.
It’s a fairly simple concept: you’ll get cards that represent different iconic people or fictional characters, as well as cards that represent traits. Combine a person and a few traits to make your warrior.
The twist? Of course, there is one, and it’s this: after building your character, you draw a random trait card and add it to them. This leads to some utterly bizarre combinations, like Vikings with kitten cannons or Abraham Lincoln with velociraptors for arms.
Pros:
- Leads to some absolutely crazy characters.
- The debates get seriously entertaining.
- Requires you to use your creativity.
- Suitable for ages 8 and up, so your kids can jump in if you want them to.
Cons:
- You need to make your own rules with this one, because the debates can go on forever sometimes. We personally have a rule banning gods as characters.
What to Think About When Picking a Card Game
Theme
In any of our posts about card games, we always recommend paying attention to the theme of the game. When we say “theme,” we’re referring to the art style and genre of the game.
For instance, a card game can be horror-themed, such as Don’t Get Stabbed. Games can just as easily focus on fantasy, sci-fi, or comedic elements.
Thus, before you purchase a card game, it’s worth thinking about whether it has a theme you and your friend group will enjoy.
Cost
We know as well as any other millennials that board and card games can get crazily expensive. One of the first things we look at when purchasing any game (or anything else, really!) is how much it costs.
Don’t feel bad if you need to get a little thrifty. The range of prices for card games is fairly wide, so no matter what your budget is, you can be sure there’s one that will fit. Just make sure to factor in how often you’ll play the game to be sure you’re really getting the most value for your money.
Difficulty
When we say “difficulty,” we’re not just referring to how hard it is to win a game. The main thing we mean is learning curve, which is how difficult it is to learn how to play.
For the most part, the games on this list have a shallow learning curve. You should be able to learn to play any of them within a matter of minutes.
Games with shallow learning curves are ideal for gatherings of people that might not be familiar with the game. They’ll be able to learn to play fast without you needing to spend time teaching them.
However, there is a time and a place for games with a steeper learning curve, too, if you’re willing to put in the time learning them.
Duration
How long is your social circle willing to sit down and play one particular game? Are you the type of people who like to do a variety of things in one get-together, or do you want to settle down and focus on one thing?
These are questions you should answer before picking a card game to play. If your group is the type that likes to move through several different activities in one gathering, then you’ll obviously want a shorter game.
On the other hand, longer card games are great for evenings where you just want to settle around a table together and play one thing for a couple hours.
Number of Players
You know what’s really annoying and disheartening? Having to sit out while your friends all play a game together because it doesn’t have enough components for everyone to play.
To prevent anyone from feeling left out, the number of players supported by a given card game is also crucial. Unless some people want to sit out, you’ll want to be sure your card game allows everyone to play at once.
The number of supported players is typically pretty easy to check. It’s almost always on the box for the game, so you can confirm it in the pictures. Otherwise, the number of players is usually in the listing for the game.
Wrap Up
If we had to recommend one card game for your next get-together, it would be a tough choice between all the options on this list. After some thought, however, we’ll go with what is by far the most popular suggestion and recommend Cards Against Humanity.
It’s perhaps cliché to recommend it for your party. However, it’s packed with references that will pique your nostalgia, and the dirty humor will easily make everyone in your group laugh. As if that weren’t enough, there are tons of expansions and everyone in your group will be able to play without a single person being left out.