Sometimes you’re looking for a card game to play at your next family game night. An innovative way is to bring your office friends together at the upcoming team-building event. Strategy card games are an excellent way to get a group together. They also encourage everyone to test their logic and put their brain skills to the test.
This guide will outline some of the best strategy card games for friends and family.
Best Strategy Card Games to Play in 2023
The number of players in your group will depend on the type of game you want to play. For example, if you’re throwing a party or having a work event, you’ll likely be looking for games that you can play in a large group. However, if you just want to play something with your close family at home one evening, then you might be looking for two, or three player games.
Throughout this guide, I have included various games that should mean something to everyone. It does not matter what kind of things people like, whether you’re looking for a themed or classic card game.
I will talk you through what I believe to be easy-to-understand games, so you don’t have to spend too much time explaining the rules to the group before you begin playing.
So, let’s see what strategy card games you can introduce at your next game night.
1. Ravensburger Disney Villainous Strategy Card Game
The Disney Villainous Strategy Card Game is an excellent game for any Disney fan. For anyone over ten looking for a family game, this is the most definite one to consider.
You can play this game with up to six people, and each person will be acting as an infamous Disney villain, such as Ursula, Maleficent, or Captain Hook. It makes a nice change from the usual Disney Princess-themed games you more commonly see.
The slight downside to this game is although it’s simple, there is quite a lot to it, so it might take you a couple of games to get into the swing of things, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s easy peasy.
Each Disney villain comes with a guide, which leads you to different tasks, agendas, and strategies. You will also have your objective, which you must achieve by using each villain’s skills.
The game contains immersive storytelling, themed designs, and eye-pleasing imagery. The game pieces are all designed in the shape of the villains.
Be absorbed into the magic of this strategic Disney villain card game.
2. Arkham Horror Card Game
If you’re a horror movie buff, it’s highly likely that your love of all things frightful will spill into your other hobbies, such as game playing. So, what better than a horror-themed game such as Arkham Horror Card Game?
You can play the game with a single player or with a group. It involves full-filling tasks that mean you have to do some detective work to solve mysteries, often caused by an eldritch creature.
You must work against the cards throughout the game to get through each scenario. Along the way, you’ll be greeted with some unpleasant encounters that will aim to slow down your progress.
The brilliant thing about the Arkham Horror Card Game game is that it’s ever-growing and constantly changing. And you can buy expansion packs of new cards. Still, the best part is that each batch of cards you purchase tells you precisely what’s inside, so you don’t risk having repeated cards as you do in other themed card games like Pokemon.
3. War of The Ring
You must check out this War of the Rings card game if you’re a big fan of the Lord of the Rings. Suppose you’re looking for a couples game. In that case, this makes an excellent choice, even more so if you’re both fans of the epic movie series. It means you can fully appreciate the themes and Middle-earth battles.
The whole game is a staged board game version of a war between the people of Middle-earth and Sauron’s army.
Each person (or team) will work with a particular deck of cards throughout the game. You will each act as characters from the movie, such as the riders of Rohan or Elves of Rivendell.
The best thing about this game is that, at first glance, it looks as though it might be complicated because of the sheer amount of characters and cards (there are around 200 pieces included). However, it’s relatively easy to grasp, but be prepared; the game can last for approximately two hours, so allow yourselves plenty of time to fully immerse in the game.
4. Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity is an adult-only card game that will leave your group in fits of laughter by the night’s end.
The game first became popular in 2011 and has since become a staple at most people’s games nights; many versions and expansion packs are now available. I would recommend this bundle pack to get a good variation of the game.
Of course, to play the game, one thing that is required is a good sense of humor and the inability to be offended. If you’re easily offended, don’t bother, this isn’t a game for you.
Throughout the game, you need to try and score points by playing the funniest, most outrageous answers that will make everyone laugh. You do this by matching cards with answers to prompting cards. Whoever’s in charge of the round is called the Tsar. They get to decide the best answer and who gets the point.
5. Blink
If you have ever played the family card game Uno, you will quickly pick up the rules of Blink, as the two games are very similar.
Blink is suitable for everyone, including children as young as six or seven, so it’s a great game to play with the whole family.
To play Blink, you need to match your cards by shape, color, or number to the ones in the discard piles, and the idea is to get rid of your cards before the rest of your opponents.
It’s a great game to get the mind working fast and keep everyone on their toes.
6. Monikers Card Game
Monikers is a hilarious card game that involves you trying to guess whose name is stuck to your forehead. You do this by asking the other players questions they can only answer in specific terms. For example, in round one, they can say anything. In round two, they can only say a single word, and in the last round, they wouldn’t know anything, but they can act out the clues, kind of like charades.
Monikers is an excellent card game that anyone can enjoy. It’s important to remember that some of the cards are slightly crude, so it is best to leave the children out of this one.
7. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is one of my favorite games at family game night, with fun, quirky illustrations, and simple groups. It’s a game that everyone can get on board with.
The game can be played with anywhere between two and eight people, and to begin with; you will need to divide the cards between the players equally. The cards should all be in a pile in front of each player face down.
Next, moving around the table in turns, each person plays down a card from their hand face up for everyone to see. As they place down the card, they need to say one of the words, “taco cat goat cheese pizza.” Everyone must slap their hands onto the pile if the card matches the word they’ve called. Whoever’s hand is on the top takes the deck.
To win the game, you must discard your cards before the rest of the players.
8. Spaceteam
I will warn you now that if you’re playing Spaceteam, there will be a fair amount of noise, so it’s probably best to avoid this one if you’ve sent the kids for an early night.
This fast-paced card game will have everyone shouting and yelling as you try to repair the broken spaceship before being sucked into a vortex.
You will need three to six players to participate, and the game’s primary focus is to match cards symbolizing faults to the tool cards required to fix them.
You have five minutes to reveal all six “all systems go cards,” meaning you’ve escaped. You’ll be sucked into the black hole and lost forever if you fail.
9. Goat Lords
If you’ve got teenagers joining you for game night, then it can be tricky to find games that suit them and keep them entertained; more often than not, they’re either too young or too dull in their eyes.
However, this is where Goat Lords comes into its own, and from personal experience, teenagers love this game.
The main aim of the game is to collect the giant herd of goats, each of which has a different points value. To build your flock, you need to match pairs of goats. You can also go head-to-head with your fellow herders, and steal their goats too, which always gets everyone’s back up!
This is a quirky game with fun characters, such as the Flying Goatacorn, the Escape Goat, and the Gleeful Ghost.
10. Marvel Champions Deck Building Card Game
If you’re a fan of deck-building games, and love all things superhero related, then head to Amazon and order this Marvel Champions Card Game immediately.
The idea of this game is to act as a superhero and work together with your other fellow heroes to defeat the evil villains before they wipe you out.
Depending on the cards and characters you have, each one is worth a certain amount of score points and different fighting strengths. Some will be more powerful and useful in some situations than others, which is why you must work together.
The best thing about this game is that you can play it many times with a different outcome each time, meaning you’re not going to be fed up with it after a couple of rounds.
Ultimately
I think I’ve covered all eventualities here regarding varied strategy games to play with your friends and family. Whether you like a mystery-solving game, a child-friendly one, or want to push the boundaries with Cards Against Humanity doesn’t matter.
If you want to learn about some more excellent card games, check out my reviews on the best 3 Player Card Games to Play with Friends or Family.
