Card Games are Compact, Portable and Fun. A Trifecta of Reasons to Gift Them!

Modern games can be intimidating with all kinds of unique bits and pieces, some containing multiple boards and others with instructions that take longer to read that it does to play the game. Card games, on the other hand, are generally more approachable which makes them ideal candidates to give as holiday gifts. In this gift guide, you will find a variety of themes, styles and experiences all in the form of card games.

Star Realms 10th Anniversary

Please Don’t Burn My Village

A fearsome dragon is threatening to burn all the villages in the Kingdom! Bribe with the right treasure at the right time to keep the dragon’s attention while buying treasures at the Black Market and cursing the other villagers’ treasures. When there’s no more treasure left, the dragon will burn all the villages except for one. Will it be yours?

Puppy Pile

Puppy Pile is the adorable puppy themed card game. It is the winner of the 2025 National Game Design Contest which is held by University Games for the students of the Otis College of Art & Design. To play Puppy Pile players must collect the most of one breed of puppy to win the game. However, players must look out for golden squeakers and angry kittens, which may give them an advantage or disadvantage to winning the game.

2Win

ito

Danger Hugs

Tacta

It’s all connected! In this sneakily strategic card game, players flip, twist, and turn their cards to align and cover their opponents’ shapes with matching squares, triangles, and rectangles. With an ever-growing board, up to 8 colors light up game night with TACTA™. Analyze, strategize, and optimize because in TACTA™, every card counts.

FaeKin

FaeKin is a fast-paced, beautifully twisted social deduction game for 2–9 players. Duel your fellow fae, peek at hidden cards, and bluff your way through shifting alliances to uncover the true heirs of the Summer and Winter Courts. Featuring stunning Fae art on tarot-sized cards and made in the USA, FaeKin is easy to learn, quick to play, and endlessly replayable.

Cat Says Moo

Get ready for a fast, fun, and silly game of animal mix-ups!
Flip a card, find a match, and race to be the first to shout the right sound or name—but be careful, your brain might play tricks on you! Stay sharp, react fast, and collect the most cards to win.
Sounds easy, except along with the picture, each card also has the sound a DIFFERENT animal makes written below it. If those sounds match, yell out the animal! Do you meow or moo? Oink or call out pig? Can your brain keep up with your mouth to score the most points?

Happy Mochi

A super-cute, fast-paced card game where players race to discard their cards two at a time without rearranging their hands. With smiling mochi characters, playful special effects, and the powerful Happy Mochi card that breaks all the rules, every round is quick, strategic, and full of surprises. Perfect for 2 to 6 players, it’s an adorable pick for families, kids, and casual game nights.

Naishi

A strategic duel at the heart of the Japanese Imperial Court! Expand your province by obtaining new structures and influential characters to grow your prestige. The Shogun’s law is strict and forbids you from reorganizing your cards. Seize the crucial opportunities and send your emissaries to the imperial court in order to place your cards as efficiently as possible and thus control the most prestigious land in all of Japan.

Cat Fluxx

Cat Fluxx is the card game of ever-changing felines! Calling all cat lovers! You’re sure to get the Zoomies over Cat Fluxx! We’ve herded nine Cats and their Human into this hilarious card game. In this version of Fluxx, your Cats will enjoy napping in a Sunbeam, playing with a Ball of Yarn, and squeezing into a Cardboard Box. But they may have to endure a Totally Empty Food Bowl or the dreaded Vacuum Cleaner! Meow is the time to get in on the feline fun!

Cantankerous Cats

Holy Pickle Everything

Holy Cow! Your prayers have been answered! Holy Pickle Everything is the newest version of the hit Pickle Everything Game. With the ongoing success of the original Pickle Everything Game and everything “pickle” trending worldwide, it is no miracle that this relished new version made its way to retail so quickly. In Holy Pickle Everything ($9.99 for 3-5 players ages 10+), the game play is similar to the original Pickle Everything Game where players compete to quickly answer every clue that starts with a “P” and ends with “Pickle”! This time the game is packed with biblical puns, enlightened fun, and plenty of divine laughs to be enjoyed by players of all backgrounds.

Grab copies on Amazon or swing by your local game store to check availability. Need additional ideas? Don’t forget to check out our other gift guides from this year as well as prior years. Many suggestions we have made in prior years are items still available this year!
Do you seek out games that are simple or prefer more complex titles?




