Card Games for 5 or More People
The best card games for five or more people share one trait. They keep everyone busy every turn, so nobody sits and waits. This guide covers 12 group card games for big groups, from quick party games to longer team games.
Most need one deck. A few need two. If your group is smaller, see our picks for card games for 3 people and card games for 4 people.
What Makes a Card Game Work for a Big Group
A good group card game has three things in common:
- Rules that fit in a minute, since a long rulebook loses half the table
- Short turns, so the wait between your plays stays small
- A deck that stretches, since five or more hands empty one deck fast
Games that pass these tests are shedding, trick-taking, or reaction games. Shedding games end when a player empties a hand. Trick-taking games score each trick, one round of one card from each player. Reaction games reward the fastest hand.
Best Card Games for 5 People
Five players is the sweet spot for trick-taking and shedding games. These three 5-player card games work best with five, and each still plays well with four or six.
Oh Hell is a trick-taking game for three to seven players. Each round, you bid the exact number of tricks you expect to win, and any miss scores nothing.
President is a shedding game for four to seven players. Play cards of equal or higher rank than the last card, and empty your hand first to become President. The last player out is the Scum and must trade cards next round.
Rummy 500 is a melding game for two to eight players. A meld is a set or run you lay down to score points, and you reach 500 to win. With five or more players, shuffle in a second deck so nobody runs short of cards.
Best Card Games for 6 People
Six players opens the door to team play and to games that scale past the usual four. These three 6-player card games handle six well.
Hearts normally seats four. A five- or six-player version works by removing a few low cards so the deal comes out even. Avoid taking Hearts and the Queen of Spades, since each one costs points. The player with the lowest score after several rounds wins.
Nertz is a racing game for two to six players, and each player needs a separate deck. Each player runs a layout like Klondike Solitaire, with columns and a stock pile. All players move at the same time and race to play Aces and build suits in the shared center. If you already play Solitaire, you already know most of Nertz.
Cheat, also called I Doubt It, is a bluffing game for three to ten players. Play cards face-down and announce their rank, truthfully or not. Any player can call cheat. The wrong caller, or the caught liar, picks up the whole pile.
Party Card Games With Simple Rules
Party games win on speed and laughter, not strategy. These four take under a minute to explain and run well with five, six, or more players.
Spoons seats three to thirteen players. Pass cards around the table until someone collects four of a kind, then grab a spoon from the center. There is always one spoon fewer than there are players. The player without a spoon is out.
Pig is Spoons without the spoons. When you collect four of a kind, quietly touch your nose. Everyone else must copy you, and the last player to notice loses the round. Pig works for three to thirteen players.
Kemps is a partner game for four, six, or eight players. Teams of two agree on a secret signal before the game. Collect four of a kind, send your signal, and your partner calls Kemps to score. If the other team spots the signal first, they steal the point.
Egyptian Ratscrew is a slapping game for two to eight players. Players flip cards onto a center pile in turn. Slap the pile when you spot a pair or a sandwich (two matching cards with one card between them) to win it. The player who collects all the cards wins.
Games That Need Two Decks
Two decks keep card games for groups of seven or more going without running out of cards. These two games use extra decks for bigger groups.
Canasta is a melding game played in teams. Four players use two decks plus jokers, and six players use three decks, in either three teams of two or two teams of three. Build melds of seven cards, called canastas, to score big. A full game takes an hour or more, so save it for a long evening.
Crazy Eights is a shedding game for 2 to 7 players using one deck. With six or more players, shuffle two decks together so the stock pile lasts. Match the top card by rank or suit, and play an Eight to change the suit. The first player to empty a hand wins the round.
When the Party Ends: Solo Card Games to Play Online
When the group heads home, the cards do not have to go away. Nertz players already know the next step, since the game is built on a Solitaire layout. Play Classic Solitaire for free in your browser at Solitaire.com, no downloads or sign-up required.
Solitaire.com adds a few features that a physical deck cannot offer. Unlimited undo lets you take back any move. The hint button finds a legal move when you are stuck. Classic scoring tracks your progress without any Vegas-style wagering.
The Daily Challenge gives Klondike players one fresh deal each day. For more games you can play alone, browse our list of the best solo card games. For a quieter evening with one friend, see our card games for two.