The Best Card Games of the Year 2022 in Comparison 2026

The year 2022 brought exciting card games to players. These games capture the card gaming highlights from this notable year.

This list was last updated on June 10, 2026. There's also a print version for this list .
  1. HITSTER

    With HITSTER, the ultimate music card game, you can instantly throw a party! Listen to over 100 years of fantastic hits, arrange them chronologically on your music timeline, and relive unforgettable memories. The first player to collect 10 hits is crowned the HITSTER.

    Nominated for 6 awards and won 4.

    More details for HITSTER
    • 👥 2 - 10 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 16+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  2. Sea Salt & Paper

    Sea Salt & Paper is a set collection card game that combines strategic decision-making with the excitement of timing your moves just right. Similar to Rummy in gameplay, it involves collecting sets of cards to score points, while also navigating the timing of when to end the round for optimal advantage.

    Nominated for 10 awards and won 3.

    More details for Sea Salt & Paper
    • 👥 2 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 - 45 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  3. Splendor Duel

    Splendor Duel is an intriguing two-player game that builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, Splendor, enhancing it with new layers of strategy and competitiveness. Designed specifically for two players, this standalone game maintains the core elements of Splendor while introducing novel twists and mechanics, making it more dynamic and interactive.

    Nominated for 14 awards and won 3.

    More details for Splendor Duel
    • 👥 2 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  4. Looking for a really good game from the year 2022? Then we have just the thing for you: our recommendation list with the best board games that were newly released in 2020.

    The best games released in 2022📆 →
  5. Spots

    Players roll dice and place them on dog cards during their turn. Dice that cannot be placed are buried in their garden. If too many dice are buried, the player goes bankrupt. Completing 6 dogs wins the game!

    Nominated for 4 awards and won 2.

    💰 23% cheaper on Amazon than at other retailers

    More details for Spots
    • 👥 1 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 25 - 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  6. Star Wars: Jabba's Palace – A Love Letter Game

    Jabba's lair is a place of danger and deception. Players compete with members of the Rebel Alliance and the residents of Jabba's Palace, using the abilities of iconic characters while trying to outsmart their opponents. The game retains the simple and fun mechanics of the original, introducing Agenda cards that offer new victory conditions and additional strategic depth.

    More details for Star Wars: Jabba's Palace – A Love Letter Game
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  7. Kites - Time to Fly

    The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and it's time to gather your friends to fly some kites! Players collaborate to keep all their kites, represented by colorful hourglasses, in the air by playing cards, flipping the hourglasses, and coordinating with each other. If any hourglass runs out, a kite crashes, adding a fun challenge to the game. Play all the kite cards in the stack to achieve a collective victory!

    Nominated for 8 awards and won 2.

    More details for Kites - Time to Fly
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 10 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  8. Mindbug: First Contact

    Mindbug: First Contact is an innovative and strategic duel card game where players summon unique hybrid creatures to battle their opponent. However, the twist lies in the Mindbug cards, which can turn the tide of the game by allowing players to take control of an opponent's creature.

    Nominated for 6 awards.

    More details for Mindbug: First Contact
    • 👥 2 Players
    • ⏱️ 15 - 25 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  9. Foxy

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Foxy
    • 👥 1 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 15 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  10. Port Royal: Big Box

    Port Royal: Big Box includes the base game and its two expansions, offering new graphics and artwork. It also features Gambler promo cards and the standalone game. This edition will be released in Germany in January 2022.

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Port Royal: Big Box
    • 👥 1 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 - 50 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  11. Bohnanza: 25th Anniversary Edition

    The 25th Anniversary Edition includes a new bean variety and three game variants, one featuring a collector's coin. Players plant and harvest bean cards to earn coins, managing their hand without changing the order of cards. On their turn, a player lays down cards, trades with others, and eventually collects coins based on their beans before the game concludes with a final harvest.

    More details for Bohnanza: 25th Anniversary Edition
    • 👥 2 - 7 Players
    • ⏱️ 45 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  12. Looking for a good card game of 2023? We have clearly listed the winner and all nominees of the german "À la carte🇩🇪" card game award. But which are really the best card games from 2023? We have compared all the winners and nominees and sorted them by quality.

    All "À la carte🇩🇪 2023" game award winners & nominees in comparison →
  13. Sherlock: Intrusion

    • 👥 1 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  14. Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition

    Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition is a unique and innovative quantum trick-taking card game that challenges 2 to 5 players to think strategically about color and number. This deluxe edition of the game enhances the experience with high-quality components and new features.

    Nominated for 9 awards and won 4.

    More details for Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition
    • 👥 2 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 - 40 Minutes
    • 🧒 13+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  15. Decktective: You Can't Cheat Death

    • 👥 1 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  16. Caper: Europe

    Caper: Europe thrusts players into the heart of a high-stakes game of thievery and strategy, set against the backdrop of Europe's most iconic locations. As rival criminal masterminds, players draft a crew of skilled thieves, dispatch them across the continent, and equip them with various gear to pull off daring heists. The challenge lies in outsmarting your opponent by efficiently managing your resources, controlling key locations, and securing valuable stolen goods. With only six rounds to enact your master plan, the pressure is on to be the most cunning and successful mastermind.

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    More details for Caper: Europe
    • 👥 2 Players
    • ⏱️ 25 - 35 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  17. MANTIS

    Players either steal or score their way to victory by collecting matching cards until one player has 10 cards in their score pile. With the simplicity of UNO and the depth of Gin Rummy, it suits both children and adults, though adults may find themselves often outplayed by younger competitors.

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    More details for MANTIS
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 10 Minutes
    • 🧒 7+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  18. Unmatched: Houdini vs. The Genie (Expansion)

    • 👥 2 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 9+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  19. ChronoCops: Einstein's Relativity Crisis

    • 👥 1 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 90 - 120 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  20. Dice Throne: Santa vs Krampus

    Two new and original heroes battle in this exciting, accessible standalone duel game. Players can choose from a variety of heroes, each offering a unique play style and feel. Attack opponents and activate abilities by rolling the five unique dice of your hero, while collecting combat points to use for cards with various effects, such as permanent upgrades, status effects, or manipulating dice.

    More details for Dice Throne: Santa vs Krampus
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 - 40 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  21. Top Ten Quiz

    • 👥 4 - 14 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 14+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  22. Marvel: Remix

    Players assemble a team of heroes and allies to face notorious villains. They receive a sheet of seven cards featuring characters, items, or locations from the Marvel universe. By equipping their characters with powerful gear and maneuvers, they can perform epic combos and compete for the highest score to win. The game includes 61 Remix cards, 18 villain cards, a scorepad, and a rulebook, suitable for 2 to 6 players aged 12 and up, with a playtime of about 20 minutes.

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Marvel: Remix
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  23. Flamecraft

    In Flamecraft, you delve into a whimsical world where artisan dragons, smaller yet magically adept relatives of their larger kin, are the stars. As a Flamekeeper, your role is to communicate with these dragons, finding them the perfect shop to call home and using enchantments to coax them into creating marvelous things. Your success in aiding the dragons and shopkeepers boosts your reputation, with the goal of becoming the Master of Flamecraft.

    Nominated for 12 awards and won 3.

    More details for Flamecraft
    • 👥 1 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  24. Flashback: Zombie Kidz

    Investigate in the world of Zombie Kidz. Your mission is to thwart the nefarious plans of the zombies! This picture-based game features investigative tasks and invites players to embark on a cooperative adventure with friends or family. Discover the story piece by piece through the characters’ experiences, solving puzzles and uncovering clues to change the future and save the world from horrific monsters.

    Nominated for 1 award and won 1.

    More details for Flashback: Zombie Kidz
    • 👥 1 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 7+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  25. Armadillo

    Players work to get rid of cards as quickly as possible through a mix of luck and smart choices involving dice rolls. Each player starts with ten randomly numbered cards and two chips. By rolling a combination of six dice, they match the rolled numbers to cards in hand to discard them. Players can spend chips to modify their rolls or to discard any card outright. The round ends when a player empties their hand, with remaining players earning points for any cards left. The player with the fewest points after three rounds wins.

    More details for Armadillo
    • 👥 2 - 6 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  26. Challengers!

    Challengers! offers a fresh and dynamic deck-management experience, where 1-8 players engage in a tournament-style battle that lasts around 45 minutes, regardless of the number of players. This game stands out by allowing players to encounter a new opponent in each round, pushing the excitement and strategic planning to new heights with every match.

    Nominated for 11 awards and won 5.

    ⭐️ Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023

    More details for Challengers!
    • 👥 1 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 45 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  27. Anno Domini: BLACK

    • 👥 2 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  28. My Lil' Everdell

    Join Chip, Sweep, and other kids from Everdell to build the most spectacular fantasy city ever. This easy-to-learn game focuses on worker placement and tableau building, providing fun for the whole family while enhancing children's concentration and learning abilities. Explore the bridge, search for the dragon cave, and dive into the fortress with the newest expansion of the Everdell series.

    Nominated for 3 awards.

    More details for My Lil' Everdell
    • 👥 1 - 4 Players
    • ⏱️ 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 6+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  29. Vaalbara

    Players take on the role of clan leaders and secretly play cards that represent members of their tribe to conquer territories. Strategy and timing are crucial for scoring points. Throughout the game, players explore uncharted areas and establish settled villages using the diverse talents of their tribes, ultimately seeking dominance by the end of nine rounds.

    Nominated for 1 award.

    More details for Vaalbara
    • 👥 2 - 5 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Easy to learn
  30. VIP RIP

    • 👥 3 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 20 - 30 Minutes
    • 🧒 10+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  31. Sherlock: Room 208

    • 👥 1 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 60 Minutes
    • 🧒 12+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  32. Splito

    +2 more

    Splito is a fun and fast card game for 3 to 8 players. Each player starts with 13 cards and, on their turn, places a card between themselves and a neighbor on either side. The objective is to help each other achieve goals while cleverly positioning yourself to score the highest, with players aiming for a double alliance to maximize points on both sides by the end of the game.

    Nominated for 2 awards.

    More details for Splito
    • 👥 3 - 8 Players
    • ⏱️ 15 - 20 Minutes
    • 🧒 8+ years old
    • 🧩 Immediately playable
  33. In this 2026 top list we have selected for you the best dice, card & board games from the game publisher "ABACUSSPIELE" 🇩🇪🏢.

    The Best Games from ABACUSSPIELE 🇩🇪🏢 →

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