60 Families, 5 Games, 1 Review: Exploding Kittens Games Deliver Fast-Paced Family Fun!

Get ready to explode with giggles and good times as you enter the hilarious realm of Exploding Kittens and their modern games for modern families.

Whether you’re looking for games to spice up family games night, are searching for a unique gift or simply want to find a way to connect with the kids away from the screens, the range of Exploding Kittens games is your answer!

Blow up traditional family games night with Exploding Kittens!

We recently teamed up with Exploding Kittens to test drive some of their family-friendly games, designed for both kids and adults and guaranteed to bring the family fun!

Our panel of 60 reviewers tested out five different games (more on each below).

• Exploding Kittens –  The original card game for those who like kittens and explosions.
• Throw Throw Burrito – A combination of a card game and dodgeball, but with squishy burritos.
• Poetry for Neanderthals – A fast-talking word game that allows you to hit people in the head with an inflatable caveman stick if they get something wrong.
• Happy Salmon – A quick-acting game that gets you up and moving.
• Mantis – A card game with rainbow mantises, stealing, scoring and emotional highs and lows.

So which ones were our stand-out faves? Which one did the kids love the most? And which ones should you consider for your games collection?

All will be revealed below!

“Wow! Love playing Exploding Kittens games. I can definitely recommend trying these games out at your next game’s party no matter the age of your guests,” – Jody A. 

Make sure you scroll to the very end to put your name down to WIN 1 of 5 Ultimate Exploding Kittens Game Night Pack, valued at $200 each! Each pack includes ALL five games reviewed below. Which one will be your family’s favourite??

But first, a little bit about Exploding Kittens

Exploding Kittens landed on the gaming scene eight years ago with their award-winning game, Exploding Kittens. Since then they’ve launched a whole heap of fantastic games that explore themes you’d never ever think of.

There are squishy burritos and colourful mantises. There’s an inflatable club that you hit your children with and hilariously named cats like Rainbow-Ralphing Cat and Hairy Potato Cat.

Everything about these games will make you laugh, even the instruction manuals. They’re cheeky, they’re clever and the whole experience is so out-of-the-box that it’s impossible not to love it. Best of all, they get the kids off the screens and bring the family together. 

And it’s not just us who think so – our ENTIRE family review crew (that’s over 50 families!) LOVED these games and the Exploding Kittens Family Games Night experience.

FUN FACT: 98% recommend the range of Exploding Kittens game! 

Real families review Exploding Kittens games

Read what our reviewers thought about the Exploding Kittens games range:

“What a fantastic new generation of games for families of today and beyond,” – Cassandra W. 

“Quick, yet interactive funny games, that got all the family members laughing and bonding,” – Christy B.

“My family plays a lot of games, but our favourites are the ones by Exploding Kittens. They are really nicely designed and have good game mechanics that make playing them an enjoyable experience,” – Jade M. 

“What a great range of games for a family game night! Easy enough to learn how to play and they soon become a favourite pastime. Winning isn’t the main focus as everyone is having fun, even if losing and getting hit by a burrito,” – Tracey C. 

“Our whole family (ages 8-41) enjoyed all the games in the range. They were all easy to learn, quick to play and easy to set up. No fiddly bits that can be lost, and being small and compact made them easy to take camping for some afternoon fun,”  – Paula B. 

“The Exploding Kittens range of games is perfect for games nights with family and friends and is guaranteed to keep your kids off their screens for a while and ensure the teenagers join in. All games are quick to learn, easy to take away when you go travelling and are good quality games,” – Carolyn S. 

“Having grown up on more traditional board games, it’s so much fun to have the choice of such an excellent range of games from Exploding Kittens. I really think Exploding Kittens is on to a winning formula – make the game premise simple so that everyone can get on with playing quickly and be in fits of laughter!” – Belinda F. 

“These games are perfect for a family games night. The kids wanted to teach all the games to their grandparents, it’s a fantastic way to connect with multiple generations and have fun together!” – Lauren B. 

“So much fun! Will definitely be keeping these games in rotation for family games’ night,” – Charlotte C

All of these games share a few common themes – they are wacky, they are quick to play and they are easy to learn. They are also designed to break the mould of traditional family board games but also bring this nostalgic element of sitting around and playing games with your family (you know, before screens became a thing).

Kids can be kids when playing the games – the sillier the better, and parents can enjoy precious family time that gets everyone laughing.

Yes, the range is great as a whole, but each one of these games also brings something unique to the table. So let’s rate each game, shall we, starting with our most popular game and WINNER of the best family game.

Drum roll… please!

GAME 1: MANTIS – the family-fave game!

Ages 6+, Quiet and competitive, Great for strategic and skilful play

Yes, Mantis was our kids’ fave, our parents’ fave and our most recommended game! The card game combines the simplicity of Uno with the depth of Gin Rummy and is probably the most competitive game that we reviewed which may be why people loved it the most.

Beating your kids is always fun and beating them in a game that involves multi-coloured weird stick insects? AMAZING!

“A surprisingly great game that everyone of all ages would love. They loved the game place, length and the fun of stealing from siblings,” – Michael I. 

“Mantis! What is not to love about this game? Skill and strategy are perfect for all ages. Mantis will be a game played over and over in our home and possibly even have a second set in the car for those moments where a game is needed to fill the time.”–  Amanda D. 

“Mantis has fast become a family favourite game, easy to set up anywhere and anytime. The fun colour-based mechanic of the game meant all ages could pick it up easily and win in no time! – Dannielle M. 

“We’re a game-playing family and love when we find a new favourite! Mantis is our new favourite! Simple to learn, fun to play and entertaining for all. This will be my new ‘go-to’ family gift for Christmas,”– Liss C

GAME 2: EXPLODING KITTENS – the game that started it all!

Ages 7+, Hilarious and fast-paced. Great for group play

Our next game on the table is the most recognised of the Exploding Kittens games and the one that still remains a family favourite. The game is a clever mix of UNO and Russian Roulette that involves a bit of tactic and strategy. It’s one of the longer games in the Exploding Kittens range, unless, of course, you explode right away.

“Exploding Kittens is our absolute favourite! We have combined multiple packs and had great fun with a large group of families. Kittens is the purrrfect game!” – Abi D. 

“Exploding Kittens is one of the best games we’ve ever played. We love the strategy involved and the tension it creates. It’s easy enough for our 7-year-old to enjoy but fun enough for the adults,” – Tara M. 

“Easy to set up, easy to play, and easy to pack up. It’s a yes from us!” – Kim P.

GAME 3: HAPPY SALMON – the fast-paced kids’ pick

Ages: 6+, Movement Game, Great for high-energy kiddies

While the kiddies in our review loved Mantis, Happy Salmon was a close second with our little reviewers! This is one of the silliest games from Exploding Kittens which involves getting up and moving around so it makes sense our active little ones loved it so much.

It’s also a quick one – you can play it in under 90 seconds, but prepare for several rounds!

“Who would have thought that card games could provide so much fun? Happy Salmon was definitely their favourite of the night. The game was easy to understand and the rounds were quick meaning multiple rounds could be held. This is definitely a game that we would recommend for your next games’ night.” – Denise M. 

“An absolute winner – all-rounder for all the family. Easy to understand, fun for all ages, held attention as long as we wanted and a quick games a good game sometimes – so good value whether it’s 2 minutes or 2 hours,”–  Cassandra W. 

“This is such a great game for all ages. Super easy to remember the rules. Fast moving game that is over in a couple of minutes, but leaves you wanting to play again. Our players were aged 8 through to 73 and we all loved this game. Such a fun game, full of energy and speed,“ –  Vanessa F. 

GAME 4: THROW THROW BURRITO – Great for laughs and arm workouts:  

Ages 7+. Fast-paced, Great for laughs and parties

Another fast-paced game that leaves you scrambling to collect cards at the same time as other players, Throw Throw Burrito involves quick hands and a good aim! But the piece du resistance of Throw Throw Burrito has to be the two squishy burritos that you can chuck at each other as part of the game. And they are kinda cute too!

“How can you not love to Throw Throw a Burrito at your loved ones and know they won’t take it personally but they will take aim at you – best game ever!” – Kath D.

“A fast-paced, high-energy game that will have everyone laughing,” – Nicole H.

“The [kids] were in fits and giggles, able to throw things at each other – even the dog got involved. It was really fun playing with friends as well,”– Sarah G.

GAME 5: POETRY FOR NEANDERTHALS – a winner for word nerds

Ages 7+, Quick-thinking, Great for word nerds

If you like games like Taboo, then Poetry for Neanderthals will be a huge hit! Our reviewers especially liked the game for the older crowd as it can get tricky to only describe words using one-syllable. It’s very quick to play and quick to learn – a great icebreaker game too!

“It was hilarious thinking of different ways to describe something so simple. We got very into the Neanderthal theme, using our best primitive voices. We laughed hard!” – Lisa C

“Love that it’s a team game. Such fun, as well as challenging. Easy to play with the whole family,” – Roslyn S

“If you like word games, this one is a winner. Loved how you had to act quickly and retrain your brain to speak in only one syllable. It had us laughing out loud the whole time!” – Jenna G

Exploding Kittens Games

8.6

Mantis9.2

Exploding Kittens8.8

Happy Salmon8.5

Throw Throw Burrito8.3

Poetry for Neanderthals8.0

Pros

• Fast-Paced
• Family Fun
• Hiliarious!
• Easy to Play
• Great for kids and adults

“Games night will never be the same again” – Lisa C

It’s safe to say that our Exploding Kittens games night was a huge hit and we are so pleased to share that all FIVE of these games were enjoyed by parents and kids of all ages.

But our Best Game Award has to go to Mantis with the highest score from both kids and parents. Congrats Little Shrimp! 

Make sure you check out all the games from the Exploding Kittens range. Great for games night, gifts and getting everyone off the screens and laughing, we recommend all things Exploding Kittens. Apart from the five games we reviewed, they have TONS more too. Just head to Target, Big W, Kmart or online at Amazon Australia to see the entire range. 

Be sure to enter below to WIN 1 of 5 Ultimate Exploding Kittens Game Night Pack!

Valued at $200 each, each Exploding Kittens Game Night Pack includes all 5 games reviewed above: 

• Exploding Kittens
• Poetry for Neanderthals
• Throw Throw Burrito
• Happy Salmon
• Mantis

To enter, simply complete the form below in full and we could be contacting you!! GOOD LUCK!

This is a sponsored review for Exploding Kittens. All images and opinions are those of our reviewers. To find out how it works and apply, click here.