Exploding Minions Board Game: Rules for How to Play

Objective

The objective of Exploding Minions is to be the last remaining player in the game.

Setup

Remove all four of the Exploding Minions cards from the deck. Set them aside for later.
If there are only two players, you will only use the cards with the Gru Tech symbol in the corner. If there are three players, you will only use the cards without any symbol in the top right corner. When there are four or five players, you will use all of the cards. Remove any cards that you aren’t using from the deck.
Take all of the Defuse card from the deck. Give one to each player. Return any extra Defuse cards to the deck.
Shuffle the remaining cards. Deal seven cards face down to each player. Each player should have a total of eight cards (includes the Defuse card each player received earlier) in their hand. You can look at the cards in your own hand, but you shouldn’t show them to the other players.
Take enough Exploding Minion cards equal to the number of players minus one. For example if there are four players, you will take three Exploding Minions cards. Add these cards back into the deck. Any extra cards are set aside and won’t be used in the game.
Shuffle the deck of cards again. Place the deck face down in the middle of the table.
Choose a player to start the game. Play moves clockwise/left throughout the game.

How to Play Exploding Minions

To begin your turn you will decide whether you want to play a card(s) from your hand. You can choose not to play any cards. You may also choose to play multiple cards on your turn.

If you choose to play a card, you will place it face up on top of the Discard Pile. After you play the card, you will take the corresponding action. See the Cards section below for more details.

Playing a card — The current player has decided to play a See the Future card. They will look at the top three cards on the Draw Pile and then return them to the top of the pile.

After you follow the instructions on the card, you can play another card if you want to.

Once you are done playing cards, you will draw a card from the draw pile. This is required and not optional. The only way to avoid drawing a card is if you play a card that prevents you from drawing a card. Most cards in the game are harmless. You will add them to your hand, and then your turn ends. There is no maximum or minimum hand size.

If you draw an Exploding Minion card though, you are eliminated from the game. See the Elimination section below for more details.

Drawing an Exploding Minions card — At the end of their turn this player ended up drawing an Exploding Minion card. Unless they have a Defuse card in their hand, they will be eliminated from the game.

When your turn ends, play passes to the next player clockwise.

Cards of Exploding Minions

Attack

You will use an Attack card when you don’t want to draw a card on your turn. You should use them when you think or know that the next card is an Exploding Minion card.

When you play the Attack card, the next player in turn order has to take two turns in a row. Your turn ends immediately so you don’t have to draw a card. The next player takes their normal turn which ends when they draw a card. They will then take another full turn due to the Attack card.

Should the next player have their own Attack card, they can play it. They no longer have to take the rest of their turn(s). If the player had any remaining turns, they will add those turns to the two turns that the Attack card usually passes to the next player. For example a player just had an Attack card played against them. If they play their own Attack card right away, they will pass the two turns they had to take plus two additional turns to the next player. This next player will now have to take four turns. There is no limit on the amount of turns that a player may have to take in a row.

Playing a second Attack card — The previous player played an Attack card. The current player had to take two turns. They decide to play their own Attack card. Play then moves to the next player who now has to take four turns in a row.

Clone

The Clone card copies any other card in the game. When you play the card, it will take on the effect of the card that previously was on top of the discard pile.

You cannot play a Clone card on top of another Clone card.

Should you draw an Exploding Minion card and the top card on the discard pile is a Defuse card, it will copy its effect. In this case you aren’t eliminated from the game. You will treat the card like you played your own Defuse card.

Cloning a Defuse card — The current player has drawn an Exploding Minion card. As the top card on the Discard Pile is a Defuse card, the player uses a Clone card to create their own Defuse card to avoid the Exploding Minion card.

Additionally you can also play a Clone card along with another Minion Character card. It will act as a copy of the other card that you play, allowing you to take the corresponding action. You only get the effect if you play it with a Minion Character card. You do not get the effect if the top card on the discard pile is one.

Cloning a Minion Character card — The current player has played a Kevin & Otto card along with a Clone card. The Clone card copies the other card giving the player a pair. The player gets to steal a random card from another player.

Defuse

To start the game each player gets one Defuse card. You may draw additional Defuse cards during the game.

If you draw an Exploding Minion card, you can play a Defuse card to avoid elimination from the game. See the Elimination section below for more details.

Draw From the Bottom

The Draw From the Bottom card allows you to draw the bottom card from the draw pile instead of the top card. The best time to play this card is when you know or suspect the top card is an Exploding Minion card.

Exploding Minion

Whenever you draw one of these cards, you must immediately show it to the rest of the players. If you do not have a Defuse card, you are eliminated from the game.

Minion Character Cards

These cards have no special action on their own. If you acquire two of these cards that feature the same minion though, you can play them as a pair.

When you play two Minion Character cards as a pair, you can randomly take a card from another player’s hand.

Playing a pair of Minion Character cards — This player has played two matching Bob cards. They will get to randomly take a card from another player’s hand.

Nope

Nope cards can be played at any time, even on other player’s turns. You can play a Nope card against any other card except for an Exploding Minion or a Defuse card.

When you play the card it nullifies the card played before it. You basically act like the previous card was never played. The Nope card and the previous card are discarded from the game.

Using a Nope card to block an Attack card — The current player plays an Attack card against the next player. That player immediately plays a Nope card. The Nope card blocks the Attack card from going into effect.

You can also use a Nope card against another Nope card. This makes the previous card’s effect apply again.

Using a Nope card on a Nope card — The Attack card was blocked with a Nope card. The player that played the Attack card then played their own Nope card which blocks the first Nope card. The Attack card will once again be applied to the next player.

See the Future

When you play a See the Future card, you will look at the top three cards on the draw pile. You should look at the cards so the rest of the players can’t see them. After you look at the cards, you will return them to the top of the deck in the same order as they were before you looked at them.

Shuffle

Should you play a Shuffle card on your turn, you will pick up the draw pile and shuffle it thoroughly. The best time to use this card is when you know or suspect that the next card is an Exploding Minion.

Skip

The Skip card allows you to immediately skip the rest of your turn. The best time to use them is when you don’t want to draw a card.

If an Attack card is played against you, the Skip card only negates one of the two turns that you have to take. You have to play two Skip cards in order to avoid both turns.

Elimination

Whenever you draw an Exploding Minion card, you will potentially be eliminated from the game.

The only way to avoid elimination is if you have a Defuse card in your hand. If you have a Defuse card, you can play it. The card saves you from elimination. You will discard the Defuse card. Then place the Exploding Minion back into the draw deck. You can choose where you want to place the card. When choosing where to place the card, you cannot look at the other cards in the draw pile and you cannot rearrange the cards. You can place it as the top card on the deck. You can hide the deck from the other players while you place the card back into the deck so they can’t see where you placed it.

Defusing an Exploding Minion card — This player drew an Exploding Minion card. They play a Defuse card in order to avoid elimination.

If you do not have a Defuse card, you are eliminated from the game. Place the Exploding Minion and the rest of your cards face up in front of you.

Elimination from Exploding Minions — This player did not have a Defuse card to use when they drew an Exploding Minion card. Therefore they are eliminated from the game.

Winning the Game

Players will keep taking turns playing and drawing cards. The game ends when there is only one player left in the game. The last remaining player wins the game.

Exploding Minions FAQ

If you have any questions about how to play the game, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.

Components

5 Attack Cards
3 Clone Cards
7 Defuse Cards
5 Draw From the Bottom Cards
4 Exploding Minion Cards
24 Minion Character Cards
7 Nope Cards
7 See the Future Cards
4 Shuffle Cards
6 Skip Cards
Instructions

Year: 2020 | Publisher: Exploding Kittens | Designer: Matthew Inman, Elan Lee | Artist: Matthew Inman

Genres: Card, Press Your Luck, Take That

Ages: 7+ | Number of Players: 2-5 | Length of Game: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate-High

For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.

Written By:

Eric Mortensen

Eric Mortensen is an owner and head writer on Geeky Hobbies since 2014. He is an avid board game player and collector with over 3,000 board and card games in his collection. Since 2014 he has written more than 1,100 board game how to play guides.