How to Play Top Trumps

Starting the Game

Shuffle the deck of cards before starting the game. Choose a player to shuffle the cards, making sure that they’re all interspersed evenly throughout the deck. Assign this player as the dealer, so you can figure out the play order. Top Trump decks are super unique, and have a lot of different colors and designs. Some decks have 32 total cards, while others have 38 or 50.

Divide the cards evenly between all the players. Check your box of cards to see how many come in a box. Evenly deal the cards so they’re face-down, so no one can see what cards any other player has. If you have an uneven ratio of cards to players, set a few cards aside so you can divide the deck evenly. For instance, if you have 4 players and a 50-card deck, give each player 12 cards and set 2 cards in the center.

Hold your own cards face-up in a stack so only the top 1 is visible. Grab your cards and keep them close to you, so no other player can see what you have. Stack the cards so they’re on top of 1 another, and only the top card is visible. As you collect cards throughout the game, you’ll add them to bottom of the stack.

Winning a Match

Wait for the player left of the dealer to choose a card and read 1 of the stats. Invite the first player to read over their card and choose a “stat,” or card description, with a high numerical value. Keep in mind that these stats may be a little different depending on the Top Trumps deck you’re playing with. For instance, if you’re playing with a Lord of the Rings deck, you can say something like: “My card has a ferocity score of 65.” If you were playing with the dinosaur deck, you can say something like: “My card’s height is 10 ft (120 in).” Everyone has to play with cards from the same Top Trumps deck, or else the stats won’t match up.

Invite other players to compare the same stat on their card. Go around in a circle and have each player list the same stat from the topmost card on their deck. Once everyone shares their stat, determine who shared the highest number. For instance, you might compare the “lovability” stat on each player’s card if you’re using the dog pack. If the first 3 players say that their lovability stats are 5, 12, and 23, then the third player would be the winner of the round.

Collect all of the players’ cards if your stat is highest. Wait for all of the other players to put their losing card face-up in the middle of the playing area. Stack these cards and place them at the bottom of your card pile. Overall, the goal is to have a larger stack than all the other players.

Start a new round with the winning player calling out a stat. Invite the most recent winner to choose the highest stat from their top card and share it with the rest of the group. As you did before, go around in a circle and share your identical stats. The winning player will collect all of the cards and add them to the bottom for he deck. For instance, if you’re playing with the baby animals deck, you could read and share the “mischief” stat on your card.

Place everyone’s cards in the middle if there’s a tie. Two players might have stats that are equal—in this case, everyone stacks their cards face up in the center of the playing area. At this point, start a new round, with the last winning player sharing their highest stat with the other players. The new winner from this round will add the losing cards to their own hand, as well as the cards from the center of the play area. Everyone’s cards go in the center! This rule doesn’t just apply to the players who tied.

Play multiple rounds until 1 player has all the cards. Continue going around the play circle, inviting players to share their highest stat for the round. The winner will keep collecting the cards until they’re holding the entire deck.