How to Play Imploding Kittens (Expansion)
Imploding Kittens is the first expansion for Exploding Kittens. It’s not a standalone game — you shuffle it into the base deck. It bumps the player count to six and, most importantly, adds the Imploding Kitten: a bomb that cannot be defused.
It also brings a handful of new action cards that add nasty new ways to redirect danger.
Last reviewed 2026-07-27
What's in the box
- Requires the Exploding Kittens base game
- The single Imploding Kitten card (cannot be defused)
- New action cards: Feral Cat, Alter the Future, Draw From the Bottom, Reverse, Targeted Attack
- A “Cone of Shame” to mark the active player
Setup
- Shuffle the expansion cards into your Exploding Kittens deck.
- Set up as normal: one Defuse per player and a hand of eight.
- Add the Imploding Kitten to the deck face down along with the Exploding Kittens.
- With six players, use the extra Exploding Kitten so there is still one fewer bomb than players (counting the Imploding Kitten).
How to play — the rules
The Imploding Kitten
The Imploding Kitten starts face down in the deck. The first player to draw it does not explode — instead they place it back into the deck face up, anywhere they choose, without using a Defuse.
Now everyone can see it coming. The next player who draws the face-up Imploding Kitten is eliminated on the spot, and no Defuse can save them.
New action cards
- Feral Cat — a wild cat card that can pair with any other Cat card to steal.
- Alter the Future — like See the Future, but you may reorder the top three cards.
- Draw From the Bottom — end your turn by drawing the bottom card instead of the top.
- Reverse — reverse the direction of play and end your turn without drawing.
- Targeted Attack — end your turn and force a specific player (not just the next one) to take two turns.
Everything else is unchanged
All the base rules still apply — Defuses, Nopes, Skips, and turn order all work the same. The expansion only adds the Imploding Kitten and the new cards.
A turn, step by step
- Play action cards, now including Reverse, Targeted Attack, and Alter the Future.
- End your turn by drawing — from the top, or from the bottom with Draw From the Bottom.
- If you draw the face-down Imploding Kitten, reinsert it face up wherever you like.
- If you draw the face-up Imploding Kitten, you’re out — no Defuse allowed.
How to win
As in the base game, survival is everything: the last player who hasn’t been knocked out wins.
The Imploding Kitten changes the endgame — once it’s face up, everyone can see exactly which draw is fatal, turning the final turns into a scramble of Skips, Attacks, and Reverses to avoid it.
Strategy tips
- Track the face-up Imploding Kitten’s position after every Skip, Attack, and Reverse — it doesn’t move on its own, but your turn order does.
- Reverse and Targeted Attack are perfect for aiming the fatal draw at a specific rival.
- Use Alter the Future to bury a bomb deeper — or set a trap for the next player.
- Feral Cat makes stealing far easier; use it to grab a Defuse before the deck thins out.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play Imploding Kittens on its own?
No. It is an expansion that must be shuffled into the Exploding Kittens base game; it does not contain a full deck.
Can you defuse the Imploding Kitten?
No. The first player to draw it survives and places it back face up, but the next player to draw the face-up card is eliminated and cannot use a Defuse.
How many players can play with the expansion?
Adding Imploding Kittens to the base game raises the maximum to six players.
What does Targeted Attack do?
Like Attack, it forces two turns without you drawing — but you choose exactly which player has to take them, rather than it always falling on the next player.
House-rule ideas
- Face-up start: place the Imploding Kitten face up from the beginning for maximum tension.
- No reshuffle: ban Shuffle once the Imploding Kitten is face up so its position stays known.
- Rotate the Cone of Shame to the last player eliminated as a badge of dishonor.
Buy Imploding Kittens
Imploding Kittens Expansion
Adds a sixth player, the un-defusable Imploding Kitten, and five new cards.
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