Apples to Apples is the definition of simple & laugh-out-loud games, and it strikes the perfect balance between family-friendly and entertainment. Chances are, you’ve played it so much and you’ve memorized all the cards and words already, therefore, it might be time to branch out.
Below, we’ll present a few alternatives that bring the same joy and fun, but not necessarily the exact gameplay.
1. Dixit

Ages 8+ | 3 to 6 players | 84 cards | Gametime of 30 minutes;
People call Dixit the picture version of Apples to Apples, considering that both have pretty similar game mechanics, such as playing cards to match, but Dixit includes voting, too. The game is basically all about one player telling clues for the picture on the card, and then all other players responding with one card they think matches the description best. Points are distributed depending on how good you are at guessing the storyteller’s card.
2. Snake Oil
Ages 10+ | 3 to 10 players | 370 cards | Gametime of 20 to 30 minutes;
Snake Oil comes in a mission: you have to create the best oil pitch! It includes more storytelling effects than Apples to Apples, considering that you even have to choose your customer. Depending on the chosen customer (which could be the Zombie, Protester, or Soldier), all players must create 2-word products and product pitches, aiming to be chosen as the customer’s favorite, just like you would do with the game judge in ATA.
3. Green Team Wins
Ages 10+ | 3 to 6 players | 210 cards | Gametime of 15 minutes;
Different from Apples To Apples, where the goal is having the most unique, hilarious answer, in Green Team Wins, the goal is writing the majority answer. The round starts with one player reading one of the three types of prompts out loud, and everyone else writing their answers on their whiteboard. Everyone starts the game while being on the orange team, and depending on the result, whether you wrote the most common answer or not, you can move to the green team.
4. Cards Against Humanity
Ages 17+ | 4 to 20+ players | 600 cards | Gametime of 30 to 90 minutes;
The resemblance of Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity is undeniable, but the latter is adult-friendly only, indeed. Each round, there’s a different Card Czar, who must read the black card of the round out loud, so the other players can submit responses (white cards). The cards are handed face-down to the game judge, who picks their favorite right after, and that gets one awesome point, for being awesome!
5. Poetry For Neanderthals
Ages 7+ | 2+ players | 200 cards | Gametime of 15 minutes;
Poetry For Neanderthals (made by the creators of Exploding Kittens) is a party game played in teams, where you can hit each other with an inflatable stick if someone breaks the rules. The idea of the game is that the clue giver of the team, within 60 seconds, should help the teammates guess as many words from the cards as possible, but using only one-syllable clues. If the clue is two or more syllables, you can bonk the clue-giver with the stick!
6. Wits & Wagers
Ages 10+ | 4+ players | 125 cards | Gametime of 25 minutes;
While in Apples to Apples you just try to make good combinations of cards, and there’s no right or wrong, in Wits & Wagers your answer should be correct. In the game, there’s one question reader per round, who reads the numerical trivia question, and everyone else must write the answer down. Then, everyone must place betting chips on the cards, depending on who they think is closest to the real correct answer. It has such a similar gameplay to Apples to Apples, but now the questions are real.
7. Hues & Cues
Ages 8+ | 3 to 10 players | 100 cards | Gametime of 30+ minutes;
Although Hues and Cues is considered more of a board game, we couldn’t skip mentioning it since it has the same matching element as Apples to Apples. But, instead of matching cards, you match colors and clues. In H&C, one player per round is the Cue Giver, notes the coordinates of their chosen color, and gives cues to the other players. Then, all players must place the colored pieces on the color they think matches best the description, and depending on how correct they are, they score points!
8. Herd Mentality
Ages 10+ | 4 to 20 players | Gametime of 20 minutes;
Who would’ve thought that your goal would be collecting cow tokens… Once again, there’s one question reader who must pick one question to read out loud, while everyone writes their answers down. Now, if your answer blends in with the majority, you just win tokens. But if your answer is the odd one, you have to keep the pink cow, with which you cannot win the game. Although it has some added things compared to Apples to Apples, in both these games, the big goal is guessing what the others will choose, so you can win.
9. Balderdash
Ages 12+ | 2 to 6 players | 280 cards | Gametime of 30 to 60 minutes;
While in Apples to Apples we have a classic game judge, in Balderdash there’s a ‘dasher’. What the dasher must do is, again, read the word of the round, and choose a category of that word. Then, all players write fake, but absolutely believable answers for the meaning of that word, and the dasher, as well, who writes the real answers. Once all answers are shuffled, everyone votes on which one they think is the real answer. Of course, this decides whether you get points or not!
10. That’s Not a Hat
Ages 8+ | 3 to 8 players | 110 cards | Gametime of 15 minutes;
That’s Not a Hat and Apples to Apples have indeed different gameplay styles. However, both of these games are about figuring out what the other player is thinking. The idea of TNAH is that each player is dealt one card, and on each turn, everyone must pass that card to the next player, announcing what it is. The other player might either accept it or reject the card, saying that it’s not what you said it is. Once the card is revealed, whoever was wrong gets a penalty!
Final Thoughts
If you’ve played Apples to Apples just as many times as we did, I bet the deck feels a little too familiar, and it’s absolutely normal to hunt for other alternatives. So, Apples to Apples fans, in this list of games, you could find similar games that bring the same vibe and keep the good times rolling.
No matter if you prefer storytelling, competition, word-guessing, or trivia, there will be something that fits your group just perfectly.