Now you know the rules. Time to play.
Game guide
How a game is set up, how a round runs, what each of the five card types does, and the twists that decide who goes out.
The basics
3 to 6 players, each on their own phone, in real time. One player creates the game and the rest join with a 6-character code. Before it starts you set the location, who is playing, the difficulty, the length and the content you want left out. Then the app takes over: it deals the cards, picks the matchups, counts the votes and tracks who is out. Rounds get harder as you go, players drop out one by one, and the last one standing wins.
The cards
Every card you assign is one of five types. Each one is played differently, and each has its own rule for how the vote is counted and who ends up in Redemption.
The Executor answers the question on the card and the players vote whether the answer was truthful. Voted down, or refused, and they go to Redemption.
The Executor performs the task on the card and the players vote whether it was done. Voted down, or refused, and they go to Redemption.
Every player plays, then everyone votes for the loser. The player with the most votes goes to Redemption. On a tie, or with Skip in the lead, nobody goes.
The Executor has to follow the rule until the end of the round. Anyone who spots a breach reports it and the players vote, without stopping the card that is being played.
The Challenger and the Executor go head to head and the players vote for the winner. The loser goes to Redemption, and a tie counts as a loss for the Executor.
Some cards contain @random, which is replaced with a random player name when the card is played, eliminated players included.
The twists
The golden rule: only assign cards you would do yourself. You get one Bluff Check for the whole game. Use it on a Dare, a Truth or a Rule assigned to you and the card is redirected to the Challenger. If they carry it out, you go to Redemption and the token is spent. If they do not, they go and you keep it. With a Rule, the rule moves to them until the end of the round. You have 20 seconds to call it, and you cannot call it in Redemption.
Your last chance before elimination, and the cards here are always a Dare or a Truth. The other players vote for one of three cards, you perform the one with the most votes, then they vote whether you did it. Do it and you keep competing for the win. Fail and you are eliminated.
An eliminated player still takes part in every vote and cards can still name them, but they can no longer win, or be a Challenger or an Executor. If more than one player is left after the last regular round, an extra round is played: the cards are dealt automatically, every card is a Duel, and there is no Redemption. The duels run until one player is left.
The final screen shows the standings and your reward breakdown: coins for taking part, for winning, for eliminations, for Redemptions you forced and comebacks you survived, plus your Aura and a chance at a chest. The app spots a table that taps through cards without playing them, and then the rewards are cut or withheld.
FAQ
Yes. Cardarena is real-time multiplayer and needs a constant connection.
3 to 6, each on their own phone.
Yes. Anything one player excludes is excluded for everyone for the whole game. If anyone is under 18, Dirty, Flirty and Alcohol cards are left out. The group you pick adds its own: Family also leaves out Secrets, and Just met leaves out Secrets and cards about people outside the game.
Yes. Players write the cards, everyone rates them, and the best rated ones are promoted into the live deck. An approved card pays 1,000 coins and a Mystery chest.
Yes. They take part in every vote and cards can still name them. They can no longer win, or be a Challenger or an Executor.
No. Money buys skins and convenience. The votes decide every match.
Yes. Cardarena is out on Google Play and on the App Store for iPhone, free to download.