Exploding Kittens is a digital card game adaptation for iOS and Android, targeting fans of the original physical tabletop franchise.
Product velocity
Dormant
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#188
Games · paid
Sentiment
4.4
59k reviews
Nemesis
UNO!™
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire the app for portable, social-bluffing gameplay that replicates the physical card game experience without the need for physical setup.
For Fans of tabletop card games and the original Exploding Kittens franchise seeking digital, portable play options.
What does it look like?
Key features
Real-time card game sessions with friends or strangers across multiple phones
In-app purchase access to Streaking Kittens, Barking Kittens, Betrayal, and Party decks
Offline multiplayer support for 2 to 5 players in the same room
How much does it cost?
Paid-front model anchored at $4.99, supplemented by optional IAP for additional content packs.
Velocity
Dormant developmentperformanceopaqueShow more...
The development cadence has effectively ceased, with only one release in the last 19 months. The latest release provided only security and stability improvements, following a long period of inactivity. There is no evidence of active feature development or live operations. The app is currently in a zombie state due to the lack of updates for over a year.
Who built it?
Marmalade Game Studio
13+ apps tracked · Games
Mouse Trap - The Board Game
BATTLESHIP
THE GAME OF LIFE: Road Trip
Cluedo
MONOPOLY: The Board Game
Ticket to Ride®
Exploding Kittens® 2
Taboo
The Game of Life 2
Clue: Classic Edition
The Game of Life
Clue: Classic Edition+User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Review voice lately leans mixed. Users appreciate the core card-bluffing gameplay loop remains highly addictive and entertaining for long-term fans and quirky character art and sound effects provide a distinct personality that keeps sessions engaging, but report aggressive pay-to-win monetization and gated content frustrate players who already purchased the base game.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- The core card-bluffing gameplay loop remains highly addictive and entertaining for long-term fans
- Quirky character art and sound effects provide a distinct personality that keeps sessions engaging
- Aggressive pay-to-win monetization and gated content frustrate players who already purchased the base game
91 of 109 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 1 more frustration theme and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Exploding Kittens®
How's the Games market?
Exploding Kittens holds a consistent #13 Paid Card Game rank across multiple international markets, but its grossing performance lags behind its discovery rank. This gap signals that the $4.99 entry price and IAP structure fail to convert the discovery-driven user base into high-LTV players.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Mattel163 Limited
Dominates the casual card game market with massive scale and a high-frequency release cadence that keeps the meta fresh.
- Implements aggressive live-ops and seasonal events that drive daily engagement beyond standard card play
- Features a robust social ecosystem with team-based tournaments that creates significant user switching costs
Unlock the deeper market read.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Exploding Kittens®
Where is it heading?
Casual card game traffic is consolidating around high-velocity, live-ops driven entrants like UNO!. Maintenance-mode updates leave Exploding Kittens exposed: a rival with a 2-week feature cadence will erode the current chart lead before the next major expansion drop.
- Frequent app crashes in the latest build erode the daily active habit, compounding the rating drag already visible on Android.
- The core card-bluffing loop remains a strong retention anchor, providing a stable base for potential live-ops expansion.
The SWOT
- Official digital adaptation rights by The Oatmeal sustain organic install velocity
- Local face-to-face mode creates a unique social-gaming moat
- Education partnerships for B2B distribution
- Implementation of a game-speed toggle to reduce AI-turn friction
Next best moves
Ship pass-and-play local mode because users request single-device social play → increase social retention
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's #13 rank is a stability risk…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Pass-and-play local mode (available in board game peers but missing here) +1
Since the last report: The app has shifted into a maintenance-mode zombie state, with sentiment trending mixed as technical instability and lack of updates drive users toward more active competitors.
Bottom line
Exploding Kittens holds its category lead through sticky multiplayer mechanics but bleeds casual players to lighter mobile alternatives, so revenue growth hinges on tightening the first-session friction and resolving Android stability.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeReport last updated