Card game
Love Letter
Hold one card, guess your rivals' cards, reach the princess
- Set-up
- Under a minute
- Reading
- Some
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Groups of 3 to 5 who want a short game between bigger ones, or while dinner is being made
Think twice if You often have 7 or more players. It tops out at 6
How we rate it
Learning curve. Hold one card, draw one, play one. Each of the ten characters does one simple thing and the reference cards remind you, but there's a bit more to remember than UNO. Lighter than Ticket to Ride.
Luck & skill. The draw matters a lot and you can be knocked out on the first turn. Tracking which cards have already been played lets you make better guesses, so stronger players win more often over several rounds.
Interaction. Most cards target another player: guessing their card, looking at it, comparing hands, forcing a discard or swapping hands.
Set-up. Hand out reference cards, shuffle the 21 cards, set one aside face down (plus three face up with two players) and deal one card to each player.
Reading. Each card shows a name, a number and a line or two of English, and the reference cards repeat all the effects.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
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Is Love Letter right for you?
Great if
- Groups of 3 to 5 who want a short game between bigger ones, or while dinner is being made
- Children of 10 and up playing with adults, since each card does one simple thing
- Travel and cafés, because it's only 21 cards, a few reference cards and some tokens
- Anyone who likes Cluedo-style guessing but wants it over in minutes
Skip it if
- You often have 7 or more players. It tops out at 6
- Your group dislikes luck. One unlucky draw can knock you out of a round
- You mainly want a game for two. It works, but it's at its best with three or more
A place on the honours list
Good company to be in.
Recognition from beyond our table.
Spiel des Jahres recommendation list, 2014 (Recommended)
Deutscher Spiele Preis, 2014 (4th place)
How Love Letter plays
Shuffle the 21 character cards and put the top one aside face down without looking at it. In a two-player game, also put three more aside face up. Everyone gets one card. On your turn you draw a card, so you're holding two, then play one of them face up in front of you and do what it says. You always end your turn holding a single card.
- Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
- Reading and language: Each card shows its name, a number and a line or two of English explaining what it does, and the reference cards repeat this. Once everyone knows the ten characters you mostly go by the numbers, so someone who doesn't read English well can play with a little help. The game needs very little table talk.
Love Letter - How To Play · Cardboard Crash Course
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Draw
On your turn, draw one card, so you're holding two.
- 2Play
Play one of the two face up and do what it says: guess a rival's card with a Guard, peek with a Priest, compare hands with a Baron, and so on. Keep the other card.
- 3Survive
Some cards knock players out of the round. The round ends when one player is left or the deck runs out, and the highest card still in hand earns a favour token.
- 4Win
Play quick rounds until someone has enough tokens: 6 with two players, 5 with three, 4 with four, and 3 with five or six.
The full explanation: how a game of Love Letter goes
Every card has a number from 0 to 9 and an effect. The six Guards let you name a character other than a Guard, and if the player you point at holds it, they're out of the round. The Priest lets you secretly look at someone's card. With the Baron, you and another player compare cards in secret, and the lower number is out. The Handmaid protects you until your next turn. The Prince makes any player, even you, discard their card and draw a new one. The Chancellor lets you draw two cards, keep one and put two back under the deck. The King swaps hands with another player.
The top three cards are risky to hold. The Countess must be played if you also hold the King or the Prince, which makes her a handy bluff. If you ever play or discard the Princess, you're out of the round. The two Spies score nothing on their own, but if you are the only player still in the round who has played or discarded a Spy, you get a bonus token.
A round ends when only one player is left or the deck runs out. The player still in with the highest card wins a favour token; if there's a tie, every tied player takes a token. Rounds take a few minutes, so eliminated players don't wait long. The first player to collect enough tokens wins: 6 with two players, 5 with three, 4 with four, and 3 with five or six.
Most of the game is working out who holds what from the cards already played, then deciding whether to take a chance. The rulebook also has a 'classic' setup using 16 cards for 2 to 4 players, for those who know the older edition.
What's in the box
- 21Character cards
numbered 0 to 9: 2 Spies, 6 Guards, 2 each of Priest, Baron, Handmaid, Prince and Chancellor, and 1 each of King, Countess and Princess - 6Reference cards
one per player; you flip it to the broken-seal side when you're out of the round - 13Favour tokens
- 1Cloth bag
listed in the rulebook for the current 'Love Letter Classic' printing - 1Rulebook
also explains the classic 16-card version for 2-4 players
From Z-Man's current English rulebook (dated 2025, posted April 2026) and its product page. The 2019 boxed printing has the same cards, reference cards and tokens; we couldn't confirm whether it also came with a bag. Bored Game Company's description of its own-brand edition is of the older 16-card game for 2-4 players, so check what's inside that box.
Where to buy
Paid link · We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Love Letter is widely praised as one of the best tiny card games. It's a deck of 21 cards that teaches in five minutes, plays in about 20, and still gives real moments of deduction and bluffing. Reviewers of the 2019 edition like the new Spy and Chancellor and the fresh art. The usual complaints are luck and player elimination: one bad draw can knock you out early, though rounds are short. Many find it best with three or four players, and reviewers are split on six.
What people love
- Very quick to learn, because each character does one simple thing
- Short rounds, so being knocked out only means a few minutes' wait
- Real deduction from keeping track of which cards have been played
- Small enough to carry anywhere, which suits travel and cafés
Common complaints
- A lot of luck: you can be knocked out on your very first turn
- With five or six players everyone gets only two or three turns a round
- The romantic name and theme put some people off, even though the game itself is a simple deduction game
Based on 6 reviews and discussions
- Review #718 - Love Letter [2019 Edition] (Eric, February 2021) · What's Eric Playing?
- Review How Do I Get Thee to Deliver My Message - Love Letter Review (Nyx Hor, April 2018) · PlayLab, Tampere University
- Video Love Letter - Shut Up & Sit Down Review (Shut Up & Sit Down, about 2018) · Shut Up & Sit Down
- Players How to expand Love Letter to accommodate more players? (Board & Card Games Stack Exchange, March 2014) · Board & Card Games Stack Exchange
- Award Love Letter (Pegasus Spiele edition) · Spiel des Jahres
- Reference Love Letter (card game) · Wikipedia
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
More like Love Letter
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Our picks if Love Letter isn't quite right.
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| Compare the games.The details that make a difference. |
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Love Letter
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The Mind
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Cluedo
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Hold one card, guess your rivals' cards, reach the princess | A different fit Another tiny card game of hidden cards and bluffing, with more lying and less luck | A different fit Another 20-minute small-box card game, but cooperative and played in silence | A different fit A longer family deduction game if you enjoy working out who holds which card |
| Players | 2–6 | 2–6 | 2–4 | 2–6 |
| Best with | 3-5 | 4-6 | 3-4 | 4-6 |
| Play time | 15–30 min | 15 min | 15–25 min | 45–60 min |
| Age | 10+ | 14+ | 8+ | 8+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Imported | Imported | Imported | Available |
| On this page | Explore Coup | Explore The Mind | Explore Cluedo |
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Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Lovecraft Letter – Z-Man's horror-themed spin-off of the same game.
Questions people ask about Love Letter
Is there an Indian edition of Love Letter?
Bored Game Company has its own-brand Indian edition, but its description is of the older 16-card game for 2 to 4 players, so check what's inside that box. Z-Man's current edition is made abroad and imported, and our Check price on Amazon.in button goes to an imported copy of it.
Can you play Love Letter with 2 players?
Yes. In a two-player game you set aside three extra cards face up at the start of each round, and the first player to 6 tokens wins. It works, but with only two people there's less to deduce and more luck, so it's better with 3 to 5.
Is Love Letter a romantic game for couples?
No. Despite the name, it's a deduction card game in which suitors try to get their letter to a princess through her courtiers. There's nothing romantic or adult in it, and it's rated for ages 10 and up. Online searches for 'Love Letter' mostly show greeting cards, so add 'card game' or 'Z-Man' to your search.
What's the difference between the old and new Love Letter?
The original English edition (AEG, 2012-2018) had 16 cards for 2 to 4 players. Z-Man's 2019 edition has 21 cards, adds the Spy and the Chancellor, raises the King, Countess and Princess by one point each, and takes up to 6 players. Its rulebook still includes the classic 16-card setup.
Game facts
- Designed by
- Seiji Kanai
- Publisher
- Z-Man Games (first published in Japan by Kanai Factory in 2012; AEG published the English edition until 2018)
- First published
- 2012
- Players
- 2–6
- Barcode
- 841333130985
- Language
- Little reading – Each card shows its name, a number and a line or two of English explaining what it does, and the reference cards repeat this. Once everyone knows the ten characters you mostly go by the numbers, so someone who doesn't read English well can play with a little help. The game needs very little table talk.
- Awards
- Spiel des Jahres recommendation list, 2014 (Recommended); Deutscher Spiele Preis, 2014 (4th place)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.