Munchkin Card Game Rules: Everything You Need to Know to Start Playing

Munchkin is an exciting, easy-to-learn card and board game with plenty of monsters and treasures, but how do you get started? Just grab any Munchkin game and 3 to 6 players—we'll walk you through everything else you need to know including setup, the gameplay rules, and how to win. Each game lasts about 1 hour, so prepare for an evening of sword-wielding (or laser-shooting) fun!

Starting a Game of Munchkin

Players: 3 to 6 (ages 11+)
Setup: Give 10 tokens or a sheet of paper to each player. Divide the cards into the Door and Treasure decks. Shuffle both decks, then give 4 of each card to each player.
Objective: Reach level 10 before any other player by defeating a monster.

Section 1 of 3:

Game Setup & Character Creation

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1
Give 10 small objects to each player to keep track of their level. You can use coins, poker chips, paper clips, or anything you have on hand! ^{[1]
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Research source} You can also use a notepad and a pencil to keep track of everyone’s level.
- Munchkin Deluxe: Set out the game board and have each player pick a colored standee. Place each player’s standee on the level “1” space on the board.
2
Separate the Door cards and the Treasure cards. Every deck comes with 2 separate card types: the Door cards and the Treasure cards. Make sure these are separated, then shuffle each deck and put them into 2 piles face down. ^{[2]
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- Set the cards in the center of your group so everyone can grab them.
- Munchkin Deluxe: Place the Door and Treasure decks on their respective card spaces on the board. Place any discarded cards in the space directly below each deck.
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3
Pick up 4 cards from each deck. Have every player grab 4 Door cards and 4 Treasure cards. It doesn’t matter who starts, but you can roll a die to decide if you want to! ^{[3]
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- If you have an older version of the game, the rules might tell you to pick out 2 cards from each deck instead of 4. That’s fine, and the rest of the rules are all still the same.
4
Put down a Race card and a Class card to create your character. Pick a Race card and a Class card from your hand and place them face-up on the table. This will cause them to be in play. Every card has its own strengths and weaknesses, so pick out the ones you want carefully. ^{[4]
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- You may be an elf thief who gains levels for helping and backstabbing players. You can also be a halfling wizard who charms monsters and gains their treasure without fighting them.
- If you have a half-breed or super munchkin card, you can put down 2 Race cards and 2 Class cards at the same time.
5
Set out any Item cards you have. Your Item cards give your character weapons and objects to use during battle. Check the bottom of your Item card to see how many “hands” you need to hold it. You can only use 2 “hands” worth of small items and 1 “hand” worth of big items at one time. ^{[5]
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- You can put down any items you have right now, or you can save them for later. It’s up to you!
- Similarly, if you have an Item that says “Headgear,” you can’t equip more than 2 “Headgear” Items (unless your Race card or another Item card says otherwise).
- Cards set on the table in front of you (or Items that you’re “carrying”) are “in-play” while cards in your hand are “not in play.”

Section 2 of 3:

Turn Phases & Gameplay

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1
Draw a Door card face up to “Kick Open (or Down) The Door”. To decide who goes first, roll the dice. On your turn, you’ll either pull a monster card, a Curse, or a card that does something good. If it’s a monster, you must fight it. ^{[6]
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- Curse Card: These immediately apply to the player who drew them. Follow the instructions on the card.
  - Some Curses are discarded, while others give you a penalty later in the game or have a continuing effect. Keep these cards until you can get rid of them or the penalty takes effect.
- Any other card: Keep it in your hand or play it right away. You might get an Item card or a boost to use for your character.
2
Begin combat if you drew a monster card. Your combat strength is determined by your character’s level plus all the modifiers on any cards you have in play (check the numbers at the top of each card). If your level and modifiers are higher than the monster’s level at the top of their card, you win! ^{[7]
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- Make sure you read the instructions on your monster card carefully. Some monsters can be “bribed” with Gold or Items to let you go. When you do this, you don’t go up a level.
3
Play a monster card or draw a second card if you didn’t draw a monster. If you drew anything from the Door card pile that wasn’t a monster, you have 2 options: you can “Look For Trouble” by playing a monster from your hand to fight, or you can “Loot The Room” by grabbing a second card from the Door deck face-down and putting it in your hand. ^{[8]
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- You should only play a monster card if you know you can defeat the monster! Otherwise, you could lose levels.
4
Ask another player for help if you can’t defeat the monster. If you have a lower level than the monster you’re fighting, you might need some help. Ask the other players to add their combat strength to yours. You can offer the helper any Items you’re currently carrying or a few of the Treasure cards your monster will give you once you defeat them. ^{[9]
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- You can also offer to play any cards you legally can, like a “Go Up a Level” card, for the other player.
- Only one player can help you defeat a monster. If a player refuses to help, ask another one until they all turn you down or someone decides to help.
- If you both successfully defeat the monster, discard it, draw the number of Treasures written on the card, and follow any special instructions. You level up, but your helper does not.
5
Go up a level if you defeat the monster. If you defeat the monster, good job! Discard the monster card and go up 1 level by marking it on your notepad or collecting a small object. Check the bottom of the monster card to see how much treasure they were holding, then draw that amount of Treasure cards from the deck. ^{[10]
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- Munchkin Deluxe: Move your standee to the next level space on the board.
6
Roll a die to run away if you can’t defeat the monster. If nobody will help you defeat a monster or if another player interferes so you can’t defeat it, you must run away. If you run away, you don’t get any levels, collect any Treasure, and you can’t Loot The Room. ^{[11]
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- 5 or higher: You escape successfully. Read the card to make sure there are no negative effects from running away and discard it.
- 5 or lower: Check the “Bad Stuff” on the monster card under to see what happens to you. This can vary from losing Items to Death.
- If you die, you lose all your Items. You keep your Class(es), Level(s), Race(s), etc. Lay out your hand face-up and starting with the highest-level player, each player chooses one card.
  - After everyone gets 1 card, the rest of your hand is discarded. Dead players cannot receive any cards, level up, or win the game.
  - On your next turn, draw 4 cards from each deck face-down, play any cards you can, and take your turn as normal.
7
Play the cards in your hand until you get to 5. When your turn is done, you enter the Charity phase. If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, play enough cards to get you to 5 or fewer. If you can’t (or don’t want to) reduce the number of cards in your hand, give the excess cards to the player with the lowest Level. ^{[12]
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- If players are tied for the lowest Level, divide the cards as evenly as possible among them (but it’s up to you who gets which cards).
- Try to hand off any low-level items that aren’t worth much Gold or any Items that you don’t want to keep for your own character.
- If you’re the lowest-level player, just discard your extra cards.
- When you finish your turn, the player to the left goes next. ^{[13]
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Play cards on other players to interfere with their combat. If your friend is fighting a monster and they’re doing well, you can play one-shot cards (any cards labeled “Usable once only), throw down a Curse, or put down a monster enhancer to make the battle harder on them. You can also add a monster from your hand to the combat with a Wandering Monster card. ^{[14]
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- The goal is to stop the other players from reaching level 10—at all costs!
- If you’re a Thief, you can also backstab the other player in combat.
- If the monster a player is fighting is labeled “Undead,” it means you can play any Undead monster from your hand into combat without using a Wandering Monster card.

Section 3 of 3:

Objectives & Winning

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1
Win the game when you reach level 10 by fighting a monster. Even if you’re at level 9 and you could level up by selling items, it won’t win you the game. You must defeat a monster to get to level 10 to win the whole thing. ^{[15]
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- However, there are a few Treasure cards that give you the power to win the game without defeating a monster. Keep an eye on your cards as you play to see what kind of special moves you can do to win.
2
Sell your Item cards for 1,000 Gold Pieces to level up. Every Item card is worth a certain amount of Gold Pieces that are written on the bottom right of the card. Discard Items worth at least 1,000 Gold Pieces altogether to immediately go up 1 level. You can sell Items from your hand and Items that you’re carrying. ^{[16]
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- If you sell Items for 1,100 Gold Pieces, the excess Gold Pieces don’t get carried over or collected by you. However, if you sell Items for 2,000 Gold Pieces, you go up 2 levels.
- You can only have 2 “hands” of items and 1 Big Item at a time (unless another card says otherwise). If you want to put down a new Item, sell the old one by discarding it with other Items.
3
Trade cards with other players at any time. Even when it’s not your turn, you can trade with other players for Item cards from the table (not from your hand). Trade back and forth as much as you’d like to gain treasures and boosts that will help you level up. ^{[17]
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- You can trade at any time except when you or your trading partner are in combat. The best time to trade is when it’s not your turn.
- Any Item you receive from a trade must stay in play on the table in front of you.

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If the rules of the game disagree with a card, follow the card. You can also read the Munchkin FAQ page to see if the makers of the game have clarified any rules or card directions. ^{[18]
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There are other card packs and versions you can buy of the game, including Munchkin Zombies or Munchkin: Impossible (a spy version). Combine the card packs for a more interesting and fun game! ^{[19]
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Download this Munchkin playmat to place all your in-play cards on to keep them organized!

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Munchkin Card Game Rules: Everything You Need to Know to Start Playing

Starting a Game of Munchkin

Steps

Game Setup & Character Creation

Turn Phases & Gameplay

Objectives & Winning

What Are Ways To Make Munchkin More Fun?

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

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Expert Interview

References

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