Dobble is a game which blows my mind. It is simple in its play, but it is so incredibly clever. The game consists of 55 circular cards contained in a tin along with an instruction sheet that explains the five different games you can play with anywhere from two to eight players.

Each of the cards contains 8 different symbols on it. Random things like a cactus, a dolphin, a yin yang or a four leaf clover. The basis of the game is that between any two cards, there will be one pair of matching symbols, but only one. How crazy is that? There is just one pair of matching symbols between any two cards, the thought absolutely boggles my brain. The deck of cards are split among the players, leaving one card in the centre as the start card. The race is on to find that matching pair between your top card and that in the middle as quickly as possible to win that round and place your card on top.

This game is a true family game, you can play from any age from 4 or 5 up to 99 quite easily, and anyone could win. There have been times where Grandma has absolutely cleaned up on this game, and others where we have all been schooled by a five year old. Reactions and the ability to quickly spot matching symbols seems to be a skill that a person may only possess temporarily.

The tin contains a bunch of variations of the game. They are all pretty similar so easy to learn although you will probably find your house gets a favourite and plays that one over all the others. In our house we love the Waterfall one where you try to get rid of all your cards first into the middle. There is the opposite where you are trying to gain all the cards but for some reason I am terrible at this version and good at the first.

Dobble is a blast to play with anyone, it comes in a tin that is perfect for being thrown into a bag and being played at a cafe, at the park or on the move as well as at home.

This blog was written by Hannah Blacknell.

Editors note: This post was originally published on May 26th 2023. Updated on Feb 29th 2024 to improve the information available.