Are you a fan of trick-taking card games but can’t find people to play with? Or are you simply looking for alternative ways to enjoy the thrill and excitement of these competitive card games? Look no further because we have found the best way for you to play top trick-taking card games on your PC!
From classic favorites like Spades and Bridge to recent arrivals such as The Fox in the Forest and The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, something here will appeal to everyone. Read on to learn all about our top picks for PCs today!
Classic and Modern Trick-Taking Card Games to Play on PC
Experience trick-taking to the next level by playing these card games in the comfort of your home. Some games to try first include:
The Fox in the Forest
The Fox in the Forest is a beautifully illustrated trick-taking card game for two players. The gameplay revolves around going on an adventure to a mysterious forest. The Queen has allowed the players to own half of the forest if they defeat the monsters. At the same time, players must collect treasures and gain the Witch’s trust.
Basics:
- Outsmart your foe through your trick-taking skills
- Each player receives 13 cards
- Cards with an odd rank have special abilities
- Non-dealer leads the first trick
- The card with the highest rank in the lead suit wins
The Fox in the Forest can be played online and in real life if you buy the physical board game. If you want to play it on a PC, you can buy it from Steam for only $6.99!
Bridge
A classic card game that has been around since the 1930s is Bridge. It’s a popular trick-taking game for partnerships with a more complex series of cues and meanings to convey in its card-holding mechanics. Its challenging gameplay made it a favorite worldwide, and Bridge tournaments are held to see who can defeat their opponents.
Basics:
- Players attempt to score points by making bids or defeating the opposing partner’s bid
- The game begins with the bidding phase, where players must make a call (pass, offer, double, redouble)
- Each player receives 13 cards
- The player on the declarer’s left makes the opening lead
Bridge is complicated, but it will hone your trick-taking expertise and ability to strategize against opponents. Fortunately, numerous Bridge games are available for PC gaming today! Or, you can download an app on your mobile device to access it anytime.
Spades
Another classic card game born in the 1930s is Spades. With technological advances, anyone can play Spades online through PC or mobile devices! It differs from Bridge because it doesn’t have a complicated bidding phase. In addition, Bridge takes longer compared to Spades.
Basics:
- Played in partnerships of two teams with two players each
- The first partnership to reach 500 points win
- All players make a bid, and the sum of each partner’s bids is combined
- Nil means no tricks will be won during the hand
Sites like Spades.co have one of the best ways to experience the game. You can find competent opponents to test your skills against or challenge a smart AI if you want to develop your skills first.
Cribbage
Do you think your matching and memory skills are up for a challenge? Then, don’t hesitate to try a Cribbage game today! This card-matching title is unique and different in many ways because you won’t be melding cards to score points. Instead, you have to try your best to play a card that will give you a value of 15 or 31, when added to the previous card played.
The goal is to reach 121 points. You can also score points if the player after you can’t play a card without exceeding the value of 31. Another is by making certain card combinations during the show phase, which is when you use the starter card with your played cards to form matches. The starter card is the card that the dealer turned over before the play began.
Although it seems like Cribbage is only for experts, you can still find strategies that will improve your gameplay. For instance, you never put good cards in the crib because it gives the dealer an advantage to make good combinations during the show phase. The crib are two cards you set aside after six cards are dealt to players.
Hearts
A trick-taking game that does the exact opposite is Hearts. It’s a variation of trick-taking called trick avoidance, where players must avoid specific cards that give penalty points. It’s a traditional card game that has produced numerous variations. One is Black Lady, sometimes mistaken as the original due to its more amusing features.
Basics:
- Avoid cards from the Hearts suit (one point) and the Queen of Spades (13 points).
- The player with the lowest number of penalty points wins
- Most games are usually played until a losing player reaches 100 points
- Each player receives 13 cards
Some variations you can try with the same gameplay as Hearts include Black Maria, Cancellation Hearts, Auction Hearts, Heartsette, and Joker Hearts, to name a few. Due to their extreme popularity, you can quickly find these games for mobile gaming or get them on Steam and download them for PC!
Related: RPG Games for Low End PC or Laptop
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
Another modern card game that was designed by Thomas Sing and released in 2019 is The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine. It’s ideal for two to five players. It’s a trick-taking cooperative game with 50 missions, and the goal is to win as many tricks as possible based on their cards. However, the challenge lies in the limited information players can communicate.
Basics:
- A limited communication card game with four suits
- Each round has a designated commander based on who has the highest trump
- The winner is determined at the end if they matched the trick of the starting card if no trumps are played
- Players are assigned several task cards in each round
Upon the game’s release, it received positive reviews. It now has a sequel, which was released in 2021, called The Crew: Mission Deep Sea. It’s undeniably challenging and entertaining, and you can play the PC version of The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine is now available at Tabletopia!
Pinochle
Pinochle is a unique trick-taking card game with incredibly competitive and fun gameplay. What sets it apart from other games in this list is that it has a melding phase, which is similar to the card melding mechanics when you play a Cribbage game.
Some Pinochle basics to keep in mind:
- The highest bidder wins and becomes the declarer
- Your points for melds count if you manage to take at least one trick in a round
- There are eight different melds
- Scoring is done by taking the total points you gained through melds and points gained through trick-taking
With so many game rules to follow, there’s no doubt that Pinochle is only for players who can handle memorizing the many mechanics and strategies involved. If you want to ace this game, there are plenty of platforms you can use. Overall, Pinochle is something you should try if you’re searching for something with more intricacy in its details!
Wizard
A modern card game developed in 1984 by Ken Fisher is Wizard. The game is based on Oh Hell and designed for three to six players. The number of cards used in Wizard games is 60, including the 52 standard cards and four Wizards and Jesters. Jesters have the lowest value, while Wizards have the highest.
Basics:
- Bid correctly on the number of tricks that the player will take in the next round
- Points are added for correct bids and subtracted for incorrect bids
- Rounds are between ten to 20, depending on the number of players
- Each game consists of three phases: Dealing, Bidding, and Playing
Wizard is well-loved worldwide, with tons of tournaments held to see who’s the best Wizard player. You can now play this on your browser through Board Games Arena! The best part is it’s free, and you can play it anytime!
Pitch
Pitch is a competitive trick-taking card game called Setback or Auction Pitch. Up to seven players can join the fun, so the challenge amps since you’ll have plenty of opponents to worry about. The best part is you can adapt it to teams with two players if you’re not that confident with your skills yet.
The game requires a full deck of cards, and it involves trick bidding. Let’s focus on the four-player Pitch variation. Once the dealer has been chosen, nine cards in sets of three will be given to each player. After that, the bidding begins. The player with the highest bid will be referred to as the Pitcher.
The Pitcher leads the game by playing the highest-ranked card to win points. The twist is that only trump cards can be played. The winner leads the next round. If players don’t have trump-suited cards, they fold, and the game proceeds clockwise.
Read More: Free Online Games to Keep You Entertained
Challenge Your Trick-Taking Skills with These Card Games
If you enjoy playing on your PC and want to experience trick-taking simultaneously, our list above will give you the best card games you might want to try first. Whether you’re looking for classic, modern, or a mix of two, we ensure you’ll have fun even if you don’t have a deck of cards!
