Imploding Kittens vs Barking Kittens: Which Expansion Fits Game Night?
By Exploding Kittens | Party card games, puzzles, greeting cards ... | Published: 2026-11-01
Category: Comparisons
Compare Imploding Kittens and Barking Kittens on player count, new cards, and risk style to pick the right Exploding Kittens expansion for your next game night.
Quick answer
Choose Imploding Kittens if you need to seat up to 6 players or want a tense, defuse-proof twist; choose Barking Kittens if your group already has enough player seats and prefers bluffing showdowns over new rules.
Player count is the first fork
Imploding Kittens raises the player limit to 6, while Barking Kittens does not list a player-count increase in the supplied facts. If your game night regularly has five or six people, that single difference often decides the purchase before you look at card effects.
Two different kinds of tension
The Imploding Kitten enters the deck face up and cannot be defused, so it adds a known, creeping threat that changes how you track the draw pile. Barking Kittens adds a pair of Barking Kitten cards that work like a game of chicken: play one when you suspect someone holds the other, and you either catch them out or paint a target on yourself. One rewards memory and planning; the other rewards reading the table and bluffing.
The hidden cost: both need the base game
Neither expansion is standalone; each requires a copy of Exploding Kittens to play. If you are buying your first Exploding Kittens product, budget for the base game first. Also check the language option for each expansion so it matches your base deck and your group's reading comfort.
Trade-offs to weigh before you buy
- Player count vs. bluffing focus: Imploding Kittens expands seating to 6 players; Barking Kittens adds no listed player-count increase but adds a pair of Barking Kitten cards built around guessing who holds the other. Count your typical guest list first; if it is five or more, Imploding Kittens solves a seating problem that Barking Kittens does not.
- Unavoidable threat vs. risky callout: The Imploding Kitten is placed face up and cannot be defused, so it changes deck tracking for everyone. Barking Kittens asks you to play a card and hope the other holder explodes first, with a real risk of becoming the target if you are wrong. Pick Imploding Kittens for groups that like visible, mounting pressure; pick Barking Kittens for groups that enjoy nerve and table talk.
- Entry point vs. later addition: Imploding Kittens is the first expansion and Barking Kittens is the third, and both require the base game. The supplied facts do not state whether Barking Kittens assumes you own earlier expansions, so treat that as an open question and check the rulebook if order matters to you. If you are buying your first expansion, Imploding Kittens is the simpler starting point; if you already own earlier expansions, Barking Kittens adds a different social layer.
Product facts
- Imploding Kittens: Expansion: First expansion of Exploding Kittens; allows up to 6 players and introduces 20 new cards, including the Imploding Kitten that cannot be defused. It is the practical pick when your table regularly has more than four players, and the un-defusable card adds a planning challenge rather than a bluffing one.
Imploding Kittens: Expansion - Barking Kittens: Expansion: Third expansion of Exploding Kittens; introduces 20 new cards including a pair of Barking Kitten cards that work like a game of chicken. It suits groups that already have enough player seats and enjoy social deduction-style moments where calling a bluff can backfire.
Barking Kittens: Expansion
Which expansion fits your game night?
Best for
- Groups of five or six who need the higher player count
- Players who enjoy tracking a known, un-defusable threat in the deck
Not for
- Groups that already have enough seats and want bluffing showdowns instead of a new looming hazard
- Anyone who does not yet own the Exploding Kittens base game
