Days before the final episode of Survivor’s 47th season, gaming company Exploding Kittens announced Survivor The Tribe Has Spoken, a new card-based party game designed in collaboration with the show’s Emmy Award-winning host and producer Jeff Probst. Designed for both superfans and the uninitiated alike, the Survivor card game attempts to mirror the social strategy the genre-defining reality show has become famous for.
This is not the first licensed game by the Exploding Kittens team — having released Exploding Minions in 2021 — but co-founder and CEO Elan Lee’s excitement for this partnership seems to be more than just a savvy business collaboration. “I’ve watched every episode of Survivor since the first season — 24 years ago. It has had a massive influence on my own game designs and ability to craft amazing experiences for our players,” said Lee in the game’s press release. “I have always wanted to bring the Survivor experience to at-home audiences, but condensing a multi-week game to less than 30 minutes has been challenging. After two years of working closely with Jeff Probst, we’ve finally done it… with all the fun, strategy, alliances, and betrayal packed into a beautiful box.”
The game incorporates the show’s nearly 25 year history into card-based play, including player cards featuring some of the show’s most (and least) beloved contestants. Throughout the game, players will form alliances and blindside power players all in an attempt to be the final two survivors standing, where they can make their case about why they played the game better than their opponent and deserve the title of Sole Survivor and a million dolla — er, bragging rights.
“When we set out to make a card game version of Survivor — we needed it to be an entertaining experience for both legacy fans and people who simply love playing games,” said Jeff Probst, Host and Executive Producer of Survivor. “I knew the Exploding Kittens team was the perfect partner to form an alliance with to bring the game to life, and we hope people enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed designing it.”
The gameplay utilizes iconic Survivor mechanics like advantages, hidden immunity idols, and vote-based tribal councils — which utilizes the games’ box as a stand-in for the show’s famous urn where Probst himself “tallies the votes.” Examples of the cards used throughout play include Reward Challenges, which require you to scheme and strategize with other players; “The Spy Shack,” which lets you peek at any player’s hand and steal a card; and the counter-card “Sorry for You,” which blocks opponents from stealing your cards. Bonus cards also allow players to steal and manipulate votes or even declare themselves Tribal Council Leader.
Best suited for players ages eight and up, the game accommodates three to six players and takes around 30-60 minutes to play. Survivor The Tribe Has Spoken is currently available to preorder for $19.99 at Amazon, Target, and Walmart.