APPLES TO APPLES

OBJECTIVE OF APPLES TO APPLES: Win the game by earning enough Green Apple cards

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4-10 players

MATERIALS: 749 Red Apple Cards, 249 Green Apple Cards, Blank Cards, Card Trays

TYPE OF GAME: Board game

AUDIENCE: All ages

OVERVIEW OF APPLES TO APPLES

Apples to Apples is a fun party game that accommodates so many players and is a great game to play in any setting, including sleepovers! Choose a card in hand that best fits the description on the Green Apple card. Judge not, lest ye be judged! Players take turns playing as the “judge” who chooses their favorite card! Apples to Apples is a hilarious and easy family game that players of all ages will enjoy!

In the article below, we will go over the Apples to Apples rules and several variations for the game.

SET-UP FOR APPLES TO APPLES

To start off, mix up the Red Apple cards and evenly place them in the four wells of the card tray. Next, shuffle the Green Apple cards and place them evenly between the two shallow wells of the cards tray. Keep the tray on the table and move the box out of the way of gameplay.

Before you dive into the gameplay of Apples to Apples, you must pick a first judge. This could be the oldest player, the youngest player, or chosen completely at random! The judge acts as the dealer, dealing each player 7 Red Apple cards, including themselves. The judge then flips over a Green Apple card.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

Here are the materials included with the standard Apples to Apples game.

749 red apple cards containing nouns
249 green apple cards containing description words
Seven red apple and three green apple blank cards
Card trays
Apples to Apples rule book

HOW TO PLAY APPLES TO APPLES

The judge picks a Green Apple card from the tray, reads it aloud, and then places it on the table face-up. All other players choose a red card from their hand that is best described by the word printed on the Green Apple Card. Players hand their Red Apple picks to the judge, who shuffles them.

Here is an example of an Apples to Apples round: The judge reveals a card that says “calming.” Then, the other players pick red cards from their hands that fit the description. Players can get creative with their Red Apple cards, choosing to either go the literal route with cards like “Therapy” or the funny route with cards like “Having a Baby” or “Vacuum Cleaners”. After all players have turned in their cards, the judge then reads them out loud and chooses their favorite.

JUDGE’S TURN

The judge shuffles the Red Apple cards and reads the responses aloud to the group. Whichever response the judge likes best wins that round, and whoever plays that card receives the Green Apple card as a “point”.

As per the example above, the red apple cards played include “Gymnastics,” “Underwear,” “Vacuum Cleaners,” “Pancakes,” and “Losing Your Backpack.” The judge then picks their favorite. In this example, they pick “Vacuum Cleaners”. The player who played this Red Apple card will take the green card “calming.”

NEXT ROUND

The players discard the Red Apple cards used in the round and replace them with fresh Red Apple cards from the card tray. The role of the judge passes to the left and the Apples to Apples rules repeat.

END OF GAME

The game continues until one person wins the game by collecting the predetermined number of Green Apple cards as described below:

NUMBER OF PLAYERS	NUMBER OF CARDS NEEDED TO WIN
4	8
5	7
6	6
7	5
8-10	4

REPLAYING THE GAME

Apples to Apples is made to be replayed repeatedly, and it is easy to start a new game immediately. To replay, collect all the cards used this round and the player’s remaining hands and set them to the side. Pull fresh cards from the box, shuffle up, and prepare to play again!

TIPS TO PLAY APPLES TO APPLES

Here are a few tips and tricks for playing Apples to Apples effectively.

JUDGE’S FAVORITE

You will want to play to the judge. This means that if you know the player who is the judge currently, you should play cards you know they will find funny or accurate or will garner a big response from them.

NON-PERFECT APPLES

You will only sometimes have an apple that fits the prompt perfectly. It is okay to play something that does not fit the prompt but is still funny or completely wrong for the prompt.

TABLE TALK

You can and should table talk. Use your powers of persuasion to talk up certain cards you want to win. You can do this for your cards or your favorites for the round.

VARIATIONS OF APPLES TO APPLES

Getting a bit bored of the standard Apples to Apples game? Below are a couple of variations for the standard Apples to Apples rules. These are minor changes to the gameplay that can add more variety to your games.

APPLE TURNOVER

Deal 5 Green Apple cards to players. The judge turns over the top Red Apple card from a stack in the tray. Players pick the best Green Apple card that describes the Red Apple card. The judge selects the best Green Apple card played.

QUICK PICK

A fun variant is the Quick Pick; in this variation, the last player to submit their card to the judge is out of that round, and they receive their card back automatically.

QUICK PICK FOUR

In a game of four players, players can play more than one card (maximum of 2). Players must place cards one at a time on the table. The judge will pick from the first four cards set down.

CRAB APPLES

Judge Red Apple cards based on how unrelated or opposite they are to the Green Apple card.

BIG APPLES

Players confident in their picks may bet Green Apple cards. If the judge picks the player’s red card, they win the amount of cards wagered. However, if a player loses the bet, their green cards are put on the bottom of the deck.

APPLES POTPOURRI

Choose a Red Apple card before the judge picks or reads the Green Apple card. The judge picks the winning card as usual.

2 FOR 1 APPLES

The judge picks two Green Apple cards for a round. Each player picks 1 Red Apple card they believe to describe the two Green Apple cards best. The winner collects both cards.

If you love this game, try out another on our site with a similar namesake, Apples. If you are also a Disney lover, there is a Disney version of Apples to Apples as well as more Disney Board games on the site.

FAQ

Can You Play Apples to Apples with 2 Players?

Traditional Apples to Apples is a 4- to 10-player game, so there is no official version of 2-player Apples to Apples. However, this link has some fan variants for a Co-op 2-player version.

Is Apples to Apples a Kids Game?

Apples to Apples is a family game that is great for kids. That said if you want a game that is specialized for younger kids try out Apples to Apples Kids and Apples to Apples Junior.

Is Apples to Apples Similar to Cards Against Humanity?

Cards Against Humanity is like an NSFW adult version of Apples to Apples. It’s another fun party game, but it’s unsuitable for kids.

Author
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Lev

I am a passionate writer who enjoys inspiring others to play games and have fun. I ran a pub crawl for 3 years, running drinking games almost daily with my guests. I also come from a huge game-loving family, so you could say games are in my nature.

I am also a huge fan of travel and music and have started personal blogs about travel and music.