Munchkin is a dedicated deck card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic. It is a humorous take on role-playing games, based on the concept of munchkins (immature role-players, playing only to "win" by having the most powerful character possible).

Munchkin won the 2001 Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game, and is itself a spin-off of The Munchkin's Guide to Powergaming, a gaming humor book which also won an Origins Award in 2000.

After the success of the original Munchkin game several expansion packs and sequels were published. Now available in 15 different languages, Munchkin accounted for more than 70% of the 2007 sales for Steve Jackson Games and remains their top-selling title through 2020.

Munchkin Second Edition was successfully crowdfunded on BackerKit in February 2026.

Gameplay

thumb|A game of Munchkin being played, with coins being used to denote levels.

In Munchkin, all players start at level 1, with the goal of reaching level 10 (or level 20 in Epic Level games). However, players can freely use cards against monsters and other players during play, allowing them to either assist or to sabotage others during their turn.

Awards and honors

A 2002 expansion, Star Munchkin, won the 2002 Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game.

Reviews

A 2002 review on RPGnet regards Munchkin as not a very serious game.

In a review of Munchkin in Black Gate, Bob Byrne said "I can't imagine anyone playing Munchkin with two friends and not enjoying it. [...] The shifting alliances, the humor on the cards, the ebb and flow of winning and losing: it is simply a fun, fun game. We often don't finish in an hour and declare the leader the winner (though it is possible to get to level ten in an hour). But unlike many games, the experience of just playing is the real reward." Mark Rigney for Black Gate said "Here there be dragons, yes, but also a lot of snide references aimed at society in general. For my money (thank goodness, our box of Munchkin was a gift, so it cost me nothing), it's all in good fun."

Tom Vasel of The Dice Tower was critical of the game Munchkin feeling it was overpriced, had limited re-playability, and a poor and occasionally tedious gaming experience.

Other reviews:

  • ' #15 (that magazine also reviewed numerous expansions of the main game)

Variations

There are numerous themed variations and expansion sets for Munchkin in addition to the main series of expansions, including:

  • Epic Munchkin (changes the rules so game ends at Level 20)
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin (spaghetti Westerns)
  • Munchkin Adventure Time (based on the Adventure Time series)
  • Munchkin Apocalypse
  • Munchkin Axe Cop (based on the web comic series)
  • Munchkin Bites! (vampires, werewolves, etc.)
  • Munchkin Blender (helps with mash-up games that mix many different expansion sets together)
  • Munchkin Booty! (pirates)
  • Munchkin Cthulhu (Lovecraftian)
  • Munchkin Fu (martial arts)
  • Munchkin Impossible (spies)
  • Munchkin Harry Potter (based on the book series)
  • Munchkin Legends (mythology and legends)
  • Munchkin Marvel (based on the various Marvel comics)
  • Munchkin Rick and Morty (based on the animated television series)
  • Munchkin Shakespeare (based on the works of the bard)
  • Munchkin Steampunk
  • Munchkin Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (based on the tabletop wargame)
  • Munchkin Warhammer 40,000 (based on the tabletop wargame)
  • Star Munchkin (space opera and military science fiction)
  • Super Munchkin (superheroes)
  • Munchkin Zombies

There are also a number of boardgames, each with various expansions:

  • Munchkin Dungeon (dungeon crawl)
  • Munchkin Panic
  • Munchkin Quest (tile-based dungeon crawl)
  • Smash Up: Munchkin (Munchkin version of the boardgame Smash Up)
  • Munchkin Treasure Hunt (for younger players)

References

  • Steve Jackson Games
  • Steve Jackson and others playing a game of Munchkin on Tabletop
  • Munchkin on Board Game Geek