Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza vs Exploding Kittens (Which to Buy)
Buy Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Both are cheap, silly card games that teach in a minute, but Taco Cat is a game of reflexes where everyone plays at once, and Exploding Kittens is mostly luck with long stretches of waiting. We rate Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza 5/5 Bamboo and 5/5 Pandas, and Exploding Kittens 5/5 Bamboo and 2/5 Pandas.
Some links below are Amazon affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, King Panda Games earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
The Short Answer
Buy Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza if: you want everyone involved every second, a game kids can win fairly, and a lot of noise.
Buy Exploding Kittens if: your group loves the art and jokes, prefers a calmer game, and doesn’t mind that luck decides most rounds.
How They Play
In Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, players flip cards in turn while chanting taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza, and everyone slaps when the card matches the word. Special cards add chest-beating, horns and table-knocking. Nobody is ever waiting, because every flip could be a slap.
In Exploding Kittens, players take turns drawing from a deck that hides exploding kittens. Draw one without a Defuse card and you’re out. Action cards let you skip turns, peek at the deck or make someone else draw, but the draw decides most of the game. Our review calls it a coin flip in a very funny costume.
Side by Side
| Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza | Exploding Kittens | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2–8 | 2–5 |
| Play time | About 10 min | About 15 min |
| Age | 8+ | 7+ |
| What decides it | Reflexes and focus | Mostly luck |
| Player elimination | No | Yes |
| Our scores (Bamboo / Pandas) | 5 / 5 | 5 / 2 |
Where Taco Cat Wins
Everyone plays all the time. There’s no waiting for your turn to matter, because every card could be a slap.
Nobody is knocked out. In Exploding Kittens, an early explosion means watching the rest of the game. In Taco Cat, even the player with the biggest pile is still slapping.
Kids win fairly. Reflexes and focus don’t favor adults, so an eight-year-old has a real shot.
It seats more. Eight players against Exploding Kittens’ five in the base box.
Where Exploding Kittens Wins
Exploding Kittens has the funnier art and card text, which is half its appeal, and it’s calmer, with no slapping and no physical contact. If anyone at your table dislikes being touched, it’s the better choice. It also has a long list of expansions and spin-offs.
The Verdict
For almost every group, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is the better game. Buy Exploding Kittens only if your group specifically wants its humor or a game without slapping.
Check Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza price on Amazon →
Check Exploding Kittens price on Amazon →
Taco Cat is based on Egyptian Ratscrew, and Wikipedia’s Taco Cat page and Exploding Kittens page cover both games’ history. Meeple Mountain’s Taco Cat review is a good outside take. For more like these, see our best board games for kids, our best board games for families, Happy Salmon vs Exploding Kittens and our best card games list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza better than Exploding Kittens?
For most groups, yes. We rate it 5 out of 5 for fun against Exploding Kittens’ 2 out of 5, because everyone plays at once and nobody is knocked out.
Which is better for kids, Taco Cat or Exploding Kittens?
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Reflexes don’t favor adults, so kids can win fairly, and nobody sits out after being eliminated.
Which game seats more players?
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza seats up to eight. The base Exploding Kittens box seats two to five.
Is Exploding Kittens all luck?
Mostly. Action cards give you some choices, but the draw decides most rounds, which is why we score it 2 out of 5 for fun.
Do you need to touch other players in Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
Usually. Everyone slaps the same pile, so hands collide. If that’s a problem for your group, Exploding Kittens has no physical contact.