A few cards in hand. A growing train. One choice at a time.
Card Train is a turn-based card game for 2–4 players, inspired by the traditional card game of building and capturing a shared line of cards. Play a card, look for a match, and decide which section of the train to collect—or leave the opportunity for the next player. Challenge AI, gather friends online, and choose between building your own pile and racing for points from a shared deck.
Learn to play in four steps
These diagrams use the same sequence as the in-game guide, with classic pixel cards and the Same rank rule. Cards run from oldest to newest, left to right.
01 Read the shared train
The train is 3, 7, J, 5, 9, and you have a 7 in hand. The default hand limit is 3 cards. On your turn, choose one card to play.
02 Add one card to the tail
Play your 7. The train becomes 3, 7, J, 5, 9, 7. After adding the new card, look back through the earlier cards for starting points allowed by the current matching rule.
03 Choose a match and preview the whole section
The earlier 7 matches your new 7. Gold outlines mark the matching ends; the teal highlight shows the five cards you would collect: 7, J, 5, 9, 7. A capture takes every card from the chosen start to the tail, including both ends. You cannot skip cards in between, and the section must meet the minimum capture size.
04 Confirm the capture—or leave the opportunity
Confirm to take those five cards, leaving only the 3 in the train. In Personal deck mode, the cards go to the bottom of your pile in order; refill your hand at the start of your next turn. In Shared deck mode, this capture earns 5 points and the cards return to the bottom of the shared pile in order.
You may also skip: all six cards stay on the table, including your played 7, which cannot be taken back. Capturing or skipping grants no extra turn; play passes to the next player. With no valid starting point, play passes on directly.
One train, several ways to match
- Same rank: a 7 can match an earlier 7 regardless of suit.
- Same rank and color: a red 7 matches another red 7, while a black 7 does not. Sharing a color alone is not enough.
- Identical card: rank and suit must both match, using duplicate cards from two decks.
For example, under Same rank, the train is 3, 7, J, 7, 9 and you play another 7. Starting at the first 7 captures 7, J, 7, 9, 7: 5 cards. Starting at the second 7 captures 7, 9, 7: 3 cards. Which section you take changes what remains for everyone else.
A match must also be large enough: if the minimum capture is 3, a pair of adjacent sevens is only 2 cards and cannot be collected. A section of 7, 9, 7 meets the requirement.
Personal deck: build your supply and stay in play
After shuffling, each player receives a personal draw pile. Captured cards go to the bottom of your pile in their original order, behind the cards already waiting there. You draw from the top, so the order of a capture matters beyond the current turn.
Under default rules, you are eliminated only when both your hand and your personal pile are empty at the end of your turn. An empty hand alone does not eliminate you if your pile still has cards. The last active player wins. Custom games can change the elimination threshold or use a round limit.
One round means one turn for every active player. At a configured round limit, the active players with the highest combined hand-and-pile total win; ties are possible, and cards still in the train count for nobody. Personal-deck games also have a maximum of 999 rounds. In eligible custom Card count games, a successful duel vote can set a final stretch before totals decide the result.
Shared deck: turn every capture into points
Everyone draws from one shared pile instead of owning a personal pile. Each captured card earns 1 point, then returns to the bottom of the shared pile in its original order. Your score stays with you as the cards circulate. Be the first to reach the selected target of 50, 100, or 150 points.
This mode has no elimination, round limit, or endgame duel. If the shared pile runs out, drawing pauses while players use their remaining hands. If everyone is empty-handed too, the cards in the train return to the shared pile in order, awarding no points, and play continues.
Choose your table and your rules
- Play solo against Easy, Normal, or Hard AI, with classic 1v1 or custom games for 2–4 players.
- Use Steam online rooms or LAN play, add AI opponents, and watch from the room's two spectator seats alongside up to four players.
- Start with rock-paper-scissors to determine seat-selection priority, then play in the chosen seating order.
- Customize the deck mode, 1–2 decks, hand limit of 1–3 cards, matching rule, minimum capture size, turn timer, and victory conditions. Available combinations follow the rules screen; advanced settings unlock additional combinations.
Settle into a pixel-art card room
Choose card appearances, arrange your hand, review the table log, and learn through the interactive guide and worked examples. Adjust CRT effects, animation speed, reduced-motion options, and sound to suit your table.
Solo AI games can be played offline. Steam online play requires Steam and an internet connection; LAN play requires devices on a reachable local network.
