About Dixit
Spiel des Jahres 2010. The most beautiful cards in board gaming. The storyteller gives a clue for their card — if everyone or no one guesses it, they score nothing. The sweet spot is in between.
Is Dixit Right for You?
Best for
Dixit is the gentle, beautiful party game for mixed groups of three to six, including families, who want creativity over competition. The storyteller invents an abstract clue for one stunning illustrated card, and the magic is in clues that are neither too obvious nor too obscure.
Maybe skip it if…
It falls flat at three players and with very literal-minded people who give clues that are either dead giveaways or impossible riddles.
How to Play Dixit
Setup
Deal 6 cards each. Place voting tokens and scoring track.
On Your Turn
- Storyteller gives a word, sound, or phrase for one of their cards.
- All players secretly submit a card that matches the clue.
- Reveal and vote — score if some (not all) find the real card.
How to Win
First to 30 points.
💡 Strategy Tips
Clues that are personal or poetic work best. Too clever = no one guesses. Too obvious = everyone guesses.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- As storyteller, giving a clue so clear that everyone guesses it (you score zero) or so vague that nobody does (also zero).
- Forgetting the scoring sweet spot: you only score when some but not all players find your card.
- Submitting a decoy card that has nothing to do with the clue, so it never steals votes.
- Playing with only three when the voting math barely functions; five or six is the real game.
Advanced Strategy
- Aim your clue at exactly half the table understanding it; that is where the points live.
- Use clue types your group rarely expects: a snatch of song, a feeling, a single sound.
- When picking a decoy, choose a card that genuinely fits the spoken clue to bait votes.
- Watch which players think literally versus laterally and pitch clues to split them.
Variants & House Rules
Art-pack expansions (Odyssey, Quest, Daydreams, Disney, etc.)
Standalone or add-on decks of new dreamlike illustrations; Odyssey also extends the base count up toward eight players.
Dixit Disney Edition
A themed standalone with Disney-Pixar artwork, an easy on-ramp for families and fans.
Video Guides
Loading videos…
Our Verdict
Dixit won the 2010 Spiel des Jahres and remains the most quietly lovely game on our shelf. It is not a brain-burner and it is not for everyone, but for a relaxed evening with imaginative people the artwork alone earns its place. We recommend it warmly, ideally at five or six.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players does Dixit need?
It supports 3 to 6, but three is weak; it is genuinely good at five or six, and expansions like Odyssey push it higher.
Is Dixit good for families and kids?
Yes. There is no reading on the cards and the imagery is universal, so children around eight and up play happily alongside adults.
How long does Dixit take?
About 30 to 45 minutes, played to a target score on the track rather than a fixed number of rounds.